One of the most distressing realizations of being a Christians is how deeply sin is entrenched in the soul. The apostle Paul reminds us, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12). While countless theories and techniques have been offered of how to overcome sin, it remains.
Some Christians have found victory over repetitive indwelling sin by consciously seeking sanctification, which is the will of God (1 Thess. 4:3). The Higher Life Movement promotes holiness of life by inviting believers to seek a Second Blessing or a moment of Total Surrender whereby the Spirit is relied on for guidance and empowerment in one’s daily life.
Some Christians have found victory over repetitive indwelling sin through the power of prayer. Individuals have fallen on their knees and pleaded with God to take away an addiction. Having this prayer answered, individuals rise to walk in newness of life never to return to their besetting sin.
Some Christians have found victory over repetitive indwelling sin through Scripture memorization. With the Psalmist they can say, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Ps. 119:11).
Some Christians have found victory over repetitive indwelling sin through a rigorous study of Bible doctrine. Hour after hour, day after day, the Bible is studied in a systematic way so that the mind is transformed. A passion for spiritual knowledge replaces the sensual passions of the body.
Some Christians have found victory over repetitive indwelling sin by making a Covenant with God, or with their area of weakness. Job said, “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman” (Job 31:1).
Some Christians have found victory over repetitive indwelling sin by becoming accountable to a trusted person whom they can call when tempted. The Bible says that “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up” (Eccl. 4:9,10).
Some Christians have found victory over repetitive indwelling sin by exercising personal will -power. A decision is made to be different and forsake a certain practice, and temptation is resisted. In his hour of temptation with Potiphar’s wife, Joseph had determined to be honorable and flee when tempted (Gen. 39:1-20).
Some Christians have found victory over repetitive indwelling sin by singing songs when tempted.
“I need Thee ev’ry hour,
most gracious Lord;
no tender voice like Thine
can peace afford.I need Thee, O I need Thee;
ev’ry hour I need Thee;
O bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.I need Thee ev’ry hour,
stay Thou nearby;
temptations lose their pow’r
when Thou art nigh.”~Robert Lowry
As wonderful and encouraging as it is to learn how some of God’s people have overcome indwelling sin, tragically, some do not. There are Christians who struggle with sin. They sing a song, but to no avail.
“Lord I want to be a Christian
in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart.In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart.
Lord, I want to be more loving
in my heart, in my heart.Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart.”
~Unknown Author
Sometimes such a person is a Christian in their heart. Their heart thrills when the gospel is preached, and the Word of God is taught. They tremble at the Law they have broken. They weep when hearing that God receives sinful men, “even me with all my sin.”
Sometimes such a person is more loving, more holy, and like Jesus, but then temptation returns stronger than ever. The mind capitulates to ungodly thoughts leading to unholy impulses resulting in unspeakable acts followed by shame.
Like gathered storm clouds ready to burst, questions gather in the mind that need to be answered.
“Am I truly born again?”
“Have I been converted?”
“Do I really believe that Jesus has made me free from the penalty, power, and pollution of sin?”
I know that before many I have made a confession of faith saying,
“I do believe, I will believe,
That Jesus died for me,
That on the cross He shed His blood,
From sin to set me free?”
“Why does the Lord not stop me from sinning?”
“Should I commit suicide to stop the madness of returning to sin, like a dog returns to its vomit?”
“How can I be so fleshly when the Bible says that to be in Christ is to be a new man?”
“Why does knowledge of the judgment to come not cause me to tremble and change?”
“Why does the love of God, and the death of Christ, not move me to forsake sin?”
“Why are my sensual passions more powerful, more persuasive, and more desirable than spiritual emotions?”
“Who shall deliver me from my body of sin and death?”
“When will deliverance come, not positionally, but experientially?”
“Lord, I want to be more holy
in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart.Lord, I want to be like Jesus
in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, In my heart, in my heart,
I want to be like Jesus in my heart.
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart.”
Despite years of revisiting Egypt, the place of bondage, terror, and shame, the desperate heart of some professing Christians do desire sanctification. They know they must put on spiritual armor and go forth to fight the Devil, the world, and especially, their own flesh. To that end, attention is turned again from the Kingdom of Darkness to the Kingdom of Light.
It is to be remembered that the new birth into the Kingdom of God is just that, a birth. This means there is to be spiritual growth from immaturity to maturity. Childish behavior is to be put away, and mature behavior is to be practiced to grow up into the fulness of Christ (1 Cor. 13:11; Eph. 4:13).
Growing into the fulness of Christ means developing a close relationship with Him, learning what He teaches, and obeying His commandments (Luke 6:46). The challenge of character development is obeying the known will of the Lord. That is where the struggle is centered. The quest of the weak, but alarmed, Christian is to find the foundational reason why the struggle against the flesh continues. Such a person will ask more questions.
“Why do I willingly disobey the known will of the Lord?”
“Why has my flesh not been mortified after so many years of living in the sphere of saving faith?”
“Even if the main reason for spiritual anemia is found, is knowledge enough to change me?”
“Apart from spiritual knowledge, what else do I need to gain the victory in time over the world, the Devil, and the flesh?”
These are the many inquiries of a sin sick and evil saturated soul of a professing Christian.
A concerned Christian will often look to teachers, mentors, books, and the Bible itself for answers. However, some of the answers from teachers, books, and mentors should be taken with care.
Counsel has been given to lower expectations. There is some truth in this. Children want to grow up quickly, and are told to have patience. It takes time to reach a state of maturity.
Spiritually, the same is true. It takes time to grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Though few Christians move rapidly from faith to faith, and strength to strength, no Christian should lag for years without growing in the Lord and without ceasing to sin.
Counsel has been given to minimize sin. Those who embrace the Wesleyan teaching of Perfectionism are tempted to redefine sin after experiencing a “Second Work of Grace.” It is a lovely thought to think about entire sanctification in this life, but it is also contrary to Scripture (1 John 1:8-10).
Counsel has been given to embrace simplistic terms for spiritual deliverance. This is the doctrine of “Quietism” and the “Higher Life” movement. Christians are told to“let go and let God have His way.” No effort should be made to change for change will come naturally by the new life principle implanted in the heart by way of the new birth.
As branches on a vine do not strain to produce fruit, so the Christian should not strive, but let the Spirit perform what the flesh cannot. Dead fruit dies naturally and falls off, and deadly sins die as well and disappear in time. Be confident of this very thing, “that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).
It all sounds so easy, so simple. “Come to Jesus.” “Try Jesus.” “Let go and let God be God.”
However, the platitudes do not work. Seeking freedom from sin can become very frustrating for no one explains how to “let go,” “trust Jesus,” or “come to Christ.” No one explains how God can perform His pruning work. The platitudes become mystical, emotional, idealized, but not practical.
The truth is that being a Christian brings complications to the life of a person who has lived as a Natural Man, which is the Biblical term for a person that is not born of God (1 Cor. 2:14). Being a Christian is more challenging than the idea conveyed that all problems in life will be resolved after conversion.
Life becomes complicated when a person commits their life to Christ because the Holy Spirit comes to indwell the body. The Spirit comes to convict of sin and judgment. The Spirit comes to prick the conscience with a sense of shame and guilt. As many times as a person succumbs to sin, that is how often the Spirit will make sure the soul has a sense of self-disgust and self-loathing. The pleasure in any given sin lasts only for a moment. However, the allure of sin is constant.
Ask Jacob. Jacob was an ambitious man who knew the enslaving sin of greed. Greed demands a purchase be made, even when it cannot be afforded, and will soon be discarded.
Ask David. David was a sensual man who struggled with lust. Lust sweeps over the body like a mighty wave of the ocean. It lifts the passions and consumes the mind, only to crash again into the darkness of the sea.
Ask Solomon. The wisest man was not so wise when he gave himself to a frantic search for happiness with wine. Solomon foolishly stimulated his body with wine. The feelings associated with drugs and alcohol become so demanding, all that matters in life is getting the next fix to reach an imaginary state of euphoria.
Ask the Levine. The violence of verbal and physical abuse leaves a feeling of empowerment over the weak. Others are needlessly hurt with cruel words and deeds, and the hardened heart does not care. Study Judges 19:1-30, 21:25
The sins of the people of the covenant are recorded in the Bible as shocking examples of sinful impulses in the soul leading to shameful acts.
But an honest person, a child of promise, does not have to look to external examples for shameful behavior. A professing Christian with a besetting sin can look at their own heart to know what is being contemplated in secret. In moments of clarity, the wounded heart cries out to God to be forgiven and washed whiter than snow.
“Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat,
I wait, blessed Lord, at Thy crucified feet;
By faith, for my cleansing I see Thy blood flow,
Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow,
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”
~James L. Nicholson
For the sincere seeker who wants to be made free from repetitive wrongful behavior, the heart must not be discouraged by being told to return to the fundamentals of the faith. As familiar as the basics of the Christian life might seem, they can be illuminated afresh by the Holy Spirit with new insight and power. This was the testimony of Charles Wesley.
Despite years of study, Charles Wesley records his own conversion and sanctifying event in his manuscript journal on Sunday, May 21, 1738.
“His entry describes the events of the day, culminating in a new found sense of peace with God through Christ. It also describes a new and profound awareness of his own great weakness apart from Christ.
I now found myself at peace with God and rejoiced in the hope of loving Christ. My temper for the rest of the day was mistrust of my own great, but before unknown, weakness. I saw that by faith I stood; by the continual support of faith, which kept me from falling, though of myself I am ever sinking into sin. ~Charles Wesley (Manuscript Journal, 1:108)
Charles had given up his trust in his own religious endeavors. What he had previously found great encouragement in, he now recognized was a great weakness.” ~ThePoetPreacher
In the quest for sanctification an honest evaluation of the heart must be made for an authentic conversion experience.
It is possible to be religious but not regenerated. Charles Wesley was baptized in the Church of England. He joined the Holy Club at Oxford. He preached the gospel in America. However, he was not born again until he was 30 years old.
It is also possible to be regenerated but in need of reassurance. Ask the Lord for a renewed sense of peace with God through Christ. In either case, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (2 Cor. 13:5).
With a renewed sense of assurance of salvation based on the promise of Jesus in His Word, and the inner testimony of the Holy Spirit, realize that the quest for sanctification is a war. The Enemies have many weapons to use that war against the soul of the Christian. This is why the believer is told to put on the whole armor of God.
The Armor of God
When the heart is truly converted to Christ, when there is peace with God, when the full gospel armor is put on and effectively used, the next basic principle of sanctification and character development is to walk in the Spirit. The promise is given that when this is done, “you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Gal. 5:6).
Like all the promises of God, this spiritual truth must be embraced in faith. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. The Lord would have His people be overcomers. The Enemy of God is the Devil who lives to make men sin.
“And they overcame him by
the blood of the Lamb,
and by the word of their testimony.
and they loved not their lives unto the death.”
~Revelation 12:11
To walk in the Spirit means the heart yields to the controlling impulse of the Spirit.
To walk in the Spirit is to listen for the voice of Jesus.
“I can hear my Savior calling,
I can hear my Savior calling,
I can hear my Savior calling,
‘Take thy cross and follow,
follow Me.’”
To walk in the Spirit is to meet the Lord in prayer.
“I’ll go with Him through the garden,
I’ll go with Him through the garden,
I’ll go with Him through the garden,
I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.”
To walk in the Spirit is to die to self and be baptized with Christ on a cross.
“I’ll go with Him through the judgment,
I’ll go with Him through the judgment,
I’ll go with Him through the judgment,
I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.”
To walk in the Spirit is to walk in faith, believing the Lord will give grace and glory to those who seek and desire Him, not simply a clear conscience and non-guilty feelings.
“He will give me grace and glory,
He will give me grace and glory,
He will give me grace and glory,
and go with me, with me all the way.”
To walk in the Spirit is to follow His lead in the Lord the path of righteousness. “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matt. 16:24).
“Where He leads me I will follow,
where He leads me I will follow,
where He leads me I will follow,
I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.”
~Ernest W. Blandly
To walk in the Spirit is consciencely respond to the divine influence over the heart and not suppress the truth, or justify wrong with self-talk, and thoughts of self-rationalization.
To walk in the Spirit is stop resisting Him or grieving Him thereby destroying any close fellowship with the Father and with the Son (Ephesians 4:30).
When a Christian is sure of their salvation, enjoys peace with God, puts on and uses the whole armor of God, and walks in the Spirit, then the next basic principle to consider is learn the discipline and delight of prayer. “No man can progress in grace if he forsakes prayer” (C. H. Spurgeon).
Ideally, it would be a blessing if there were no struggles in the Christian life against a threefold enemy: the world, the flesh, and the Devil. But there is a war and the battle it is real. Fortunately, each of the enemies can be defeated by the divine resources God has entrusted to the believer. The defeat will come by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirt working through the spiritual arsenal containing the divine resources of Truth, Faith, Salvation, Righteousness, the gospel of peace, and Scripture.
It would be easy to live as a Christian if the believer did not have to struggle with the fallenness of society, angels, and our own fallen humanity.
In this battle against fallen humanity, the Christian must be optimistic, which is another way of saying, the Christian must believe that the best is yet to come, that the world, the flesh, and the devil will be defeated, and that the work of sanctification will be effective to the point that the believer shall be presented to Christ one day without defilement, but holy and blameless (Eph. 5:27).
If that hope is taken away from the Christian,
“then faith must mount on broken wing;
Then hope no more immortal spring;
Then love must lose her mighty urge;
Life prove a phantom, death a dirge.”~Henry H. Barstow
If hope of sanctification in this life is taken away, the soul will be plunged into despondency. Therefore, let this song be sung as a prayer that will be answered.
“In my life Lord, be glorified, be glorified!
In my life Lord, be glorified, be glorified today.”
Remember, “Therefore, He is always able to save those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them” (Heb. 7:25).
The Collected Works of Stanford E. Murrell 