Entering Life

Proverbs 30:20 gives a penetrating insight into sin: “Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.” Just as a ship leaves no track in the sea, or an eagle in the sky, and just as a person wipes away the crumbs from a meal, so the sinner imagines that sin leaves no lasting mark wipe the mouth, forget the act, and declare innocence. Agur condemns not only adultery but the deeper sin of treating sin as nothing, as though the past can simply be erased by denial. While Christ truly forgives and removes our guilt, the consequences of sin remain; a man who loses an arm through sin does not grow a new one when converted. In the same way, every sin leaves some crippling behind, and to deny this is to refuse to take sin seriously. This is why our Lord commands us to cut sin out of our lives even if it means entering life “halt or maimed” (Matt. 18:8): sin is death, but grace is life.