Sin is like a reclusive monster that lives deep in the cave of your heart. It likes to stay hidden in the dark where it can eat away at your life and control you from within. If you disturb the monster or try to remove it, things get messy and so many people choose to just leave it alone. Paul tells us in Romans 7 how things got messy for him when he disturbed this monster. Basically, to press on with the metaphor, he shone the spotlight of God’s law into the cave. The law was given to bring sin to light, and this is exactly what happened with Paul. Before being confronted with the law things seemed peaceful enough in his heart. But when he shone the light of God’s law into the cave, the monster “sprang to life”. The light of the law brought the monster out of hiding and so Paul began his struggle with this monster. It was, however, not a battle that Paul could win with the law as his only tool. The law was effective in bringing the monster out of the cave, but it was powerless to kill it. So, says Paul, the law seemed to make things worse. It is important to know your sin, to face your monster. But don’t rush into the darkness and try to fight it on its own turf where it thrives. Just lead it out to where it cannot survive – out into the light. As you live by the light of God’s Spirit in you, your monsters will come out and waste away.
Reflect prayerfully on what your ‘monster’ might be.
Read Romans 7:7-25
