The Strategy that Stops the Spread of Sin

And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him” (Luke 17:1-4).

I’m sure Jesus’ parable about the rich man and Lazarus stirred up a lot of emotion and not a few questions in the hearts and minds of the crowd of Christ followers. Evidence of the deity of Christ is found in His sensitivity and responsiveness to such stirrings in our hearts when we read His Word. Here we see that Christ was aware of consternation in the hearts of His listeners about how the rich man ended up in Hades while Lazarus landed at Abraham’s side. The only clue is in the word of Abraham to the rich man… “Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish” (Luke 16:25). God’s Word promises both good and bad things for everyone in this temporal life… “He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). But the difference in our eternal destination depends upon our response to the gospel that is revealed in God’s law, promised by God’s prophets, and sealed by the resurrection of God’s Son. Jesus knows how difficult the search for justice and the battle against temptation is in this temporal world, so He responds to searching hearts with a revelation of the strategy that stops the spread of sin.

Sin is stopped dead in its tracks when true disciples resist sin. Sin abounds because all human beings are sinners… “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We have inherited this sin nature from our ancestor Adam and it leaves us spiritually dead… “You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world… among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” (Ephesians 2:1-3). But by His grace, God has quickened our spirits and made us spiritually alive… “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5). By His grace God has lifted us up above the temporal world and given us access to His Spirit so we now have discernment, power, and freedom to reject the sin and temptation of this temporal world… “And raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). When we resist sin we stop it in its tracks and we become a living encouragement to others to choose righteousness and to seek and discover the grace of Jesus Christ!

Sin is stopped dead in its tracks when true disciples rebuke sinners. Jesus exhorted His disciples to identify and rebuke sin… “If your brother sins, rebuke him”. The Spirit of Truth reveals that everyone has God’s law written on our hearts… “When Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires… They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts” (Romans 2:14-15). Though it’s not easy or comfortable in a sinful world, sin is stopped in its tracks when we rebuke sinners, exhorting them in love to take the first step toward freedom in Jesus Christ.

Sin is stopped dead in its tracks when true disciples release sinners. Jesus required His disciples to forgive repentant sinners… “if he repents, forgive him”. Sin leaves a lingering offense and pain that must be released through forgiveness for the good of both the victim and perpetrator. That’s why Jesus so often strongly urged forgiveness… “If you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15). Sin is stopped in its tracks when we release sinners through forgiveness.

As we grow up into Christ, we overcome evil and advance holiness as we practice…

The Strategy that Stops the Spread of Sin.