As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is not at work in those who are disobedient. -Ephesians 2:1-2 (NIV)
Last night I was trying to find something to watch on television, which seems to be increasingly more difficult (despite the fact that we have hundreds of channels to choose from). One of the choices was a show called American Ninja Warrior. The goal of this reality show is to beat the world's toughest obstacle course in the quickest amount of time without falling into the water below. Now that's quality entertainment!
The reason I paused on the show is because they were interviewing one of the contestants. He was a young man and was talking about how he had become an alcoholic in college. When he first began drinking, he knew that he probably shouldn't (he was underage and therefore breaking the law). But the more he drank, the less concerned he was about whether or not he should be drinking; he just wanted to drink and have a good time. Unfortunately, what began because he simply wanted to drink reached a point where he was drinking because he had to drink; he had become addicted.
In our suggested readings today, Paul reminds the Ephesians about how they were once dead in their sins and transgressions. William Barclay, a world-renowned New Testament scholar, once said that sin kills in three ways: it kills innocence, it kills ideals, and it kills the will. Once we sin (the Greek word here means "miss the mark"), you and I will never be the same again. Whatever innocence we may have had is lost forever. Sin kills ideals because when you first sin, there is usually some level of awareness that it's wrong, but the more you sin, the easier it becomes to do it. Finally, sin kills the will because you eventually continue sinning not because you want to, but because you have to; you've become enslaved to the sin.
That's what happened to the guy on American Ninja Warrior last night. He broke the law, worried about it at first, but the more he did it, the easier it became to break the law. Eventually, he became enslaved to the alcohol.
The good news is that this young man got hooked up with people training for the American Ninja Warrior TV show. They helped him to get clean and now he's in the best shape of his life and he had one of the best times in the obstacle course last night. The good news for the believer is that because of God's great love for you, you have been saved by grace. God desires to make you who are dead in sin alive with Christ. Through Christ, the guilt that comes from lost innocence can be taken away. Christ can reawaken His ideal for your heart and Christ can restore your lost will.
May God grant you the grace to confess how you've missed the mark and become dead in your sin. And may the awareness of God's great love bring you new life today: removing guilt, reawakening God's ideals, and restoring your lost will to love and live for God.
If you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year, tomorrow's suggested readings are Ecclesiastes 4-6, Psalm 18, and Ephesians 3.
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