The Power of Sin is the Law. - 1 Corinthians. 15:56

Nearly every small town has its “rich man.” Our town had “Mr. Stone.” He owned two sparkling-new, 12-cylinder dream cars: a black four-door Packard with whitewalls and a Lincoln Zephyr coupe, the prototype of the Lincoln Town Car. Those babies could lay their ears back and fly. There were no speed limits back then. If we had driven our Chevy wide open, it might have reached a sustained speed of 40MPH for a few miles, and then it would have sounded like the pistons were swapping holes. Not so with Mr. Stone. He could blow by us doing 70!

Was Mr. Stone a speeder? No, because there was no speed law by which to differentiate between Mr. Stone and the rest of us oil-stained wretches. Soon, however, the state legislature recognized the need for new safety measures and established a new law: speed limit 50 MPH. Now when Mr. Stone aired out his wheels at 70 MPH was he a speeder? Yes. Why? Because of the law. “What shall we say then? Is the speed law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, Mr. Stone would not have come to know sin except through the law, for he would not have known about speeding if the law had not said, 'You shall not speed.' But the sin of speeding, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me speeding of every kind.” (Romans 7:7, with minor changes).

The power of sin perverted what was intended to be a holy law into a piece of forbidden fruit, tempting us to chow down. When we attempt to motivate others or ourselves through rules and regulations, we actually arouse more sin. Don't believe me, when you see that sign in the museum saying, “Do not touch,” what's the first thing you're tempted to do? Me too. The power of sin tempts righteous saints to rebel and sin against God.

If you're a pastor or Christian leader, your mission is not to stamp out sin. Preaching against sin week after week only arouses more sin. I'm not de-emphasizing the importance of Godly behavior. Instead, let's approach the issue from a different direction. Instead of preaching against sin, let's highlight grace. Let's talk about the joy of being free to express our true identity in Christ by letting Him live through us, the beauty of life in Christ, the abundance of God's grace, and the work of Christ on the cross. Let's put people face to face with Jesus Christ, and when they get a clear picture of who He is what He has done, their natural response will be trust and obedience.