Lessons from the virus week 39, 2012

The virus is an inter-phase between living and non living. On its own it cannot reproduce; it only does so inside living tissue. How does it enter the host? Much the same way sin enters into a man. It has a coat which has receptors that interact with the host cell membrane. Instead, each person is tempted by his own desire, being lured and trapped by it Jas 1:14(ISV). If there are no receptors on the host cell the virus cannot enter. The virus presents the coat with the receptors which is attractive to the host. It doesn’t present the enslaving poison inside it. How deceptive! For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me Rom 7:11(ESV). Many people say, “I could never do that! How could someone commit such heinous crimes?” When a cell has been infected by a virus, it takes over the manufacturing arm of the cell. This makes the cell behave like the virus wishes, producing more and more virus cells. But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness Rom 7:8 (ESV). In some cases, as in the cervix, it results in the cell becoming disobedient to controlling signals, multiplying uncontrollably and becoming cancerous. Is a virus the personification of evil? Not at all! Like the virus does not force its way into any cell, so God will not force Himself on anyone. Listen! I am standing and knocking at your door. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will eat together Rev 3:20(CEV). If you have never let Him in He remains outside. When He does come in there is an interaction between His word and our wills which leads to a transformation of our lives: just as you have always obeyed, not only when I was with you but even more now that I am absent, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is producing in you both the desire and the ability to do what pleases him Phil 2:12, 13(ISV). It is by the Spirit He puts inside us we begin to reproduce His kind of life. No one who has been born from God practices sin, because God's seed abides in him. Indeed, he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born from God 1Jn 3:9(ISV). The greater the viral load the faster the transformation; the more of His Word in you the faster your renewal to be like Jesus Col3:16. Unlike in biology, something controls people always. It could be the Spirit, or the lower nature of sin. So which virus is infecting your life- the seed of God or sin? The Spirit has given us life; he must also control our lives. Gal 5:25 (GNB) Note: This analogy does not mean God and sin behave alike or are equal in any way