+DEV+ Sin's Stench

Date: August 16, 2010 9:25 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Sin's Stench

Sin's Stench

"What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ, our Lord...there is now no condemnation..." (Romans 7:24-25a; 8:1a).
Scripture Focus: Romans 6:23

Repulsing! Disgusting! The stench of death is beyond adequate verbal description.

Long ago, murderers received an awful sentence for their crime. Authorities would secure the dead victim to the back of the killer. The decay of the corpse caused disease, from which the murderer eventually died.

Some believe Paul was referring to this practice when he wrote the verses we are focusing on today. The analogy is that we are carrying around the stinking, repugnant body of sin and ultimate death.

Sin repulses God. He hates "haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers" (Proverbs 6:17-19).

Do these things fill us with disgust, too? Or are we carrying around our loads of sin? Praise God we have a Savior who already has borne our burden for us!

Insight: Why carry around stinking sin when Jesus invites us to leave it at the cross? Let's choose life!