Articles
Fools Mock at Sin
The book of Proverbs frequently refers to fools. No one is more foolish than a person who mocks at sin. “Fools mock at sin, but among the upright there is good will” (Proverbs 14:9).
Not a Joke
Sin is a violation of God’s law (1 John 3:4), either doing what He prohibits or leaving undone what He requires. Such violations are no laughing matter. Sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2); “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). That is true of any sin (James 2:10). If not forgiven, that separation will extend into eternal punishment (Romans 2:8-9). It is a universal problem (Romans 3:23).
Besides the eternal consequences of sin, it brings immediate problems as well. “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). Unhappiness, guilt, fear, damaged relationships, civil punishment, financial loss, disease, and even death are a few of sin’s immediate consequences. Sadly, sin is deceitful and has a hardening effect (Hebrews 3:13), so it often leaves people blind to the source of the problems it causes.
Mocking Sin
To “mock” is to treat it with contempt or ridicule. Surely only a fool would make light of that which makes his life miserable and his eternity worse. Yet scoffing at sin is all too common. It occurs when. . .
We joke about it. Drunkenness, drug use, fornication, and divorce are common themes of comedians, especially when they occur in the lives of prominent people. Profanity is also often part of the act. Coarse jesting is itself a sin (Ephesians 5:4), and laughing at sin in the process only makes it worse.
We minimize it. People tend to categorize sins as big and little, with more and more violations listed on the little side. While it is true that sins are not all equal in every way, all sin condemns. Therefore, there is no such thing as a little sin. And the fact that all have sinned in no way reduces the weight of my transgressions.
We tolerate it. A society mocks sin when it tolerates it. God complained of ancient Judah that they had no shame, “they did not even know how to blush” (Jeremiah 6:15). Churches, too, mock sin when they claim to uphold God’s standard while closing their eyes to the evils occurring among their members.
We refuse to rectify it. The NIV renders our text, “Fools mock at making amends for sin . . .” God’s view of the heinousness of sin is seen in the price He required for its remedy: the blood of His only begotten Son (Romans 3:24-26). When we refuse His offer, when we substitute token “acknowledgments” for genuine repentance, or when we rationalize continued disobedience, we make the fatal mistake of mocking sin.
