Grasping a small fan in one hand and an ice pack in the other, I closed my eyes behind protective goggles and prepared for the moment I’d been dreading. The medical assistant reassured me that she’d be back shortly to check on me before switching on the blue light and leaving the room. Within seconds, a burning sensation in my face told me the U-shaped light bulbs were doing their job. It was my first experience with Photodynamic Therapy, a treatment designed to attack pre-cancerous lesions on my face caused by years of exposure to the sun.
Perched on a stool in front of the light, I thought back to a conversation I’d had on the rooftop of a houseboat years earlier. I was in my mid-twenties serving as a leader with our church youth group. Lounging in the sun with the high school girls on my boat, we joked about how tanning had some similarities to sin– it felt and looked great, even though we knew it was bad for us. The short-term pleasure of basking in the sun and bronzing our bodies seemed to eclipse the long-term damage we knew we were causing to our skin.
So, as I was healing from my PDT procedure, I realized how much more cautious I’ve been about being in the sun since discovering the damage I’d done over the years. In the last ten months, I’ve had three different types of procedures at the dermatologist to deal with it. The pain, effort, and inconvenience they’ve caused have motivated me to be more vigilant about protecting my skin.
And just like the attraction of tanning, the enticement for instant gratification from sinful behaviors often blinds us to the long-term consequences. When we don’t see any immediate negative results from our sins, we assume they must not be all that bad. We have no idea of the hidden destruction they’re causing.
This has been made more challenging in our world today because sin is often encouraged and celebrated. Consider the lyrics of a hit song from a few years ago:
I, feel something so right doing the wrong thing
I, feel something so wrong doing the right thing…
Everything that kills me makes me feel alive *
Because of the fun beat and catchy tune, I’ve sung along countless times without ever thinking about the negative message the lyrics reinforce. The point here isn’t to criticize the song or the band, but to illustrate how the allure of sin draws us in and makes us think the ease and pleasure of doing the wrong thing is worth it, whatever the consequences.
One of the first times we witness a person deciding between sin and righteousness happens in Genesis 4 after Cain and Abel make their sacrifices to the LORD. Scripture tells us:
The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected. “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” (Genesis 4:4b-7)
If you remember the story, you know that Cain decided to let sin be his master. Instead of moving past his hurt, he let anger and jealousy toward his brother goad him into murder. Consequently, the ground that absorbed Abel’s blood would no longer yield crops for him. After this, Cain was cursed to be a restless wanderer for the remainder of his life.
Just like Cain, sin is eager to control us and the enemy is equally enthusiastic about deceiving us into thinking this is perfectly fine. Jesus describes the devil this way: “He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44 NLT)
Followers of Jesus need not fall for the lies and deception of the enemy because sin has no power over us. Paul explains:
“For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin…For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:4-7,23 NLT)
Don’t be deceived into thinking the temporary pleasure of sin is worth the consequences. The damage it causes isn’t always obvious or immediate, but there are many hidden, insidious side effects that hurt us and those we love. Worse still, unconfessed sin pus a barrier between us and our loving, holy God. Beyond this, it distracts us from the truth and derails us from living with meaning, impact, and fulfillment.
Jesus died to set us free from sin’s power over our lives. Think of the Bible as your spiritual sunscreen. You can arm yourself from being deceived by consistently studying the truth contained in it. Then like the Psalmist, you can say, “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11 NLT).
Listen to Jonny Diaz’s song “Define Me” for an inspiring reminder about how to fight against lies that lead us to sin.
*Lyrics excerpted from “Counting Stars” by OneRepublic