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    The ultimate penalty for sin is death, and the penalty paid by the Benjaminites for their tolerance of the sin perpetrated against the Levite was a powerful reminder that God does not tolerate sin, especially among His own people. This is a lesson that even Christians today should remember, as the modern church is assailed by the forces of sin, the world, and the devil.
    Indeed, we are saved by Grace through faith, but in that Grace we also die to sin. What place, then, does sin have in the life of someone who has faith? The continuation of sin puts us at risk of losing our faith, and the tolerance of what we know to be sin puts the whole church at risk of being led astray.
    The goal as Christians must then be to strive for sinlessness, not because such a pursuit will get us to Heaven but because such a pursuit helps us protect our faith, strengthen it, and strengthen those who share the same faith. This protection and strength is not achieve by our own doing, but rather through the Holy Spirit through the Word and the Sacraments.
    Therefore, the pursuit of every Christian must constantly be the Word and the Sacraments. Through those Means of Grace, every Christian is equipped with a sure shield against the sin, the world, and the devil, and behind that shield we can work to avoid sin and the tolerance of it.
DLH
