Coat Hanger
(Sin)
(Purity)
(Compromise)
 
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.
Galatians 1:6-7
 
The Basic Bible Truth
 
God has been very definitive and honest in the Bible about right and wrong.  He has displayed, many times in graphic detail, what sin looks like and where it leads.  An honest study of His Word leaves little guesswork when it comes to discerning absolute righteousness.  But our human nature is questioning.  Much like a bull fenced in a pasture, we test the fences, seeing how hard we can push or how far we can reach through before we get reprimanded or hurt.  Fences work two ways.  They keep us in, but sometimes more importantly, they keep unwanted things out as well.  Sexual promiscuity and STD’s.  Alcohol and addiction.  Pornography and addiction.  God says "No” for more reason that a “just because I say so”.  Sin unchecked ultimately destroys.
 
The Object
 
A Regular Coat Hanger
A Coat Hanger Made Of Electrician’s Or Plumber’s Solder

Take the time to form as perfectly as you can, a wire coat hanger using the solder.  It is very soft and malleable and can be bent quite easily.  Great care should be taken to make the solder hanger look as much like the good one as possible.
 
The Lesson
 
God has much to say about right and wrong in the Bible.  Interestingly, I can find no place where He condones situational ethics in any shape or form.  God has a sincere list of right and wrong.  It is clearly black and white—clearly detailed and explained, but our sin nature is always looking for an excuse or a reason to doubt God’s commands.  And they are commands, by the way, not mere suggestions.  He has delineated good from bad, right from wrong, and acceptable from inappropriate. 
 
Sometimes we might have the tendency to look at the Word of God as a list of “Thou shalt not’s.”  An honest look through the Scripture does point to a large number of warnings and dire predictions for disobedience.  We need the warnings, because we don’t heed the warnings.  I was taught by my father to be very cautious buying a used car from anywhere very far north.  Winter weather results in the application of a salt mixture to the roads to melt the ice and snow, and if the residue is not intentionally washed off regularly, the result is a slow decay of rust.  Our compromising with the world around us can work that very same way, slowly creeping in and if unchecked, surely causing eventual catastrophic damage.
 
Compromise can be disastrous for even the most Godly of believers.  We can never claim immunity from the temptation of sin.  As I read through the Bible, I find God has recorded both the good and the bad concerning the lives of many of the heroes mentioned in Scripture.  God does not white wash their lives, but gives us the entire story as an example to us of what can happen if we are asleep at the wheel in regards to Satan’s efforts in our lives. 
 
Satan sets snares to catch the unsuspecting Christian.  Snares are, by design, difficult to perceive if the intended target is not constantly vigil.  I have over the years had a few instances of nuisance wild animals around the house.  Setting live traps to capture and relocate these creatures is a challenge.  They are wary of everything that does not look normal and familiar to them.  We likewise, should be so familiar with God’s Word that we recognize immediately when something does not look quite right or normal and avoid being caught in the trap.  I make my traps as enticing as I possibly can, adding food and placing them as conveniently as possible for the animal to consider.  Satan uses the identical game plan.  He knows what works and uses the perfect bait for his prey, placing it at a very handy location.
 
We are especially susceptible to compromise through wrong relationships.  We develop friendships with those who can, and will, drag us down.  It is a fine balance between showing Christian love and embracing sin.  We are told in the New Testament that they will know we are Christians by our love for one another.  And that is indeed true.  But at what point do we identify unacceptable sin in another person’s life and say, “I cannot condone, nor accept what you are doing because your actions might be interpreted as acceptable and be imitated by another person who is watching.”  Paul addressed more than once the sexual sins that were being tolerated in the local churches.  We still struggle with that very issue today.
 
Satan is an expert in gray.  He can take a large amount of good, mix in a little bit of bad, and entice us with the deadly mixture.
 
When we allow Satan’s lies into our lives, our defenses are weakened, and if not fortified by the cleansing of the Word and forgiveness of our sin, the results will not be good.   A Godly life is strong and resilient like this first coat hanger.  When the difficult times come, we have an inner strength upon which to draw—the presence of God.  But the faltering, weak Christian, with little relationship and trust in God, will crumble and fold, in the same way as I easily wadded up this second coat hanger.  God is our strength. But that strength is the result of a close walk with Him.  It is not something we absorb automatically.  And without God’s strength in our lives, we are indeed nothing.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

PDF of Lesson