Victory Over Sin..

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Many unscriptural traditions, and several theological errors, have entered Christian thinking over the past two thousand years. It may be true that the most destructive, the most morally weakening, of these traditions and errors is the idea that the Christian redemption does not include deliverance from the power of the sinful nature. It is understood clearly that through the atoning blood of the cross of Calvary our sins are forgiven totally. What is not understood as clearly is that the Christian redemption includes freedom from the sinful nature, from the bondages of sin that prevent our personality from being in the image of God.

Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:34-36)

(3/18/2007) Think carefully about the above passage:

Everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave of sin!

A slave has no permanent place in the family of the owner of the slave. Nowhere is this more true than in the family of God.

One who is a son is no longer a slave but a permanent member of the family.

When Christ sets us free we indeed are free. Free from what? Free from being a slave of sin!

I understand that there have been during the Christian Era various attempts to gain freedom from slavery to sin. Two with which I am acquainted are the Nazarene experience of sanctification; and taking the attitude of reckoning ourselves dead. However, the results of these worthy attempts do not seem to bring release from slavery to sin, although they may result in some partial relief.

Perhaps the greatest enemy of all is the lie that Satan has injected into Christian thinking. The lie is "as long as we are in the world we have to sin." Although there are Bible verses to the contrary, this lie prevails. It is widespread throughout Christendom.

We have given up. We have ceded victory to Satan. "Satan," you can have the earth and the nations of it. We Christians are going to flee to Heaven to live forever in a better world."

Thus the nations and the earth, which according to the Scripture are the inheritance of the Lord Jesus Christ, have been given to Satan to enjoy, while we make our eternal home in the domain of the angels and cherubim. This is where we are today in Christian thinking. Victory over sin is not possible.

But does the Scripture promise there will come deliverance from the power of sin. Yes, it does, in the Book of Matthew:

As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. (Matthew 13:40,41)

Perhaps this work of deliverance has begun already. To begin with, there are New Testament passages that tell us if we have been born of God we will not continue to sin. Perhaps we could not perceive such passages previously, but they certainly are clear now:

No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. (I John 3:9)

This passage suggests that most people who attend Christian churches have not been born of God. Another passages informs us that if we are obeying our sinful nature we do not have the Spirit of Christ, that is, eternal life, in us:

You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. (Romans 8:9)

What wild, outlandish statements I am making this morning! (I made them last night in church also.) It reminds me of the time the scroll of the Law was found while they were cleaning out the Temple. King Josiah was astonished, because the accumulation of traditions and errors had caused people to forget what the Scripture stated clearly.

If the pastor of one of today's American mega-churches stood in front of his or congregation of ten thousand people, and declared, "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God," what do you think would happen? If you are a pastor, try it and see.

Yet, the pastor would be doing nothing more than quoting Scripture.

In other words, we church members in America are way off the track, just as in the days of King Josiah of Israel.

As I pointed out, the relevant passages concerning deliverance from sin under the new covenant are becoming clear to us. Another factor causes us to wonder if perhaps the dispensation of deliverance declared in Matthew has begun already. The factor is, we now know how to proceed with release from slavery to a specific sin:

We confess the specific sin clearly, naming it, declaring it loudly enough that the unclean spirits can hear us. Unclean spirits realize that God has given Christians authority to judge sin, and so a clear pronouncement of the behaviour is absolutely necessary.

Second, we denounce the sin as being evil. The reason believers do not gain release from besetting sins is that they are not fully persuaded that the behaviour (profanity, for instance) really is a wicked, spiritually filthy practice.

Third, we renounce the sin, stating a vigorously as possible that we not longer want to be associated with this behaviour for eternity. It is an eternal judgement.

Fourth, we then are to draw near to Jesus Christ that we may receive more of His Life in us.

Fifth, in the future when we are tempted to practice this behaviour, we resist Satan.

Taking the four steps just mentioned will put the unclean spirit to death. It will remove the life and fire from it. Now we are able to resist it successfully.

The effectiveness of the five steps of deliverance depends on our living as a disciple, that is, denying our self-will, taking up the cross of our personal imprisonment, and following Christ at every moment of every day.

If we are not living as a disciple, then we should not be dabbling in the above work of eternal judgment, because Satan may use our attempts at spiritual warfare to deceive us and bring us into further slavery to sin.

Perhaps you are a Berean. You do not jump readily into every new idea that comes along. If this is the case, let me suggest the following:

Ask the Lord Jesus to point out one of your behaviours that is displeasing to Him. Confess with your mouth this behaviour, naming it clearly.

Denounce this behaviour firmly as being totally wicked, filthy, and depraved.

Sternly renounce this particular behaviour, declaring that you never, never, never again want anything whatever to do with it.

Then draw near to the Lord Jesus, asking Him to fill you with His Life.

The next time you are tempted to think, speak, or act in this manner, make every effort to resist it. Well...!

Please be aware that Satan will attempt to take advantage of your new vulnerability and accuse you of numerous behaviours of the past, or practices that you are not now guilty of. When in doubt, ask the Lord to put His fire on the behaviour, removing it if it is sinful, or giving you peace if it is nothing more than a satanic accusation.

The Lord be with you should you decide to launch into the above efforts, and give you the promised total victory over sin.

For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, (Romans 8:13)

You can hear the morning sermon at morning. http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

You can hear the evening sermon at evening. http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

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