Knowing is half the battle

I've heard rumors of a cow that resides in Louisiana that is just downright scary. The story I hear is there is a hole in the side of the cow that allows viewers to observe how food is processed. The inner workings are exposed for the purpose of research. Allegedly this is done through a research program at LSU. Though I'm sure a quick google search could clear up lots of things for me on this, I'll stay in my state of 'wonder if it's true.' Regardless of veracity, Mr. Window Cow gives us a great picture (no pun intended).

While I personally want no part of an investigation into the inward parts of a cow, I get it. The more you can know about how the process works, the better you can be with disease treatment, nutrition, and maybe we can even up the quality of a good Ribeye. Knowing how it functions is a massive part of the battle.

Temptation and sin are similar. We are given a window into one of our own organs in the Bible. The thought of peering down into a functioning digestive tract seems a bit nasty. So does looking into our own hearts. Believers battle with sin. If you've been saved more than about 90 seconds, you know this is true. The Bible tells us why this is. Though there is a New Man who is alive to God through Christ, the flesh is still active. James 1 gives us insight into how sin is produced. The truth about this is not pleasant - You sin because you listen to your fleshly desires (ie - your heart's dirty).

James is adamant on this point. James 1.14 tells us that we sin when we give in to our own lust. Later in the book James gives some helpful and practical wisdom on defining the source of our relational conflict - it's from our own desires (Jas 4.1-4). Paul tells us that sin is active in us (Rom 7.17). We can all move to a monastery, but the reality is we take the idol factory with us, our hearts.

I think it's important to distinguish between sin and temptation. You are tempted all the time. Your temptation is common (normal - see I Cor 10.13) and even Jesus was tempted just like we are (Heb 2.17-18; 4.15). When someone really "makes" you angry, remember they didn't make you anything. They simply gave your heart the enticement it needed. Someone cutting you off on the road isn't why you got angry, it is where. Thinking in this way helps us to arrest the process at it's actual starting point, the initial desire. We must be careful to examine and guard our hearts (Prov 4.23).

Understanding the process of sin also helps drive us to the gospel. We all have a tinge of self-righteousness in us. We think that just a little more effort, more time in the spiritual disciplines, a few more verses memorized, or just limiting our exposure to TV, radio, or internet will fix the problem. These things can be helpful. But will they eliminate the problem, or to ask another way, can these things make us holy? Of course not. You need the gospel. You need Christ righteousness, because your effort stinks. Your heart and your effort is no place to turn for holiness, that comes through God's power. Yes, we gladly put ourselves in the way of grace by doing all the above mentioned things, but at the end of the day, we must cry out to God with the same sense of dependence as when we first recognized our sin and God's holiness.