I’ve observed a pattern in regards to sin (i.e. doing something wrong) and it’s consequences. There’s always a starting point; a clearly identifiable time and place in ones’ life when it started.
Some of what follows is written clearly in the Good Book, and of course from a Christian perspective. Transpose sin for conscience or whatever your own value systems dicatate if you’ve got a problem with religious stuff. The principle however remains. If you don’t accept that there is such a thing as right or wrong, then this post will challenge your values.
The idea that there is a God; that He is in charge; and that He sets rules for His creation is unpopular but a core tenet of the Christian faith. According to those rules, breaking them is a sinful act. He says listen and obey. If we do things our own way however, we sin and there are consequences. If he tells us not to steal and we do, there is a consequence – we will not be able to sleep easy at night; we’ll more than likely have poor quality friends; we’ll more than likely often get caught and will be forever broke as most thieves are. That’s on top of the distance that we naturally create between us and our loving Creator when we do something wrong.
I explore the importance of firsts in three chapters of Lipstick on a Pig. Essentially firsts are important. The first time we breathe, talk, walk, drive a car, have sex, and when we encounter moral and religious issues.
Temptation to do wrong is universal. The challenge of Christ (Who is He and what am I to do about Him?) is also universal. How we each first respond sets a precedent that – short of repentance, stopping, turning around, and reversing our path – sets the journey we spend our life taking. I liken this thinking to the game of tennis on a string. The pole set in the ground has a steel spiral at the top with a tennis ball on a string. Hitting the ball one way sends the string up the spiral to win for one player. Hitting the ball the other way sends the ball down the spiral for the other player to win.
Our first choice on moral issues sets the direction. Short of a change somewhere along the lines, and interception of the course set, the destination is clear from the first point of impact. I’ve seen this many times while observing life. Unforgiveness towards a partner or parent always starts at one point in time. “I will never forgive him/her for what they have said or done!” is a typical scenario.
The die is cast. Unless one changes and forgives, this behaviour pattern will continue for life. The next time somebody does something similar, it is easy to hold the grudge. Same with stealing, violence, drug abuse and other anti-social behaviours. Do it once and it becomes a lot easier to do it again and then becomes an ingrained pattern of behaviour.
It’s the same thing with God. When the challenge of Christ first comes to us, we make a decision. We either explore and seek His ways and His company, or we reject His calling. There isn’t any fence sitting as far as I can see.
We had a young guy stealing from us recently and I watched in his eyes one night a man out of control. Even though he knew he was doing something wrong and even though he knew that logically it was not in his best interest to steal from the boss of a dream job, he did. He was out of control, possessed and I could see it in his eyes.
What caused this man to destroy his reputation; cause him to lose everything he valued such as his family and his job; for a few dollars for a beer or two or three? It wasn’t the beer that caused him to steal. It wasn’t the desire for money that drove him to sin. It was the pattern of behaviour going back to one point in time, who knows when, that he said “No!” to doing the right thing and chose to do wrong.
He’ll pay the price of course, with broken relationships all around and time in jail.
The idea that he was out of control raises questions as to who was in control. Many would say that the young man was. They all say HE was the liar, cheat and thief. True, but I observed in this man demonic control. His choice was made years before that he would steal, and the entry of demons or spirits or whatever you want to call it occurred. I’m sure that he did not want to steal the night that he did. His mind would have been in a turmoil as he knew the risks. But I saw a man being controlled, compelled by something inside of him that drove him against his better judgement.
That’s the price we pay when we first sin. As they say sin always takes you further, deeper, for longer and costs much more than we at first are led to believe. Adam and Eve found that out years ago. The guy who stole from us found it out or will be finding it out as he faces the judge next week.
So somewhere, sometime earlier in his life he chose the dark side. Today his life is a wreck. That’s what pride eventually does to us.
But it happens to other more respectable characters too. Prime Ministers, Kings and Queens are not immune to the traps of sin either. I know of one man of excellent standing who never forgave his father for the pain he caused him as a child separating from his mother. Many decades later if you dig deep, he still suffers from a lifetime of unforgiveness. He turned down the offer that Christ gave him as a young man most likely because it would mean that he would have to forgive his father in order to receive Christ’s forgiveness. Too proud to turn, the die was set. Sure it’s never too late to repent, change course and admit wrong, but it would be a miracle if it happened now.
I’ve talked many times with another friend who admitted quite candidly about the time that her marriage ended – years before the separation and divorce. “Oh yes I know exactly when and where it happened” she admitted. Unforgiveness started at that point and the marriage was over from then.
The thing about dusting sin under the carpet is that the first time nobody knows (unless they were watching) but one day there will be too much dust under the carpet and somebody will trip and fall as a result of the pattern of behaviour.
The good thing about this all is that it is always possible to turn and set the ball in motion the good way. It doesn’t matter if we are an inch away from losing the tennis ball game. At the point that we stop the ball and send it the other way, we’ll win. In Christianese, it’s never too late to humble ourself, repent, and turn to Christ.
Equally until our patch on earth is done, it’s also possible for the saints to choose the dark side, even at the last minute. Dumb, I know, but we all have a free choice.
So being specific now . . . dealing with sin; dealing with Christ . . . if you’ve set your life on the wrong track sometime years ago, don’t fool yourself. Now would be a very good time to set the ball in motion the other way.
I had a conversation with someone once – a common one in circles of Christian Apologetics. It went something like this.”
“I hate Christians because they are so cock-sure of themselves. What right do they have to tell me what to do or think?”
“What say they are right and there is a God who has rules, absolutes, right and wrong?”
“Religion is [BS, nonsense or other expletives]. There is no God.”
“You are absolutely sure about that?”
“Absolutely!”
“But you just said that you don’t believe in absolutes.”
[Stunned silence] “OK. Except for that one!”
If you’re of the opinion that there is no such thing as absolutes (good or bad or a God to whom we are eventually accountable) then if you are intellectually honest, you must of course accept that this very belief of yours must be open to alternatives too. That means that there ‘may’ be a God and that there ‘may’ be right and wrong.
My advice – don’t take the chance.
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