Experience told me the cause of the old building’s demise as I looked over the sagging eaves: it was the result of a series of events that had progressed to this point. A leaky gutter allowed water to saturate the timber framing; damp wood invited termites to feast, and eventually the insects robbed the wood of its structural integrity. Prevention would have been simple: fix the leak. It could have been performed many times along the way. But now it was too late, and the chain of events had led to considerable (and costly) damage.<\/p>\n
As Christians, we find ourselves in similar circumstances all too often when sin enters our lives. A little prevention at the beginning will prevent disaster, and there is usually time for mitigation along the way. But letting it go unchecked is an invitation to havoc.<\/p>\n
In Hebrews 10:26-27, we are warned of the ultimate consequences of willful sin. Webster tells us that something done (hekousios<\/em>) proceeds from one’s own choice or consent; there is no plea for ignorance. It is easier for us to overcome this type of sinful behavior if we remind ourselves of the process involved and fight it at the beginning. The betrayal of Christ by Judas (Luke 22:3-5) is a vivid illustration of what occurs when a person willfully sins; the accounts of Eve in the Garden and of David with Bathsheba are other notable examples.<\/p>\n The first step (Luke 22:3) says that “Satan entered Judas<\/em>.” Satan would enter every one of us to turn us away from God if he could. That doesn’t mean that we are ripe for demonic possession as found in the first century. God promises us a means of escape from temptation (I Corinthians 10:13). But He is not going to force us to escape temptation; He will allow us to pursue our own “vile passions” if we insist (Romans 1:24;26).<\/p>\n Too many times, Christians underestimate the power of Satan in attempting to turn us away from God. Instead of feeling threatened and wary of his desire to devour us (I Peter 5:8), we try to ignore or devalue his presence. We read in Revelation 12:7-12 that Satan has been cast down from heaven to the earth: he is near, and he is none too happy with his circumstances. (It is interesting to note that Christ did not refute Satan’s claim to have the authority to give and take the kingdoms of this world to whomever he pleased – Luke 4:6).<\/p>\n Satan eagerly seeks every opportunity to enter us in any way he can. It may be through the desire for knowledge, as in the case of Eve. It may be through greed, tempting us to steal or be less than honest. It may be through pride or revenge, tempting us to lie or to slander somebody. Or, it may be through the music we hear, the entertainment we seek, or the friends that we choose. Peter’s warning about Satan being on the prowl comes from firsthand experience: he had been “sifted as wheat” in front of the Savior (Luke 22:31-62).<\/p>\n By his actions (Luke 22:4), Judas evidenced that he had given in to the temptation. Though Christ had not yet been turned over to the Jewish leaders, Judas had committed the betrayal in his heart and “willfully” sinned by agreeing with the chief priests and captains. As Christ taught in Matthew 5:21-30, sin had already been committed in the heart, although not yet in action.<\/p>\n In the progression of sin, this is the point at which a penitent heart can avoid some of the ugly consequences of sin. Imagine if Cain had turned back to God and put aside his jealousy toward Abel. If David had at this point repented and turned away from Bathsheba – not inquiring of her, not inviting her to his chambers, not committing adultery with her, not murdering Uriah, etc.<\/p>\n We must continually exercise our senses to discern both good and evil (Hebrews 5:14), as we mature. A child may play with matches, but an adult will know of the dangers involved. Likewise, a mature Christian will not toy with the idea of giving in to temptation, but will discipline himself to flee from it.<\/p>\n After Judas made his bargain of betrayal, there was still time for him to extricate himself from the events set in motion. Instead, Judas began to seek an opportunity where he could satisfy the evil intents of his heart (Luke 22:6).<\/p>\n Paul tells us in Romans 13:14 to “make no provisions for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts<\/em>.” How often are we more like Judas than Paul? We think of a lie to tell the boss for not having done something his way. Or we think of ways to blame others for our own shortcomings that created a problem. Like the adolescent sneaking alcohol or tobacco, we create opportunities to act according to our own desires, not according to God’s.<\/p>\n In Galatians 5:13, we are told how to avoid becoming opportunity seekers: “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love, serve one another<\/em>.” If more of us sought opportunities to love and serve one another, we would have far less time to pursue our own selfish desires.<\/p>\n Although he had ample opportunity to turn back to God, Judas continued in his willful sin until Jesus was finally taken by the multitude and condemned to death (Luke 22:47-48). As a consequence of his willful attitude, Judas is filled with remorse and hangs himself (Matthew 27:3-5) while an innocent Man is crucified.<\/p>\n Sin often has devastating effects on the lives of those involved, both the innocent and the guilty. Jobs may be lost, families may be broken apart, and even lives may be lost. Even when its effects are not so obvious, we are separated from God: we crucify again the Son of God and put Him to an open shame (Hebrews 6:6).<\/p>\n In all this, there remains hope. David, after his sins with Bathsheba and Uriah, asked God to create in him a clean heart and a renewed spirit; the old spirit and the old heart were broken and contrite (Psalms 51). John tells us that, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness<\/em>” (I John 1:9). But we are not to continue in sin that grace may abound (Romans 6:1); we are to resist it from the beginning.<\/p>\nWillfully sinning can be an almost instantaneous process: it is very easy to become a liar when caught in the middle of an unexpected and uncomfortable situation. At other times, the progression is slow, like the spouse who finds someone else more attractive and encourages encounters and adultery, ignoring ample opportunities to repent along the way. We need to condition ourselves so that in either case, we can put Satan behind us and look to God for strength and guidance. by Ed Smith via\u00a0Sentry Magazine, Vol. 17 No. 3, 30 September 1991 Experience told me the cause of the old building’s demise as I looked over the sagging eaves: it was the result of a series of events that had progressed to this point. A leaky gutter allowed water to saturate the timber framing; damp…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[179],"class_list":["post-88207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-sin"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13355,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-laugh-at-your-excuses-that-marriage-is-important-in-reference-to-the-prevention-of-a-sexually-transmitted-disease\/","url_meta":{"origin":88207,"position":0},"title":"I laugh at your excuses that marriage is important in reference to the prevention of a sexually transmitted disease","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 11, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I laugh at your excuses that marriage is important in reference to the prevention of a sexually transmitted disease. You obviously do not understand the nature of a disease or infection. When speaking of sexually transmitted diseases, you stated, \"This is just one of many reasons why sex should\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3719,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/where-did-jesus-carry-his-own-cross\/","url_meta":{"origin":88207,"position":1},"title":"Where did Jesus carry his own cross?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 17, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: For school, I'm learning about Easter. Where did Jesus carry his own cross? Answer: It is good to hear that your school is encouraging you to be interested in religious matters. I hope you learn a lot from your assignment. Many myths have grown up around Jesus. The gospels\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The City of Jerusalem","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/web.archive.org\/web\/20160313202144\/http%3A\/\/www.ccel.org\/bible\/phillips\/CNM08-Jerusalem.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/web.archive.org\/web\/20160313202144\/http%3A\/\/www.ccel.org\/bible\/phillips\/CNM08-Jerusalem.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/web.archive.org\/web\/20160313202144\/http%3A\/\/www.ccel.org\/bible\/phillips\/CNM08-Jerusalem.gif?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":83636,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/dead-wood-among-the-branches\/","url_meta":{"origin":88207,"position":2},"title":"Dead Wood Among the Branches","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jack Behle via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 9, No. 11, November 30, 1983 The teacher tenure law in our state protects teachers against being dismissed arbitrarily after teaching in a district for five years. In fact, it is very difficult to fire a tenured teacher, no matter what the reason.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16806,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-did-jesus-mean-by-green-wood-and-dry-wood\/","url_meta":{"origin":88207,"position":3},"title":"What did Jesus mean by “green wood” and “dry wood?”","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 10, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I don't believe I understand Luke 23:27-31 at all. It seems this conversation took place while Jesus was actually on His way to the cross. Would you please explain this further? What is the meaning of the 'green wood' and 'dry wood'? Answer: \"A great multitude of the people\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":49542,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-i-be-forgiven-if-i-sin-after-i-was-baptized\/","url_meta":{"origin":88207,"position":4},"title":"Can I be forgiven if I sin after I was baptized?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 1, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I was baptized a few months ago, and I turned myself into the name of the Lord. Everything has been going well. I feel alive and well again. I've been talking to a very special girl (she is baptized as well). The other day I met up with her,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":31245,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-silence-of-the-scriptures-and-why-we-sing\/","url_meta":{"origin":88207,"position":5},"title":"The Silence of the Scriptures and Why We Sing","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 26, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Edward Pratte In the New Testament, some things are required and some things are prohibited. Everything else falls into the realm of the things which are permitted. As one focuses more closely on the things that are permitted, the silence of the Scriptures soon becomes a major concern. What\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88207\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Satan Plants<\/h2>\n
Man Consents<\/h2>\n
Seeks Opportunity<\/h2>\n
Fulfilling the Act<\/h2>\n
\n14\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"