Grace and Struggle (The Reality of Our Fight with Sin & Temptation)

        One thing needs to be said in very clear terms as we talk about our new identity in Christ and the fact that we are dead to sin. We are dead to sin (Romans 6) but SIN IS NOT DEAD! Not only that but just because we get a new identity and a new spirit we will still sin and blow it. It is like a baby first learning to walk. They are toddlers and at first they may take a few steps and then fall. But gradually, more and more, their steps are strengthened and they learn to walk.

        I’ve heard Chuck Swindoll speak in sermons about the men who were once slaves, but were legally set free from the civil war and by Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. The analogy to Jesus is eerily similar. A war was fought and won, Lincoln made a law that slavery was illegal; he even died (like Christ) and spilled his blood for the cause. All the slaves had to do was believe it, to take hold of this new law and accept their freedom. But sadly, many did not even know about this law that set them free. (Remember Romans 6 –we have to “know” that Christ has set us free and then we can act like freed men). It is so tragic that many, who were legally free to go and lives their lives and leave the plantation (and tell the slave master to kiss their keister), they remained in slavery and cruel treatment. But they were legally free!!! It is so sad.

        We have to 1) know and believe what God’s Word says about our new identity and 2) present ourselves to God (ask God to fill us with His Spirit) and 3) obey by faith, faith that Jesus is living through us. With all that said, I need to admit it is many times a fight and a struggle to overcome bad habits. It all starts with our mind and NOT will power.  Romans 12 says, “We are transformed by the renewing of our mind.” That is not jut intellectual, but it is reading God’s Word, feeding our minds continually on The Truth. Jesus said, “The truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32) Just like those freed men that still thought they were slaves, we (and they) need to know the Truth that Jesus makes us free and claim it. But there is a problem. We have 3 enemies that fight against our faith. In fact Paul said the main fight we have is the fight of believing (not straining in our will power). He said, “Fight the good fight of faith.” (1 Timothy 6:12). But remember I said we have three enemies.

        Those enemies are 1) The Devil/ Satan 2) The world and 3) our own “flesh”. Satan’s name literally means “the accuser” and in Revelation 12:10 he is called “the accuser of the brethren.” Not only does he accuse you, but he is crafty, first he tempts us. He is always trying to tempt us. Actually it is not Satan because he is only a fallen angel. Unlike God, he cannot be everywhere at once. It is one of his demons. (by the way a very encouraging thought – only 1/3 of the angels rebelled and became demons. So for every evil spirit there are two good angels – the enemy is outnumbered). Satan is not God’s opposite. If that were so he would be an all powerful evil God. That would be scary. But he is not. At best he is the opposite of Michael the Arc Angel. God and Satan are not slugging it out. Jesus created Satan and Satan (before he rebelled) used to bow down before Jesus’ throne and worship and serve Him. Jesus created Satan and controls him like a puppet. Because we are in Christ we have power to overcome Satan. Jesus said “I have given you power to trample over the enemy and to overcome all the power of the enemy.” (Luke 10:19) He uses the imagery of serpents and scorpions and things that people of that time considered to be symbols of evil (kind of like how in our age silly people think black cats are evil).

         Satan’s only weapons are deceit and lies. He can try to intimidate us and make us think he is more powerful. And for sure he is more powerful than a normal human being. Angels are way more powerful than humans and have miraculous and supernatural powers. However we are not normal human beings. The original language in which the New Testament was written (Greek) says, “Anyone in Christ is a new species.” (2 Corin. 5:17) It is like those slave owners. They could keep the truth from the freed slaves, they could only intimidate by lies. But imagine if a messenger from Lincoln with soldiers behind him came to a plantation and said, “You are now legally free, take your stand and claim your freedom, and abandon this wretched place.” Imagine if those blacks were to have an uprising, grabbing weapons to use. They greatly outnumbered the whites. And with the soldiers behind them they could have massacred they evil white slave owners. That is EXACTLY how it is with us. The Holy Spirit through His Word is saying, “You are free!!”

        Jesus has given us HIS power to rebuke and cast out demons, and The Bible says that when we quote The Bible it is “the sword of The Spirit”, like a sword slicing evil spirits. Angels are armed and ready to fight for us. But Satan, like the slave owners, tries to keep us blind to the truth of our freedom. (By the way, on another side note, did you know that one day Satan will bow down and say, “Jesus You are Lord”, Literally God and Master in the Greek. In Philippians 2:10-11 and in other places it says, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”) Notice “every knee” and “every tongue” and “under the earth” is a reference to hell or Sheol the abode of the dead and of Satan. Every big shot, every oppressor, Caesar, Hitler, the greatest athletes, the richest men, the arrogant atheists, will all bow down and admit, “Jesus you are God and Master.” Ok- back to the issue at hand.

        Also we need to know that we are “Complete in Christ.” We are, in our spirit, whole and powerful. However as humans we are spirit, soul, and body. The soul and body is what Paul calls “our flesh” (again his shorthand).  In the Old and New Testament “flesh” has a few different meanings. It can just mean mankind or it can mean “all mankind that is apart from God and enslaved to this world which is under Satan’s control.” (my definition). When Paul refers to the flesh he means that part of us which still has remnants of sin. Our spirit has been redeemed but our soul (which is our feelings, thoughts, emotions, etc) and our body has not had sin’s presence flushed out. When we go to Heaven we will have new bodies and souls. We will no longer have sin’s presence in us and will never be tempted to sin, nor will we ever sin again. But in this life sins presence remains in our bodies and souls (memories, feelings, sensations in our organs of past addictions and sins, our bodies want satisfaction NOW and on our terms, such as sex. We want it now even if it means sinning against God’s law and having sex outside of marriage.) So there is a war going on.

        Paul said, “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.”(Galatians 5:17)  But he gives us the remedy “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

        But I want to encourage you by saying that all Christians sin still, in other words, you are not alone. I used to think (faulty thinking) that once the Apostles received the Spirit they never sinned again. I was so discouraged because I was fighting to break old habits. But then I was SO RELIEVED to find that Paul, the great Apostle, still struggled with sin and temptation. Look at Romans 7. “¹⁵ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. ¹⁶ And if I do what I do not want to do (DID YOU SEE THAT? Paul admits he sins and does what he knows is wrong and feels bad about it – my insertion), I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it (by that he is not shunning responsibility. He is taking responsibility for his choices. But he means “it’s not the real me” or “the temptation is not coming from the real, new, redeemed me but from my flesh” – again my insertion), but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸ For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.^[c] For I have the desire to do what is good (remember in Ezekiel and Jeremiah God gives us a new heart and writes the law on our hearts) , but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I (again he is not avoiding responsibility but he means “I – the real me doesn’t want to do this) who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

²¹ So I find this law at work: Although I (“I” is the new man – the “redeemed Paul” , the new creation) want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³ but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. ²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death (by death he means the result of Adam’s sin and our “spiritual death” or fallen nature)? ²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my inner man (my translation, a better word than mind) am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature (or “flesh”) ^[d] a slave to the law of sin.”

        So a few points need to be made here:

1.      Paul sinned!!!! He was just like you and me. You are no worse than Paul or any other Christian. Quit beating yourself up.

2.      Paul in his “inner being” (verse 22) is redeemed and free from sin

3.      However Paul’s flesh or “sinful nature” is enslaved to sin….BUT THE GOOD NEWS

4.      “²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

        You see Jesus in us helps us overcome temptation. He gives us POWER to overcome sin. Look at this promise in 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 10:13 New International Version (NIV) “¹³ No temptation^[a] has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted^[b] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,^[c] he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

        Here are some more promises (remember it is by believing that you overcome temptation). “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." Psalm 23:3” (Psalms 23:3) In 2 Corinthians 2:14 it says, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession”

        Remember God is always leading you in victory. You are not a helpless victim. But Satan says, “You are not a Christian, give in to that sin.” After you sin (if you do give into his temptation he says, “See look you’re not really a Christian, look at how you sin.” Also our bodies may crave something. Remember our cravings are not, in themselves always bad, but after Adam and Eve sinned it threw our bodies out of whack. For example, sex is not bad as long as it is within God’s boundaries; it is for a man and a woman that are married. But sex before marriage is sexual sin. It is not waiting for God’s best, his mate that he has chosen. Ice cream is not bad but if we over eat or eat it every day we are sinning and our bodies will get terribly out of shape. But there is good news.

          The reality is that God (sanctifies us). His Spirit makes our behavior holier every day. So we have hope, hey in 5 years that thing you’re struggling with might not be a struggle at all . “He Who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:6). So you don’t have to do this on your own. God is constantly at work in you making you better and better even if you don’t see it.

        But still the reality is that we still blow it. Hey I lose my temper with my kids, in my mind sometimes I still cuss when I smash my finger, I am tempted to lust. You may say, “But Steve that is minor to what I have done and still do.” It probably is not. I remember in high school, the summer before my freshmen year going to youth camp. We all made commitments to follow Christ; not drink, cuss, skip class, fornicate, etc. For a whole year I was able to walk strong (I was very alone). But then my sophomore year I caved in. Because I played electric guitar and was in rock bands I started living the “alcohol, sex, drugs, and rock and roll” lifestyle (which by the way there is nothing wrong with rockin’ out on the electric guitar or playing secular songs unless it leads you into a sinful lifestyle. Also there are MANY great Christian rock bands, Christian punk bands, and Christian Heavy Metal bands that are godly and stand for Christ).

        I started playing at parties where we minors were underage drinking and basically getting wasted. I did that for about three years. I had “fun” at first but then started to feel miserable and so guilty. I felt convicted by the Holy Spirit and when my drunken friends would betray me, hurt me, or I hurt them, and the drama would happen, I realized this lifestyle is NOT fun it is STUPID. All the while I sensed God calling me back to Him and I missed Jesus. I did a lot of things I am not proud of. I woke up one morning and prayed, “God either kill me or change me.” I asked Him to “please take me back.” Ever since that point I learned several  hard lessons; 1)that God’s way is right and good for us, 2) disobeying God brings terrible consequences, 3) Sin not only hurts you but it hurts other people. God took me back under His arms and showed me “real life” as I started to live sold out for Christ during my college years. I promise you that living for Jesus was A MILLION TIMES FOR FUN AND FULFILLING!!! Our college church group was so much fun and we would go on mission trips, share the Gospel, help the sick and the orphans, and lead people to Christ. I have never been more fulfilled than in those days!

       Some people fall back into sin temporarily, then repent (because they are true Christians and God convicts them). Some struggle to break a drug or alcohol addiction. But there is more good news. Look at this verse in 1 John, “When we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse (or some translations say ‘purify) us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9). When you sin just confess. The word confess just means to admit and agree what you did was wrong. That’s all you have to do, come to God with a repentant heart and he will IMMEDIATELY, “forgive you of your sins and purify and cleanse you of ALL unrighteousness.” That means when you confess the sins you’re aware of He will even forgive the sins that you haven’t confessed and are not aware of. Now that is grace.

        Ok one more verse. I have quoted this before, “There is now NO CONDEMNATION for those in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1). You will never be condemned once you are in Christ!! You may blow it and even backslide into former sins but God will not condemn you to hell. It’s a promise in His word. Here is an even stronger promise. Remember the verse above (1 John 1:9) about confessing our sins and getting forgiven. Look at the verses that follow. John is telling us this so we can have harmony and peace in our fellowship with God (not having to carry guilt around). But he adds this in Chapter 2 verses 1 and 2, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ² He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

        Did you get that? He’s saying I’m writing this so you won’t sin. Remember I and all true grace advocates (and really grace advocates are just Biblical), we are for obedience!! We want holiness. People say, “You’re giving them license to sin.” No we are just quoting the Bible, God wrote that, not me and you are arguing against His Word – be afraid!! But He says, “But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ² He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” He is saying even if we DO sin, Jesus has us covered.

        The word “atoning sacrifice” is a reference to the Old Testament sacrifice when either on the day of atonement they sacrificed the lamb for the sins of the people and/or when they poured the blood on the “atonement seat” on the ark of the covenant. The “Seat” covered up the 10 commandments which are God’s laws that we break when we sin. The blood covered up those laws. It was a foreshadowing of Christ Who was to come. His blood covers up all the laws we break, His blood covers up all our sins. In fact a better translation for atoning sacrifice is “propitiation” or “placation.” Propitiation is just a big word that means, “to satisfy.” Jesus satisfies God’s wrath.

        When we sin, the Father looks at Jesus and sees His Son’s sacrifice which placates His wrath. He says, “No I’m not angry. My Son’s blood more than satisfies my anger. I will not be angry because Jesus’ payment is precious and more than enough for me because He is my darling Son and His blood is eternally Holy, Holy, Holy.” The Bible says that Christ’s sacrifice is VERY PLEASING, in Ephesians 5:1 it says when we sin and then The Father looks to Jesus and His sacrifice, He is more than satisfied, “Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Any, would be anger, turns to God focusing on the excellencies, perfections, and beauty of Christ. God looks beyond our faults and sees our need for mercy.

        Someone may say, “Steve you’re going to encourage people to sin.” NO!!!!! I have never said, “Go out and sin.” Sin is harmful. Actually people who say that are not just insulting me, they ARE CALLING GOD A LIAR. You see when you know that you are loved and secure forever, you actually learn to love that person more and more!!! God Himself  says, “the grace of God teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age”, Thus saith The Lord (Titus 2:12). GOD says, “The love of Christ motivates us (i.e. to obey)” 2 Corinthians 5:14. You see everything I just taught you is grace, mercy, and the very truth of God.

        Yes you will blow it. But HE STILL LOVES YOU!! But when you do and you receive God’s forgiveness, mercy, grace, and love instead of wrath something happens. Your heart begins to melt. You feel loved and want to love Him in return. Then you blow it again but, again, you receive love and you realize, “He will never leave me, or tell me to leave.” Then THIS feeling of security gives you a strength. That feeling of security gives you power to obey  - I’m not making this up God said it! “The grace of God teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.” (Titus 2:12) Grace is what cause TRUE obedience. Oh there is an obedience motivated by fear but it won’t last long. It will cause people to resent God.

        God looks beyond our fault and sees our need. I will leave you with this verse about when we sin and blow it. I hope it shocks you enough to fall in love with God, help you to stop sinning, and gain power to obey, Hebrews 4:14-16  “¹⁴ Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,^[f] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”