CAN A CHRISTIAN COMMIT SIN?
"I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think." Romans 12:3
Yes, a Christian can certainly commit a sin and we do so without even knowing it when the tongue gets out of control. The sin must be quickly confessed to prevent us from falling into a condition of backsliding. The backslider must have his backslidings healed and be restored, or else he will be lost. God is the source of our lives and He wants to grow us up in His grace and prevent us the agony of falling into the trap that catches our tongue on a cold flagpole - stuck and unable to be released without someone's assistance. A very humiliating experience.
Many of us struggle with the dilemma "open mouth, insert foot" syndrome. We tend to brag about who we are and the pitfalls of pride and arrogance take us prisoner. Remember Peter. Peter was a man loyal-hearted and true to Jesus, but grossly ignorant about what he was capable of, in the way of sin. Quite loyal but quite ignorant he got into difficult circumstances and trying crises. Suddenly, to his amazement, he found that he was capable of evil that horrified him.
Satan is always on the look-out to try and snatch us away from the Lord if possible. He wants to entice you away from Christ in hopes you will become so confused, you will think that God has left you. Beware of his allurements. Do not start the brag game - watch out for the arrogance you display to others. Does God have to transfix your tongue to a cold flagpole to get your attention.
The Christian life is to be a holy life. God must deal harshly with all of us who choose to live our Christian lives carelessly, allowing sin to rule our behavior. The next time we are tempted to brag or show a lack of humility, God's duty is to take us back to the flagpole and remind us of the former pain we already experienced in the past with a cold flagpole. Don't you want to say, "Ouch!" when you think of it?
"God allows suffering so that we might learn what it means to depend on Him, not on our own strength and resources. Doesn't suffering do that? It forces us to lean on Him totally, absolutely. Over and over, He reminds us of the danger of pride...but it frequently takes suffering to make the lesson stick. Pain plants the flag of reality in the fortress of a rebel heart."
Not a word of murmuring or complaining in supplication; not a word of bragging, nagging, or persuading. Let your language be simple, gentle, quiet, and gracious. This is the way to honor and know Him. Listen and obey. Words can make trouble. Do not cause your disobedient heart or your flippant tongue to bring forth the anger of the Lord or to compel Him to keep your tongue from idly wagging by attaching it to a cold flagpole for a time.
When God is going to do something wonderful, He begins with difficulty. If it is going to be something very wonderful, He begins with an impossibility. Stop, listen, and hear the voice of God before jumping in and becoming an annoying water sprinkler spraying in all directions with your mouth. We often sin with our mouths. Turn off your irritating flow, and zip your lip before tongue surgery is needed - again.
Some thoughts by Chuck Swindoll, Come Before Winter, 1985
