The Man of God Flees from Sin
But you, as a person dedicated to God, keep away from all that.
“Keep away” from all that can be translated as “flee.” The man of God is identified by what he “flees from. We might think that Paul would say, “Stand firm!” or “Fight!” Scripture calls us to stand firm against the attacks of the devil (Ephesians 6:11) and to resist him (James 4:7), but Paul doesn’t say that here. Some things the man of God must wisely flee. In this context, it has to do with the evils associated with loving money (1 Timothy 6:3-10). However, the need to flee sin is taught throughout Scripture:
believers are called to flee sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18),
idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14),
youthful lusts (2 Timothy 2:22).
Like Joseph fleeing from Potiphar’s wife—the man of God should run when it comes to sin. It has the ability to trap, dominate, and destroy him.
The word flee comes from the Greek word “pheugo,” from which we get the English word “fugitive.” The man of God is a fugitive running from a potential captor—he doesn’t want to go back to sin; he knows the dangers of it. Therefore, he flees. The word “flee” is in the present tense—meaning that the man of God should constantly flee these things.
Some might not understand why the man of God doesn’t watch certain types of movies or listen to certain types of music. Why? It’s because he is a fugitive—he knows that sin has the ability to trap and conquer him. It is his recognition of his vulnerability that makes him strong.
Proverbs 22:3 says, “A shrewd person sees danger and hides himself, but the naive keep right on going and suffer for it.”
Men and women of God are known by what they flee—
ungodly language,
ungodly entertainment,
discord,
sexual immorality, etc.
Are you a person of God—a holy fugitive? What are you fleeing?
Take some time to reflect and follow the word of God
