Believers can overcome sin by growing more in the knowledge of their position in Christ. Victory over sin is a sign of spiritual maturity. Christians often disagree on whether they can live without habitual sin. As usual, many scriptures are cited to justify each side of the argument. Some believers still consider sin a burden, with some citing Romans 7:14-25. Thankfully, God has already given us power over sin (Romans 6:14).Before delving into the specific ways to overcome sin, let’s clarify some facts.
Sin is not dead; WE are dead to it–
Paul says we are dead to sin, but not that sin is dead. He warns us against getting yoked to sin again (Romans 6:12). The verse implies that sin remains existent, but cannot impose itself on us.
God expects us to live in victory over sin-
We must never kid ourselves that God’s grace is meant to excuse our sinning. The same grace that cleanses us from sin can keep us from sinning. God has given us the Holy Spirit, written His disapproval of sin, and allowed us to use His armor (Ephesians 6:10).
Our victory over sin starts with our attitude towards it-
No divine power will come to stop you from sinning if you choose to sin. If you choose to kill someone, steal, commit adultery, or do any other sinful thing, no legion of angels will be dispatched to stop you. You are in charge! If we treat sin casually, it will consume us. If we treat it as a destructive element, we will avoid it. The choice is 100% ours.
No sin is excusable-
Never lie to yourself that a particular sin is somewhat acceptable to God just because you perceive it as harmless. Lying is as bad as adultery. Colossians 3:9 says that we must not lie to one another because “you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.” See? This statement is explicitly telling us that lying is part of the other wicked acts!
God dictates what is sinful-
In our futile thinking, we think that we can tilt the word of God to accommodate our selfishness. We, therefore, try to explain some acts as acceptable. For example, how many times have you heard people justify masturbation as harmless and not a sin? For the record, the Bible does not explicitly forbid or say anything about masturbating. However, Jesus said that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery (Mathew 5:27-30). So, what we think and whatever explanations we try to offer to justify our masturbating culture do not matter. It remains a sin before God!
Why do we still sin?
We should be clear about something: just because we sin does not mean we should be sinning. Several factors cause our sinful habits, and it is up to us as individuals to assess the cause and address it.
Lack of understanding of the truth about sin-
A believer who has never been taught Romans 6, Ephesians 4, Galatians 5, and many other scriptures that challenge us to live holy may not know how to deal with sin. Perhaps pastors should devote more time to this subject.
Failing to operate in spiritual intelligence-
Sometimes, sin comes because we fail to detect the devil’s traps. By the way, have you ever realized that there is always a “justification” for sin? When someone annoys you, there is a thought that tells you insulting the offending party is justified because he/she has made you angry. Do you know that people who commit adultery have a seemingly justifiable reason? ‘Oh, my spouse does not satisfy me. Where else am I supposed to get sexual satisfaction?’ The same case applies to lying. We tell ourselves, “I did not have a choice but to lie to him/her.” It is not that you did not have a choice; you made a selfish choice! All these cases occur because we do not realize that Satan has set traps for us!
Refusal to cooperate with the Holy Spirit-
Paul in Galatians 5:16 tells us that if we walk by the Spirit, we won’t gratify the flesh. In essence, our victory over sin lies in our cooperation with the Holy Spirit. This reality should not be mistaken to mean that we have no part. It is not the Holy Spirit’s job to overcome sin on our behalf. No, His work involves telling us where and when sin is likely to occur and how we should avoid it. If we choose to act otherwise, there is nothing our good friend can do about it! I can assure you that it is impossible to sin when you yield to the Spirit.
What is the solution?
Like everything else in this Kingdom, victory over sin starts with our attitude and faith. Do we believe what the Bible says to be the absolute truth? Do we believe that sin has no dominion over us? Are we convinced that walking with the Holy Spirit will ensure we do not gratify the flesh? If the answer to these questions is an empathetic YES, then we already have victory 100% because this faith will shape our attitude. How do I know I have this faith? Simple. Check your attitude! Do you live like someone who knows he has victory over sin? Do you clearly and deeply consider sin harmful to you and offensive to God? If the answer is no, then you have not believed yet! No other solution is needed; only faith, which must be evidenced by a stance against sin! Since sin starts as a scheme, it is also important to learn how to overcome temptations.
P.S. I also recommend reading John Piper’s article on Sinners or Saints to get more informed on this matter.
