ENTANGLED BY SIN

 

ENTANGLED BY SIN

II Peter 2:20-21  And when people escape from the wicked ways of the world by learning about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up with sin and become its slave again, they are worse off than before.  It would be better if they had never known the right way to live than to know it and then reject the holy commandments that were given to them.  NLT

       I can't help but be taken aback when I read passages of Scripture like this.  No matter how one may interpret it, Peter gives us a very stern warning about what it is like for those who turn their backs on Jesus.  I believe it's a warning that we must take seriously.

      When people escape from the wicked ways of the world, they can only do it through Christ.  No one is able to separate himself from the world without Christ's help.  We must learn all that we need to know about Jesus and embrace Him as our Savior.  I believe Peter is referring to more than just a head knowledge of Christ here.  Just knowing about Christ does not set us free from the world.

      When people let sin entangle them again, they are worse off than they were before.  This is true because in essence they are spitting in the face of Christ and rejecting what He has done for them.  They are telling the Lord that what He did for them doesn't matter, that they don't regard Him as worth keeping. 

       When people do not embrace Jesus as Lord as well as their Savior, they are easily led into sin.  It takes more than forgiveness to keep a person in Christ, it takes commitment as well.  We cannot give the Lord part of us, we must give Him all of us.  We are easily lured into sin because of its powerful draw.  We are weak and vulnerable and without Jesus being our Lord, we are very likely to fall into sin.

      Don't put yourself in a position where it is even possible for you to be led back into sin.  Give Jesus all of your heart, mind, and soul.  Let Him be Lord over everything you are.  Determine in your heart that you will not let sin defeat you.  Instead, defeat Satan by letting Jesus be Lord of you.

       When we are living in Christ and working out our salvation, there is no way that we will forsake Him and once again become entangled by sin.  When we experience the realness of Christ and His holiness, we will only want Him.  It’s when we neglect Him and take our eyes off of Him that we run into trouble.