Watch the video above and talk about it with a group or mentor. Learn more.
Has anyone ever told you, “You can do anything you want as long as you don’t hurt anyone else”? Maybe you have said this to try and justify something that you wanted to do. You think: “I can cheat on that quiz, look at that image online, or tell that white lie. It’s not like I’m hurting anyone.”
Well, God never said that. Nowhere in the Bible does it say, “Do what you want as long it doesn’t hurt people.” So, let’s see what the Bible does say.
Sin always hurts someone
It might sound nice to think that you can do stuff that would make your grandma squirm as long as you aren’t hurting anyone. But the Bible says that all sin hurts someone. Every time you sin it affects the people around you. It affects the kind of friend you are, the way you treat your parents, or the way you look at other people.
And sin affects you. It affects your relationship with God. It separates you from him. It takes your focus off him.
Sin costs more than we realize
We tend to think that sin isn’t that big of a deal. After all, we all do stuff we aren’t proud of, so how bad can sin be? Or, maybe you don’t think of yourself as a sinner. Sin sounds like such a bad thing, and you aren’t a bad person. Well, let’s see what God says.
1 John 1:8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.
People are messed up. If you don’t think you are that bad, just try and stop sinning. Try and be perfect and see how that goes. You can’t do it because sin is a real problem.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Sin is more costly that we realize. The ultimate reward for sin is death, separation from God. But before that, sin causes death in all of our relationships. But, there is good news.
Jesus is a friend of sinners
I think part of the reason we run from sin is because we have a wrong view of God. We think that our sin means that God doesn’t love us or won’t accept us. But here is the thing. God is a friend of sinners. He’s here to forgive us and restore us! Let’s look at the next part of that verse from earlier.
1 John 1:8-9 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
You don’t have to fake like you are perfect with God. We can admit the truth that sin is a problem for us. And when we do God forgives us from our sin and restores us – every time we ask him for forgiveness!
Sin always matters and it always hurts someone. The key is not to ignore sin, but find forgiveness in Christ.
Discussion Questions:
- Watch the video together or invite someone to summarize the topic.
- What is your initial reaction to this video? Do you disagree with any of it? What jumped out at you?
- What are some sinful things that people do because they don’t think it hurts anyone else?
- Think of a sin that seems small. Describe how doing this sin can hurt you and those around you.
- Read 1 John 1:8. What would you say to someone who doesn’t think they are a sinner?
- Read 1 John 1:9. What should we do when we realize we have sin in our lives?
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
