Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Walking in Agreement ... With Sin?

Comedian Flip Wilson always used to say, "The devil made me do it."
Today, Christians have adopted similar mottos, like, "We're only human," or "We're all just sinners," or "No one's perfect."
Interesting.

The Bible allows for no such excuses. Amos 3:3 says, "Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?" Oh, by the way, that means that no one sins on accident; sin is a choice. Ezekiel puts it this way, "The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him" (Ezekiel 18:20).
Seriously ... how clear is that?
Yet we want to make excuses for sin ... as if it is some nervous tic which we cannot prevent.

"Oh, but that's the Old Testament," someone will say. "We're a New Testament people, and the New Testament tells us that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). See? Everyone sins!"
First, that was not offered by the apostle as an excuse, but as a fact. You cannot make an argument for a Savior, unless there is something a person must be saved from. That something is sin.
Second - and the book of Romans is a wonderful example - the responsibility for sin is laid completely at our feet. There is no one else to blame. The buck stops here. Romans 2 says, "Because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God “will give to each person according to what he has done.” 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, He will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger" (Romans 2:5-8). 

"Hey, wait a minute! That's exactly what the Old Testament said."
Yes, it is.

"But how do I stop sinning?"
The same way you started sinning ... make the choice. The apostle of Christ gives us that choice in Ephesians 4, "put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires [and] put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:22,24).

God gave you a free will ... use it! Say no to sin, and yes to righteousness. On the Day of Judgment, you will be glad you made the decision to walk in agreement with Christ, rather than with sin.

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