We are to Drive Sin Out!
In Matthew 21:12, when Jesus entered Jerusalem, He went into the temple. He saw the Jews who were selling doves to those who needed sacrificial animals. They were exchanging foreign money to make a profit. He described them as a “den of thieves.” This is one of the very few cases where we actually see the Lamb of God becoming the Lion of Judah. Jesus drove them out of the temple, overthrowing their tables and making the point that the temple is no place for sin. In other words, Jesus drove sin out of the temple. The Bible commands us to drive sin out of the temple as well.
We are to drive sin out of our own lives. Paul tells us that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19-20). As Jesus drove sin out of the temple, we have an obligation to drive sin out of the temple as well. Jesus said, “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). The longer we let sin cultivate in our lives, the stronger the roots of Satan will grow.
We are to drive sin out of the church. Paul hears of a report of fornication in the church at Corinth, and their attitude was being “puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you” (1 Cor. 5:2). Their attitude needed to change to “deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (1 Cor. 5:5). We must purge old leaven. The Bible gives various scriptures to withdraw from ungodly brethren. Elders have the responsibility to rebuke sinful brethren and false teachers. In order to maintain the purity of the church, Christ knew that sin must be driven out of the spiritual temple (Eph. 2:20-22), just as He drove sin out of the temple in Jerusalem.
We are to drive sin out of our nation. We are in a time where sin is becoming increasingly rampant in America. The voices of many are taking God out of our country. We need to stop this sinful assault against our Jehovah God. What can we do? We can pray! Paul tells us of our obligation to pray for our leaders (1 Tim. 2:1-2). If there was ever a time when our leaders needed us, as Christians, praying for them, then the time is now! We need to be praying that our nation will have respectable men who can lead us. When the time comes to choose leaders for our nation, we must vote sensibly. We need to examine the candidates, including their record and their beliefs. We already have too much legalized sin; we certainly do not need any more. It is bad enough fighting sin that is against the law, but fighting legalized sin seems to be more difficult. Above all, we must voice the gospel (Rom. 1:16). When the church changes politicians with the greatest news of all—the gospel of Jesus Christ—then it will forever change politics (Mark 16:15-16).
Jesus promised, “Ask, and it shall be given you; see, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matt. 7:7). After Jesus drove the buyers and sellers out of the temple, he said, “It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer.” I aspire that we will drive sin out so that we may be called “the house of prayer”—our lives, our congregations and our nation!