1d • Wisdom
Justifying Sin
“Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression; the same is the companion of a destroyer.” Proverbs 28:24
This proverb addresses more than theft from one's parents. At its heart, it exposes the frightening ability of the human heart to justify sin. The person described actually takes what belongs to his father or mother and then says, “It is no transgression.” He does not merely sin; he redefines his sin so that he no longer has to feel guilty about it. Solomon's warning is severe: such a person is “the companion of a destroyer.” What he considers a small or excusable wrong belongs to the same destructive family as much greater wickedness.
The command to honor one's parents stands among God's fundamental moral commands: “Honour thy father and thy mother.” (Exodus 20:12). Robbing one's parents is therefore a double offense. It violates the command against stealing, but it also violates the special duty of honor owed to father and mother. Instead of giving to those whom God commands him to honor, this person takes from them.
Jesus strongly upheld this responsibility. He rebuked the Pharisees because they had developed religious reasoning that allowed people to avoid caring for their parents. They could declare resources “Corban”—dedicated as a gift—and thereby excuse themselves from helping their father or mother. Jesus said, “Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition.” (Mark 7:13). They had found a sophisticated religious explanation for violating a very simple command of God.
That is remarkably similar to Proverbs 28:24. The thief says, “It is no transgression.” The Pharisees essentially said the same thing in more religious language. Both reveal a dangerous tendency: when God's command interferes with what we want, we are tempted not merely to disobey it but to reinterpret our behavior so that it no longer seems sinful.
Jeremiah described the heart as “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” (Jeremiah 17:9). One of the clearest demonstrations of that deceitfulness is our ability to judge ourselves differently from everyone else. We readily recognize greed, dishonesty, selfishness, or pride in another person while finding explanations for the same things in ourselves. Proverbs 16:2 says, “All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.”
This makes the words “It is no transgression” perhaps the most important part of the verse. The man's conscience has become distorted. Rather than allowing God's Word to judge his actions, he has made himself the judge of God's Word. He decides what should and should not count as sin. Isaiah warns of where this eventually leads: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil.” (Isaiah 5:20). Moral confusion begins whenever our preferences become more authoritative than God's revelation.
There are many ways the man in this proverb might have justified himself. Perhaps he reasoned that his parents had plenty and would never miss what he took. Perhaps he believed that because he would eventually inherit their possessions, they were practically his already. Perhaps he felt they owed him something. Scripture does not tell us his excuse because the particular excuse is not the point. Whatever reasoning he used, God's verdict remained unchanged: it was transgression.
This principle has broad practical application. Sin frequently comes accompanied by an explanation. Dishonesty becomes “just business.” Gossip becomes “sharing a concern.” Greed becomes “being ambitious.” Bitterness becomes “having boundaries.” Pride becomes “knowing my worth.” Laziness becomes “waiting for the right opportunity.” The terminology can change while the heart remains unchanged. We must therefore learn to ask not merely, “Can I justify this?” but, “What does God's Word actually say about this?”
David gives us the opposite attitude in Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart... And see if there be any wicked way in me.” Rather than defending himself, David invited God to expose him. That requires humility because it means admitting that we may be wrong about ourselves. Spiritual maturity is not becoming increasingly skilled at defending our actions; it is becoming increasingly willing to have them examined by Scripture.
The final phrase of Proverbs 28:24 is deliberately strong: “the same is the companion of a destroyer.” Solomon refuses to classify this behavior as harmless simply because it happens within a family. The same selfishness that allows a person to steal from those closest to him is the kind of heart that produces greater destruction when left unchecked. Small compromises and large sins often grow from the same roots.
Jesus expressed this principle when He said, “He that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.” (Luke 16:10). Character is revealed in seemingly small matters. A person who excuses dishonesty because the amount is small is developing the very character that may later excuse dishonesty when the amount is large. The safest response to small sin is not to minimize it but to deal with it before it grows.
There is also a sobering lesson here about how we treat our parents as they age. Scripture does not teach that adult children must obey their parents in every decision, but the command to honor them does not expire. Paul writes, “But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents.” (1 Timothy 5:4). There comes a time when those who once provided for their children may themselves need help. Scripture views caring for them not merely as generosity but as a serious family responsibility.
This does not mean parents can never behave wrongly or that children must enable destructive behavior. God's commands never require participation in sin. But Proverbs confronts the selfish spirit that views parents merely according to what can be obtained from them. Biblical honor asks instead how we can treat them with gratitude, dignity, honesty, and appropriate care.
The verse also connects closely with the previous proverb. Proverbs 28:23 praised the person willing to give honest rebuke rather than flattering someone. We need people who will challenge our self-justification. Because our hearts are skilled at saying, “It is no transgression,” faithful correction can be one of God's protections against spiritual blindness. Proverbs 12:15 says, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.”
Ultimately, the gospel confronts our tendency toward self-justification. We naturally want to prove that we are innocent, explain away our failures, or compare ourselves favorably with others. But salvation begins when we stop saying, “It is no transgression,” and agree with God's verdict that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). We cannot receive grace while insisting that we have nothing requiring forgiveness.
The wonderful truth is that when we stop covering and excusing our sin, we find mercy in Christ. Earlier in this same chapter Solomon said, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13). God does not require us to invent excuses because Christ has already provided something infinitely better than an excuse: forgiveness. Rather than saying, “It is no transgression,” we can say, “It is transgression, but Christ died for sinners.” That produces genuine repentance, a tender conscience, and a life increasingly willing to call sin what God calls it and then turn from it.
0
0 comments
Justifying Sin
powered by
skool.com/everyday-bible-4349
Everyday Bible was created to discuss as a community the Word of God and its practical application in our lives.
Suggested communities
Powered by