Aug 2, 2010
Ed’s Christian Survival Guide: You Can’t Stop Sinning-Part 3
After a few days off to move into a new apartment, I’m continuing my Christian Survival Guide series that addresses common problems that hinder Christian growth.
Last week I talked about the problem of not being able to stop sinning, and my response began by addressing the information we need to know about Christ, the cross, the Resurrection, and the implications for our victory over sin…
So now that you read the post about being free from sin, I’ll bet you’re free from sin forever. I mean, I practically quoted the Bible in a stealthy way that presented the good news of salvation in a nice little section that exposed sin for what it is and made the goodness of God practically irresistible, right?
Who would go and sin after reading all of that?
Well, the answer is me—and you. Most Christians know this stuff. Some of us may live relatively sin-free, but for the majority of Christians, sin is tough to shake. We go through our lives crippled by these dark powers that sometimes tug at us in the dark and other times rise to the surface in very public, humiliating ways.
The trouble is that no matter how much information we consume from the scriptures, we run into a desire problem. We know the truth, but giving in to sin feels good or even inevitable.
Like a persistent pimple, sin attaches itself to us and convinces us that it’s part of our lives. And in fact, we can’t imagine our lives without it. We desire the pleasure, the rush, and the comfort that our sins bring to our lives in the moment, even if we are wracked with disappointment and guilt afterwards.
However, sin often sets up shop in our lives because our desires are out of wack—we lack a desire for God. This is something that John Piper addresses in his book Desiring God. Piper is right on the mark in saying that we latch on to sin–expecting it to bring us pleasure.
The problem all along is we don’t know what true pleasure is since God is the source of true and lasting joy. Once again, God is not in heaven trying to shut us down from having a good time. In fact, he wants our desires to be oriented in healthy directions that will lead to the good pleasure he has created in our world—pleasure that does not result from being completely consumed with ourselves and our desires.
I remember a friend who returned to visit family while away for a few years. When he gathered with his former church he felt the joy of God’s presence and wept with joy because he’d forgotten how wonderful it is. If I’m seeking after sin, then I have a desire problem that can only be completely fulfilled by worshipping God, confessing my sins, and enjoying him.
However, there’s more to this sin problem, and in our next post we’ll look at the ways we can actively fight sin when it shoves its way into our lives.
One day, Sheikh al-Junayd set out on a journey and while traveling was overtaken by a thirst.
He found a well that was too deep to draw water from, so he took off his sash, dangled it into the well until it reached the water and set about raising and lowering it and squeezing it into his mouth.
A dervish appeared and asked him, “Why do it so? Tell the water to rise, and drink with your hands!” The dervish approached the edge of the well and said to the water, “Rise, with God’s permission,” and it rose, and the sheikh and the dervish drank.
Afterwards the sheikh turned to the dervish and asked, “Who are you?”
“One of God’s creatures,” he replied.
“And who is your sheikh?” asked al-Junayd.
“My sheikh is al-Junayd, though I have yet to set eyes on him,” replied the man.
“Then how did you attain these powers?” asked the sheikh.
“Through my faith in my sheikh,” replied the man.
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