Kelsey Grammer, who plays Beast in the new X-Men movie, told Maxim, "The seven deadlies [Deadly Sins] are pretty deadly, especially pride." When he was asked if that was the sin he struggles with most, Grammer replied: "It has certainly been one of mine, but I’ve tested all of them. See, it’s not that the Bible says you can’t do it; it’s that you shouldn’t. The wages of sin is death. And they’re not talking about physical death—they’re talking about spiritual death. And when you overindulge in those things, your spirit ends up destroyed."

²⁰In those days, when you were slaves of sin, you weren't concerned with doing what was right. ²¹And what was the result? It was not good, since now you are ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. ²²But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. ²³For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

WHAT DOES PAUL TEACH US ABOUT THE PROBLEM OF SIN?  WHAT ABOUT THE SOLUTION?

Think through these study notes from Tyndale's LIFE APPLICATION STUDY BIBLE:

6:20-23  It is impossible to be neutral.  Every person has a master - either God or sin.  A Christian is not someone who cannot sin but someone who is no longer a slave to sin.  He or she belongs to God.

You are free to choose between two masters, but you are not free to adjust the consequences of your choice.  Each of the two masters pays with his own kind of currency.  The currency of sin is eternal death.  That is all you can expect or hope for in life without God.  Christ's currency is eternal life - new life with God that begins on earth and continues forever with God.  What choice have you made?

If you have seen the new X-Men movie, you probably enjoyed the special effects and you know about the "mutants" who were born with a genetic disorder.  As humans, we're all sin "mutants", because we are born with a disobedience disorder to God.

It's sort of like having a "beast" within us.  Kelsey Grammer is right when he talks about sin destroying us.   Unless we receive the "cure" that God offers us through His Son Jesus, we can't be who God created us to be.  Without Christ, we can't have a relationship with God.  His power is the ultimate.

Thankfully, Jesus took all the mutation of our sin upon Himself when He hung on the cross and died.  Because He defeated the power of death and Hell,  we can experience freedom from the "beast" within, both now and forever!

• Memorize Romans 6:23, one of the most important verses in the Bible.
• Be honest with God (He knows everything about you anyway) about the sin "mutation" in you that seems to have power over you.  Write it out and surrender it to God.  Watch His power change you in the next month.
• If you see the latest X-Men movie, use today's Devo as a conversation starter with somone else who has seen it.

Daily Devos is published Monday through Friday. Archives can be found at YFC.ORG.  Its purpose is to help you apply truths from God's Word every day.

Our writer, Byron Emmert, has been involved with Youth For Christ for 30 years. He's served as Campus Life Staff, as a writer, and in leadership for the DCLA Conferences. Byron is married to Linda and their family includes two married sons and daughters-in-law, and a daughter in college.  He loves sports, deep dish pizza, and spending time with his family.