A further analogy from COVID
“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you…” Rm 6:12-14
I have written in previous pastoral letters using COVID as an analogy for sin. The virus takes control of the victim’s cells biochemical process to multiply itself, until there are sufficient number of viruses to causes havoc with the body’s immune system, and interrupts essential body functions. Similarly, once sin gains entry into our lives, it weakens our spiritual defence and multiplies. That would interrupt our walk with the Lord and our appropriation of strength from Him, which is essential for our spiritual vitality.
After some two years of intense public awareness and vaccination campaigns, as well as lockdowns to fight the pandemic, the government has changed tact. The economic and political costs of lockdowns are deemed unsustainable, and the new approach is to “live with COVID”. Infection case numbers are kept from the public eye, and death and hospitalisation numbers have stopped being highlighted. These rates, currently higher than they have ever been since the start of the pandemic, are considered the “new normal”. On the contrary, China is persisting with a “Zero-COVID” strategy, which is putting cities into lockdown and many citizens in great hardship. Such a target is very costly and unpopular. It has been explained that China has no choice but to take this approach because of China’s huge population. At the infection rates experienced by the West now, China’s health system would be totally overwhelmed. The Chinese government’s official reason for this strategy is to value the lives for her citizens. It is arguable which of the two strategies is the sustainable and wiser approach.
I can’t help but see a parallel of this in our own attitudes towards sin. Biblical teaching is for us constantly to stay alert against sin through the Spirit, to flee from temptation, and by His power not to leave the devil with any foothold. It is a “Zero-Sin” strategy. Much as sinlessness is not an achievable objective on this side of heaven, it is the target that the Lord has set for us as His redeemed people. When we fail, in Christ, we have full forgiveness if we confess and repent, and we have a fresh start. It is a costly strategy because it demands denial of our fleshly desires and self-centeredness. But the alternative is to allow “sin to reign in our mortal bodies”, and allow our “members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin”, just like the COVID victim being enslaved by the virus.
Unfortunately, it is frequent to see Christian communities taking a “living with Sin” attitude, adopting a “new normal” to make the message of the Cross more palatable to compromising Christians.
While “living with COVID” may be the practical solution we have to accept in dealing with the pandemic in today’s world, “living with Sin” is NOT what the Lord accepts. He says “sin shall not have dominion over you…”, because He values our lives.
Let us be faithful to the Lord: live as one Redeemed, Thrive in our new life of holiness and be Fruitful for His glory.
再來一個新冠病毒的比喻
「所以不要容罪在你們必死的身上作王、使你們順從身子的私慾．也不要將你們的肢體獻給罪作不義的器具．倒要像從死裡復活的人、將自己獻給神．並將肢體作義的器具獻給神。罪必不能作你們的主．」羅6:12-14
在以前的牧聲中，我曾用新冠病毒(COVID)作為罪的比喻。病毒控制受害者的細胞生化過程，自我繁殖，直到有足夠的病毒時就對身體的免疫系統造成嚴重破壞，並中斷正常的身體功能，使受感染者病倒。同樣，一旦罪進入了我們的生命中，它就會削弱我們的屬靈防禦力。這將中斷我們與主的緊密同行，阻礙我們從祂那裡支取力量去維持我們的屬靈生命力。
經過大約兩年密集地提高公眾意識和疫苗接種的運動，以及為抗擊大流行而進行封鎖，政府已經改變了策略。封鎖要付出的經濟和政治代價太高了，所以被認為是不可持續的。新的方案是“與新冠病毒共存”。感染病例數字現被抽離大眾的視線，死亡和住院數字也已不再被注視。目前這些數字其實是自大流行開始以來最高的，但卻被推銷為須接受的「新常態」。相反，中國堅持「零新冠肺炎」戰略，封鎖多個城市，使許多公民陷入困境。這樣的目標之代價高昂，且不受民眾歡迎。有人解釋說，這是由於中國人口眾多，若達到西方現時的感染率，中國的衛生系統將全面崩潰。固此，中國不得以要採取這策略。中國的官方理由是要重視其公民的生命。那一個策略是較明智並實際？這是爭議性的問題。
我們可以在人對罪的態度上看到類似控制新冠病毒的情況。聖經的清楚教導是我們要不斷藉著聖靈的提醒對罪提高警覺，要逃避誘惑，並藉著主的能力不讓魔鬼留任何地步。這是一種「零罪惡」戰略。在主回來前，無罪不是任何人可以完全實現的目標，但這是主為祂所救贖的子民所設定的目標。當我們失敗時，在基督裡，如果我們認罪悔改，我們就得著完全的赦免，並再有一個新的開始。但這也是一個代價高昂的策略，因為它要求我們要捨己，不隨從個人肉體的情慾和自我中心的傾向。但另一種策略的選擇就是「容罪在身上作王」，並把我們的「肢體獻給罪作不義的器具」，就像容許新冠病毒主宰其受害者一樣。不幸的是，我們經常看到基督徒群體採取「與罪共存」的態度，接納這種「新常態」，把十架的道理與世界妥協，以較容易被人所接納。
雖然「與新冠病毒共存」可能是我們在當今世界無法不接受的實用解決方案，但「與罪共存」絕不是主所接受的。祂說「罪必不能作你們的主...」，因為祂重視我們的生命。
讓我們忠於主：活出一個得蒙救贖的生命，在我們聖潔的新生活中蓬勃成長，並為祂得以果實纍纍。
