Just Once: The Peril of Single Sins in the Christian Life
Today, we confront a deeply unsettling, yet absolutely vital, truth about sin. It’s a truth that challenges a common, dangerous deception that whispers in our ears: the idea that "just once" in sin isn't so serious. Perhaps it’s a small lie, a quick glance, a brief indulgence, a moment of compromise. We tell ourselves, "It’s only this one time; it won’t really matter."
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But the Bible shows us, with chilling clarity, that a single act of disobedience, a solitary deviation from God's command, can have profound, far-reaching, and even eternal consequences.
Satan, the great deceiver, wants us to think that "just once" is harmless. He minimizes sin, makes it appear attractive, a mere trifle. But God's Word warns us otherwise. James 1:13-15 outlines the dangerous progression: "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." The seemingly small seed of "just once" can grow into spiritual death.
Today, we will learn through several vivid biblical examples that "just once" can indeed be enough to ruin a life, destroy a testimony, break a family, or even jeopardize an eternity.
I. The "One-Time" Deception
Let's address this fundamental lie head-on.
Satan says, "It's okay if you do it just once." He downplays the gravity of sin, sugarcoats its consequences, and appeals to our desires for immediate gratification or escape from pressure. He presents it as an isolated incident, with no lasting repercussions.
God says, "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). This is a universal spiritual law. The payment, the consequence, for any sin – whether "just once" or a habitual lifestyle – is death: spiritual separation from God, and ultimately, eternal separation. God's holiness demands justice for every transgression. His standard is perfect righteousness.
II. Biblical Examples of One-Time Sins
Let these powerful, tragic narratives serve as a sober warning, shattering the "just once" deception.
1. Adam and Eve – Disobedience to God's command: In the Garden of Eden, God gave a single, clear command: "You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die." (Genesis 2:17).
• Genesis 3:6, 24; Romans 5:12: Eve "took some [fruit] and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it." Just one bite. A single act of disobedience. Yet, what were the consequences? They were immediately cast out of paradise, faced a life of toil, and brought sin, suffering, and death into the entire human race. Romans 5:12 confirms: "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned." The "just once" of Adam and Eve impacted all of humanity for eternity.
2. Noah – Drunkenness: After the great flood, Noah, the righteous man through whom humanity was preserved, made a tragic mistake.
• Genesis 9:20-25: "Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent." Just once, he drank to excess and exposed himself. The result was shame, the curse pronounced on Canaan, and a family legacy marred by this singular act of indiscretion.
3. Lot's Wife – Looking Back: As God was delivering Lot and his family from the fiery destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, a crucial command was given: "Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!" (Genesis 19:17).
• Genesis 19:26; Luke 17:32: "But Lot’s wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt." One disobedient glance, a single moment of longing for what she was leaving behind, and she became a permanent, stark monument to the peril of disobedience. Jesus Himself uses her as a warning: "Remember Lot’s wife!" (Luke 17:32).
4. Moses – He Struck the Rock: Moses, the great deliverer, was explicitly commanded by God to speak to the rock to bring forth water for the thirsty Israelites.
• Numbers 20:7-12: But in a fit of frustration, Moses "raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff." One act of disobedience, one moment of pride and impatience where he failed to sanctify God in the eyes of the people. The consequence? God told him, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them." This single act of disobedience kept him out of the Promised Land, the culmination of his lifelong work.
5. Samson – He Revealed His Secret: Samson, the mighty Nazirite, had his strength tied to his vow, specifically his uncut hair. Delilah relentlessly pressed him for the secret.
• Judges 16:16-30: "With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it. So he told her everything." A single revelation, a moment of weakness and compromise, and he lost everything: his strength, his freedom, his eyes, and ultimately, his life in a suicidal act of vengeance. The "just once" cost him everything.
6. Amnon – Listening to Bad Advice: David's son Amnon harbored a selfish desire for his half-sister Tamar.
• 2 Samuel 13:1-14, 32: He listened to the wicked counsel of his friend Jonadab, who advised him to feign sickness to get Tamar alone. This single piece of bad advice led to the heinous act of rape, which eventually led to Amnon's murder by his brother Absalom. One act of sin, one moment of listening to evil, and he lost his life.
7. David – Adultery with Bathsheba: David, a man after God's own heart, fell tragically.
• 2 Samuel 11:4; 12:10-14: "Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her." A single act of adultery with Bathsheba, followed by the compounding sin of murder, brought immediate judgment from God: death to his child, the sword never departing from his house, and public shame. Even after repentance, the consequences of that "just once" haunted his family for generations.
8. Ananias and Sapphira – Lying to the Holy Spirit: In the early church, Ananias and Sapphira sold property and claimed to give the entire proceeds to the apostles, while secretly keeping back a portion.
• Acts 5:1-11: Peter confronted Ananias: "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?" For this single lie to the Holy Spirit, both Ananias and Sapphira immediately dropped dead. The early church learned a powerful lesson about the seriousness of lying to God, even "just once."
III. Key Teachings
These stark biblical narratives converge on critical truths for our lives today.
• Let us not underestimate the power of a single sinful decision. Every sin, no matter how small it seems, is an offense against a holy God.
• Sin, even once, can destroy testimony, family, peace, and eternity. The ripple effects of one seemingly isolated act of disobedience can be catastrophic, impacting not only ourselves but those around us, and ultimately, our relationship with God and our eternal destiny.
• 1 Peter 2:11-12 offers a powerful warning and antidote: "Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." We must actively abstain from fleshly passions because they wage war against our very souls.
- How to Have Treasure in Heaven? Mark 10:21
- What Happens When We Resist the Holy Spirit? Acts 7:51
- Five Decisions We Must Make as Christians
Conclusion
My beloved brothers and sisters, do not fall into Satan's insidious trap of saying, "Once doesn't matter." This is a lie straight from the pit of hell.
God is just and holy. He does not tolerate a single unrepentant sin. Every sin, no matter how seemingly insignificant, is an act of rebellion against our righteous Creator. A single unconfessed, unrepented sin, clung to and cherished, can indeed separate you from God forever.
Therefore, I urge you, decide today to live in complete obedience to God. Remain faithful, remain vigilant, even if the world around you says it's okay, even if it seems harmless. For your eternity depends on it.
