Spin On Sin

DOES the reader know of anyone who engages in some sort of WELL-KNOWN self-destructive behavior?

Further, DOES the reader know of any such person who engages in this undesirable action and tries to tell whoever is listening that the action is actually a BENEFIT?

The best known examples are smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol.

NEITHER behavior is approved by the Bible.  Both behaviors are self-destructive–which is looked down upon by God’s Word.

“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit”
–Ephesians 5:18

“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”
–Proverbs 20:1

“He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.”
–Proverbs 16:32

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
–Galatians 5:16-17,19-21

Both behaviors are detrimental to the user BUT some users try to put a little spin on their sin and pretend that the behavior is not hurtful.

For instance, it once happened–in the city of Baltimore–that a person who smoked cigarettes compared them to working out at a gym!

This was something how that conversation, which was overheard, went.

“Can you talk to me for a few minutes now?”

“Okay, we have a few minutes.  What’s on your mind? (Looking down at a cigarette held between her two fingers) I’ve got to quit these.  They’re killing me!”

“Why do you say that?  Everybody thinks cigarettes are BAD for you.  I don’t know. I smoke.  There are more people who die of stress and hypertension than die of lung cancer. (Amazingly, no one checked this statistic out.) So when you smoke a cigarette, it’s like going to the gym but you don’t get sweaty.”

“You know, I never thought of it that way.  Now, what did you want to talk to me about?”

This unusual line of reasoning MUST have been effective because the lady ended up saying “Yes.” to the man’s proposal.

At any rate, the man put a little ‘spin’ on his sin to make it sound better than it really was.

spin:

figuratively) To present, describe, or interpret, or to introduce a bias or slant, so as to give something a favorable or advantageous appearance. quotations synonyms

Synonyms: whitewash, sugarcoat, put lipstick on, gild, blandish, dress up

Two men, one who smoked;another who regularly drank whiskey, used spin to make their sin a little more palatable to them both.

The first man scanned the newspapers and magazines DAILY for scraps of information which claimed that drinking alcohol was the source of unpromoted health benefits.

He then trotted out these yellowed newspaper and magazine clippings ANY time someone got on him about his drinking.

“Hey!  Drinking is GOOD for me!  Looky here!”

The other man would point to a cigarette he held and claim that it ‘kept him out of trouble.’

“These don’t leave me time or money to get into worse kinds of trouble!”

(Furiously spinning to make his sin appear less destructive than it really was.

UNFORTUNATELY, the second man spent the last several years of his life suffering from the ill health effects of his lifelong, relentless smoking habit.)

Putting a little spin on one’s sin: it’s what the pagans do to make their sin sound SO much better than it is.

However, the church folk have some practice at that activity of making sin sound SO much better than it it.

…and this is ONLY referring to the PHYSICAL effects of sin, NOT the SPIRITUAL ones.

“The soul that sinneth, it shall die.”
–Ezekiel 18:20

DOES the reader engage in a self-destructive sin that he spins to be a LOT better than it is?

It is not YET too late–although time is surely running out: there is still a LITTLE time to change direction (repent), place your faith (hope) for the future entirely on Jesus Christ and enter the kingdom of heaven.

DOES the reader believe he is saved?

Make Your Calling and Election Sure: End Times Survival

DOES the reader believe he is NOT saved?

Time is Running Out: Today is the Day of Salvation

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. ”
—1 Corinthians 15:1-8

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
-–Romans 1:16

MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report

A Reminder: The Gospel is Simple

[Portions of this piece appeared originally in End Times Prophecy Headlines: December 5, 2022.]

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MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report

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by Jeremiah Jameson
–with Mondo Frazier

image:  Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay.com

© Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report, 2012-22. © Mondo Frazier and End Times Prophecy Report, DBKP 2007-2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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