Sin Is the Sting of Death - Lee Brainard

 Man loves to speak of his sin in euphemisms — sowing wild oats, having a little fun, indulging a few bad habits, getting a little crazy. He treats sin as if it were no worse than a wart or a birthmark. He might be embarrassed, but he is not scared. This is a very serious mistake. Sin is not a little blemish. It is a life-threatening condition.

Sin was introduced by a deadly Serpent (Gen. 3, Rev. 12:9). Indeed, sin is his deadly sting (1 Cor. 15:56). When men give in to temptation, they cozy up to this old Serpent and let him sting them. This sting produces a deadly condition that grows worse and worse — with powerful addiction and threat-denying delirium — until it ultimately brings them to the grave and an awful eternity.

The only remedy is repentance. Man must forsake his sins if he would live. He must walk away from cuddling with the Serpent and getting his “sting” — eerily similar to a drug addict seeking his dealer and getting his “fix.” As we read in the KJV, “As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for why will ye die?” (Ezek. 33:11). Repentance is the heart cry of the man who desperately wants to be done with sin and desperately looks to the Lord in faith for healing and salvation.

~Lee Brainard, March 21, 2015