The Snare

Mark Dunagan
02/21/16 - Sunday Morning

The Snare

Our Creator often warns us that the devil is very adept at laying traps, not just for unbelievers or weak believers but for strong believers as well:

• “And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:7).
• “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction” (1 Timothy 6:9).
• “And they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:26).

Snares Come In All Shapes And Sizes

Did you notice in first text mentioned how someone who is mature enough to be close to being qualified to serve as an elder could be ensnared?  Or in the second reference that those who are what our culture calls "drive" or "ambitious" and by all appearances are diligent and focused, can become ensnared as well?

The Snare Is Designed to Look Harmless

There exists a Scottish proverb that states  “The devil’s boots don’t creak”
Typically a snare or a trap is hidden and camouflaged.  What can the we vulnerable do? For starters we can take the time to daily arm ourselves with the Sword of the Spirit: I need to know my Bible, lest I put myself in a position of saying some famous last words:

• “I don’t see any harm in that…”
• “Looks innocent and safe to me…”
• “I don’t see why God would have problem with that…”
• “I don’t see how that is hurting anyone…”

The Snare Is Baited

Whether the snare is a trap or a hook, it is often baited with something that is very enticing to the animal or fish that one is trying to catch.  In fact, many lures are designed to look like the real thing, yet with a hook hidden inside.  Therefore, some of the most dangerous snares are those that resemble something lawful.   Therefore, I cannot say:

• “How can it be wrong—it feels so right”
• “God would not want me to be unhappy---and that makes me happy”
• “That just seems natural to me, even though the Bible says it is wrong”
• “All my feelings are leaning in that direction”
• “Everything just feels right about it”

Trapped People Are No Experts

People who are ensnared will often misrepresent the level of happiness or satisfaction they are receiving from being in the snare. They have to, in order to reassure themselves that all is well. Surely only the most gullible would believe the person who is caught in the snare bragging about how great things are going for them. Truly they are “Promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption” (2 Peter 2:19). "No longer virtuous, no longer free; is a maxim as true with regard to a private person as a commonwealth." Benjamin Franklin

The Holy Spirit sheds light on individuals who confidently were proclaiming how great things were in the self-destructive lifestyle they were living.  They were boldly proclaiming they were free, when in reality they were slaves.

• “And that they may come to their senses and escape” (2 Timothy 2:26).
• “Being darkened in their understanding” (Ephesians 4:18).
• “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Also, keep in mind the reality that a sin may not immediately take a person down.  The world has always been filled with people who are slowly destroying themselves  (Proverbs 6:10).   “At the last it bites like a serpent” (Proverbs 23:32).

“See! I'm Not Trapped! I'm Still Functioning!”

Functioning? You've heard this before.  Usually when people make this argument they define “functioning” as being able to keep a job.  They still get up in the morning, go the work, accomplish a level of exertion that keeps them from getting fired, and pay the bills (or at least most of them).   Yet how pitifully unaware these souls are of how low a standard they are accepting.  May I suggest to you that simply keeping a job is hardly the top tier of human personal growth or potential.  God measures success by an entirely different criterion. For example, Jesus said of only loving those who love you, “What reward do you have?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”  (Matthew 5:46).  Jesus previously noted that the level of functioning that God expects is far above that of the tax collectors or even the Pharisees (Matthew 5:20).  Having a job is important but it is not the sum total of “functioning”.  What does it mean to be truly highly functioning?  Deeply loving God, daily taking in His wisdom and sharing with Him in prayer all that is within our hearts, being a good neighbor, serving others, making time for one's wife, loving her as Christ loved the church, diligently teaching our children about God, sharing the gospel with the lost, removing from our lives the distractions that would compromise our pursuit of holiness — this is what highly functioning people do.

The Snare Brings Lower Standards

One of the red flags of being in a snare is the attempt to justify remaining there:

• “Well, as least I am not…”
• “I'm in good company. So many people are watching, wearing or doing this.”
• “I'm doing way better than messed up Mr. Jones”
•  “I have not lost my marriage yet”

The Devil Is An Expert Advertiser

The Devil does not always want a snare to completely take a person out, for that would sometimes be too clear a warning, even to unbelievers as to the danger of sin.  He wants to accomplish as many ripple effects of one's sin into the lives of others as he possibly can. No, he designs his snares so that one can appear to continue to function, slowly wasting their life, being lulled to sleep by a false sense of security, accomplishment and end up lost, taking as many souls as possible along the way.  C.S. Lewis put it this way: "The safest road to hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts." What's our protection against such false advertising? We are utterly dependent upon His truth, not how soft and gentle our underfoot feels, to tell us on what road we are traveling: the narrow one that leads to life, or the broad one that leads to destruction. 

The Snare And Pride

It is by far easier to end up ensnared when we are proud.  “Before destruction the heart of man is haughty” (Proverbs 18:12).  “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12): Prideful, self-delusional thoughts may include:

• “I will not become addicted (although millions have).”
• “I can handle it.”
• “I know what I am doing.”
• “People who warn against this are overreacting.”
• “Warnings against this are simply the result of ignorance.”

The Snare And Addiction

Ours is not the first generation to downplay the danger of pornography, alcohol and other substances.  There are a number of verses that seem to be written, among other reasons, to warn those who would argue that this or that is not addictive, or rarely addictive and thus is not dangerous:

• “Do not desire her beauty in your heart, nor let her capture you with her eyelids” (Proverbs 6:25).
• “Wise is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1).
• “Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly” (Proverbs 23:32).

It's pretty crazy to believe that something that is very pleasurable is not addictive.  Listen.  Anything that is pleasurable will draw people back again and again.  There almost never exists an ultra pleasurable experience that people only try once.  If it is pleasurable, then it will with almost complete certainty become a habit.  Leonardo da Vinci  was surely spot on when he noted "It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end”

Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net