Addicted to Sin

After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. 'Follow me,' Jesus said to him, and Levi got up and left everything and followed him. Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating there with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, 'Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?' Jesus answered them, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.' -Luke 5:27-32

Right now in medical school, we're learning about substance dependence and drug addiction. We've gotten to interview patients, and we've heard from doctors with drug abuse problems. It's some pretty serious and thought provoking stuff - especially when they talk about dealing with drug abuse in our peers! On my part, I know it's really easy to think that none of this applies to me - I just say no to drugs. As I was studying the definition for drug dependence however, I had a strange realization - addiction to drugs can be a lot like addiction to sin (I told you it was a little weird!). If you'll stick with me a bit, let me explain:

Addiction means tolerance. How often with sin do we become tolerant to its effects? I may inwardly judge others once or twice, but if I don't check it, it becomes a habit that's really difficult to break. My heart is hardened and I simply don't feel guilty about my sin. Paul talks a little bit about this in Ephesians:

"Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every type of impurity, and they are full of greed." -Ephesians 2:19

Addiction means withdrawal. Sometimes when we give up sinning for the Lord, it hurts. A lot. Think about the Israelites after they had left Egypt and were wandering in the desert (Exodus 16:3). What did they want? They very things they had just given up in Egypt! We just can't imagine the wonderful things God has planned for us, and it hurts sometimes to get to the place that God has called us after we have fallen away from him.

Addiction means not being able to change what you're doing even if you really want to. Romans says it best:

"For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do - this is what I keep on doing." Romans 7:18-19

Addiction means having your life revolve around the object of your addiction. Idolatry anyone? When we shape our lives around anything else but Christ, our lives are revolving around something that is ultimately unfulfilling and unbeneficial.

"Therefore, put to death whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry." Colossians 3:5

What does that mean for us if we're addicted to sin? To me, it means that I really need to take sin as a serious business that I can't conquer on my own (as a self-proclaimed perfectionist, I definitely try to just do my best to get by often). While often I don't view myself as a "tax collector" and "sinner," I am sick and addicted to my sin - I need Christ as my physician. Specifically Christ's number one treatment recommendation to this sin addiction is repentence. I have to admit that something is wrong and that I am powerless to conquer it without Christ. Admitting this hard truth to ourselves is challenging, but also highlights the depth of the Lord's love:

"But God demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

My challenge for myself (and anyone who wants to join!) today is to honestly admit to myself the areas in my life where I am addicted to my sin and to ask Christ to give me the strength to give my sin to Him.