Friday, December 10, 2010

Lest you also be tempted



Brother Christian, you carry much combustible matter in your nature, be warned when you see your neighbour’s house on fire. When one man falls, the next should look to his steps. You are a man of like passions, remember yourself, lest you also be tempted. In these days of epidemics, if we knew that a certain house was tainted with disease, and if we saw a person who had come from it with the marks of the disease in his face; what should we feel? Should we not take it as a warning to keep clear, both of the house and of him; because we ourselves are as likely to take the disease as He was? So when we see a sinner transgressing we should say to ourselves, “I also am a man, and a fallen man, let me abhor every evil way, and guard myself jealously, lest I also fall into sin.”

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "Moab My Washpot." Image by Bas Lammers under Creative Commons License.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

James 3:6 describes the tongue as a fire and a world of iniquity that easily sins and spreads the fire and iniquity to others. Sin and sinners tend to influence others by means of their bad example. Groups of young people have been known to encourage each other in their sin by their example to one another. Pure and spiritual ones will perhaps notice the faults and sins of others more than others who witness sin and perform sin more regularly. If the pure and spiritual ones do not take action to restore the one in a fault, the net impact is not likely to be neutral. Rather, they themselves are likely to be tempted. In the process of seeking to restore others and move them away from temptation and sin, they also are likely to be tempted.

Sin dishonors God and damages relationship with Him. Sin is likely also to dishonor and damage relationship with our neighbor whom we sin against. Even a small sin tends to generate another sin and then another. The exhortation aligns with: Take action and make consideration lest thou also be tempted.

NOTE: Galatian 6:1 is a call to meekly restore brethren or other professing Christians. We should be discerning and restrain ourselves so as not to rebuke a scorner (Proverbs 9:8) or to cast pearls before swine. (Matthew 7:6)

Anonymous said...

NOTE ALSO: The Pharisees were spiritual but they were also hypocrites, actors, pretenders who accused others for their specks and missed beams in their own eyes.

Love does tend to cover the sins of others rather than expose them.

Anonymous said...

" Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." - Galatians 6:1