Would you befriend a “nice cobra?”

© 2015 by Tom Boynton (editing by Kathy Boynton)

Cobras are poisonous! Imagine two cobras, “Ssssteven” and “Ssssam.” Ssssam just crossed the fence into Jack’s backyard. Jack’s son died from a cobra bite. All cobras are his enemies. Ssssteven is warning Ssssam about what Jack does to cobras. Here’s Ssssam’s reply.

“Jack will think I’m O.K. I’m a better behaved cobra than most. I don’t bite many people. It wouldn’t be fair for Jack to kill me for a few little misssstakes. Besides, I go to cobra church where we ssssing praise ssssongs about Jack. We ssssing about how great and loving he is. That’s worth something. How could Jack destroy me when I ssssing such nice things about him? I’ve also put lots of my valuable venom in the offering plate to make up for the few people I’ve bitten. I figure my good deeds far outweigh my bad ones. Overall, I’m a pretty nice cobra.”

Jack, however, believes that the only “nice cobra” is a dead one. God likens fallen humanity to cobras which are sometimes called asps. Here’s what He says.

“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:” (Romans 3:10-13)

I once asked a lady where she thought she would go after she died. Her response was similar to Ssssam’s. She replied, “God will take me to Heaven. I’ve lived a pretty good life. I go to church. He knows my good deeds outweigh my bad ones. Overall, I’m a pretty nice person.”

Just as Jack won’t tolerate critters with a cobra-nature, God won’t tolerate men with sin-natures forever. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die and sacrifice His life-blood at Calvary. He did this to pay sin’s punishment as a substitute for His people. He forgives each one who comes to Him repenting of sin and asking for mercy (Matthew 11:28). He removes their sins (“the poison of asps”) and implants, within them, a new nature.

Have you repented and asked God for mercy, or are you still like Ssssam the “nice cobra?”

 

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