The Venom of Sin

In nature, there are all types of creatures that possess venom: snakes, spiders, scorpions, ants, wasps, and hornets to name a few.  Most venoms contain neurotoxins that affect the central nervous system and either paralyze or partially immobilize prey to make it easier for the predator to capture it.  Some venoms, especially the venom of snakes, also contain enzymes that begin to break down the tissues of the prey to make the prey easier to digest.  Venom has one objective and that is destruction.  Its destructive power works from the inside out.  Once bitten by a venomous creature, unless there is an antidote or unless the venom is not very powerful, there is not really much that you can do about it.  The toxicity of the venom is based on the size of the thing that is bitten and for small animals like rabbits and mice, snake venom means certain death.  One thing is for certain, venom has powerful and often times lethal effects on its victims.

Nature is quite amazing.  There are some animals that are totally immune to venom and are usually animals that make snakes their prey.  Honey badgers and warthogs are two animals that exhibit venom immunity.  They possess antibodies (defensive chemicals produced by the body to fight off infection) that make the venom powerless against them.  Antivenom can also be synthesized if a small, diluted dose of venom (especially from a snake) is injected into an animal such as a horse.  The horse creates antibodies that can be harvested and used as antivenom for bite victims.  It is vitally important to understand that there is not an antivenom for every venom.

While nature is amazing, it can also be a mirror into the spiritual world.  The very fact that animals and insects possess venom that is able to kill other animals is a consequence of sin.  The harmony and balance that existed prior to sin was lost when Adam and Eve fell in the garden.  That sin made the world a scary place to live in.  According to author and theologian WIlliam Dembski, the disarray that is present in the natural world is a mirror of the disarray that sin caused in the spiritual world.    Death is the final outworking of sin in the natural world (Rom 6:23).

Sin itself has powers that are similar to those of venom.  Venom destroys prey from the inside out.  Sin does as well.  Sin does the same thing as venom, it immobilizes its victims and also eats away at them from the inside.  In essence, the power of sin softens its victims up to be devoured by our adversary, Satan.  A life lived under the power of sin and enslaved to sin is a life that will ultimately result in physical and spiritual death.  There are some that are content to live in a paralyzed state, powerless to the effects of sin.

Here is the good news.  The venom of sin has an antidote- and unlike antidotes for snake venom, this antidote is effective against ALL sinful venoms.  The antidote for sin is Jesus.  The venomous effects of sin are evident in the lives of unbelievers.  The neurotoxic effects of sin cause us to live lives devoid of spiritual worth, unable to think spiritually and unable to reason on a spiritual level.  It also causes us to be unable to see its effects which makes the venom of sin so powerful.  Only when exposed to the antidote do we really see how devastating and disintegrative the venom of sin really is (John 3:19).  Lives are destroyed, relationships are destroyed, people are destroyed and WE are destroyed by the venom of sin.  But the antidote is so effective that once exposed to it, the POWER of the venom is arrested.  Jesus can stop the destructive processes of sin that persist in our lives once we SURRENDER our lives to Him.  It is important for all of us to be infused with the antidote to sin.  It is important for all of us to have Christ as our savior so that we understand our wretchedness and his redemptive power. 

As a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I pray that anyone that is immobilized by the power of sin's venom, anyone that is being destroyed by it's power would call out to the Sovereign God for salvation.  If you hear God calling you, drawing you to Christ...respond and accept the invitation to salvation. Don't live a life marred by the venom of sin, live a life of victory in Christ.  God bless you and God keep you.