There are people who live oblivious to the sins of the flesh and our constant need for the Saviour in our lives.

1. Some just redefine sin to justify it. An Elders Board sinned, and when this was brought to them they redefined the sin to exclude what they did. I saw Jesus leave that group, because they had abandoned their first love.

2. A man in grief at a meeting was cruel because of his wife’s death. All but the victim of the cruelty rescued him by saying, “That’s just him”, he’s going through a rough time. If we truly loved we would not let people get away with evil. I was the victim.

3. We decide our sin is not really bad so it is not an issue like if it a big sin. This comes by forgetting that any sin makes us guilty of all sins. A little hypocrisy isn’t like murder. I visited a Pastor and caught him in a sinning moment, and he refused with a shrug to acknowledge it.

4. We list all the good religious things we do (attend worship, usher, tithe, etc.) and claim that balances out the sins. No need for repentance. I was questioning someone about a lifestyle issue, and they said, “No one is perfect, but at least I am active in my church.”

5. There is a theory that since Jesus forgave sin I can no longer sin; all is forgiven and everything I do is blessed. I was in dialogue with someone who denied there was a hell and said all religions lead to heaven, and so had no need to obey Jesus to witness; Jesus clearly got it wrong.

The Eden Syndrome infects us. We live by sensuality so good food and eye candy deserve to be our guide to morality. Having mere knowledge is the same as wisdom. Knowing good and evil will make us like gods.

The antidote is like awful medicine. Self-control over the flesh. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Knowing good and evil tears apart and so we must choose which boss we will serve.

We are flesh in a world at war with God. A servant of God is content in whatever situation they are found. They pray to be under the leadership of The Spirit. Like Jesus we become nothing through spiritual humility and become a good and faithful servant, “for apart from [Jesus] we can do nothing” (John 15:5).

History shows us that John Bunyan was a man favoured by God. He left us with a huge library of insightful writings. Yet he spent years of desolation because of his sinfulness.

Are you a sinner saved by grace to eternal life, or a demigod working your way forward by your own good deeds?