Normalization of Deviance

“It’s only one time. It’s only a little sin. Nothing bad has happened yet.” 

We are told in Ecclesiastes 10:1 that a little transgression comes with great consequences: “As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.” A mistake, an unkind word, or one careless moment can produce destruction, so you must give importance to how you live (Ephesians 5:15-17). You either honor Christ or deny Him with a life that can cause you or others to fall away. 

On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after launch because NASA engineers and managers permitted the shuttle to fly with defective O-rings in the cold weather. The O-rings sealed the rocket motors and prevented combustion gas from escaping. After being cautioned not to fly because the O-rings would freeze and become brittle, NASA engineers green-lighted the mission anyway, giving rise to the catastrophe we know today. In the wake of the Challenger disaster, sociologist Diane Vaughan coined the term “normalization of deviance,” or “allowing small problems, defects, or flaws to become acceptable and normal.” 

How often do we as Christians allow small problems or sins to take hold in our lives that lead us from the LORD? A day without Bible reading because of being busy? A missed church service because “I don’t feel like attending this morning” often grows into abandoning our faith because those sentiments lead to apathy. Studies demonstrate  that 70% of people leave Christianity because of losing interest or feeling as though the church is judgmental. 

Hebrews 2:1 admonishes against the normalization of deviance: “We must be pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, lest we drift away.” By heeding God’s Word and seeking Him first (Matthew 6:33), we must long for God’s truth as the psalmist David conveyed: “I gain understanding from Your precepts; therefore, I hate every wrong path” (Psalm 119:104). In recognizing the disposition of “nothing bad has happened yet... We’ve always done it this way”— much like the NASA engineers— It is easy to trust ourselves and not the LORD or the wisdom of others. 

While daily study of the Scriptures helps gain a better understanding of them, we must see that we do not become complacent and think, “I know the Scriptures so well that sin cannot influence me.” 1 Corinthians 10:12 cautions us take heed lest we fall. What’s more, Ecclesiastes 8:11 tells us: “When sin is not punished, people feel it is safe to do wrong.” How often do pride and sin cause us to grow complacent? Genesis 3:1-6 portrays the story of Satan deceiving Eve with fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, telling her, “You will not surely die. You’ll be like God!” Because she held to those lies and normalized the deviance, sin and death were introduced to humankind. It’s better to trust in the LORD with all our heart and not lean on our own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

On Judgment Day, the Lord will either tell you, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” or He will tell you, “I do not know you. Depart from Me, you worker of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:21-23).      Take care not to dismiss a little sin, because it has everlasting consequences!

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