A Closer Walk With God
Overcoming Sin
A wonderful blessing we receive when we become Christians is the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus Christ. At our baptism, the blood of Christ cleanses us from all past sins. Compare Ac 22:16 "And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.'" with Re 1:5 "and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood." This does not mean that our problem with sin is over... We still sin at times - 1 Jn 1:8 "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.", 10 "If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." Satan does his best to cause us to sin - 1 Pe 5:8 "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." If we are to maintain a close walk with God, and ultimately receive the riches of glory He has prepared for us, we must overcome the problem of sin in two ways:
By sinning less and less - 1 Jn 2:1a "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin."
By knowing what to do when we do sin - 1 Jn 2:1b-2 "But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world."
This lesson is concerned with helping us see how sin develops, and how to overcome sin with its terrible consequences.
To overcome sin, we need to understand how it develops. The Bible outlines the development of sin in Ja 1:12-15 "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. The first stage of sin is temptation. In Ja 1:14 (see above), we see that "temptation" includes two things. First we see desire (some translations say "lust", suggesting a strong desire for something). Then we see enticement (an opportunity and encouragement to satisfy the desire). Putting it in the form of a simple equation: Temptation = Desire + Opportunity. To illustrate: a small boy is tempted to steal some cookies when he wants (desire) them and has an occasion (opportunity) to take them. The temptation becomes stronger if he wants them badly, and has a good chance of getting them without being seen. Note: At this stage in the development of sin, actual sin has not yet been committed. It is not a sin to be "tempted". For Jesus Himself was "tempted as we are, yet without sin" - He 4:15; 2:18.
The second stage is sin itself. "When desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin" - Ja 1:15. It becomes sin when we act and yield to the temptation. Thus sin involves the added step of some sort of action on our part. Again, in the form of a simple equation: Sin = Desire + Opportunity + Action.
The third stage involves the consequences of unrepented and unforgiven sin: "Death". "And sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death" - Ja 1:15. The "death" spoken here refers to spiritual separation from God. This separation occurs first in this life - Isa 59:2 "but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. If we die physically in this state, then we will experience the "second death", which involves eternal punishment! - Re 21:8 "But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."'
Putting all this into a final equation: Desire + Opportunity + Action + No Forgiveness = Death
Let's note some observations about the development of sin. Sin will have overcome us if we receive the "final punishment" of Re 21:8. But we will have overcome sin if we can avoid this punishment and experience the glories God has prepared for His children! How can we be sure to overcome sin? By stopping its development at any one of the four points leading to the final punishment!
Now let's examine how this may be done, how to overcome. First, change our "desires". Since this is where the process of sin begins, it is the best place for us to begin. Bear in mind that it is a part of Christian growth to change our desires - Ro 12:1-2 "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."; Ga 5:24 "And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." How do we change our desires? Notice that the Word of God has always been instrumental in helping people overcome sin - Psa 119:11 "I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."; Mt 4:3-10 "And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, "'He will command his angels concerning you,' and "'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, "'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'"
To see how the Word of God can change our desires as we read of God's love, longsuffering and mercy, we desire to serve Him - Psa 116:12-14 "What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD, I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people." As we read of sin and its damnable consequences, we come to hate it! - Psa 119:104 "Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way." So the more we study God's Word, the less likely we will have the desire to sin, thereby beginning to overcome sin by "nipping it in the bud"! But changing our desires takes time; while engaged in the process of changing our desires, what else can we do?
Second, limit our "opportunities". Remember, we are tempted only when there is both desire and opportunity. So while we work on changing our desires, we should limit the opportunities to fulfill wrongful desires. This can be done by asking for God's providential help, as Jesus taught - Mt 6:13 "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."; 26:41 "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."' We can cooperate with God by purposely avoiding situations that might excite wrongful desires like following the example of David - Psa 101:3-4 "I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil." And we can follow the example of Job - Job 31:1 '"I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?" We can cooperate with God by avoiding those whose evil behavior encourages us to sin with them. Again, David sets a good example - Psa 101:6-7 "I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me. No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes." Paul also adds his warning - 1 Co 15:33 "Do not be deceived: "Bad company ruins good morals."' But we will unlikely remove every desire and opportunity to sin in this life, what then? When we continue this lesson we will look at two more ways we can work to overcome sin.
