Transcript of Lesson 14
Welcome again to our study on The Doctrine of Salvation
How “Righteousness by Faith” Really Works
We are in Section D: What is Biblical Perfection?
And this is Lesson 14: Victory Over Sin
How “Righteousness by Faith” Really Works
We are in Section D: What is Biblical Perfection?
And this is Lesson 14: Victory Over Sin
While definitions are very important in understanding perfection, it may be even more important to search the Bible for realistic, practical ways of experiencing what the Bible promises.
It is at this point that we need to have that faith, that complete trust in God that will believe what God says even though it sounds impossible. We know enough about our weakness and our failures. We want to know more about God's promises and His power and faithfulness to keep them.
What can Christ do? Jude 1:24 tells us: “Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.” Christ can keep us from falling into sin and present us faultless in His presence.
Is Christ really able to keep us from sinning? Or is sin, in the final analysis, more powerful than Christ? Under inspiration, Jude says that He is able! Thus, no matter what our past experience might be, falling – sinning – is not inevitable.
If Christ is really able, then why don't we give Him a chance to reveal His power in our lives? How much can we really do? Philippians 4:13 says: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” We can do all things (even the impossible) through Christ.
Note carefully that this is possible only through Christ dwelling in us for the purpose of justification and sanctification.
What else does God promise? 2 Peter 2:9 says: “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations.” God will deliver the godly from temptation.
It is important to note that God will deliver only those who are looking to Him and believing His promises – whom He calls the godly.
Now if we are really delivered out of temptation, this means we have not fallen under the temptation. We have not sinned yet. Thus, it is possible for us to not yield to temptation, because Christ can deliver us from temptation. He will provide a way of escape, if we are willing.
How will God deliver us? 1 Corinthians 10:13 explains: “There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer (allow) you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
There is a way of escape for every temptation. God has promised that He will not allow any temptation to come to us that is too strong for us – as long as we remain “in Christ.” Otherwise, a fall into sin would be inevitable.
This means that a way of escape is always possible for every temptation. There is not one temptation that comes to us that makes sin inevitable. God has promised if we will trust in Him, He will show us the way out of every temptation.
Some practical ways to find that escape route can easily be done if we give some thought to it ahead of time. When temptation comes, do we pray immediately? Or do we tend to avoid a quick and earnest prayer and choose to let the temptation linger in our minds – even knowing we will regret the delay later? Have we memorized Scripture so that we can answer Satan with "It is written" as Christ did? We can even find a way of escape by song.
Whatever method we use, the important thing is that we turn our thoughts away from the temptation and toward our source of power -- the indwelling Spirit of Christ.
How did Christ live? 1 Peter 2:21-22 tells us: “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered (was tempted) for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.” Christ wants us to follow Him in not sinning.
We know that Christ lived a life without sin, but sometimes we don't want to recognize the fact that He is also our Example, and He asks us to follow in His steps. Of course, this acknowledges that Christ was born like we are – with a fallen nature – experiencing our temptations and the pull of our inner desires.
What is possible for us? 1 John 3:6 says: “Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him.”
If we abide in Christ, we will not sin. If we are in Christ, we are not rebelling against Him, and sin is rebellion. If we abide in Him, we will not sin, because He does not sin in us. If Christ is abiding in us constantly, we will not be sinning. Thus, as long as we are abiding in Him, we will not be rebelling in thought or in word or in action.
Is overcoming sin really possible? Revelation 3:21 tells us: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.”
Only overcomers will be in heaven. The model of overcoming is Christ, and we can overcome sin just as He overcame it, because He does it for us when He is abiding in us. The Bible is full of these promises, and we must not ignore them in an attempt to defend some remaining sins in our lives.
What must happen to our thoughts? 2 Corinthians 10:5 explains: “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
Every thought can be given to Christ. This is one of the most powerful promises in the Bible. God knows that we cannot handle our inner most thoughts, and so He offers us a way of escape. If we will just give those thoughts to Christ immediately, He promises to hold them in captivity so that they cannot control us.
But we must make the decision to surrender that thought to Christ rather than dwelling upon it. If we really want to be Christians, we must be just this serious about our relationship with Christ. Every thought must be in His control at all times.
It is self-obvious that if Christ controls all of our thoughts, sin – willfully choosing to rebel against God – will not be happening in our lives.
What happens when we walk in the Spirit? Galatians 5:16 says: “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
When we walk in the Spirit, we will not sin. If the Spirit of Christ is controlling our lives, we will not succumb to the desires of our fallen, sinful natures.
The Bible is full of promises that we need not fall and fail constantly, over and over again. God promises we can overcome and gain continual victories in the battle against the flesh. Although we will be tempted, we can overcome by faith in Jesus.
What is our only hope for victory? Ezekiel 36:25-27 tells us: “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”
A heart transplant is necessary to obey God. Only God can cleanse us from sin. It is crucially important that we understand that overcoming sin is a miracle of God's grace, just as surely as Peter walking on water.
No amount of self-control will overcome the pulls of our fallen nature. This has to be a miracle of God from beginning to end. He does the cleansing, He provides the new heart, and He enables us to obey His law.
If there is any hope of realizing God’s promises and living sinlessly through His power, then we must take the Bible text above very seriously and make it the constant prayer of our lives.
A gospel which has become very popular among contemporary Christians says that once we have been justified, we remain in a justified (saved) condition even though the cherishing and committing of sins continues in our lives. In this false gospel, the absence of a sanctified heart does not disqualify us for heaven.
One author writes, “Stumbling under grace, falling into sin, does not deprive us of justification. Neither does it bring condemnation.” It is quite evident that this idea does not harmonize with the Bible texts we have been studying in the last few lessons.
Isaiah 59:2 warns us: “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God.” Sin always separates us from God. When sin is cherished, Satan takes control of the heart, and the Spirit of God is driven out.
How could we possibly think that we are in a saved condition while sinning? Self-delusion and rationalization are major components of Satan's attempts to lull us into a false sense of security. Anyone who assures you that there is safety in disobedience is teaching a false gospel, which is far more serious than worshipping on a false day of worship.
Now all of this could be very discouraging for us, except for one thing -- God's love. God is not looking for ways to reject us. He is the seeking God, the One who will not let us go, even when we are rebelling against Him. While He cannot save us in sin, He will continue to love us and draw us back to Him. His plan saves us from sin.
We see this most clearly in 1 John 2:1 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
Clearly God's purpose for us is that we do not sin. But despite our failures, we immediately see God's mercy in the very next phrase. When we fall into sin because of our carelessness and lack of faith in Him, we have One who understands our weakness who is representing us in the heavenly courts.
If we return to Jesus in sorrow and genuine repentance – turning away from our sin and inviting Him back into our hearts – He takes our case and wins!
We need to be clear that only when our sins are confessed, which is not while we are participating in them, are we accepted by God. When we fall into sin, there are only two ways that we can deal with our sin:
1) The human way is to justify our sin and excuse it. This is the way Satan wants us to choose, because this way separates us from God, and there can be no salvation while separated from Him.
2) God’s way is to recognize sin for what it is as soon as it happens within us. By doing this, we are convicted of our sin as dishonoring God and vindicating Satan, then we fall on our knees in deep repentance. This is the right way to deal with personal sin in our lives. It is the way of salvation by faith in God.
There is only one thing that should scare us in this mortal life, and that is watching our hand slip out of the hand of our heavenly Father. When we see this happening, we must immediately ask God to reach down, grasp our sinking hand, and pull us to safety again.
Nothing else matters – not ego or reputation or image – only reconnecting with God. As long as the connection is maintained, we have full assurance of salvation.
God has provided this simple and sure way for us to deal with our personal sins – to free us from sin. This is perfect love, perfect mercy, and perfect justice.
Assuming God is so “loving and merciful” that he will ignore our sins robs God of His true character and power. We need to allow God to fix the sin problem in us. “Just as soon as you commit sin, you should flee right to the throne of grace, and tell Jesus all about it.” (Signs of the Times, Feb. 15, 1892)
Today, let us yield our wills to Jesus and allow Him to take full possession of our lives. If we will only yield up our wills daily to Jesus, we will have power beyond our ability to explain, and we will not have to rely on a false gospel to give us a false assurance of salvation. God's way is always better than human devising.
It is at this point that we need to have that faith, that complete trust in God that will believe what God says even though it sounds impossible. We know enough about our weakness and our failures. We want to know more about God's promises and His power and faithfulness to keep them.
What can Christ do? Jude 1:24 tells us: “Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.” Christ can keep us from falling into sin and present us faultless in His presence.
Is Christ really able to keep us from sinning? Or is sin, in the final analysis, more powerful than Christ? Under inspiration, Jude says that He is able! Thus, no matter what our past experience might be, falling – sinning – is not inevitable.
If Christ is really able, then why don't we give Him a chance to reveal His power in our lives? How much can we really do? Philippians 4:13 says: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” We can do all things (even the impossible) through Christ.
- Do we really believe the promises of God?
- Are all things possible through Christ?
- Is it really true that victory over sin is possible?
Note carefully that this is possible only through Christ dwelling in us for the purpose of justification and sanctification.
What else does God promise? 2 Peter 2:9 says: “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations.” God will deliver the godly from temptation.
It is important to note that God will deliver only those who are looking to Him and believing His promises – whom He calls the godly.
Now if we are really delivered out of temptation, this means we have not fallen under the temptation. We have not sinned yet. Thus, it is possible for us to not yield to temptation, because Christ can deliver us from temptation. He will provide a way of escape, if we are willing.
How will God deliver us? 1 Corinthians 10:13 explains: “There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer (allow) you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
There is a way of escape for every temptation. God has promised that He will not allow any temptation to come to us that is too strong for us – as long as we remain “in Christ.” Otherwise, a fall into sin would be inevitable.
This means that a way of escape is always possible for every temptation. There is not one temptation that comes to us that makes sin inevitable. God has promised if we will trust in Him, He will show us the way out of every temptation.
Some practical ways to find that escape route can easily be done if we give some thought to it ahead of time. When temptation comes, do we pray immediately? Or do we tend to avoid a quick and earnest prayer and choose to let the temptation linger in our minds – even knowing we will regret the delay later? Have we memorized Scripture so that we can answer Satan with "It is written" as Christ did? We can even find a way of escape by song.
Whatever method we use, the important thing is that we turn our thoughts away from the temptation and toward our source of power -- the indwelling Spirit of Christ.
How did Christ live? 1 Peter 2:21-22 tells us: “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered (was tempted) for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.” Christ wants us to follow Him in not sinning.
We know that Christ lived a life without sin, but sometimes we don't want to recognize the fact that He is also our Example, and He asks us to follow in His steps. Of course, this acknowledges that Christ was born like we are – with a fallen nature – experiencing our temptations and the pull of our inner desires.
What is possible for us? 1 John 3:6 says: “Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him.”
If we abide in Christ, we will not sin. If we are in Christ, we are not rebelling against Him, and sin is rebellion. If we abide in Him, we will not sin, because He does not sin in us. If Christ is abiding in us constantly, we will not be sinning. Thus, as long as we are abiding in Him, we will not be rebelling in thought or in word or in action.
Is overcoming sin really possible? Revelation 3:21 tells us: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.”
Only overcomers will be in heaven. The model of overcoming is Christ, and we can overcome sin just as He overcame it, because He does it for us when He is abiding in us. The Bible is full of these promises, and we must not ignore them in an attempt to defend some remaining sins in our lives.
What must happen to our thoughts? 2 Corinthians 10:5 explains: “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
Every thought can be given to Christ. This is one of the most powerful promises in the Bible. God knows that we cannot handle our inner most thoughts, and so He offers us a way of escape. If we will just give those thoughts to Christ immediately, He promises to hold them in captivity so that they cannot control us.
But we must make the decision to surrender that thought to Christ rather than dwelling upon it. If we really want to be Christians, we must be just this serious about our relationship with Christ. Every thought must be in His control at all times.
It is self-obvious that if Christ controls all of our thoughts, sin – willfully choosing to rebel against God – will not be happening in our lives.
What happens when we walk in the Spirit? Galatians 5:16 says: “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
When we walk in the Spirit, we will not sin. If the Spirit of Christ is controlling our lives, we will not succumb to the desires of our fallen, sinful natures.
The Bible is full of promises that we need not fall and fail constantly, over and over again. God promises we can overcome and gain continual victories in the battle against the flesh. Although we will be tempted, we can overcome by faith in Jesus.
What is our only hope for victory? Ezekiel 36:25-27 tells us: “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”
A heart transplant is necessary to obey God. Only God can cleanse us from sin. It is crucially important that we understand that overcoming sin is a miracle of God's grace, just as surely as Peter walking on water.
No amount of self-control will overcome the pulls of our fallen nature. This has to be a miracle of God from beginning to end. He does the cleansing, He provides the new heart, and He enables us to obey His law.
If there is any hope of realizing God’s promises and living sinlessly through His power, then we must take the Bible text above very seriously and make it the constant prayer of our lives.
A gospel which has become very popular among contemporary Christians says that once we have been justified, we remain in a justified (saved) condition even though the cherishing and committing of sins continues in our lives. In this false gospel, the absence of a sanctified heart does not disqualify us for heaven.
One author writes, “Stumbling under grace, falling into sin, does not deprive us of justification. Neither does it bring condemnation.” It is quite evident that this idea does not harmonize with the Bible texts we have been studying in the last few lessons.
Isaiah 59:2 warns us: “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God.” Sin always separates us from God. When sin is cherished, Satan takes control of the heart, and the Spirit of God is driven out.
How could we possibly think that we are in a saved condition while sinning? Self-delusion and rationalization are major components of Satan's attempts to lull us into a false sense of security. Anyone who assures you that there is safety in disobedience is teaching a false gospel, which is far more serious than worshipping on a false day of worship.
Now all of this could be very discouraging for us, except for one thing -- God's love. God is not looking for ways to reject us. He is the seeking God, the One who will not let us go, even when we are rebelling against Him. While He cannot save us in sin, He will continue to love us and draw us back to Him. His plan saves us from sin.
We see this most clearly in 1 John 2:1 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
Clearly God's purpose for us is that we do not sin. But despite our failures, we immediately see God's mercy in the very next phrase. When we fall into sin because of our carelessness and lack of faith in Him, we have One who understands our weakness who is representing us in the heavenly courts.
If we return to Jesus in sorrow and genuine repentance – turning away from our sin and inviting Him back into our hearts – He takes our case and wins!
We need to be clear that only when our sins are confessed, which is not while we are participating in them, are we accepted by God. When we fall into sin, there are only two ways that we can deal with our sin:
1) The human way is to justify our sin and excuse it. This is the way Satan wants us to choose, because this way separates us from God, and there can be no salvation while separated from Him.
2) God’s way is to recognize sin for what it is as soon as it happens within us. By doing this, we are convicted of our sin as dishonoring God and vindicating Satan, then we fall on our knees in deep repentance. This is the right way to deal with personal sin in our lives. It is the way of salvation by faith in God.
There is only one thing that should scare us in this mortal life, and that is watching our hand slip out of the hand of our heavenly Father. When we see this happening, we must immediately ask God to reach down, grasp our sinking hand, and pull us to safety again.
Nothing else matters – not ego or reputation or image – only reconnecting with God. As long as the connection is maintained, we have full assurance of salvation.
God has provided this simple and sure way for us to deal with our personal sins – to free us from sin. This is perfect love, perfect mercy, and perfect justice.
Assuming God is so “loving and merciful” that he will ignore our sins robs God of His true character and power. We need to allow God to fix the sin problem in us. “Just as soon as you commit sin, you should flee right to the throne of grace, and tell Jesus all about it.” (Signs of the Times, Feb. 15, 1892)
Today, let us yield our wills to Jesus and allow Him to take full possession of our lives. If we will only yield up our wills daily to Jesus, we will have power beyond our ability to explain, and we will not have to rely on a false gospel to give us a false assurance of salvation. God's way is always better than human devising.