“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
- Galatians 5:1
Dear brothers and sisters,
Are you struggling with sin?
Why?
What is this behaviour that you are calling sin?
Is it even sin?
The first thing to address before I go on further is what it means to sin.
I am surprised by the amount of Christian writers who talk about their struggle with sin.
I had to think hard. Do I struggle with sin?
My answer: No, I don’t.
Does that mean I’m arrogant and deceived?
No, I am not.
I will explain why later, but first let us talk about what sin is.
So, what is sin?
According to the Collins Dictionary:
“Sin or a sin is an action or type of behavior which is believed to break the laws of God.”
The Law of God in The Old Testament was given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai and is referred to as the 10 commandments:
* You shall have no other Gods before me
* You shall make no idols
* You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain
* Keep the sabbath day holy
* Honor your father and mother
* You shall not murder
* You shall not commit adultery
* You shall not steal
* You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
* You shall not covet
The 10 Commandments act as a mirror so we can see our sin. As St Paul says in the Book of Romans, it was the law that showed him his sin. He said, ‘I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.”
The Ten Commandments are still valid and good to live our lives by, but God knows that because of our weakness, we can’t keep them.
So, God made a new way through Jesus, His Son.
“The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. So, he sent his only Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sins control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.”
—Romans 8:3
Read that verse again.
It is crucial you understand this. The Law given to Moses on Mount Sinai was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature.
Sin first entered man in the Garden of Eden (The Fall).
God knows we have a weakness. It’s called the flesh.
“So God did what the law could not do.”
The Law could not save us, so God had to find another way to atone for our sins once and for all.
So what did God do?
“..He sent His only son in a body like the body we sinners have.” (Jesus)
“..And in that body God declared an end to sins control over us..”
How?
“..by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.”
This is often referred to as the exchange because Jesus had no sin. He was spotless, pure, holy, and without blemish which meant He would be the one to atone for our sin.
He who is righteous became a sacrifice (the perfect lamb) for our sins.
We exchange our sin for His righteousness when we accept Him as our Lord and Saviour.
If you do not get this, then you are not saved and you will struggle with sin for the rest of your life.
We cannot stop ourselves from sinning in the natural. It is not possible.
So, if you are trying to be a good little Christian all by yourself, forget it. You are going to fail over and over again.
The reason I do not struggle with sin is that I surrendered my whole sinful self to the one who saves and He declared an end to sins’ control over me.
I repented for my sin, I received God’s forgiveness and now it is God, through the Holy Spirit that helps me to live without the burden of sin.
I hear you say, “That’s impossible!”
It is my awareness of my potential for sin that keeps me away from it.
It could be possible for me to fall into sin, but this is why it is my responsibility to obey the commands. Jesus tells us to do as He says, so the more I know what He says (through the Bible), my prayer time, and fellowship with other believers, the more I will grow in Him.
When we are one with God, how then can we sin?
Our mind is not set on sinful things, our mind is set on heavenly things.
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
- Philippians 3:8-9
I don’t think about what if I sin. If I think like that, I am living in unbelief and Jesus often told his disciples not to live in unbelief.
Jesus rebuked the disciples for their unbelief after His resurrection
“Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.”
- Mark 16:14
Keeping the Law is good, but it isn’t what saves us and keeps us free from sin. The only thing that saves is grace through our faith in God.
The apostle Paul taught..
“Because of the cross, right standing before God is by grace through faith alone.”
-Ephesians 2:8
Love – The Greatest Commandment
We no longer live by The Law of Moses but by the Greatest Commandment given by Jesus Himself which He broke into two parts.
* Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
* Love your neighbour as yourself.
One of the Pharisees, an expert in the law, tested Jesus with a question:
“Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?” Jesus declared, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. “This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
So, because God sent Jesus as an atonement for our sin, we are no longer tied to the Law, but we still obey it, but this time through grace that is given to us by the Holy Spirit
Saved by Grace
You are saved from your sinful life and transformed into a new person who is no longer dominated by the sinful nature but instead controlled by the Holy Spirit to live a righteous life.
It all seems too simple, right? There must be a catch. Why then does the church look so complicated and why do so many Christians sin?
Because some people are practicing a religion full of rules, regulations, and rituals.
Jesus hated all that and the more you read the Bible, the more you will see this.
Freedom In Christ
In the book of Galatians (New Testament), St. Paul teaches the church about the new life in Christ and how the sinful nature is still there, but not to give power to it. He tells them to be led by the Holy Spirit.
“So, I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.”
—Galatians 5:16-17
Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
-Galatians 5:2-6
You are free but do not use your freedom to indulge in the flesh (Galatians 5:13a)
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”
Galatians. 5:16-18
What are the desires of the sinful nature?
The desires of the sinful nature result in, “sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.’”—Gal. 5:19-21
The fruit of the Holy Spirit
“But, the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”—Gal. 5:22
What others Christians have to say
There was a lot of good feedback when I shared this topic on another platform. And one Book in the Bible really stood out that expands on this point of not sinning.
It’s interesting to see how annoyed some Christians get when I say we do not have to sin.
They love to say, “Who do you think you are? Of course, you sin!”
It makes me laugh because, I know I still have the potential to sin. However, that is not to say that I will sin. It is clear in 1 John (please read it for yourself) that if we remain in Him (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) we will not continue sinning.
We will overcome the evil one.
When we sin, we are walking in darkness and we have no light in us.
So, are you walking in the light?
In the next podcast, I will talk about how I overcame worldly desires and how I stay away from them today. The Holy Spirit is the best teacher you will have in this area.
Thank you for reading and listening!
For a FREE copy of my eBook, 7 Ways to Break Free From Fear and Live Your Best Life Now, click here.
Episode # 27
Other scriptures mentioned in the podcast:
1 John 1-5
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