How Far Can Sin Take You?

When God isn't in the picture, how far off course can we go?

It may sound like a religious question, but it’s a deeply human one: Without God—without Christ and the Holy Spirit—can our moral compass go haywire?

Most would say yes.

In fact, I’d even suggest that sometimes the Holy Spirit restrains unbelievers from going too far out… and sometimes, He doesn’t. Sometimes, He allows a person to erode to the point of being unrecognizable.

One of the most disturbing and sobering passages in all of Scripture is found in Judges 19:29–30.

After a horrific night where a Levite’s concubine—his slave woman—is raped to death by men from the tribe of Benjamin in Gibeah, the Levite responds by dismembering her body and sending her remains throughout the twelve tribes of Israel.

A gruesome shock tactic meant to wake up a morally asleep nation.

Why is something so terrible in the Bible?

Because it shows what happens when a people drift from God. The book of Judges is marked by this haunting refrain:

“In those days Israel had no king; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25)

It was a time of lawlessness, tribalism, spiritual decay—and unchecked sin.

The Levite’s act wasn’t righteous or godly. It was desperate. But it did what he intended: it forced Israel to stop ignoring evil. He was screaming through his actions, “Look at what we’ve become. This must be dealt with.”

When we abandon God, moral chaos follows. Israel (and any believer), was meant to be set apart—but they had fallen into patterns worse than the pagan nations around them.

We cannot grow numb to sin just because it’s common. We cannot go silent just because evil is loud.

The deeper issue in Judges wasn’t just moral failure—it was leadership failure. “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” No king. No vision. No shared standard.

When right and wrong become subjective, anything can be justified.

That’s why we must return to the truth of God's Word. It must be our moral compass, and we must raise up godly leaders in our homes, churches, and communities.

Mother Teresa said: "If you want to change the world, go home and love your family."

Don’t turn away from the hard stories in Scripture. Let them wake you up. Let them lead you to repentance, compassion, courage, and dependence on God.

Because the drift is real. James says it plainly:

“People are tempted when their own evil desire leads them away and traps them. This desire leads to sin, and then the sin grows and brings death.” (James 1:14–15 NCV)

There is darkness inside every one of us. We need the light of God to shine into that darkness.

GOD, help us see the truth by staying in your word. Help us look at ourselves with brutal honesty and humble hearts. Keep us from drifting. Lead us back to You. IJNIP amen♥️