watchman F
Member
Dear friends and fellow saints, the fact that we are told we can defeat sin is clear in scripture, if we look closely at the word of God. There are many many promises that deal with that fact. I will try to keep this short to encourage discussion.
If we are told that "in every temptation, God will make a way of escape that we will be able to bear it", does He really man all?
If God said "sin shall not have dominion over you", did he mean it?
I literally can list twenty more, reckon yourself dead unto sin and alive unto God, praise be to God who always causes us to triumph in Christ Jesus, lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil, and so forth.
I firmly believe we have mistakenly missed why he has saved us, to set us free, "You shall call His name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins" now, in this life to preserve us blameless unto the coming of the Lord. In the gospels, we are told ''He that commits sin is the servant of sin, and the servant abides not in the house forever. But whom the son sets free is free indeed."
So why do we not see this in real time in our lives?? Why does this teaching seem so foreign to our ears? Could it possibly be because it is always, always, ALWAYS "according to our faith be it unto us" and that the good fight of faith which we are told to wage is indeed believing who we are in Christ, so that Christ might dwell in our hearts by faith?
We are told by Jesus himself "Without me, you can do nothing." yet in the writings of Paul we are told "I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me." Is this perhaps what Jesus meant when he expressed his deep concern that "when the son of man returns, will he find faith on the earth?"
Personally speaking, the sins that make up my personal "achilles heel",unlike yours, are not small ones. But I have found as well that His promises are meant for even the most wretched, and they work. This faith of who we are in Christ is what constitutes our shield spoken of in Ephesians 6, "wherewith we shall quench ALL the fiery darts of the wicked one". This is why in Revelation 19, we are told "and they overcame him (satan) by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony."
I hope this explanation at least opens up the door for dialog. I fully understand the potential for controversy with this teaching. It goes against all that we have been taught, that we slowly change from the old man to the new by a lifelong, never ending process. I content that the only way the process can work as God intends is when we obey him and believe that "you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit if so be that the spirit dwells in you."
For any who wants to simply attack and ask me "Are you saying you are perfect and do not sin?" I will answer easily "Absolutely not". But what I am saying is we serve a father who longs keep us safe from the world the flesh and the devil,and it comes not by effort but by faith alone. This is why Paul prayed that the "eyes of our understanding might be enlightened that we might know the hope of his calling, and the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe."
God did not save us to wallow in defeat and just hang on till he rescues us. Where is the victory in that? No, we are told that God has made us more than conquerors thru him that loved us. "Unto Him who is able to keep me from falling and to present me faultless, faithful is he is is calling you who also will DO IT!"
If we are told that "in every temptation, God will make a way of escape that we will be able to bear it", does He really man all?
If God said "sin shall not have dominion over you", did he mean it?
I literally can list twenty more, reckon yourself dead unto sin and alive unto God, praise be to God who always causes us to triumph in Christ Jesus, lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil, and so forth.
I firmly believe we have mistakenly missed why he has saved us, to set us free, "You shall call His name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins" now, in this life to preserve us blameless unto the coming of the Lord. In the gospels, we are told ''He that commits sin is the servant of sin, and the servant abides not in the house forever. But whom the son sets free is free indeed."
So why do we not see this in real time in our lives?? Why does this teaching seem so foreign to our ears? Could it possibly be because it is always, always, ALWAYS "according to our faith be it unto us" and that the good fight of faith which we are told to wage is indeed believing who we are in Christ, so that Christ might dwell in our hearts by faith?
We are told by Jesus himself "Without me, you can do nothing." yet in the writings of Paul we are told "I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me." Is this perhaps what Jesus meant when he expressed his deep concern that "when the son of man returns, will he find faith on the earth?"
Personally speaking, the sins that make up my personal "achilles heel",unlike yours, are not small ones. But I have found as well that His promises are meant for even the most wretched, and they work. This faith of who we are in Christ is what constitutes our shield spoken of in Ephesians 6, "wherewith we shall quench ALL the fiery darts of the wicked one". This is why in Revelation 19, we are told "and they overcame him (satan) by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony."
I hope this explanation at least opens up the door for dialog. I fully understand the potential for controversy with this teaching. It goes against all that we have been taught, that we slowly change from the old man to the new by a lifelong, never ending process. I content that the only way the process can work as God intends is when we obey him and believe that "you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit if so be that the spirit dwells in you."
For any who wants to simply attack and ask me "Are you saying you are perfect and do not sin?" I will answer easily "Absolutely not". But what I am saying is we serve a father who longs keep us safe from the world the flesh and the devil,and it comes not by effort but by faith alone. This is why Paul prayed that the "eyes of our understanding might be enlightened that we might know the hope of his calling, and the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe."
God did not save us to wallow in defeat and just hang on till he rescues us. Where is the victory in that? No, we are told that God has made us more than conquerors thru him that loved us. "Unto Him who is able to keep me from falling and to present me faultless, faithful is he is is calling you who also will DO IT!"
Amen!
You hit the nail on the head. The question is not "do we sin", but the real matter is "How do I finally DEFEAT sin" It is 100% possible to defeat it permanently in our lives. But in order to do so, we must all start in the beginning: With faith ! First believing those verses already quoted that tells us that we are indeed dead to sin and alive in Christ (Dead men cannot sin ) Once we are in faith, the Holy Spirit can start bringing this to pass in our lives.