He compared sin to a rhino. He explains it like this:
"If a rhinoceros was to enter this restaurant now, there is no denying he would have great power here. But I should be the first to rise and assure him that he had no authority whatever."
Rosaria Butterfield commented on this with these words:
"Like a rhino, sin has power without authority, but it can bully and sucker-punch the strongest Christian into doing its bidding" (83).
I found that a remarkably helpful analogy. For the Christian, sin lays no claim on us. But it still beleaguers us. It plagues and bullies us. It clings like a heavy, wet garment and tries to wedge its way into the cracks of our hearts.
Yet we should be the first to rise up and say, "Sin, you have no authority whatsoever here." Our authority is Christ. Our joy is Him. Our duty is obedience to Him. Christ rules our lives, not sin.
And I think that's pretty encouraging.
Photo courtesy of Matthew Rogers and Flickr Creative Commons