I've been kicking this idea around in my head for about 6 months now. I'd like to hear your input. I think if I had time to, I'd write a book and call it something like "My #2 Sin." Here's the context.
I really believe Satan uses sin in our life to harm us... (I know a real revelation right?). But how many times do we focus on that one major sin in our lives and yet forget the others? Personally I tend to focus on one or two major sins. Almost like, "man if I could just get that stomped out I'd be ok." However I tend to focus so much on certain sin that often I overlook things that are just as bad and maybe even more harmful.
For example if a guy believes his main sin is lust. He works his spiritual walk around the sin of lust. He prays about it often, that is the thing his accountability buddies know about, he reads books on the issue, and even set boundaries in that area because he is fighting a battle. All good. However could it be that Satan will use that determination of his to beat his own lust in order to hide the other sin in his life that is harming him just as much? (The neglect of his family, his arrogance, his over-spending, his lack of patience, his small ethics, etc.) Not that he does not admit to struggling in those areas but SO much emphasis is placed on the one particular area that he often overlooks the others.
Which leads to a theological question. Should we view sin as particular struggles (lust, vanity, murder)? Or is sin (regardless of how it is manifested) a spiritual health issue to be dealt with on a much larger scale?
I see benefits for both perspectives: 1) If I'm struggling with pornography I should probably get rid of the magazines right? This approach deals with things head-on. 2) However, if your car is not running even after a complete tune-up, oil change, new tires, wash & wax, at some point you need to consider that your problem was not all of those maintenence issues but rather that you weren't turning the key in the ignition (i.e. seeing sin as a much larger problem than simply how it shows up in our life).
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Husband to 1 wife, daddy to 4 kids, ravenous consumer of peanut butter.
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2 comments:
Turning a key in the ignition--
What a good analogy of the moment by moment turning we must do to turn away from our own innate sin nature to be a partaker of the divine nature. God's very name, I AM, gives a cue that we cannot see sin as overcome in the past nor future. He exists in the presence of every moment. At this moment I cannot partake of his nature in yesterday or tomorrow--only right now.
To speak of fighting sin leaves this vauge impression that if I can just overcome my list of sins, I will be ok. And if I am ok, then I can coast. No vibrant relationship runs like this.
Great thoughts, Robert. I need to do some more thinking on the ramifications of idling or revving the engine, proper maintentance, forward, reverse, braking, and the like. 2 Peter 1 will point some directions, I imagine.
I think we approach this subject the same way we focus on trying to know God's will without getting to know God. You can't really separate the two.
If you care about sin at all you will care about all sin. You can't legitimately say that you care about your sin issue if you only try to address one of the many.
Paul approaches it well when he calls it warfare. Each individual battle is important. They all matter in the overall war effort.
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