A little ice will shut down entire cities in the South ... or at least slow things way down. Ole Sam slammed into a concrete barrier last night (and he's from Memphis and Sacramento!), but his car is not hurt.
Romans Six gets into a great discourse about sin, the law, and grace. It asks the rhetorical question: "Should we go on sinning because we are not under law but under grace?" And the emphatic answer is: "By no means! Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey -- whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?"
So, this concept bothers some and is confusing to some. Here's what I think:
While I still sin, I don't practice sin. It's like this: I fancy myself a drummer in my actions, tapping a pencil along to a good song; but I don't really think I'm a drummer. I don't sit down at a kit and put in the practice. So, while I drum, I don't practice drumming. Eh...not the best analogy, but it sorta makes sense, don't it?
I think the passage in Romans 6 is talking about the sins that we make choices to do. Some people like to split hairs over sin; and others think we sin unconsciously all the time. Right now, as you are reading this, you are sinning (or so some think). I don't quite buy it. I could be wrong, but I think the sin of murder and adultery, for instance, are sins that I choose not to commit. Making the choice to commit either of those sins requires steps, involving motive, opportunity, etc. Those are "easy ones" to avoid, so to speak. Taking drugs or getting drunk are "fairly easy," but it's those "subtle sins," like pride, arrogance, selfishness, and gossip that still seem to slip us up. Even these sins, though, involve choices. Sometimes we find ourselves in the midst of "battling with pride." It is during these times that, if we "maintain communication" with God (on a regular basis) that we're more likely to be "sensitive" to the Holy Spirit, Who might point out sin or bring to light a temptation and in turn give us guidance away from sin and that deadly choice. If we do sin, we certainly do have grace and mercy that is offered to us. We need not worry or fret over our failure -- not wallowing it like a pig in mud. We can get up, "dust the dirt off our legs" (so to speak) and move on. If we keep repeating a sin over and over, then we certainly can focus prayerful attention to it (asking God for help in overcoming), but never should we surrender to sin willfully and "stay there" with no plans to change our patterns.
Does that make sense? There's arguments that can be made on every side of this discussion, but it seems clear that God doesn't want us to "live in" sin. He went to such a great cost to set us free from sin and its consequences, that diving back in and making poor choices would not seem to be the best choice.
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at December 8, 2005 10:31 AM