Ebola and Sin - II

Despite the best efforts of well-meaning people in the areas of protection, Ebola has spread. Perhaps some of those so confident that the virus would not spread trusted uncritically in protocol; maybe there was even the occasional smug person in the group that assured us that Ebola would not spread in the United States. Maybe some of our medical leaders told us what they thought they needed to tell us to calm us – or even to preserve their own positions.

In my own life, whenever I’m become smug and complacent toward sin I’ve been taken aback by the force of sin. Whenever I’ve thought that I was impervious to sin I’ve been laid low by sin. No pastor or brother in Christ has ever done me a favor by ignoring or downplaying the reality of sin. And yet I’ve been in Christian churches where I seldom heard about sin, instead the focus has been on making me feel good. That is like care givers telling an Ebola patient that all he needs to do is eat ice cream and pizza and then he’ll feel better and because he feels better all will be well. An accurate diagnosis, no matter how terrible it may be, sure beats a panacea. Sugar pills, whether dispensed by doctors or preachers, constitute malpractice.

I note that the “buddy system” has been implemented among health care workers dealing with Ebola. They help each other suit up, disinfect, and remove their protective gear – it’s a team effort. They look out for one another. Isn’t that the way it ought to be among God’s people? We need one another for encouragement, for grace, and for diagnostics. We are to confess our faults to one another, we are to pray for one another, and we are to forgive one another. We are to make sure that our brother or sister isn’t exposed to spiritual toxins, and if we see that they are in danger we are to graciously serve them – not browbeat them, but protect them.

To be continued…