The Battle with Sin
I was overwhelmed (in a good way) with all the responses to my testimony post. So many women said they had very similar stories of how the Lord saved them out of deception and darkness. Many others communicated that it made them think about how they view following Christ, and what the Scriptures teach us it should look like. Others had prayer requests for lost husbands, battles with sin, and for the courage to bring their children home from the public school systems. I was so encouraged! There were also some questions, and one in particular prompted me to write about this topic. She asked:
“Sometimes I get tripped up in thinking that If I am not perfect in following Christ and am not without sin then I'm not saved and not a new creation. But that's twisting the truth right? No one can be perfect on this earth, and we won’t be till heaven, right?”
This is such a good question, and it’s one I struggled with in my walk as a Christian as I saw sin that still remained in my life. I really had to take some time to dig into the Scripture and understand how all of these things fit together.
-The Lord does make us into a new creation, and old things have passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17).
-He gives us a new heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26).
-He puts His laws in our minds and hearts (Hebrews 10:16)
-This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 5:3)
After I truly was born again, and began to see the error of the false gospel that did not call anyone to repentance and obedience, I began to be quite fearful when I saw my own struggle that remained with sin. If I spoke harshly to my children or argued with my husband, I would think “Maybe I’m not a new creation after all.” When I would learn that something I loved to do was actually sin according to the Scripture then I would think, “How could a Christian love sin, didn’t He say He would write His law on my heart? Maybe I’m not a Christian after all.” When I would feel temptations and felt the pull of the world: to seek their approval, to be cool, to have nice things, to be beautiful, etc... I would beat myself up wondering why sometimes the yoke didn’t feel easy and the burden didn’t feel light as Jesus said it would. I would again doubt that a true saving work had been done in my heart. It wasn’t until I began to search this out deeply in the Scriptures that the Lord helped me see how we could be new creations and at the same time still battling our sin.
I finally saw the big picture, the Lord does make us into new creations and He will write His laws on our hearts, but these things He begins in us at the moment of conversion He will continue to do throughout our lives as we walk with Him.
“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”
Galatians 5:16-18 NKJV
While we are still living in our bodies on earth, we will have a battle to fight with our flesh. We fight this battle by walking in the Spirit. As we abide in Him (pray to Him, read His Word, hate and forsake the sins that we see in our life, confess those sins and give thanks for His grace, praise Him, give thanks in all circumstances, serve Him, suffer for Him, live for Him, while looking to Him only for our righteousness before the Father), He fills us with His Spirit and gives us power to overcome sin. He also shows us our sins that we didn’t even know we had so that He can rid us of uncleanness.
I want to write more soon about putting sin to death and walking by the Spirit, but for the purpose of this post, I simply want to lay a foundational understanding that the Christian’s heart is one that desires deeply to obey God, but this does not mean they will be sinless and perfect on this earth. It does not mean we will have no temptation. Let’s look at a few more Scriptures together to see this truth clearly.
We see it in the Lord’s Prayer.
“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV
When Jesus taught us to pray, He taught us to ask for forgiveness of our sins and debts.
We see it even as we are being exhorted to obedience.
“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”
I John 2:1-2 NKJV
Here we see John speaking to children of God, writing to them so that they may not sin, but he does offer this beautiful grace of the Gospel even in the midst of a book full of clear admonition for obedience: “if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
We see it in the commandment to run the race in faith, looking to Christ.
Hebrews 12 may be one of the best places to see how this plays out in the life of a Christian:
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV
After laying the foundation of faith in Hebrews 11 and writing about the faith of Old Testament saints, he says, “therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and sin which so easily ensnares us...” There is sin that we will have to throw off as we run our race. It will try to ensnare us. It’s a fact, and we will be daily laying it aside and looking to Jesus the author (author because He sovereignly gave us faith) and finisher of our faith (He will sanctify us and perfect us).
We see it in the discipline and chastening of the Lord.
“And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.”
Hebrews 12:5-8 NKJV
When we are children of God, He will chasten and rebuke us. This is a good thing because it means the Lord is dealing with us as His children. He is rooting out remaining sin and training us in righteousness. He is a good Father, and He will not let His children hold on to their sin.
So it is clear that the Christian will still fight against their flesh and their sin, but let me encourage you in this: do not make this truth an excuse for holding onto sin. That is very dangerous! You should be growing in holiness and having greater victory over your sins.
“But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.”
Proverbs 4:18 NKJV
Just like the sun begins to rise with only a little light at dawn, and then grows brighter and brighter, so will our hearts and lives as we walk with Jesus. When we first believe, though we are fully justified and cleansed we may only see or have victory over a few sins. In time the Lord will teach us through His Word and through His chastening. We will grow and will shine ever brighter unto the perfect day!