Sin, Addiction, & Disease
By Dennis Pollock
Recently I heard the wife of a prominent politician being interviewed, and she seemed eager to share some of her earlier struggles with alcohol. That, in itself, was not shocking; lots of people struggle with alcohol. But I was struck by the way she framed her struggle: she stated that she had the disease of addiction to alcohol. I found that interesting. I have heard alcoholism referred to as an addiction, and I have heard it called a disease, but this was the first time that I could remember it being called "the disease of addiction."
Today, the word sin has disappeared from our collective vocabulary. Nobody seems to want to admit they commit immoral, sinful acts. They are simply diseased, or perhaps addicted, or in this case, they have "the disease of addiction." For evangelical Christians this is problematic. Are what we used to call sinful behaviors now diseases? Is a liar a liar because he has the disease of lying? Does a professional thief have the disease of stealing, a pimp the disease of pimping, a cocaine user the disease of sniffing cocaine? Is anything in our world sinful, or is our world filled with a plethora of diseases that need curing, perhaps through some medication or form of rehab? Do we ever do anything we need to repent of and be accountable for, or should we just go to the medical clinic and seek the appropriate medication for our disease?
If you read the Bible at all, you realize that there is such a thing as accountability. God speaks of a judgment seat of Christ, where we will be judged for the lives that we have lived and our behavior. The paramount issue is, of course, whether have we received Jesus by faith and been forgiven of our sins. But for the person who did not receive Jesus, we learn that they will be held accountable for their sins. Paul writes: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." (2 Corinthians 5:10). Notice that he does not say we will be punished for the many diseases we have had.
Do not be Deceived!
In another place, Paul lists certain sins, which, if practiced regularly, and not repented of, will doom us to an afterlife of misery. He warns that neither the sexually immoral, nor thieves, nor extortioners nor drunkards will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). According to Paul, the most notable preacher of grace the church has ever seen, certain behaviors will keep you out of heaven. You will not go to heaven if you regularly and consistently practice sexual immorality, stealing, or getting drunk. In short, we will be held accountable for our actions, and we will not be let off the hook if we try to sneak through the pearly gates with the excuse that we have "the disease of addiction." Imagine some brute standing before Jesus on the Day of Judgment, saying, "You are surely not going to hold it against me for beating my wife. I couldn't help it – I had the disease of wife-beating!"
Suppose the apostle Paul had said something like this: "Do not be deceived, neither those with cancer nor those who had diabetes, nor those who contracted measles or chickenpox will ever go to heaven." We know that would not be fair. No person would ever be denied entrance into heaven because of their physical sicknesses. But according to the Bible, many people will be kept out of heaven for sinning and refusing to repent and put their faith in Jesus.
Addictions are very real, but they are not diseases. Addiction means that you are so deeply gripped by some sinful behavior, some repetitive form of sin, that you cannot get yourself free. You know this because you have tried many times, and nothing has worked. Although the word addiction is not in the Bible, the concept is found in the words of Jesus, who said: "Whoever sins is a slave of sin." (John 8:34). A slave has no freedom to do whatever he likes; he must do what his master tells him. And Jesus says that sin becomes our master and makes us its slaves. But this is no disease – it is slavery.
Not My Fault!
Most people these days do not want to take any responsibility for their sins. It is much easier to say I have the disease of alcoholism or the disease of cocaine or the disease of uncontrolled sexual desire than to admit, "I'm a sinner who does bad things." If they have made a tremendous effort to get free from their bondage and immoral behavior and found themselves unable to break the chains, they reason it must be some type of sickness. They are just unlucky to have been born with an addictive gene that makes them incapable of forsaking their ungodly lifestyle.
But sin never starts as slavery. It becomes slavery as you indulge in it over and over again. When a person smokes that first cigarette, drinks that first glass of wine, or first flirts with his secretary, he is never under compulsion to continue. He could easily break off the cigarettes after that first one, or stop drinking or quit flirting after his initial venture into those things. He is no slave at that point; stopping could be accomplished quite easily. But when he has smoked for many years, or been involved in sexual immorality for years, or drinking, lying, giving in to his temper, or sniffing cocaine, that is when he finds he is a slave, and cannot help himself. Again, he is not diseased, he is enslaved.
Think about being thrown into a deep, twenty-foot pit with steep, perfectly smooth sides. You cannot jump out of it, nor can you climb out of it. You try a few times, but jumping out of a twenty-foot pit is laughable, as is trying to climb those smooth sides of the pit. The truth is there is nothing you can do to escape. All the strategies you can imagine, and all the physical efforts you can employ will do exactly nothing. On your own, there is no hope for you.
But then a friend comes along, sees your dilemma, and throws you a strong rope with a firm loop at the end. You wrap the loop under your arms and he quickly pulls you out. What you could never do on your own became simple when you had the help of a friend standing above you. We have such a Friend. The Bible says, "When my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I." (Psalm 61:2). Jesus is that Rock. No addiction, no sin, no degree of slavery can stand against Him. No pit is so deep that His love and power are not able to easily lift us out and place us on solid ground. But when you call on Jesus, do not make the mistake of asking Him to forgive you of your sicknesses. Own what you have done and ask Him to forgive you of your sins and deliver you from your sins. And then watch Him work. The angel told Joseph, "You shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21).
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