⏱️ Estimated Reading Time: 2 min read
How the Church Drifts: When Sin Becomes Unclear
Series: Clarity in a Confused Age: How the Church Drifts and How Christians Stay Anchored
Show: Contending for the Word with Dave Jenkins
Show Summary
In this episode of Contending for the Word, Dave Jenkins continues the March series,
Clarity in a Confused Age by addressing a critical issue in the modern church: the redefinition of sin.
The church rarely denies sin outright. Instead, biblical language softens, categories shift, and
therapeutic terms replace Scripture’s clarity. But when sin becomes unclear, grace becomes unclear.
Repentance is blurred, assurance collapses, and discipleship becomes disoriented.
This episode is not about moral superiority or targeting cultural flashpoints. It is about spiritual protection.
Because wherever sin becomes unclear, the gospel is inevitably distorted.
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Episode Notes
Key Idea
Silence about sin is not neutrality—it is formation.
What This Episode Covers
- Why conversations about sin feel “unsafe” in many churches today
- How sin is redefined before it is rejected (softened language, blurred categories, shifted meanings)
- The biblical pattern of deception: reinterpretation before outright denial (Genesis 3)
- How therapeutic language can replace biblical categories (sin, repentance, conviction, holiness)
- Three primary pressures driving drift: cultural, institutional, and emotional
- Why “almost right” teaching is often more dangerous than obvious error
- How drift harms ordinary believers: anxiety, confusion, exhaustion, and chronic guilt
- How Christians stay anchored through God’s ordinary means of grace and the sufficiency of Scripture
Key Scriptures
- Genesis 3:1 — “Did God really say?” (deception through ambiguity)
- Isaiah 5:20 — Calling evil good and good evil
- Jeremiah 6:14 — “Peace, peace” when there is no peace
- Acts 17:11 — The Bereans examined Scripture daily
- Romans 8:1 — No condemnation for those in Christ
- Psalm 119:105 — God’s Word as a lamp to our feet
- 2 Corinthians 7:10 — Godly sorrow leading to repentance
Call to Action
If this episode helped you, please consider sharing it thoughtfully with a friend, your small group, or your church.
Subscribe to Contending for the Word wherever you listen to podcasts, and on YouTube.
For more biblical resources to help you grow in discernment and stay anchored in the Word, visit Contending for the Word’s page at Servants of Grace or our YouTube.
Thank you for listening to this episode of Contending for the Word. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and rate it wherever you listen to podcasts. Be sure to also follow Servants of Grace on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah, and lives in beautiful Southern Oregon. He is a writer, editor, and speaker who loves Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology.
Dave serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries and the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine. He is the Host and Producer of the Equipping You in Grace Podcast and a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word.
He is the author of The War of Worldviews: Truth, Lies, and the Battle for the Christian Mind (Theology for Life, 2026), Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021).
You can connect with Dave on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, or subscribe to his newsletter.
When he is not engaged in ministry work, Dave enjoys spending time with his wife, going to movies, sharing a meal at a favorite restaurant, or playing a round of golf with friends. He is also a voracious reader, particularly of Reformed theology and the Puritans, and is often found working through a stack of new books from a wide range of Christian publishers.
Dave earned his M.A.R. and M.Div. from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
