Jesus’ half-brother James was known for his wisdom and faithfulness. In fact, his nickname was “camel knees” because he apparently spent so much time on his knees in prayer that they swelled and became calloused and huge!

He wrote: “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them” (James 4:17).

In other words, not only is it sinful to proactively do things that dishonour God and his ways, but it is sinful when you know the right thing to do and avoid it!

Oh dear. Guilty!

I say this for three reasons.

First, all of us sin. If any of you thinks you go a single day without somehow dishonouring God, you’re not paying attention.

Second, we should seek God’s forgiveness and make a renewed commitment to live faithfully.

Third, our own sin should compel us to love other people who sin—people who are, in this way, just like us!

In his book Blind Spots, Collin Hansen asks this piercing question: “Can you love a fellow Christian who sins differently than you do?”

Friends, humility holds a mirror. Not out of vanity, but in truthful self-examination. We are more likely to love our neighbours—and also our enemies—if we honestly examine ourselves first.

If we have our eyes open to the reality of sin, we are more likely to be proactive about dealing with it—starting with ourselves.

“Can you love a fellow Christian who sins differently than you do?”

By Matthew Ruttan

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.
–Collin Hansen, Blind Spots (Wheaton: Crossway, 2015), 29.