Saying More Than, "Stop That!"

Most of us have lived with addiction, either being an addict ourselves or having an addict relationally close to us.  We have experienced the roller coaster of "being clean", binging, lying, stealing, forgiving, rejoicing, and falling again.  How many times do we forgive is a significant question, along with how we forgive.  We want to see the person restored, but we do not want to enable either.  And when the tension becomes to much for us, we scream, "Stop doing that! Please!"

To our minds, the addict is afflicting so much pain so that they can experience whatever high they are living for.  Justice makes the verdict simple - they are selfish.  Mercy is almost impossible.  To introduce both (justice and mercy) is to introduce the Cross of Christ...sacrifice...selflessness...and even death.  So what are we to do?  The gospel is the only answer.  Death to addiction in another demands death in us.  We must loose our life.  

Our expectations must place in relation to Christ our Lord.  The gospel does not deliver according to our "fast-food" demands.  Patience is not a common strength in our day.  We cannot expect to share the gospel with someone enslaved to sin and see an immediate life change.  Sin lingers.  The gospel, remember, grows from the inside out; and it does so slowly.  If we would like to see a good example of this process, we need only look in the mirror.  And we must also remember that trees that grow quickly also break easily.

Understanding sin must be seen in the "gospel-light."  We plant seeds, trusting that God will bring His work about.  But the seed is sown deeper than the person's actions.  The gospel is deeper than, "Stop that."  It rather, goes into the heart, saying, "Why are you doing that?"  Sure, they may stop.  But as an old theologian once said, "Satan will gladly relieve a cold in order to give cancer."  The gospel doesn't replace idols, it slays them.

If sin is like a cold, bringing a remedy is more complex than saying to the person, "Stop sneezing!"  That would be ridiculous.  Rather, we find out what is going on inside.  There is an infection.  There is a distortion and deficiency in their immune system.  We dive deeper...to the root...and work to have it out. We don't like doing this.  Digging to the root demands getting dirty.  It demands strength, patience, and endurance.

And when the root is found, the gospel must be applied there.  It is at the root where the throat of sin must be cut.  But you cannot expect the tree to fall immediately.  It may continue to live for a while.  Other roots may need cutting.  The root may even regrow.  As Christians, we stay close, waiting, watching, relentlessly killing sin in ourselves and others.  We are a people with dirty hands, but with hearts cleansed by grace.  We are not afraid to get nasty.   We live to look like our Master, who first became gross before He was glorified; Who died in order that we may live.

Understanding why a person sins is costly.  We must get to know them more (not less).  We must understand their heart more (not less).  We must be in their life more (not less).  We must die to ourselves more (not less).  We have to understand that we, too, are just as sinful (not less).  We must understand that they need grace (like us).  We must feel the life-giving liberty of Christ (before we can give it).  The Gospel is for every person (not a few).  We are all in the same boat.  We are all addicts and are in need of more instruction than merely, "Stop that."