With a grunt and a heavy sigh, he asked, “Do we have to do this?”
Teaching students who have little interest in learning challenges the most creative and persistent teacher. I know; I teach some five days a week who couldn’t care less about school. One student came in every morning just before the late bell with a look on his face that said, “I just got out of bed, and I really have no desire to be here.” Five hours later, when he arrived in my class, his attitude hadn’t changed much. Now, he was tired of the work he had been doing for the last five hours. When he asked if he had to do a particular assignment, I said, “Yes.” The law dictates that he attend school, and the school dictates the curriculum he must pass to move from one grade to the next.
Sin sometimes feels like a dreaded assignment I must do, but Paul says otherwise. As a believer, I should consider myself dead to sin and alive to Christ.
The questions, “Do I have to complete this assignment?” and “Do I have to sin?” are similar. The answer to the first is “Yes” and “No.” Yes, if the student wants credit, but no if they didn’t.
Whether I have to sin depends on my situation as well. If I’m a believer and have the presence of God’s Spirit empowering me, then no, I don’t have to sin. Sinning is a choice, but it’s not my destiny. If I haven’t trusted Christ as my Savior, then yes, I do have to sin. My nature controls it, and I have no one to help me avoid it.
As believers, we choose to sin. God doesn’t tempt us; Satan does. God will give us the power to say no regardless of what the temptation is. And he will never allow the temptation to be so great that we can say, “I had to sin.”
Our destiny is purity and holiness. While this won’t be entirely achieved until we’re in heaven, we can make great strides toward that state of existence while on earth when we allow God’s Spirit to control our decisions and desires.
Let God give you the power to choose holiness and purity.
Father, help me understand that sinning is a choice and that you can give me the power to say, “No,” to any temptation.
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