Romans 6:1-2 says "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?"
I have been thinking about this passage for a few days. It was brought back to me yesterday at church when a young father was handing out a book to each family that had blessed him, and so he wanted to share it with others. It is simply titled "The eagle story". This book, through divine coincidence(God is so good) uses Romans 6 and 8, along with other passages, to talk about how we become comfortable with sin and ensnared in the trap of temptation.
It tells the story of an eagle who is always on the alert, watching out for danger, and sees a new rock one day to perch on. He is skeptical at first, and then after a while, decided to check it out. Within a short period of time, he is comfortable perching on this rock, it feels safe, and he sees no danger. Days later, the eagle comes to his new found perch and there are fish, just laying there as if served to him on a platter. He becomes complacent and sees no danger in free food, so he gets used to the idea of free fish. On the story goes as the trap is set, piece by piece, all the while becoming more comfortable, even established in the routine that started with just a simple rock to perch upon. He doesn't even see the snare coming, he has let his guard down and feels very comfortable in a very dangerous situation.
The book then goes on to tell about how the eagle is trapped, now without the freedom he once enjoyed. He doesn't know how he got there, but he knows in his heart that he could have avoided this dangerous trap if he had kept his guard up and not gotten lazy in his thinking.
How often do we, as Christians, get caught up in the simple traps of sin and temptation. It is not wrong to be tempted. We are told in James 1 "Blessed is the man that endured temptation, for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of live, which the Lord has promised to them that love Him." Temptation consists of many traps from the devil, who "as a lion, roars about, seeking whom he may devour" We sometimes miss the simple things, those things that on the outside seem harmless, but in the end bring our destruction.
I challenge all those who claim the name of Jesus Christ to study up in the Word of God, to be ready for battle as Paul tells about putting on the armor or God. We truly are in a battle against Satan and his demons. We know in the end that God will emerge victorious, indeed the battle is already won, how much more should we desire to have a part in that victory over sin. This victory is only accomplished, however, through the power over death and sin that Jesus established on the cross and through His resurrection.
We need to put on the helmet of salvation first. We much honestly search out our own hearts to see that we indeed are saved. Being sold out for Jesus is just the first step in our journey. If you have no desire to engage in this battle, and would rather sit on the rock eating free fish, you may need to search deep in your soul to see if you truly are even on the right team. If you disregard the Bible, and consider it unnecessary for your daily provision, then you may have become entirely too comfortable in the trap of sin, as our eagle friend.
Romans 6 tells a terrible story, one that I see happening within the churches today. We continue in sin, looking to popular opinion and tradition, rather than to God through His Word, for our instruction. Sometimes we don't even see it coming, because Satan is crafty, devious, and sneaky. He creeps in where we don't see him coming. We need to always be on our guard.
I will continue this passage later, but for now the sun is shining, and there is work to do. Until next time,
Mark
