Sunday Seed Thoughts: Just Call It What It Is

Billy Sunday was a 19th century Major League baseball player who became an influential evangelist in the first two decades of the 20th century.

The story is told that a woman approached the preacher following one of his sermons and asked, “I wonder if you can help me? I have an awful habit of exaggerating.”

To the woman’s delight, Sunday acknowledged that he could help.

“Certainly, madam. Just call it lying.”

Too often, we are guilty of using euphemisms for plain old sin.

Here’s some I’ve heard.

Moral failure.

Mistake.

Flaw.

Error.

Oversight.

Misspoke

Short coming.

Problem.

Indiscretion.

Blunder.

Actually the Bible uses some other words as synonyms for sin.

Trespass (Eph 2;1).

Iniquity (Isa 59:1)

Disobedience (Eph 5:6).

Unrighteousness (1 Jn 5:17).

Wickedness (Rom 1:29).

Lawlessness (1 Jn 3:4).

Transgression (Ps 32:1)

In 1973 Dr. Karl Menninger wrote a book entitled, Whatever Became of Sin? He lamented that our culture had rejected a standard of right and wrong. I wonder what he would think if he were alive today?

Let’s be honest. And just call sin what it really is.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman