I’m not a good gardener. Our yard is awash in weeds, and, in spite of my efforts, they continue to proliferate.
But, in my limited garden experience, weed-pulling requires root removal. Unless you pull out the whole root of the weed, it will continue to grow. It may spring up in a different location, but it will always spring up.
This is true of sin. Unless we seek out and find the root of our sins, we cannot ever hope to change. Fighting sin is a root battle, and wisdom is needed to find the root.
Remarkably, in Romans 1:18-32, Paul makes it clear that the root of sin (read the list in vv. 29-31 - LOTS of sins!) is found in how each person views God.
For Christians, we no longer reject God, or suppress the truth about God, and yet, our view of God can often be anemic. We forget He is sovereign. We forget He loves us, and has proven this at the cross. In our forgetfulness, we turn to other things for security, fulfillment, joy, and power to root out sins.
For those who don’t know God, Paul says that the root of their sin is their view of God. They have suppressed the truth of God in unrighteousness, and from this root spring all the evils of their lives.
We need to remember this. When you meet an unbeliever, no matter how heinous his or her sin life might be, remember, you’re seeing the weed. The problem is the root. Like good spiritual gardeners, we must learn to look past the weeds, and seek to point to the root of sin.
How?
Through the Gospel. Only in the Gospel does God reveal Himself to the heart of man (2 Cor. 4:4-6). So…proclaim the Gospel. Speak about Christ and His death for sinners. God alone has the power to pull sin by the root through the glory of His Son!
