My soul, do you feel this holy shuddering at the sins of others? If not, you lack true holiness within. David's face streamed with tears because of the wickedness around him. Jeremiah wished his eyes were fountains so he could weep over Israel's sins. Lot was tormented by the filthy lives of the men of Sodom. And in Ezekiel's vision, God marked only those who groaned and grieved over Jerusalem's abominations.

How can godly hearts not grieve when they watch people working so hard to damn themselves? We who know sin's evil by bitter experience are horrified to watch others fly like moths into its flames.

Sin makes the righteous shudder because it violates God's holy law—the very law that protects our highest good. It tears down the pillars that hold society together. But there's another reason sin in others horrifies the believer: it reminds us of the evil lurking in our own hearts. When we see someone fall, we cry out with that old saint Bernard mentioned, "He fell today. I could fall tomorrow."

But most of all, sin is horrible to the believer because it crucified our Savior. In every act of rebellion, we see the nails and the spear. How can a saved soul look at that cursed, Christ-killing thing called sin without absolute revulsion?

Tell me, my heart, do you truly feel this way? It is a terrible thing to spit in God's face. The good God deserves better. The great God demands better. The just God will have better—or He will repay His enemies to their face. A soul awakened by grace trembles at sin's brazen audacity and stands horrified at the judgment it deserves.

What a monstrous thing rebellion is! What a horrifying doom awaits the ungodly! Listen to me, my soul: never laugh at sin's little jokes, or you'll end up smiling at sin itself. Sin is your enemy. It is your Lord's enemy. Look at it with utter disgust. Only then can you prove you possess that holiness without which no one will see the Lord.