No to Sin
Your marriage is shaped by your commitment to say no. Your parenting is shaped by your willingness to say no. Your friendships are shaped by how often you say no. Your friendships and fellowship in the body of Christ are determined by your discipline in saying no. I am not talking about saying no to your spouse, your kids, or your friends, but rather about how spiritually important it is to say no to yourself. It is important to understand that no one is in greater danger of you than you are, because of the sin that still resides inside of you. That sin makes you susceptible to the myriad temptations that greet you every day. When faced with all of temptation’s deception, seduction, and allure, it is important that you say no to the sinful desires that draw you in and make you want to say yes.
Paul David Tripp
In the Everyday Gospel devotional, Paul David Tripp leads readers through the entire Bible in a year, helping you connect the transforming power of Scripture to your everyday life.
You need to understand two things when you are facing temptation. First, in that moment no one can say no for you. Only by God’s empowering grace can you turn from temptation’s allure and run in the other direction, and no one else can do that for you. Second, you will say no only when you see sin as deeply evil and destructive. Because he knew all of us would struggle with sin and temptation until we were on the other side, God ordained that the following passage be recorded and preserved:
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. (Mark 9:43–48)
Sin is a battle of the heart and is won or lost there.
Does this passage seem extreme to you? The imagery of lopping off your hand, amputating your foot, and gouging out your eye is here because your Savior understands your struggle with sin and temptation. Your commitment to seek the empowering grace you need in order to say yes to God and no to sin is more valuable than your hand, foot, or eye. Of course, God isn’t telling you to mutilate your body as a defense against sin, because that wouldn’t work. Sin is a battle of the heart and is won or lost there. Jesus’s use of hyperbole reminds us that no part of our body is more valuable than resisting sin and temptation.
Remember, however, that you never fight this battle of resistance alone or in your own power. By grace, the one who defeated Satan is always with you and always fights for you.
This article is adapted from Everyday Gospel: A Daily Devotional Connecting Scripture to All of Life by Paul David Tripp.
