The Virus of Sin

I find it interesting that one's pre-conversion life of sin and shame, in Scripture, is often likened to a virus. Such a disease judicially became ours the minute Adam fell and begot a son in "his own likeness, after his image" (Gen 5:3). His seed's name was Seth, which means, "to replace". The likeness of God was "replaced" by that of sinful men. What was once a pure and holy vessel was now one infatuated with the virus and folly of filthy sin (Ps 14:2-3)! Solomon even described it as viral "madness" when he said, "This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead" (Eccl 9:3). Paul seems to compare an unconverted heart to a sleepy lifeless state, and it's conversion to a return of sound consciousness: "Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light"(Eph 5:14). How interesting that the Gadarene man's demonic oppression was, in fact, the source of his "altered" state of mind. It wasn't until a visit with Jesus that His diseases were cured, both spiritual and natural: "And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs... Then went the devils out of the man... Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind..." (Lk 8:27, 33, 35). Upon the prodigal son's change of heart, the Bible says that he "came to himself" (Lk 15:17). Wow! You see, sin is always a viral infatuation; a contamination of corrupted carnal craze, attacking the vital organs of the soul, leaving them dead and famished. It's effects upon one's person are always detrimental; it spreads from one limb to another, until the whole body is polluted and stained. For the Christian, we may begin by simply walking "in the counsel of the ungodly": the virus of sin slipping in and multiplying within our members (Ps 1:1). Soon, however, we stop walking altogether and are now standing in the "way of sinners"! Sin's disease has penetrated us further. Finally, after continued downward progression, we find ourselves actually sitting in the very "seat of the scornful". What began as a simple compromise has taken up residence in our hearts: the virus has spread! If not recognized and properly treated, the awful result of its presence is always judgment!

So what can we do? Is there any help for us whose members are grossly affected by this world's degenerating and contagious disease? Of course there is! Sin's cure is always a holy remedy, even that given and nurtured by our great Physician. We need a simple blood transfusion! Thank God for Jesus' condescending interruption of our innate attraction to this virus! Without Him, we would be laid up in sin's bondage forever, never healed from its wounds, living in the putrid bandages of sin's shame and sorrow.

Interestingly, a virus is contained in the blood.. The reason we may possess such a disease is because our own blood courses through our veins, and "the life is in the blood" (Lev 17:11), whether it be holy or not. But what if the blood of One greater replaced our own insufficient blood? What if His glorious and stainless blood in fact covered us in our need? Would that cure our awful state? Absolutely! Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day" (Jn 6:53-54). In fact, of the sinner in Ezekiel 16, God says, "When I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live: yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live... Then I washed thee with water: yea I throughly washed away THY BLOOD from thee, and I anointed thee with oil... and I girded thee with fine linen..." (Ezek 16:6, 9-10).

What a marvelous Doctor we serve! He has throughly washed us from our own blood and filth, only to replace it with His own precious blood, even that of righteousness, "for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints" (Rev 19:8). Now, His blood flows through our veins (1 Cor 1:30; 1 Jn 5:20), and our spirits have been cured from the curse and virus spread by Adam: "...the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin (1 Jn 1:7)! Thank God! His glorious blood is BETTER, and speaks BETTER things than that of Abel (Heb 12:24). We now have hope of completely overcoming every trace of this viral epidemic! "...yet in my flesh shall I see God" (Job 19:26).

You see, salvation is a process of complete substitution! The precious blood of Jesus replaces our own; the mind of Christ becomes our mental possession; the will of God overtakes ours. It truly is a wonderful thing, of which we are eternally grateful! Only Jesus, the Great Physician, is able to prescribe such a fix for our soul's cravings. Only the Son of God is equipped to meet the needs of the human heart; to mend that which has been trodden under foot. All we must do is ask for His great cure. If we ask Him for bread, will He give us a stone (Lk 11:11)? Of course not.

Friend, let's not carnally judge those who are affected by such a virus as sin. You were lost once too. There's nothing worse than a haughty "physician's assistant", one who turns up his nose at the dire needs of a sick patient, oblivious to the fact that he just visited the Doctor himself. Rather, let's be like Jesus! Let's anoint them with the Balm of Gilead (Jer 8:22); let's teach them the contaminated uselessness of their own awful plasma! And show them the necessity of seeking the pure blood of One better. Let's model the glorious effects of this divine blood transfusion (Ps 103:1-5). It's only via this transfusion that the virus is swallowed by life. It's only then that the disease is overtaken by His holiness. Not one mutated cell can live in the presence of Almighty God! Not one! And since we are now carriers of this holy cure, let's allow God's merciful blood to seep through our pores; let's show the earth the True and Living Physician of the Ages!

For the sinner lost in his ways, the waiting room may be full, but the Doctor will see you now!