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Suppose we have a cancer that causes a lot of pain, will we just be satisfied with taking pain killers and reducing the pain? No. We will have to deal with the cancer that causes the pain. Then how is it that we try to deal with the consequences of sin instead of dealing with sin itself? We have accumulated a lot of debt because we have been giving in to greed and extravagance, and now we want a pastor to pray for a miraculous clearance of the debt. Our habit of watching pornography has distorted our relationship with our wife, but now we want marriage counselling to heal the relationship. Etc.

"What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is the source not your pleasures that wage war in your body’s parts?" (Js.4:1). Psychology points out that whatever we do, we do it either to gain pleasure or to avoid pain. When we seek pleasure of various kinds, and go beyond acceptable limits and sin in order to get it, we suffer the consequences which we did not want (Ga.6:7,8). Then we try to wriggle out of those situations by different tactics. Why don't we learn to prevent these consequences by taking care not to sow into them in the first place?

"But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it has run its course, brings forth death" (Js.1:14,15). The starting point for our problems is when we are enticed by pleasures. Then we are tempted to do something wrong to get those pleasures. Here we have the opportunity to listen to our better sense and say no to those desires because they are going beyond normal, acceptable limits. If we succeed here, we win over the temptation and we have victory! But if we give in to the temptation, we sin, and then the consequences will hit us. Shall we treat the cancer or the pain?

Even much of counselling looks at dealing with the consequences, because that is what appears to be expedient! But Jesus came to lay the axe to the root of the tree, instead of just plucking off rotten fruit. We have to be saved from inside, and that is why we need to be born again. Then we receive a new heart that gives us a hatred towards sin, and the Holy Spirit who makes us alert to recognise when we are being tempted. He gives us strength, as we seek it out of a desire to somehow stop sinning, and helps us to say no to temptations.

Some people content themselves with forgiveness of sins and looking forward to being in eternity with Jesus where we don't have to fight with sin. But we need to realise that we cannot follow Jesus and become like Him unless we learn to take up our cross, deny ourselves and do what He does (Lk.9:23). Here we will learn to deal our thoughts, desires, intentions, etc., that draw us towards sin and learn to deal with the root itself. That is what deals with the cancer of sin. Let us not be spiritually lazy and foolishly expect everything to happen automatically.

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