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It’s an interesting thing to write about sin.

After all “sin” is such a Christian word.

Not that Christians are the only people who deal with sin, but calling it that isn’t something that non-Christians regularly do.

They call it doing the wrong thing. Or making a mistake. Or an error in judgment.

But Christians realize that when God says we missed the mark (which is what sin means) it is much more serious than a commonplace phrase would suggest. So we call it what God calls it when we violate His commandments; we call it sin.

As I wrote about previously, the Christian should be focused on fighting sin. If that is our aim, it helps to know the reasons why we sin. What is the root cause of our inclination to not do what we know we ought, and to do the things we know we shouldn’t? (See Romans 7:15)

One of the most off-suggested causes is pride – and I think there’s a case to be made for that. After all, pride was the impetus for the first sin (See Isaiah 14:12-15), and pride is the little voice that says my way is better than God’s. However, if pride is the root cause, I think fear is the fertilizer. Fear is the prompting in our minds that says we can’t trust that God’s way is really the best way. This is what caused Eve’s stumble into the first disobedience. When the serpent said, “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:5), Eve was afraid that maybe she was missing out. Maybe God really was keeping something from her. Maybe what her senses told her – the words of the serpent and the sight of the tempting fruit – was more trustworthy that a command that seemed without reason. And so she ate – not realizing that in giving into her fear, she know how to deal with the ultimate reason to be afraid – the righteous wrath of God.

We wonder if when God says “do not be anxious about anything“, He really knows how little would be accomplished if we didn’t fret over it.

When He tells us to wait, we fear that our dreams will go unrealized unless we act when the moment seems opportune to us.

When He says to obey Him, regardless of the consequences, we are afraid that He doesn’t know how painful that might be.

But He does.

And just like Eve’s sin paved the way for humanity to rightfully fear our eternal destination, through His Son He has provided a way to cast out that fear. (I John 5:8, I John 4:18 )

And because of that, we no longer need to listen to fear’s prompting us to sin.

It’s not uncommon during this time of year for there to be a rapid spread of colds and flu bugs. I’m sure there’s a scientific explanation for this, but whatever the rational reason, anyone who works with large groups of people knows that the winter time seems to bring with a preponderance of germs. It’s an infectious time of year, and often we take go great lengths to make sure that we aren’t part of the unhealthy droves.

However, if we do get sick and catch a fever, one of the first things you’re likely to hear is “If you have a fever it’s a good sign, it means that you’re fighting the infection.” Now, having a fever is no fun so this may prove of little comfort, but perhaps people continue to say it because they want to point you to the days of health that appear to lie ahead. They know that the fever is the body’s response to a foreign invader and if your body is battling, that’s portends good things for your future.

In much the same way, sin infects our lives. And similarly, if we are fighting it, we should be feverish – meaning that there should be some signs that we are battling the infection. Too often, we know that there is something in our lives that is not glorifying God, and we promise ourselves that we will work on it, but anyone who’s looking at our lives wouldn’t see any difference. We’re still hanging with the same people, watching or listening to the same entertainment, or putting ourselves in the same compromising situation. There’s no indication that we are serious about conquering that particular viral strain of sin.

Maybe we would do well to take a lesson from those who are physically sick when engaging in this battle. Fighting sin is not easy or fun, but perhaps if put our eyes on the “better things” that lie ahead, we would consider the battle a good one. And we wouldn’t mind being a bit feverish.