Stick a Fork in Your Sins

"If you would triumph over darkness, set yourself in the presence of the Sun of Righteousness. There is no place so well adapted for the discovery of sin and recovery from its power and guilt as the immediate presence of God. Job never knew how to get rid of sin half as well as he did when his eye of faith rested upon God, and then he abhorred himself and repented in dust and ashes.” – C.H. Spurgeon

Many Christians – and I have fallen into this category far too many times myself – are content to stay away from the so-called “big” sins in life but cut themselves some slack when it comes to the “little” ones like telling a “white lie”, taking a second look at a pretty woman or a handsome man who is not your spouse, or expressing some mild road rage.

Well, guess what, my friend? They are ALL big, black, ugly sins and they stink – literally and figuratively – to high heaven (see James 2:10).

I long for the day when my old nature, which was crucified with Christ but insists on coming back to life again and again, will be forever a thing of the past and my new sinless nature will be housed in a glorified body. What a day that will be!

But until then, it is my responsibility as a Christ follower to present my body as “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God (see Romans 12:1). In that verse, Paul notes that such dedication and discipline is our “reasonable service”; in other words, what is expected of us as believers. He then goes on to exhort his readers not to “be conformed to this world” but to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Perhaps John the Baptist summarized this process best in John 3:30 when he simply said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Part of that “decreasing” is asking God to remove every single speck of sin and stain from our lives, no matter the cost and no matter how uncomfortable (and possibly painfully) that process may be. Charles Spurgeon, the “Prince of Preachers”, used the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal to expertly illustrate this truth.

“When the prophet Elijah had received the answer to his prayer, and the fire from heaven had consumed the sacrifice in the presence of all the people, he called upon the assembled Israelites to take the priests of Baal and sternly cried, ‘Let not one of them escape.’ He took them all down to the brook Kishon and slew them there. So must it be with our sins – they are all doomed; not one must be preserved.”

“Our darling sin must die. Do not spare it because it cries. Strike though it be as dear as a beloved son. Strike, for God struck at sin when it was laid upon His own Son. With stern unflinching purpose you must condemn to death that sin that was once the idol of your heart. Do you ask how you are to accomplish this? Jesus will be your power. You have grace to overcome sin, given you in the covenant of grace; you have strength to win the victory in the crusade against inward lusts because Christ Jesus has promised to be with you even unto the end.”

“The fine gold of the Christian is often becoming dim. We need the sacred fire to consume the dross. Let us fly to our God. He is a consuming fire; He will not consume our spirit, but our sins. Let the goodness of God excite us to a sacred jealousy and to a holy revenge against those iniquities that are hateful in His sight. Go forth to battle in His strength and utterly destroy the accursed crew: ‘Let not one of them escape.’"

“For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Romans 8:13 (BSB)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President