In a world where sin is easily excused and compromise feels natural, complacency has become one of the church’s most accepted, silent enemies. 

Today, it has become a priority to be gentle and loving rather than confrontational. And while it is good to be kind and loving, God also calls His followers to call out their brothers and sisters in Christ for their sin. Most people are so afraid of turning someone away or getting into an argument that they decide to “mind their own business” and let others continue living in their sinful ways.

God warns of a time when He will go through Jerusalem and punish those who are complacent in their faith. They are compared to the dregs of wine left over.

Allowing sin to seep into your lifestyle has become common inside the church and in the lives of many people. It has become normal to look the other way when sin becomes visible. Sin begins to be viewed as “the way someone is” or unavoidable. The call to turn and repent from sin gets lost in the normalcy of it.

In this way, many have become complacent about the sin ruling over their lives or in the lives of those close to them. The biggest mistake made here, though, is that God will do nothing to punish this way of life. 

Since Jesus has not returned to earth and it is unclear how long until His second coming, many Christians have decided they are free to do whatever they want, without any consequences. Even though it is taught on Sunday that you must stand out from the crowd and not worship the things of this world, how many people follow through with that in the way that they live? Sin has been allowed to run rampant in the lives of those proclaiming God’s name, making them seem just the same as those who aren’t believers. 

The question that I will pose is: why would a nonbeliever be persuaded to the faith if the only difference between believers and themselves is that they would be required to attend church and read the Bible? If there is no real difference in the lives of believers, then nobody is going to see the point in committing to the faith. 

Not many people are willing to stand up and call out the sinful actions of others in the church for fear of offending them or driving them away. And though there is a time and a place to do so, it is just as bad as the sin itself to allow a brother or sister in Christ to continue living that way.

There will be a day when Jesus will return to judge the world. Whether we are complacent or not, the day will come. Would you rather be judged for the sin you did nothing about or be at peace knowing that you may have sinned, but you did all you could to turn from it each time?

Take a moment to examine the way you are living. Are there areas where you are ignoring sin that is seeping in? Do you view it as who you are, or are you actively working to combat it? 

Do not become complacent in your faith. Be on fire for God and make changes in your life so that it is visible to everyone around you.