“My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.”
Devotional - Luke Humphrey
All of us live around sinners. All of us are surrounded by acts of wickedness and evil rebellion against God. There is nowhere that we can run to escape this because we carry our sin around with us in our very flesh. And the Bible does not expect us to try to hide from sinners—in fact, the Apostle Paul assumes that we will regularly be engaging with those who rebel against God's ways and God's person (1 Cor. 5:9–10).
This is why it is so helpful to have a firm principle of commitment that we can hold onto in order to keep us from being drawn away from the path of righteousness. Proverbs 1:10 give us that firm commitment: if sinners entice you, do not consent. The temptations of sin and of sinners are real—there is an enticing nature to them. But the response of righteousness is a firm commitment to not give in—we will not say yes to sin.
This is not mere willpower. Many of us lose the battle against sin because we assume that it is only a matter of time until we fall and we give into sin yet again. But Jesus died in order to free us not just from sin's penalty but from sin's power. Because the crucified and risen Christ has poured out his Holy Spirit into our hearts, we can hold fast to the path of righteousness. As the Apostle Paul writes:
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)
Walking by the Spirit starts with a commitment to walk the path of righteousness—a commitment not to give in when sin and sinners entice us away from this path.
“What does the law of God require?
Personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience; that we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and love our neighbor as ourselves. What God forbids should never be done and what God commands should always be done.”
Fighter Verses
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New City Catechism
© Crossway, newcitycatechism.com