August 22, 2023
and therefore, poor soul, forsake all [sin] or none. Save one lust and you lose one soul. If men mean to go to hell, why are they so mannerly? … This is as ridiculous as it was with him, who, being to be hanged, desired that he might by no means go through such a street to the gallows, for fear of the plague that was there.
William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour
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All sin leads to death (Rom 6:23), so it must all be hated equally. Sometimes we like to weigh some sins above others and think we’ll work on them in some order, but this is the wrong frame of mind for dealing with sin. It is as silly as the author’s example of a man being marched to the gallows to be hung and worrying about catching the plague on the way. Both ways lead to death, so what does it matter? The only way to get at the root of all sin, and to mortify it, is through Christ and the Spirit.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:15-16