THE GREAT ESCAPE
Who can forget the 60's classic, The Great Escape? Steve McQueen leads an all-star cast of World War II prisioners of war, in an epic escape from a German POW camp. Based on a true WWII account of escape, the ellaborate plan to spring 250 soildiers and airmen, resulted in only three escapees making it to safety and freedom. Truckloads of POW's were returned to the camp after being captured and 50 of them were killed during the escape attempt. Unfortunately, many Christians suffer the same fate in their attempt to escape from the bondage of sin and the temptations of this world. Many are hauled back to the prison of the flesh from which they came, some are destroyed, but only a small percentage seem to acheive true freedom and liberty. While an ellaborate plan, such as the one devised in the The Great Escape may not be necessary, some strategy must be employed if a successful escape is to be acheived.
One could reasonably argue from the wisdom literature of the Bible, that the most effective deterrence in the battle over temptation and sin is to merely consider the practical consequences and the resulting destruction that it could bring to your life. However, the entire counsel of God’s word does not support this assumption, and the passages of scripture that may appear to lend weight to this idea, do not provide a sufficient proof text for an entire doctrine. The exhortations of a father to his son concerning the ravages of sin, such as Proverbs chapter 5, when Solomon declares, “My son, pay attention to my wisdom; lend your ear to my understanding, that you may preserve discretion…”(NKJV, Prov 5:1-2), are primarily emphasizing the need to seek after wisdom and understanding, in order to avoid the destruction of sin. But this only scratches the surface as to the real issues that lie behind our ability to resist temptation, and to accept this superficial assumption without considering the spiritual implications behind the sin, which so easily ensnares us; would be a catastrophic mistake.
Knowing the spiritual implications of sin in your life, and how it affects your relationship with the heavenly Father represents true wisdom and understanding, and therefore it is only by spiritual means that it may be overcome. The power of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer to overcome sin is immense, and the New Testament is replete with references as to how it may be applied in the hour of need . Chief among them is Paul’s instruction to the Corinthians, assuring them that, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it...”(1 Cor 10:13-14) God’s faithfulness in providing us a way of escape, as Paul refers to here is obviously a spiritual one, because we know that the battle itself is a spiritual one. That is why Paul told the church in Ephesus that, “…we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day…”(Eph 6:12-13)
Understanding this battle and preparing yourself to fight it effectively is one of the most neglected disciplines within the Christian faith, and its abandonment has had devastating consequences for believers throughout the church age. A failure to see the spiritual aspect of the temptations that lead us to fall into sin is directly responsible for the bondage that sin eventually takes us back into. Once again, the Apostle Paul identifies the root cause of sin’s grip on us and how we may defeat it, by stating that, “…the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…”(2 Cor 10:4-5) Obedience to Christ is our true motivation for renouncing sin in our lives, because it represents a powerful display of how much we truly believe in what He has done for us, in saving us from our sin.
But ultimately the sin that we seek so desperately to avoid is closer than we care to admit. Jesus spoke so definitively concerning the catalyst that dwells within each of us that allows sin to flourish; our free will. He said that, “…from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”(Mark 7:21-23) This is why James stated so boldly that, “...each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15) It is from within that the deterrence must originate, and only the Holy Spirit is capable of regenerating our hearts, so that we may begin to follow His leading, and be changed from within.
So while the practice of considering the consequences of our actions may be a wise thing to do, in the end, a life that is not internally controlled by the power of the Holy Spirit, and yielded to His sanctifying work, is doomed to repeat the sinful patterns of failure that are fueled by the world, the flesh, and the Devil. True escape can only be achieved through a total surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, which is the greatest escape.
