By David Weaks
Synopsis: Sin is an ever-present problem in the life of Christians. The devil, our enemy, will never stop trying to destroy God’s people by luring us into sin. Here are some thoughts on how we can overcome sin and thwart the devil’s advances.
In recent months, I have written articles for the West Columbia bulletin on the subjects of “addiction,” “social drinking,” and “pornography.” How does one overcome these and other sins? Paul the apostle said that every temptation is common to man and with every temptation there is the way of escape (1 Cor. 10:13).
So, how does one overcome the temptation to sin? How does an individual overcome the addiction that often comes along with certain kinds of sin? I would like to suggest a few things that would be helpful.
The Bible commands sinners to repent (Luke 13:3, 5; Acts 2:38; 17:30). A Christian must crucify (put to death) the old man of sin (Rom. 6:6; Eph. 4:22; Col. 3:9). He is not allowed to walk anymore in those sins that he has buried (Rom. 6:1-2). A Christian once walked according to the course of this world, living according to the lusts of the flesh (Eph. 2:2-3), but not anymore. He has changed!
The burden of responsibility for quitting sin lies with the sinner himself. However, there is more to the story. We have the aid of a compassionate God to help us when we sin.
Some of the best advice you received as a child is helpful even in old age: “Remember who you are!” You have put on Christ and have put off the old man of sin (Eph. 4:22; Col. 3:9-10). You cannot walk in sin anymore once we have put it to death. We must walk in “newness of life” (Rom. 6:1-4). Remember that the next time you are tempted. Resolve in your mind to live like a Christian—avoiding activities that are sinful and inconsistent with our calling.
In Colossians 3:4, the inspired apostle said, “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” As long as you think of Jesus as merely a “part” of your life, you will feel some leeway to dabble in the passing pleasure of sin (Heb. 11:25). The knowledge that upon your obedience to the gospel of Christ, you made Christ your life, changes the complete picture. You belong to His service now (Rom. 12:1-2). This is your reason for living. Sin is incompatible with that profession.
Paul said that you will someday give an answer for the things done in the body, whether good or bad (2 Cor. 10:4; Rev. 22:14). You will be judged against the things written in the Bible. Your place in the Lamb’s book of life depends on how you have lived (Rev. 20:12-15). Never forget that the record of your life is on file with the Lord. Remember that the judge is always watching.
The psalmist said there is nowhere you can go where you can escape from God and His notice (Ps. 139:7-12). One of the things that makes sin so “easy” to commit is the seeming anonymity of it. Sin would not be so easy if you knew that your mother, father, your spouse, or your brethren were right there looking over your shoulder when you were tempted. Anonymity is a lie; somebody usually always knows what we are up to. Even if you “got away with it” with people, God still knows what you did and your sin is an affront to God (Gen. 6:6; Prov. 6:16-19; Heb. 3:10).
Jesus was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15). Therefore, He can sympathize with our weaknesses. Jesus is a merciful and faithful high priest who aids those who are being tempted (Heb. 2:17-18).
Peter advises a sinner to humble himself “under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:6-7). Sin creates anxiety and grief in one whose conscience is sensitive and alert. Sinners have a compassionate High Priest in Jesus Christ, and He is our “propitiation” (Rom. 3:25; Heb. 2:17; 1 John 2:2; 4:10). This knowledge provides comfort, and it emboldens a sinner to repent. A propitiation is a gift or offering for sin.
The Lord is “long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). God desires all men to repent and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4). The longsuffering of our Lord is salvation (2 Pet. 3:15). God wanted to forgive the wicked generation of Noah before the flood came. Noah preached righteousness while he built the ark (2 Pet. 2:5). This window of opportunity was an expression of God’s mercy and patience. Sinners were being given the chance to repent and receive the mercy of God, but they refused it.
Repent and simply quit! Yes, it is as simple—and as hard—as that. Smokers who quit said they went “cold turkey,” never to smoke another cigarette. Some people will think this is over-simplification where all sin is concerned, but it isn’t. The prospect of an early grave induced the smoker to quit. Shouldn’t your knowledge of your sin’s final end: death (Rom. 6:23), be enough for you to just stop? Sin never gives you anything, and it robs you of eternal life (Rom. 6:23; 2 Thess. 1:7-9). No matter how powerful the call of sin may be, the call of the gospel is more powerful, and it will enable you to reject sin (Heb. 9:15).
Repentance and correction is an act of the will. It is proper to pray to God for strength and for help, but in the end, you must quit sinning. Every temptation is common to man, but it is up to the disciple to find the way of escape. Righteousness is a matter of choosing the “narrow gate which leads to life” (Matt. 7:13-14).
Paul fretted about the struggle between the flesh and the spirit which raged within him. What he desired to do, in his service to Christ, was often in conflict with the appetites of his flesh (cf. Rom. 7:14ff). He delighted in the law of God according to the inward man (v. 22), but the carnal appetites which he possessed warred with this holy desire (v. 23). He was left to cry out in anguish: “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body of death?” (v. 24). The fight against sin is hard, but you must never surrender!
Paul said, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6). God compels us to pray to Him. The Creator of heaven and earth knows the end of all things from the beginning (Isa. 45:10), so He certainly knows what you need before you ask Him (Matt. 6:9), yet He expects you to ask Him for what you need (vv. 10-13). God promises to give good gifts, including forgiveness, to those who ask Him (Matt. 7:11). Therefore, in times of trouble, your first thought should be to pray for God’s help.
Psalm 119 is a beautiful meditation on the power of God’s law. David was wiser than his enemies and his teachers because he loved and studied the law of God (Ps. 119:98-100). David knew that God’s word was strength to resist sin: “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (v. 11). Do you study the word and commit it to memory so that you can strengthen yourself against the efforts of the devil? Paul said that the sword of the Spirit is the word of God, and you must wield it vigilantly to resist the devil (Eph. 6:17).
The battle against sin can be won or lost by your attachments. Jesus said that it would be better to enter life without eyes or hands than to let these parts of your body be the avenues for you to sin (Matt. 5:29-30). The context follows hard on the heels of Jesus’s warning of the sin of looking with lust on a woman (vv. 27-28). It would be better to be blind than to have no ability to resist looking lustfully at women.
Maybe the modern corollary is that you need to get rid of your smart phone and to cancel your social media accounts. The internet and smart phones are useful tools, but they are also the means by which pornography and other evil things are accessed. A recent study aimed at tracking cell phone mania concluded that the average person “touches, swipes, or taps” his phone an average of 2,600 times a day! Is this you? Maybe this is the source of your greatest weakness toward sin. If so, throw that phone away if you have to. It would be better to enter into life without web access than to have it and to be cast into hell!
Don’t hide with your sin in a dark corner (Eph. 5:12). Pornography used to be accessible only in private, and in dark places. Now, it is available to anyone who has a cell phone. You may not find the strength within yourself to resist the sin, but the fact that others are watching can give you a little introspection. Elders in the church watch for your soul (Heb. 13:17). Their instruction makes you strong in the faith (Eph. 4:11-16). Your relationship with other Christians aids you in resisting sin. Knowing others consider themselves your “keeper” can be a powerful resource against sin in your life (Gen. 4:9).
It is important that you honor your commitment to your mate (Matt. 19:6). Pornography is not the actual act of fornication, but it surely leads to it, and it can be viewed as a violation of the trust of your mate in you. That knowledge should help you resist.
Ask yourself when you are tempted to sin: “How will this affect everyone in my life? How will this affect my relationship with my mate, my children, my brethren, my friends?” David’s sin with Bathsheba resulted in the death of his son (2 Sam. 11:14). Indeed, David’s home life was a mess after the Bathsheba incident. Nathan foretold that the “sword” would not depart from David’s home (v. 10). David’s child died, and surely, David’s troubles with his other children, Amnon, Tamar, Absalom, and Adonijah, had their roots in this sin of David.
Brethren, you are not helpless in the face of the fiercest temptations or the most powerful of sins. There is much that you can do to divest your life of evil. Will you remember your commitment to God and put sin away from your life? If you want to go to heaven, there is simply no other option. You must be faithful to God. You must forsake sin.
Your enemy, the devil, is implacable. He is always on the prowl seeking whom he may devour. Resisting him can seem endless and exhausting, but the Bible says a Christian’s life is a race to be run with endurance (Heb. 12:1). God has given you every tool that you need in order to be faithful. You can indeed resist the devil, and he will flee from you (Jas. 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:9).
There is no sin that has overtaken you except what is common to man. Will you seek the way of escape? You must!
