For Frodo!

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I think everyone, especially men, who have seen the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King gets excited (and maybe a bit emotional) toward the end of the film when Aragorn stands before the Black Gate of Mordor with a tired but determined army desperate to distract Sauron from what he hopes to be a marauding Frodo and Sam who are heading to Mt Doom to destroy the ring of power and bring peace to all of Middle Earth. As he stands before the gate knowing that he must attack, and knowing that doing so will inevitably be a suicide mission, he stirs his army with one of the great speeches of the three movies.

Seeing the army before him, and hearing the eye of Sauron call out his name, he looks back to the army behind him and declares “For Frodo!” before he and his men -- led by Merry and Pippin no less -- charge toward the gate for a final showdown.

Chills.

Why do I remind us of this stirring scene? Because when I think about the sin that easily entangles and how to deal with it I think about John Owen’s famous dictum, “Be killing sin or sin will be killing you.” This brings me back to Aragorn charging the black gate head on. It is a picture of how we should deal with our sin whenever we see it -- head on, aggressively, and with utmost confidence in Christ’s work (the gospel) and God’s means of grace.

Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp offer us some valuable direction as to why we need to do this and how. There’s is not a complete answer, but it gets us moving (charging) in the right direction and in the right manner. (How People Change, 190)

The complete forgiveness that Christ provides means I no longer need to be afraid to look at myself in the mirror of God's word. I no longer need to defend or excuse myself, to rationalize away my sinful choices, or shift the blame to someone or something else. I no longer need to deny or avoid my sin. Why? Because if the God of forgiveness, wisdom, and power actually lives in me, why would I be afraid to face my weaknesses in sin? Instead, I can be committed to grow in self-understanding. I can be glad that God's Word is a mirror into my heart and that God puts people in my life to help me to see myself more accurately. I can be excited about my potential to learn, change, and grow.

Christ has defeated sin. You have been united with him in that victory. Sin is a defeated foe. The Bible reveals these gospel truths to you and how you are to live in light of them. So grab your Bible and charge head on into your sin!

Soli Deo Gloria