Enjoying Sin: A Lesson from the Playing Field

When we were in secondary school, there was a type of game we played called "kill and eat." This was a football match played without strict rules—it could be twenty players against fifteen, with no referee to enforce order. One day, while playing this chaotic game, I sustained a dislocation and was immediately taken to the school clinic. After a few days of treatment, something unexpected happened: I started enjoying the dislocation. Not the pain itself, but the privileges that came with it. **The Sweet Benefits of Being "Injured"** Let me share what I gained from wearing that bandage: • I was exempted from going to common labor—no more sweating under the sun while clearing the school compound • I was given special food in the refectory—better meals than the regular student fare • I was allowed to be late to common activities, including classes—no punishment for tardiness • I was not required to do my morning functions—I could sleep in while others worked • I was only doing things that I liked—complete freedom to choose my activities Can you imagine? What started as an injury became a comfortable lifestyle. The bandage became my badge of privilege, my ticket to exemption, my key to freedom from responsibility. **The Temptation to Stay Wounded** Here's the shocking truth: when the dislocation had been fully cured, I wanted to continue living with the bandage. Why? Because I had grown comfortable with the freedom I thought I had. I was healed, but I didn't want anyone to know. I preferred the fake injury to the real responsibility. This is the deception of comfort in the wrong place. I was willing to live a lie to maintain privileges I hadn't earned. I was ready to pretend to be broken just to avoid the demands of normal life. **The Parallel to Our Spiritual Lives** Brothers and sisters, this is exactly how sin operates in our lives. Some of us are still swimming in the ocean of sin, and the most dangerous part is that we're enjoying it. We've become comfortable in our brokenness. We've found pleasure in our rebellion. We've discovered benefits in our disobedience. Like my bandage, sin offers temporary privileges: - Freedom from accountability ("No one can judge me") - Escape from spiritual discipline ("I don't have to pray or fast") - Relief from conviction ("I can silence my conscience") - Pleasure in the moment ("It feels good right now") - Exemption from God's standards ("Grace covers everything, right?") But these are false freedoms. These are the privileges of the injured, not the healthy. These are the comforts of the dying, not the living. **The Call to Come Out** The Bible is clear about our relationship with sin. Romans 6:1-2 asks, "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" We cannot continue to swim in sin while claiming to follow Christ. We cannot wear the bandage of rebellion while pretending to walk in wholeness. We cannot enjoy the privileges of disobedience while singing songs of worship. It is true that we all are sinners—Romans 3:23 reminds us that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." But there's a crucial difference between: **Sinners who search for sin** vs. **Sinners who run from sin** **Sinners who enjoy sin** vs. **Sinners who hate sin** **Sinners who defend sin** vs. **Sinners who confess sin** **Sinners who hide in sin** vs. **Sinners who run to God** **The Freedom That Comes from Truth** When I finally removed that bandage, I discovered something powerful: real freedom isn't found in exemption from responsibility, but in the ability to fulfill it. True liberty isn't escape from discipline, but the strength to embrace it. Jesus said in John 8:36, "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." This is the freedom that matters—not freedom to sin, but freedom from sin. Not freedom from responsibility, but freedom to live righteously. Not freedom from God's standards, but freedom to meet them through His power. **A Personal Challenge** Today, I ask you: What bandage are you still wearing? What sin have you grown comfortable with? What rebellion have you learned to enjoy? What disobedience has become your "normal"? Perhaps it's: - The sin of unforgiveness that gives you permission to hold grudges - The sin of gossip that makes you feel important when sharing others' secrets - The sin of pride that elevates you above correction - The sin of lust that promises pleasure without commitment - The sin of greed that justifies your accumulation - The sin of laziness that excuses your lack of discipline Whatever it is, hear this truth: The healing has already been provided through Christ. The cure is available. The freedom is real. But you must be willing to remove the bandage, to stop pretending to be injured, to step back into the fullness of life God intended for you. **The Invitation** God is not calling perfect people; He's calling willing people. He's not looking for those who never fall; He's looking for those who get back up. He's not seeking people without a past; He's seeking people who will trust Him with their future. 1 John 1:9 promises, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." The question is not whether we are sinners—we all are. The question is: What kind of sinners will we be? Let us not be sinners searching for sin, but sinners running from sin. Let us not be sinners enjoying sin, but sinners hating sin. Let us not be sinners defending sin, but sinners confessing sin. Let us not be sinners hiding in sin, but sinners running to God. **Conclusion** The game of "kill and eat" taught me a powerful lesson that day: Comfort in the wrong place is just another form of bondage. The bandage I enjoyed was actually a chain. The freedom I thought I had was actually imprisonment. Today, remove the bandage. Stop enjoying the sin. Come out of the ocean you've been swimming in. Run to God with all your brokenness, all your failure, all your shame. He is waiting with arms wide open, ready to give you not the false freedom of exemption, but the true freedom of transformation. Remember: You are healed. Stop living like you're injured. You are free. Stop living like you're bound. You are loved. Stop living like you're rejected. Come home. Your Father is waiting.