I’ve heard that there are about 101 different kinds of cold viruses. When you catch a cold from one, you become immune to it; but that doesn’t help you with the rest. However, the older you get, the less colds you get because you’re already immune to so many of them. Now, I don’t know enough to verify or debunk this theory. And, for sure, I’m not going to research it for this blog. The important thing is that it illustrates the way that we can become immune to warnings about sin.

How’s that? Well, Paul used a different metaphor—branding. If your flesh is seared with a hot iron, you no longer are sensitive to pressure on the spot. Both illustrations stress the fact of insensitivity (or immunity) to your sinning. The branding is probably a better one because you certainly can sin the same way again and again. There are assuredly more than 101 different kinds of sin too!

So. remember when you get a cold that it’s not as good an illustration as is the branding iron. Or—is it too much of a stretch to think that you’d associate the two that way? But if you have a convoluted mind like mine, then you can also remember Paul’s warning about becoming insensitive to sin.

How do you brand yourself to become insensitive to sinning? By your frequent self-justification of it.

At any rate, don’t allow yourself to rationalize sin (of any and all sorts). If you do, you will find yourself becoming insensitive to the fact that you are sinning; that’s a bad condition—far more serious than the worst cold—to find yourself in. Why? Because you will soon stop finding yourself in it.