The Attractiveness of Sin

Galatians 5:13-16
"You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
"So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature."

Romans 13:14
"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."

I was brought to these passages, among others, in my study of John Owen's "Sin and Temptation," as he speaks to The Challenge of Personal Godliness (subtitle) . Though the original writing dates back to the 1850s, I have found its admonitions wholly pertinent in my life, and very applicable to our present circumstance.

I was prompted, then, to write this note b/c I fear that we, as American Christians, often feel justified in our flirtations with sin, often for the sake of entertainment. I have grown more and more convicted in what I do with my "free" time, as it is often filled with "innocent" movies, unspecific searches on YouTube, and casual walks in the mall, to name a few. None of these things are evil in and of themselves; however, they are easily conducive to such evil, and often lend to it simply by the very nature of their occurrence. That is, because I am casually involved in these things, and "mindlessly" engaged, I am so very prone to sin's entanglement. Paul states that, yes, we are free, free indeed; but, may it never be that we use such freedom to indulge the sinful nature, especially in frivolities. We who have been given one singular life to exhaust upon the glory of our Savior would be remiss not to follow His very pattern; even as He lounged with Lazarus, or supped with the Pharisee, He was about His Father's business.

I would challenge you to apply what Paul says in Galatians; rather than indulge the sinful nature, aggravate it by "serving one another in love." Do you find yourself with nothing to do? Get to know your next door neighbor. Call a church member who you don't know as well, or have been avoiding. Engage the Word in an unfamiliar passage (or a familiar passage; shoot, they are just as needed). Be about your Father's business.

I leave you with two quotes from Owen's work:

"When we indulge with delight in thoughts of forbidden things, we commit sin, even though our will has not yet consented to perform the deed." And again: "When there is a readiness on the part of the soul to listen to these silent voices--[those] secret insinuations that arise from deceit--it is evident that the affections are already enticed.

Praying Christ's Victory Over Our Flesh,
Pastor Jeremy