Sin Neutralizers: things we do to neutralize our wrongs

Sin demands a response. And it will get one. The question is not, “Will I respond to sin?” You will. I will. The real question is, “How will I respond to sin?” Sin, like gravity, is one of those unalterable laws: it happens and, therefore, I must interact with it. It is not that we are helpless, or that we are victims of sin, at least not for the Christian. Similar to gravity, we can respond in wise and beneficial ways to our fallenness. God has given us the answer to our sin problem as well as the power to overcome sin’s realities. Because of Christ we do not have to be overcome by the vicissitudes of sin. We can become the Gospel-centered, Gospel-motivated, and Gospel-empowered aggressors and, most assuredly, it is up to us as to how we respond to the things we do wrong.

Man-Centered Sin Neutralizers

As I have reflected on the wrong ways in which I have responded to the things I have done wrong over the years, I have come up with at least four wrong responses to sin. Here they are:
Excuse – This is probably my most-oft-used tactic to neutralize my sin. My old friend Adam used this back in the Garden of Eden and I have found it to be a tempting response when I do something dumb. The downside, for those who have to live with me, is that it is frustrating to them because it is not really a solution at all. It does not get rid of my sin. It merely ignores or maybe, better said, turns my sin into some kind of ambiguous 18% gray gibberish that leaves everyone feeling a big awkward because they know that I have not sufficiently and biblically responded to what I have done wrong. Sin remains and my family and friends have to live with the big pink elephant in the room. When I resort to excuses rather than taking responsibility for my actions, life can only clunk along.
Justify – There are times when I will compare myself to others, which is part of the process that I use to talk myself into thinking that my sin is not as bad as some people’s. This, also, does not remove my sin, but only temporarily neutralizes it. Typically when I go into a self-justifying mode, it is because I think that I deserve better than what I have. Justification is a form of anger that comes from an angry heart that says, “I will get what I want regardless of what it costs or who I hurt in the process because I deserve to be happy.”
Usually the justifying persons have not been able to deal with their personal disappointments in life. They have talked themselves into being a victim of this or that and because of what has happened to them, they have reasoned that they deserve better. And when they sin, in the process of getting whatever they feel they deserve, they justify their sinful actions because they have convinced themselves that they have been unnecessarily hurt and should be rewarded. It is a cycle that leaves many casualties.
Alleviate – Typically people who seek to alleviate their sin have a different kind of sensitivity to their sin. Their sense of morality is more inward focused rather than the Justifier or the Excuser, who tend to point to externals as to why they do what they do. While the Excuser and the Justifier know the difference between right and wrong, they are not as introspective about their sin.
The way this practically works out for the Excuser and the Justifier is that their response to sin is to blame others while the Alleviator chooses to punish or blame himself/herself. This is their version of self-atonement, or how they seek to pay for their sin. Here is a short list of self-atoning, self-punishing responses to sin: drugs, sex, over-eating, excessive TV watching, spending money, vacations, clothes, medication, anger, cutting, woe is me and other self-loathing remarks.
These responses are intended to help the Alleviator in at least three ways: (1) There is a hope for comfort through these responses; (2) There is a feeling of “payment” for sin; (3) And there is a distraction from guilt. None of these responses accomplish the intended goal of removing the sin.
Blame – “If you lived with the woman that I live with, you would be doing what I am doing also.” “If you knew my dad, you would not be so self-righteous about what I am doing.” These are just two of the many variations that we use to neutralize our sin. Sadly, my list is quite long. Blaming becomes just another wrong reaction that never solves the real issues that need to be dealt with. The core issue with the blaming persons is self-righteousness. They find it very difficult to admit that they have done wrong. They are too in love with themselves to say that they made a mistake. Though they are aware of their sin, they choose to place their sin on someone or something else. A response to sin is required and they choose to respond by saying some version of, “It’s not really my fault.”

A Real Bad Side Effect

The problem with all four of these attempts to neutralize sin is that they harden the conscience. Conscience (co-knowledge) is that inner voice that acts as our moral thermostat. It tells us when we have done wrong. However, when we choose any of the responses that I have described above as a “solution” to sin, a layering-of-our-conscience-effect begins to take place, which in the long-run will de-sensitize us to God’s conviction in our lives. And once our conscience becomes so hardened (layered) we then become morally dysfunctional, not able to discern or respond to right and wrong.

God-Centered Sin Neutralizer

There is only one way to respond rightly to sin. That is the Gospel, the person and work of Jesus Christ. God gave us the one and only response to sin in His Son. Rather than us choosing to slave through various man-centered responses to sin, God judged His Son on the cross and only asks us to accept His judgement of His Son as the final right answer to the sin problem.

Application Question

1. If you tend to choose any of the four wrong options above, what is it about the Gospel that is difficult for you to grasp and apply?
2. Are you regularly accepting full responsibility for your sinful choices and appropriating God’s Gospel to your life on a daily basis? If not, why not?
3. Do you need some help in practically applying the Gospel to your life? Will you talk to your pastor about your struggle?

Competent Counseling