You can take the Boy out of Minecraft, BUT . . .

Last week I was with my dear daughter Beth and son-in-law Nate and their four darling kids. William (almost 5 y.o.) recently had discovered that he could “do” Minecraft. And so now he is eating and drinking and living Minecraft (much to my chagrin).

However, what mom and dad discovered is that when William is not cooperating, is disobeying, or is in any way defiant, removing Minecraft for a day or two can get across to him how unacceptable his behavior has been. And so it was, one of the days of our visit . . . no Minecraft for the next day.

As Beth and I were sitting outside the next morning enjoying our coffee, William appeared at the doorway describing in vivid detail his Minecraft dream. (I wish I could recount it for you, but I “glaze over” at the first mention of Minecraft or other video games.)

Oh well, so much for removing Minecraft . . . who knew.

You can take the boy out of Minecraft, but you can’t take Minecraft out of the boy.

Then I realized . . . what a great illustration this is of a basic spiritual truth in our walk with Christ in grace.

Mom and Dad could take William out of Minecraft playing (for a time), but they couldn’t take Minecraft out of William’s mind and heart.

So it is in the spiritual realm . . .

You can take a person out of sinful deeds (for a time, that is), but you can’t take sin out of the mind and heart of the person …

Not by the Law, the 10 commandments, the Christian checklists, spiritual disciplines, penance, asceticism, fasting, praying, promises to change, etc.

It made me think of Jesus and His Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said to the legalistic, list-checking Pharisees and their followers/victims:

“You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ 
But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment!
. . .

You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’
But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28 NLT

Jesus was saying that you can take the person out of the murderous deeds, but you can’t take murder out of the person. And again, you can take the man out of adulterous deeds, but you can’t take adultery out of the man. Sin is a heart issue at its core, and sinful deeds are the result.

So how does a person deal with sin within and, as a result, sinful deeds without?

The only way to get sin “out of” a person is by union with Christ in death and resurrection!

The apostle Paul explains:

For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.
Colossians 1:13-14 NLT

Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism [Spirit union], we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism [Spirit union]. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. . .
We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. . .
So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:2-4, 6-7, 11 NLT

Before our union with Christ in death and resurrection, sin was who we were. Now we are righteous and holy in Him through our union with Christ in death and resurrection:

When Christ died, I died in union with him.
When Christ was buried, I was buried in union with him!
When Christ was raised, I was raised in union with him to newness of life!

And what did I die to?

I died to sin (Rom. 6:3–14; Eph. 2:1–7; 2 Cor. 5:21; Col. 2:13).
I died to self (Rom. 6:6; 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 2:20; Col. 3:9–10).
I died to the flesh (Rom. 6:2, 6, 11; Gal. 6:24).
I died to the world (Col. 2:8; Gal. 6:14).
I died to the Law, to-do list religion (Rom. 7:4, 6; Gal. 3:13, 24–25).
I died to the powers of Satan, whose main tactics are deception (lies) and accusation (Col. 2:15; Heb. 2:14–15; Rev. 12:9; 20:3, 8).

So now I have a choice. I am no longer enslaved to sin which was my master, my identity. Now I can count on being dead to sin and self and all that would pull me from God (see the above list). I can live from who I truly am united to the the indwelling resurrected Christ. And He lives His resurrection life in and through me, His new creation, as I let Him by faith.

When I am tempted or pulled in an ungodly direction because I still live in a fallen world and my body contains the fallen flesh (it hasn’t experienced its full redemption yet —Romans 8:22-23), I can say in my soul:

Wait a minute! I died to that!

And I’m alive, united with my risen Savior—adequate in and through him to be what he has made me to be in this situation. (See Phil. 3:13–14.)

So my friend, have you been struggling with your external actions … trying to “clean up your act” so God will save you or accept you or use you or love you more? Stop!

If you have never received Christ and His free gift of total forgiveness and indwelling presence, you can do that right now. Turn to Him by faith and accept all that He is and has done on your behalf. Enter His kingdom, His family and be set free from sin and alive to God right now!

If you are already His, count on your union with Him — your death to sin in Him and your life with Him because of resurrection. Live in the newness that is yours through His indwelling presence, moment by moment, day by day … today. If you fail, agree with Him that you weren’t living from His life within. Thank Him for His total forgiveness that is already yours, and move on in peace and resurrection life in Him.

Amen.

I have been put up on the cross to die with Christ. I no longer live. Christ lives in me. The life I now live in this body, I live by putting my trust in the Son of God. He was the One Who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Galatians 2:20 NLT

My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.  He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.
1 John 2:1-2 NLT

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