Giving birth to Death

Posted on Sep 12, 2015 in Faith Focus |

I’ve been thinking more about addiction these days. Through the years I have noticed that Christians can sometimes resist the idea of addiction because they are upset by the notion that comes from addictions research and literature that people are born with certain dispositions and therefore are destined to spend their days ravaged by one form of addiction of another.

The contention comes when they conclude that if that were so, then the concept of sin and people’s ability to choose right from wrong gets lost in the shadows. Plus, the implication is that God created some people in such a way that they were determined to spend their lives doing sinful and destructive things.
In my sharing with you today, it is not my intention to talk about these issues but instead to consider what happens when people engage in certain behaviors, especially in excess. From my earliest days I heard the warnings associated with alcohol, drugs, promiscuous living and gambling. My parents and health-education teachers did well to tell me about how an unbridled pursuit of these things could send someone’s life spiraling out of control while creating many casualties along the way. Then, true to their word, I saw how some people’s lives
were
 destroyed by these things and all the warnings that were shared became validated.

Most recently I have been considering very closely the changes that occur in the human brain when someone uses things like drugs, alcohol, and pornography as well as when they unexpectedly “win big” at a casino or online gambling site. It is fascinating to “see” through the research that has been done that when people engage in these behaviors chemicals get released in their brains that create a sense of euphoria. However, over time, the feelings of euphoria lessen and in some instances the person increases the behavior to get the “same high”. When it comes to the use of drugs and alcohol, I am sure everyone reading this is aware that the body can become dependent on the use of these substances, meaning that without them, the person goes through “withdrawal” which can take the form of shaking, nausea, vomiting, sweating, abdominal pain, hallucinations, delusions, and flu-like symptoms (to name a few….).

So, where am I going with all this? I’m glad you asked. You see, it occurred to me the other day that God created our bodies in such a way that they would react like this when we gave ourselves over to these behaviors. He warned us that to give ourselves over to these things would create big problems in our lives and the lives of those around us. For some, we know that engaging in these behaviors can even lead to death. For me, then, it comes as no surprise then that if God told us that an indulgence (like with crack-cocaine or heroin) or over indulgence could lead to us not consuming these things but being consumed by them, that he would have also designed our bodies to react in such a way that if we would keep defying His word in these matters, chemical reactions would occur in our brain that would drag us deeper and deeper into the behavior, even to the point that our bodies violently reacted to their absence.

When we were young our parents told us not to touch the stove when it was on because it was hot. They shared with us that putting our fingers in a socket was very dangerous. They shared all sorts of warnings about things all around us that although they seemed to just be part of the world, could take us out of it. What we now see through research is that giving ourselves over to a life where we consume with great ferocity the things mentioned in this writing will produce in our bodies a response that moves us closer and closer to being totally out of control. God has told us not live this way but to give ourselves over to Him instead. As I considered all this, I couldn’t help but think of the verses:

13When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15

 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. James 1:13-14

Yes, I am certain that in our hearts, the more we give ourselves to certain things, instead of giving our hearts to God, the more we see how sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death and that God has designed our bodies in such a way that as this occurs, we can see the advancement of that “death” in the chemical reactions in our brain. It is not as if He didn’t warn us that this could happen, it is just that now through science, we can get more of a glimpse as to how this happens. How much better it is to just listen to Him and live in accordance with His word.

For Him,

Rob

September 12, 2015

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