Christ, sin, and "The Mind Flayer"


Recently, I started watching the second season of Stranger Things with my wife. And while there are some more horror-esque aspects to the show that I’m often uncomfortable with, there are some interesting themes throughout the plot and characters that are quite captivating to watch. While nearing the end of the season, there’s an episode where Will, who has already been considered a spy for the enigmatic villain of the plot, the “Shadow Monster,” has an experience that I find has some interesting parallels to the Christian life and the nature of sin.


At the beginning of the second season, Will, who once returned and recovered from his entrapment in the “Upside Down,” begins to have visions of an ominous shadowy figure that overwhelms the town and even enters into his body, essentially possessing him.


This is a shameful secret that Will eventually confesses to his friend Mike after having a series of strange visions and encounters with the monster. However, to Will’s surprise, Mike considers Will then to be like a spy who encompasses both his will and the Shadow Monster’s, which in turn could be used to find him and destroy the monsters entering their town.


In a twist of events, this turns out to be an unfortunate consequence due to the Shadow Monster then knowing where to send his dog-like minions toward the rest of Will’s friends in order to kill them. Hence, the Shadow Monster knows where Will’s friends are via Will, but only Will can say where the Shadow Monster is if he confesses to his friends.


In a strange way, I find this to be somewhat similar to the Christian walk where sin, when not repented of or confessed to others, dwells within us and begins negatively impacting those surrounding us. We are both in a sense living with two wills then, where we are hiding and compartmentalizing evil and living as a double agent in an everyday world amongst other believing, confessing friends.


The Apostle Paul directly speaks on this theme of duality in the book of Romans chapter 7:21-24, stating, “So this is the principle I have discovered: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law. But I see another law at work in my body, warring against the law of my mind and holding me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”


We are then no more different than Will, being possessed by an evil monster, while thinking that we are still maintaining some sanctity of goodness. As Scripture teaches, the body itself is at war with both flesh and Spirit. How then are we supposed to live when there appears to be no resolution to this struggle?


Paul reenters the scene in chapter 8:1-2 of Romans, stating, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death.” 


It’s by God’s grace then through Christ himself dying on the cross that we are set free from sin. It is not by any work or means of our own that our devilish schemes are exorcised out of us, but through the blood of Christ. Thanks be to God, as Paul says, that we are set free from our sins and are free to live a single will toward the one, true God in harmony and peace.

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