Proverbs 6:27-29
Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals and his feet not be burned? So he who cohabits with his neighbor’s wife [will be tortured with evil consequences and just retribution]; he who touches her shall not be innocent {or} go unpunished.
If we tolerate sin, there will be consequences. Our society as a whole will certainly decline, and we and our children will “be burned”, in God’s condemnation (Hebrews 12:29).
Currently, in the United State, we are checking ourselves unnecessarily and dangerously to tolerate and facilitate immoral and unethical behaviors. We are too eager to display our permissiveness in face of all we know to be against it, from traditional, biblical morality to common sense.
The Western world has made a “god” out of the concept of tolerance. If nothing else, it has become a chief virtue of modern man, but how is it virtuous to accept destructive behaviors? Would we tolerate sharks in our swimming pools? A little arsenic in our drinking water? Dynamite among our firewood? Do we allow automobile manufacturers to sell us unsafe vehicles? Are we happy to let unlicensed doctors and dentists operate on our bodies? Why, then, are we so eager to tolerate moral and ethical dangers in our society?
Concerning adultery, Solomon says, “Can a man take fire to his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be seared? So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; whoever touches her shall not be innocent” (Proverbs 6:27-29). If we tolerate sin, there will be consequences. For Christians, the rules are laid down in God’s Word, and the safest, most beneficial course for all along the road of life is to put them into constant practice.
