“Hi, my name is Dianne and I’m a sinner, and can’t stop sinning. I need help.” If there was such an organization, this could be the opening statement in a ‘Sinner’s Anonymous Program’. Step one in any recovery is admitting you have a problem. Salvation in Christ begins the same way—we admit we are sinners, confess our sins, and receive Him into our hearts. The second element in a recovery program is acknowledging we are powerless to change. This is no less true for believers. However, too many think that after salvation ‘they can handle it.’ They falsely believe they can overcome sin and deal with their issues without help. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The Lord knows this and sends every believer the Holy Spirit to provide the power needed to live a victorious life. This first requires knowledge of God’s provisions and most important, we must daily realize we can’t live a righteous life that day without His constant help. Facing the fact, we have weaknesses and temptations and seeking His help is a lifelong process.
All through life, the Holy Spirit will teach us through the Word, areas in our life that aren’t yet Christlike and the need for change. This seems simple enough. However, we often ignore these areas, deny them, run from them, rationalize them, or blame someone else. This takes us back to step one: we must acknowledge we have a problem. Yet, we may refuse to think about it and hide it in the back of our mind. We tell ourselves it’s not an issue, and nothing to be concerned about. We convince ourselves we can handle it. A few common temptations believers may face are, not loving someone you don’t like, anger, depression, forgiveness, pornography, gossip, grudges, or anything that’s not Christlike. The first step is accepting that this can lead to sin and seeking the Holy Spirit’s help. So why do we have such a struggle doing this?
Conceding that we have a sin in our life goes against our pride. It is a humbling act to confess that we have failed God and need His help. Receiving His helps begins when we ask and are willing to surrender to Him. People can also be afraid of facing their problems. They wonder if God will reject them, as if He didn’t already know their problem. He knew what He was getting into when He saved you. He gave us this promise, God has said, Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you . . . The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid (Heb 13:5, 6). Others may fear facing their problem believing it might bring more pain. That would be like someone with a cancerous tumor refusing surgery because that would cause additional pain even though temporary. However, when you deny you have a problem, it leaves you trapped in a lifetime of pain and misery.
A further hindrance to some comes from an incorrect doctrine concerning sanctification. Paul said knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin (Rom 6:6). The phrase, be done away with, leads some to teach that God eradicates our sinful nature and removes all sinful tendencies in one decisive experience called sanctification. This leaves believers confused when problems arise and they wonder if they actually experienced sanctification. They fear admitting their failure so they hide it. However, be done away with would be better translated, rendered powerless. If you turn a light switch off, the bulb stops working. You rendered it powerless. The bulb is still there but has no power. Salvation renders our sinful nature without power but the old nature will be with us until we die.
Through Satan’s temptations, the weaknesses of our flesh, and failing to rely on the Holy Spirit, we may turn the power switch on. Some believe they will sin in word, thought, and deed every day. So, why even try to live a victorious life. The key to a victorious life is acknowledging when we are facing a temptation or the Holy Spirit reveals areas not yet under His control then allowing His power and guidance to deal with our un-Christlike issues. Victory over sin is possible with Him working in us.
After Paul tells us in Romans chapter six that God renders our sinful nature powerless, in chapter seven he describes a struggle between the sinful nature and new nature. Opinions vary on whether this is life before salvation or if it describes a constant daily struggle for Christian. The answer lies in chapter eight, where he writes of the victorious life over sin that believers can have. The struggle he describes is when we try to handle it ourselves without the Holy Spirit’s help. A peaceful and victorious life comes through immediately acknowledging we have a problem, an issue, a temptation, a sinful desire, etc. or whatever you want to call it; then allowing the Holy Spirit to empower us and to work in our life.
Sustaining Word for the Week: You can live a victorious life over sin. It begins by facing your sin and admitting you have a problem and need help.