There is no such thing as “New Sin”.

We compare ourselves and our times with the past and we either think we are better or worse. Actually, there are no new sins since the earliest days. There are just new means or tools to express evil but evil basically remains the same. In all ages, mankind is the same: we seek to please ourselves and live without God. It’s hard to imagine how mankind could be any worse than they were in the days of Noah and the flood (Gen.6). Do you think that the wickedness of our time exceeds the evils named in Romans 1:18-32? Isn’t it true that the evils the apostle Paul named in 2 Tim. 3:1-6 are true of some in every age and place in the world? The writer of Ecclesiastes thought that “the more things change, the more they stay the same” (see Eccl. 1:9-11).

While evil has been here since the fall of Adam and Eve, new inventions and discoveries make it possible to do evil in more and different ways. Today’s youth have access to methods and tools that were not available in the past. For example, the internet, cell phone, and media devices are great tools for communication and information but they also present opportunities and temptations to use them for evil purposes. What are some ways that these good tools are being used for evil?

The younger generation is faced with new moral challenges because things are now legal and readily available that were not legal or readily available in the past. The thinking of some is, “If it’s legal, then it must be moral.” What are some things that are now legal but are not moral?

Economic prosperity and the increase in incomes have brought new challenges to buy things and see and do things that were not possible when people were poorer. Our society and culture are not as grounded in biblical standards and principles as in previous times. The growing emphasis on individualism and the loss of community combine to make the younger generation more rootless. From your perspective, how have these changes affected you and those you know?

The increase in population has brought more young people together. This contact increases peer pressure to conform. It’s easy to compare oneself with others and to want to be like the “cool” in-crowd. Instant communication quickly spreads fads. This also brings more and more celebrity worship into our lives.

Youth have greater access to drugs and alcohol than before. Sexual experimentation is more acceptable and expected than in the previous generation. The “do your own thing” and “be happy” emphases loosen moral commitments.

While all this is true, and each generation feels it has more struggles with evil than those of the perceived simpler days of the past, in the big picture man has not changed in his nature or desires since the fall in the Garden of Eden. It has never been easy, convenient or popular to do right.

The Bible has many stories of men and women who chose to do right in spite of the surrounding circumstances. Righteous living is now and always has been counter-cultural. If we want to do right, and trust and obey God, he promises to help us obey his will. God is more powerful than all the forces of evil. God gives us help and strength to live by a faith that overcomes the world (1 John 5:4). Remember, “The one in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).