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#1
The following analogy from Phelim Doherty in his book, The Father We Never Knew, is so vivid and true.
“The Greek word translated here as ‘entangled’ is based on the picture of being ensnared. The danger of a snare is found in its deceptive appearance. It looks insignificant and yet can inflict fatal damage.
“As a vet I would sometimes treat animals who have been caught in a snare and often they would have to be put to sleep. In its simplest form, a snare is a loop of wire or strong string that closes around the neck or limb of an animal as it runs through it. It may not look very threatening, but the more the victim struggles to get free of a snare, the tighter the noose cuts into it.
“Put a small loop of wire beside a strong animal and it looks no match for its strength. It looks insignificant, but the cruel thing about a snare is that it is not the strength of the snare that kills the animal. It is the strength of the animal, for what tightens the snare is the struggle of the victim. The more it uses its own strength to try and get free, the tighter it is caught in the snare’s hold.
“Multitudes of people across different faith systems and even across Christian churches are caught in the snare of religion; the little idea that we can get more from God by behaving better. Once caught in this snare, people can struggle for a lifetime, repeatedly offering up to God the strength of their devotions to him, not realizing that their best efforts to earn something from him are like the struggles of the animal in the snare. All their efforts are doing is choking the effect of the grace of God in their lives (Galatians 5:4).
“The Greek word translated here as ‘entangled’ is based on the picture of being ensnared. The danger of a snare is found in its deceptive appearance. It looks insignificant and yet can inflict fatal damage.
“As a vet I would sometimes treat animals who have been caught in a snare and often they would have to be put to sleep. In its simplest form, a snare is a loop of wire or strong string that closes around the neck or limb of an animal as it runs through it. It may not look very threatening, but the more the victim struggles to get free of a snare, the tighter the noose cuts into it.
“Put a small loop of wire beside a strong animal and it looks no match for its strength. It looks insignificant, but the cruel thing about a snare is that it is not the strength of the snare that kills the animal. It is the strength of the animal, for what tightens the snare is the struggle of the victim. The more it uses its own strength to try and get free, the tighter it is caught in the snare’s hold.
“Multitudes of people across different faith systems and even across Christian churches are caught in the snare of religion; the little idea that we can get more from God by behaving better. Once caught in this snare, people can struggle for a lifetime, repeatedly offering up to God the strength of their devotions to him, not realizing that their best efforts to earn something from him are like the struggles of the animal in the snare. All their efforts are doing is choking the effect of the grace of God in their lives (Galatians 5:4).
