How close to the line can we get? That’s where the excitement seems to be. The edge of safety, the margin of comfort, the fringe of security.
There is no denying that Jesus pushed the boundaries and called his followers to step out in faith. However, seeking danger is never commended.
A friend of mine saw a man sucked under an articulated lorry when changing a wheel at the side of a motorway. He got too close to the edge. The sign on the train platform above tells us what we already know – but we need reminders. That’s why the Bible contains warnings about walking too close to the line, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” (Hebrews 12:1 NIV11-GK)
We are not to get close, look at, admire, observe or study sin. We are to throw it off. It is to be ejected, abandoned, dismissed, ignored. This is not so that we have less fun. It is so that we can join “thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly,” (Hebrews 12:22 NIV11-GK)
Let’s not get close to the edge. Let’s reject the edge.
Malcolm Cox
