It’s a mountain climbing thing. Also, anyone who travels to the poles. Spend the winter in Antarctica, and we can expect it there.
When we get too close to the cold, and we aren’t well enough insulated, frostbite can sneak up on us and damage us from the outside in. We won’t know we have it at first. Our skin looks fine, then we notice numbness, and eventually our skin peels and falls away.
If we’ve spent much time in the cold, chances are we’ve had a light case of frostbite. Our skin acts like it’s sunburned. We redden, the skin peels, and we heal. Severe frostbite is much worse, a horrible thing to get. And once we have it, we can’t undo the damage we’ve received. The tips of our fingers and whole toes may fall away, lost forever.
Sin is the same. If we venture too far into the world without the protection of Christ, sin can damage us from the outside in. If it’s not too bad, we’ll heal and move on. If we remain in sin too long, however, we may be irreparably damaged. We can bandage the wounds, but the effects of sin will remain for everyone to see.
Romans 5:12 tells us:
“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned―”
Frostbite kills flesh. It encroaches unnoticed, creating a dead zone where we cannot feel the damage, then it sinks deeper, taking more and more of our life with it. So does sin, from the outside in, one layer at a time.
How can we remain safe in Christ?
Matthew 24:42 gives us a pointed reminder:
“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”
This has nothing to do with physical sleep; rather, we should remain alert spiritually, paying attention to our situation, so that we do not draw too closely to sin.
Luke 21:36 explains our protection more fully:
“But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Our insulation from the frostbite of sin comes through our fellow believers, the study of the Word, much fervent prayer, and our unwavering faith in Christ.
When we’re safely ensconced in the womb of Jesus, nothing the world throws at us will cause us harm.
Copyright © 2016 MyChurchNotes.net
Originally Published 6-9-16 in Relationships