A quotation from one of the key Christian books of our time:
“Therefore, we had better have a mechanism in our Christian culture that deals effectively with the sin when it comes out right in front of us.
For whatever reason, we’ve come to expect that church is a place where there isn’t going to be any sin. It is just not true. If we don’t know how to deal with sin, then we don’t know how to deal with people.
We inevitably create a culture of law in order to keep people from sinning. The message of this culture is, ‘Contain your sin within yourself. Don’t show it to me; I can’t handle it’
Remember, this was the Pharisees’ line. They were famous for being afraid of sin, largely due to the fact that the only remedy for sin in their day was various degrees of punishments. The fear of punishment ruled their hearts, relationships, and culture. Jesus, on the other hand, had a group of unlikely companions. They were the thieves, tax collectors, and the hookers of the day. Compared to the other religious leaders at the time, He was like “Jesus of Vegas.” He was not in the least afraid of messes people made in their lives, and of letting them happen around Him. Even the people who spent three years walking personally with Jesus were still making messes the night of His crucifixion.
But ultimately, His love and the way He led people empowered them to rise above their mistakes and issues. ” – Danny Silk, Culture of Honor