"It's Unacceptable"

As their Week 12 matchup against the Tennessee Titans approaches, the Seattle Seahawks currently find themselves in an excellent position in the NFC Playoff race with an overall record of 7-3.

Much of Seattle’s success this season can be attributed to a high-powered offense that has tormented opposing defenses through the air. 

In his first season in Seattle, quarterback Sam Darnold currently ranks in the top ten in the league in pretty much every significant passing category. Through ten contests, he has thrown for over 2,500 yards and 17 touchdowns, while completing greater than 70% of his passing attempts.

Perhaps the only downside to Darnold’s play in 2025 has been his propensity to turn the football over. While relatively few of his throws don’t find their intended targets, too many of the misses end up in the hands of the opposing team.

In fact, Darnold has thrown the third-most interceptions in the league this season (10), only behind Geno Smith and Tua Tagovailoa in that category.

Darnold’s turnover challenges have been part of a larger turnover struggle for the Seattle offense as a whole. The Seahawks currently lead the league in most turnovers committed (20), with 12 of those turnovers occurring over the past four weeks.

Speaking of the turnover struggles, Darnold commented, “It's unacceptable. We understand as an offense, we have to be better, I have to be better, protecting the football. We're doing everything that we can in practice and when the game comes to try to take care of the football a little bit better.”

In sports, it's not uncommon to hear a player or a coach use the word “unacceptable” during a press conference. We all understand that certain behaviors, trends, and attitudes cannot be accepted or tolerated if a team wishes to have success in competition.

As followers of Jesus, it's helpful for us to reflect on the kinds of behaviors and activities that we should consider “unacceptable” in our lives. 

Thankfully, the Bible speaks to us about many things we should not accept or tolerate as we seek to walk in obedience to God.

For starters, the Bible tells us not to accept false teaching or false teachers, as any doctrine that veers from truth will lead to serious challenges in our lives.

2 John 1:10 (NLT) instructs us, “If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement.”

In Revelation 2:20 (ESV), Jesus even rebukes the church in Thyatira for accepting and tolerating a person who was both a false teacher and a false prophet.

In that rebuke, he says, “But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.”

Just as false teachers can have a damaging impact on our spiritual well-being if we accept or tolerate their erroneous doctrine, hanging around ungodly people can likewise bring negative consequences to our lives.

1 Corinthians 15:33 (NASB) reminds us, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.’”

Similarly, the Bible actually warns us against accepting and fellowshipping with professing believers who live a life that is perpetually characterized by ungodly character. 

That doesn't mean we have to cut ties with anybody who sins. If that were the case, we would have no relationships at all! But it does mean we cannot continue to link arms with someone who persists in their sin while demonstrating an unwillingness to repent and pursue a life of holiness. 

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (ESV) says, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”

Notice that the people to whom the passage is referring have a profession of faith which is described as an “appearance of godliness.” Yet those same people deny the power of godliness by living lives marked by habitual ungodliness. At the end, Paul’s instruction is that we should avoid such people altogether. 

Something related appears in Titus 3:9-10 (NIV), where we are told, “But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them.”

The common thread among all of these various categories is that we must recognize that the people or things we allow into our lives will have a tremendous impact on shaping our trajectory. That means there are certain people or things we must rightly categorize as “unacceptable.”

Today, may we use wisdom to recognize what we should not accept so that we might continue down the path of sanctification and a life of greater obedience to God as we walk in His grace.

I’m Matt Osborne, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please help me to stay guarded against the people or things that could be a negative influence on me as I seek to follow You. I desire to be wholehearted in my devotion and loyalty to You, so that my life would bring You the glory and honor You deserve. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.