Hebrews 4:16

16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

There is a great danger prowling around in the hearts of every saint and it is a truth that we may not often think about – sin desensitizes us. What once troubled our conscience begins to feel normal. It begins to look ordinary, manageable, even excusable. And this change often happens quietly. It whispers, not shouts and it rarely announces itself as rebellion; it presents itself as relief, convenience, or harmless indulgence. What once troubled our conscience begins to feel normal. What once seemed unthinkable becomes routine. What once grieved us now barely registers. And before long, we are not merely committing sin—we are becoming accustomed to it. Many years ago my parents told me about the first time they saw a TV commercial with a woman in her bra and underwear. I believe it was some time in the early 1980’s. They were shocked.  They couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Fast forward 40 years and women walk around town in not much more than a bra and underwear and wear even less at the beach. And yet, we barely take notice. What was once jarring and wounding to the conscience is now commonplace and brushed off as “self-expression”.  Sin works the same way in our own hearts. We become so familiar with sin that we often fail to even recognize it any longer. This is why mortification (putting sin to death in our lives) cannot begin with a proud vow to “do better.” Sin is not defeated by the flesh deciding to become heroic for God. We do not mortify sin by trusting our own strength, as though enough discipline can produce holiness by sheer effort. We first must begin by seeing. We begin by recognizing what sin really is. We stop rationalizing it. We stop making excuses. We stop calling it weakness, or a misstep when it is actually evil disobedience. We stop naming it “just the way I am” when Scripture calls it rebellion. Sin cannot be conquered while we are still negotiating with it. So, what do we do?

The first great remedy is to behold the holiness of God. When Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, he was in terror over his own sinfulness; he despised his own uncleanness. In the light of God’s holiness, sin changes shape. It is no longer small, reasonable, or tolerable. It becomes what it truly is—exceedingly sinful, ugly, and deadly. A holy God does not merely make us more aware of our flaws; He exposes how deeply our hearts have been bent away from Him. The problem is not that we are a little sick and need a tune-up. The problem is that our desires have been infected by sin so deeply that we have learned to live with what should have horrified us. That is why desensitization is so dangerous. The more often we see sin, entertain sin, and excuse sin, the less offensive it feels. A secret habit becomes a pattern. A pattern becomes a lifestyle. A lifestyle becomes identity. And a conscience that once trembled now sleeps. So the question is not merely, “Am I sinning?” It is also, “Have I become numb to what I am doing? Can I even recognize my sin?”  A hardened conscience is often the last warning light before great spiritual danger. The gospel remedy is not to pretend the sin is not there, but to bring it into the light of God’s Word. Scripture diagnoses what our hearts excuse. Scripture names what we minimize. Scripture searches what we hide. When we allow the Word of God to do its work, our excuses begin to collapse. We are no longer free to call darkness light. We are no longer free to call compromise maturity or Christian liberty. We are no longer free to call indulgence harmless. God’s Word is searching. It reveals what we have grown too comfortable with. And then, once sin is recognized, we ask for strength to say no. Not merely insight, but power. Not merely conviction, but grace. The throne we approach is not a courtroom where we are sent away condemned without hope; it is a throne of grace. We come to receive mercy and help in time of need. God does not expose our sin to shame us into despair. He exposes it so that He can free us from it. He convicts in order to heal. He wounds in order to restore. He calls us to hatred of sin so that we might walk in holiness with joy. But mortification does not end with refusal. It also requires replacement. We do not simply empty the house of sinful habits; we fill it with holy ones. Old patterns of sin must be replaced with new patterns of obedience. If bitterness has taken root, it must be replaced by forgiveness. If lust has occupied the mind, it must be replaced by purity and disciplined thought. If complaint has become habitual, it must be replaced by thanksgiving. If laziness has governed the soul, it must be replaced by diligence. The Christian life is not merely the subtraction of bad behavior; it is the renovation of the heart by grace.

So today, ask the Lord to show you where sin has desensitized you. Ask Him to uncover what you have grown too comfortable excusing. Ask Him to make sin look as ugly to you as it really is. Ask Him to give you a conscience sharpened by Scripture and softened by grace. And then, by His help, begin replacing sinful habits with holy ones. This is how sin is mortified: by light, by truth, by grace, and by the steady work of a heart being re-formed in the presence of God.

Yours in Christ, 

Pastor John