Christian Foundations

April 30, 2007

Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned?

--Proverbs 6:27

It amazes me that many Christians want to see how close they can get to sin and still be what they consider a “good Christian.” But that is absolutely contrary to what the Bible teaches.

We are to hate sin in every form and run from it as fast as we can. If we don’t…if we try and get close so that we can have some kind of secondhand enjoyment of the sin…there will be consequences.

The Bible says in Genesis 13 that Abraham’s nephew Lot pitched his tent just outside the evil city of Sodom—and before too long, he owned a house right in the middle of town! Many times we camp closer than we ought to the gates of evil. From there, all it takes is time and a foothold or two, and Satan can work his awful magic as he did with Lot, whose family was torn apart when God destroyed Sodom.

Many times when a Christian is caught in some scandal we think, “How could this person have fallen so far so quickly?” Truth is, it probably wasn’t very quick at all. Most spiritual implosions are caused by a slow, steady leak in the heart or in the mind. Eventually, cracks begin to appear on the surface and everything caves in.

We must not only avoid evil, but all appearances of evil. Don’t camp out next to sin and hope to still be a “good Christian.” It won’t work. Take down your tent and get out of there as fast as you can!

DON’T CAMP OUT NEXT TO THE GATES OF EVIL, BECAUSE EVENTUALLY YOU’LL MOVE IN!