Stop Being Edgy

the dangers of living with one foot in the world of sin

By: Michaela Dumlao

This article is part of the Claritas fall 2024 issue, Margins. Read the full print release here.

A viral tweet describes a man sitting on the fence separating heaven and hell, trying to decide which direction to go. Before he makes up his mind, the devil tells the man to follow him to hell.  

“I didn’t choose which side,” the man says to the devil. 

The devil replies, “the fence is mine.” [1]

The desire to “live on the edge” is deeply embedded in the world around us. Daring undertakings, stepping out of our comfort zone, and living life to the fullest are seemingly romantic notions. For Christians, to “live on the edge” of sin is a misguided attempt to live righteously while still indulging in the pleasures that the world has to offer. On Saturday nights, college students bob their heads to disorienting beats as the smell of alcohol blends into an unsavory, sweaty concoction. Students “work hard to play hard” and wince as they get ready for church the next morning. The same applies for more tame pursuits such as binge-watching at home late into the night. The next morning, the homebody struggles to wake up for Sunday service, a subtle reminder of misplaced priorities. Despite the sleep deprivation that comes from a late-night binge-watching or going to a frat, people are willing to bear a physical cost for a fleeting feeling. It is almost as if the world conditions us to chase after transient pleasure no matter the cost. But when that pleasure disappears, what is left to chase? The inherent allure of “living on the edge” is the thrill of testing our limits, seeing how far we can go without falling. We often operate with an illusive sense of security as we brace ourselves standing right at the margin. But what happens when we do fall?  Is standing on the edge worth the drop? 

Many Christians struggle in discerning “how far they can go” before reaching a point of sin. Yet believing we are capable of straddling on the edge without sinning is a fundamental error; after all, the fence belongs to the devil. We are often naive enough to believe we are self-sufficient and that despite straddling the edge of sin, we will be able to persevere on our own. We relish in our ability to choose different paths, to make the most out of our limited time on earth. But worldly freedom is illusive; in our pursuit of earthly pleasure, we forget the eternal love of our Heavenly Father, who wants us to relish in freedom with Him. In Genesis, the serpent tempted Eve with the fruit from the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” with the false promise that eating the fruit will make her and Adam “like God.” [2] Yet instead, Adam and Eve’s decision to disobey God introduced sin and death into the world. Flirting with sin seems freeing in the moment, but in failing to put up boundaries, sin enslaves us. So perhaps living on the edge isn’t the answer. Perhaps true freedom lies within biblical boundaries. 

For many people, setting boundaries seems inherently restrictive rather than liberating. Many of us fear that setting boundaries cuts us off from opportunities. New Cornell students put their blood, sweat, and tears into the club-rush frenzy, some willing to do anything and everything to be accepted. There is also the overwhelming temptation to reap the “full” college experience, which often entails excessive drinking, sexual impurity, and other activities that produce temporary pleasure despite deep-seated cost. With our fixed time on earth, we are often deluded to believe we should indulge in our free will by pushing boundaries, searching for the thrill in dysfunctional earthly behaviors. But the “freedom” promised in this world is not the freedom that comes with following Christ. In fact, it is the exact opposite of freedom. 

We put false faith in this alternate vision of freedom, believing that we can gain real satisfaction from the temporary pleasures of the world. One of the enemy’s most persistent and enduring lies is that it is okay for us to stray from God’s commandments in pursuit of our “well-being.” The world tells us to care for ourselves and listen to our desires, and it encourages us to engage in harmful activities. Tangible validation or pleasure drives many of us to live for the world instead of for God. When I was younger, I was a hopeless romantic wrapped up in a plethora of rom-coms, romance books, and Wattpad stories. Consuming such media normalized the notion that sex outside of marriage was normal and healthy, which led me to question the value of waiting until marriage. Over time however, I’ve come to realize that my flesh will not follow me to Heaven, and because of this, it is particularly vulnerable to the enemy’s lies. Sex is a beautiful gift God created to be enjoyed within the covenant of marriage. Yet the enemy distorts this gift, leading us to normalize sinful and harmful treatment of our bodies. Jesus Christ took our place on the cross and loved us enough to suffer a painful death on account of our sins. Because he died for us, we are justified and are no longer enslaved to sin. Furthermore, our bodies are not ours to own; they are vessels for the Holy Spirit. Christ paid the ultimate price for us so that the Spirit may dwell within us. Since we were bought at such a huge cost, we are called to glorify God with our bodies. [3] 

The enemy distorts good things, twisting what is meant to bring glory to God into something that serves selfish desires and leads us to sin. As Cornell students, we are enveloped in a culture that is often hyper-fixated on internships, pre-professional pursuits, and academic validation. While it is virtuous to glorify God in our achievements, self-centered ambition can take control of our lives if left unmonitored. In Exodus, Pharaoh weaponized work against the Israelites to hinder their ability to worship God. [4] While the Israelites were not idolizing work, we can clearly see how the enemy can use work to shift our focus away from God. The Lord calls us to freedom, not slavery. And as students at Cornell, we often enslave ourselves. We work late and wake up early, but for what? To get into a pre-professional club? To get an A on a prelim? For people to think we are smart? In this pursuit, we often lose sight of our most important identity: the one we have in Jesus Christ—the way, the truth, and the life. He is the answer to all things. Yet instead of turning to Him, we seek validation from our professors, our peers, and the world.

In high school, my flirtation with sin was rooted in ambition. Throughout my adolescence, I learned to cope with stress by attempting to numb myself of feeling. I filled my schedule to the brim so that I would be too busy to sit in my emotions. My days were filled with studying, extracurricular activities, and work. Yet throughout my four years in high school, I still felt empty. Eventually, I let the ambition-frenzy consume me and failed to set boundaries to guard my heart. I deluded myself into believing that I could worship my idea of success all while serving God; but as we are reminded in Matthew 6:24, “no one can serve two masters.” [5] I was like a hamster running on a wheel, always looking to go the next mile, but with no true end goal in sight. By senior year, I would average 3 to 4 hours of sleep per night. I was exhausted, burned out, and unbelievably empty. When I started college, I was determined to leave my workaholic ways behind. Instead of finding the “work-life balance” society told me to look for, I found something much, much sweeter: I found Jesus. When I turned to Him and decided I wanted to completely surrender to Him, the void that I had been trying to fill for years was overflowing with His grace and with His love. 

The freedom in walking with Christ is truly incomparable to any love, gratification, or satisfaction we can reap from this world. Yet, even after being saved, we are often tempted to “return to the vomit” and to our old ways of living. [6] Once again, there seems to be an inherent allure to straddling the edge. But Jesus reminds us in Matthew 26:41 that we must “watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” [7] We may be saved and genuinely desire to surrender our lives to the Lord. But our weak flesh resists, as it is not going to heaven with us. The things of this world are temporary, but Jesus gives us eternal life. When we stumble, it is important for us to turn to the Lord in repentance, acknowledging our sins so that we may receive His boundless grace and forgiveness. Setting boundaries is also vital to walking in true freedom. Strong boundaries help us avoid falling back into temptation and keep our hearts focused on the eternal instead of the temporary. 

As sinful creatures, we often choose to fall astray in our decisions that do not honor the Lord. But because we are justified through Christ, we are no longer under law but under His grace. When we repent of our sins, God will often help use our shortcomings to reveal areas in our lives in which we can set boundaries to protect us from the pain of sin.  In Mark 9:43-47, Jesus teaches “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.” [8] While flirting with sin, and seeing “how far we can go” may be tempting, Jesus makes it clear that we should cut sin at the source. When setting hard limits on our flesh, we must remember our why. Proverbs 4:23 reminds us to “above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” [9] When we choose to flirt with sin, we step outside the boundaries the Lord has lovingly set for us, bringing hurt upon our own hearts and rejecting the guidance of our Heavenly Father. As such, we must guard our hearts with firm boundaries that stop sin from taking hold. 

However, when we do fall into sin, it is important to not lose hope. Like little children, we inevitably stumble and fall in our walk with Christ. Romans 5:20 reminds us that “where sin increased, grace abounded.” [10] There is no sin that Jesus did not pay for through His death on the cross. We can rest assured knowing that when we repent for our sin, the Lord stands with His arms wide open, ready to forgive. This, of course, does not mean that we should actively seek out sin. Rather, because Christ died for us, we are called to pursue righteousness since it is He who made us righteous. 

Surrendering our hearts to the Lord can seem like an arduous undertaking. When we live in the world but are not of it [11], it is easy to use our free will to conform to the ways of the world. The fleeting pleasure we obtain through sin cannot even compare to the eternal love, joy, and freedom that we find in Christ. When we come to terms with this truth, we find that Biblical boundary setting is not as difficult as it may seem. Boundary setting is an act of obedience and wisdom—it is not about restricting our lives but about safeguarding the gifts God has given us. By placing boundaries on worldly pursuits that border on sin, we open ourselves to living abundantly with a new sense of freedom that only He can provide. 

Sources

[1] Oliver, Kyree (@Kyreeoliver), “There’s a Guy sitting on a fence between heaven and hell…” November 15, 2022, 10:52am. https://x.com/Kyreeoliver/status/1592546131271376896 

[2] Genesis 3:4-5 (NIV)

[3] 1 Corinthians 6:20 (NIV)

[4] Exodus 5  (NIV)

[5] Matthew 6:24  (NIV)

[6] Proverbs 26:11 

[7] Matthew 26:41  (NIV)

[8] Mark 9:43-47  (NIV)

[9] Proverbs 4:23  (NIV)

[10] Romans 5:20  (NIV)

[11] John 17:14-16  (NIV)