23rd March 2025
Warning signs!
These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come.
1 Corinthians 10:11 (NRSVUE)
We see signs all around us that warn of danger: Toxic; High Voltage; Hot Surface; Smoking Causes Cancer; Danger of Ice. But my favourite, if you can call it that, is Danger of Death. This imperative warning is designed to signal the highest level of risk to humans.
These signs use fear as a motivating factor to get us to do, or not do, something and most of the time are highly effective. We pay attention to them because we don’t want to be hurt or worse, killed.
The Apostle Paul warns the Corinthian church about the dangers of sinning. Instead of physical signs, he uses the example of ‘our ancestors’, the ancient Israelites, and he draws a straight line between various sins and their resulting punishments: 23,000 who commit sexual immorality are killed in one day (1 Corinthians 10:5,8); those who put Christ to the test are destroyed by serpents (v.9); complainers or grumblers are killed by the destroying angel (v.10).
Paul is pointing out that sin has consequences, but the problem is that in our experience the negative consequences don’t usually happen immediately. If they did, people could see more easily the correlation and perhaps stop engaging in the things that hurt them. Instead, the results of harmful habits gradually accumulate throughout life, and just like the frog who doesn’t notice the water in the pot getting hotter until it is too late, we too can be desensitised to sin and believe we are okay, when in fact we are slowly dying inside.
Today, despite what the passage implies, it appears that people can and do get away with sinning. Just in the same way that not everyone who smokes dies of cancer or, not everyone who touches a hot surface gets burnt. Don’t be fooled, however. The Bible tells us the result of sin is always death (Romans 6:23), and just because bad endings can take time, it doesn’t mean they won’t happen. Paul gives the warning: ‘Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did’ (1 Corinthians 10:6). They ‘…were written down to instruct us…’ (v.11), and warn us that bad habits will bring bad endings.
While warning signs and worst-case scenarios are effective, they may not result in people choosing to obey God and doing what is right, so Paul pairs it with the benefits that come from obedience: ‘I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings’ (I Corinthians 9:23 NIV). God loves to bless his people. Paul does not threaten us with a God who punishes, but reveals a loving saviour who blesses us with true life. Let’s not miss out on those blessings. Choose to heed the warning signs.
Prayer
Our loving Father, open our eyes so we can see the sin in our life, and help us to confess these sins to you and to overcome. We thank you for your forgiveness which is only made possible through the sacrifice of our Saviour Jesus Christ. In his name we pray, Amen.
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Study by: Jackie Mill About the author: |
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Local congregation:
Grace Communion International Central Glasgow
Garnethill Room
Conference Suite
St Andrews West
260 Bath Street
Glasgow
G2 4JP
Meeting time:
Sunday 11:15 am
Local congregational contact:
Peter Mill
Email: edinburgh@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church