Donald Grey Barnhouse gives the following illustration of the pervasiveness of sin in his book “Let Me Illustrate”:

As the hunter raised his rifle, the bear called out, “Can’t we talk this over like two sober human beings?  The hunter lowered his gun.  “What’s to talk over?” he asked.  “Well, for instance,” said the bear, coming closer, “what do you want to shoot me for?”  “Simple,” grutned the hunter, “I want a fur coat.”  “All I want is a good breakfast,” smiled the bear.  “I’m sure we can get together sensibly on this.”  So they sat down to work out an agreement.  After a while the bear got up – all alone.  They had reached a compromise.  The bear had secured his breakfast, and the hunter had on his fur coat.

There has never been any other result in the warfare between flesh and the spirit when the spirit permits any compromise with the flesh.  Sin is deceitful and will always destroy even while putting forth a pretense of fair words.  The Word of God gives us only one possible course of action, “FLEE.”

Flee from sin, do not try to compromise with it.  Do not say, if I give in just a little here, I will be able to resist sin elsewhere in my life.  When the old self is crucified with Christ, the Spirit teaches us true “sorrow over our sins and more and more to hate them and flee from them” (Heidleberg Q.89). 

“Submit yourselves to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 
Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” (James 4:7-8)

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