Snakebites, Antivenom, and Ongoing Sin

Does grace encourage me to play with copperheads down by the creek?

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“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” (Romans 6:1, NIV84)

Sweeping off my front porch recently, I noticed a beautiful black snake with yellow “racing strips” painted down her sides. As I drew near to get a better look, she got spooked and darted off to a hiding spot in the shrubs. She is just one of several non-venomous snakes that live around our home.

Some are black with colored streaks, while others come in grey with colored bands or are covered in patterns. These species are harmless to humans. In fact, they play a vital role in pest control, eating mice and keeping poisonous snakes such as copperheads away from our home perimeter.

Yet, we’ve had seasons when that venomous species has broken the barrier and become a threat, especially when our children were young.

I can imagine my son turning over a large rock down at the creek looking for salamanders, startling a copperhead or even a rattler, being bitten, and injected with venom. Not only would the strike be incredibly painful, but the poison could also be life-threatening.