How Does a Christian Overcome Sin?
Currently, there is a fierce battle taking place between the flesh patterns of our old man (which are "bent" toward sin) and the renewed spirit of our new man (which is submissive to the Lordship of Jesus). Paul described this conflict when he said, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do"
(Romans 7:18-19).
Paul's inward man delighted to do the law of God, but another law (the law of sin) was in his physical body. He exclaimed,
"O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind [in the spirit] I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin"
(Romans 7:24-25).
It is important to note that not every temptation we face comes directly from the devil; many temptations come from our own flesh patterns that we have sown (programmed) into our brain and body. You see, the flesh has a way of remembering past footholds of sin and condemnation, and the enemy often uses these against us to try and bring us down from walking in the Spirit.
The Conflict of Two Laws
Paul goes on to describe two "laws" within us which war against each other: the law of sin and death and the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. The law of sin and death is like the law of gravity; it is constantly there, holding us down. We can jump, but we always come back down to the ground. This law of sin will be in our fleshly body until we die. Fortunately, there is a greater law which God writes in our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33), the "law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:2). This law sets us free from the law of sin and death and can be compared to the law of aerodynamics: it lets us soar like an eagle over the law of sin.
The fact is, you cannot overcome the law of sin by fleshly efforts. No amount of self-determination or willpower can truly set you free from the bondage of sin in your flesh. However, "we are more than conquerors through him that loved us"
(Romans 8:37). In Jesus Christ, you are not a sinner or a slave to sin. That is because Jesus has set you free to live for Him by the power of His Spirit in you, for "greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world" (I John 4:4), and "not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts"
(Zechariah 4:6).
Therefore, the members of your physical body should now become the servants of righteousness. Paul said, "for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness" (Romans 6:19). In other words, no longer should your fleshly members (eyes, ears, mouth, hands, feet, etc.) serve your former lusts and habits, but these members must be brought under subjection to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. "Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid" (I Corinthians 6:15).
Our members must be trained to obey the leading of the Holy Spirit. "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteous-
ness?" (Romans 6:16). When we bring our bodily members under the influence of the Holy Spirit and choose not to make provision for the demands of our flesh, our bodies then become a "living sacrifice" unto God. Paul said, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service"
(Romans 12:1).
Bringing your members under the power of the Holy Spirit requires "sowing to the spirit." Why? Because the flesh is very stubborn! Christians often struggle with sin because they keep feeding their fleshly appetites, lusts, and habits — then they wonder why their flesh has such power over them! Yes, if you sow into your flesh, it grows stronger and will ultimately reap corruption (see Galatians 6:7-9). But the opposite is true, too: if you stop making provision for your flesh and start sowing to your spirit, you will begin reaping life and freedom in Jesus Christ. You must feed your spirit so that it will grow stronger to overpower your flesh — that law of sin in your members. "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof"
(Romans 13:14).
Seven Keys to Freedom
How then do you overcome the strongholds of sin? Well, the Word of God gives us seven keys to freedom.
Become dead to sin through
repentance and faith in Jesus.
Those who are new creations in Christ are no longer slaves to sin! "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin" (Romans 6:6). "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me"
(Galatians 2:20). "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts" (Galatians 5:24).
Keep your eyes on Jesus.
Come closer to God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Submit yourself to God and draw near with a heart purified by faith. Learn to hate what He hates. "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith ..."
(Hebrews 12:1-2). "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded" (James 4:7-8).
Saturate your mind and heart
with the Word of God.
Read the Word, hear it, sing it, meditate on it day and night. "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby" (I Peter 2:2). David prayed, "Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end" (Psalm 119:133), and, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee" (Psalm 119:11). Jesus used Scripture to defeat the devil's temptations: "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). Truly, the Word of God is a powerful weapon against the enemy. "The weapons of our
warfare are not carnal [fleshly], but mighty through God to the pulling down [demolition] of strongholds; 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" (II Corinthians 10:4-5). We are to continually renew our minds with God's truth. "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2).
Tear down the idols in your
heart.
Turn off, put away, get rid of anything that makes provision for your flesh or hinders you from hearing the voice of your Shepherd, Jesus Christ. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service"
(Romans 12:1). "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:1-3). God wants your whole heart and nothing less! "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also"
(Matthew 6:21).
Submit yourself to God and
have someone keep you
accountable.
Identify the weaknesses of your flesh and see temptation coming ahead of time to avoid the ambushes of the enemy. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). Understand that the temptations you fall for are relatively predictable, and ask a brother or sister in Christ to pray for you. "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16).
Yield to the promptings of the
Holy Spirit.
Be wise and stand firm in the faith by recognizing the way of escape provided for you. If you allow doubt to creep in that Jesus isn't sufficient to handle your situation, it will lead to sin. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer 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" (I Corinthians 10:13). Choose to obey the leading of the Holy Spirit (see I John 2:27), which always lines up with the Word of God. "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye
your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God" (Romans 6:11-13).
Walk in the Spirit.
Be filled (controlled) by the Holy Spirit. "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit"
(Ephesians 5:18). Herein lies the key to overcoming sin: it is impossible to sin when you walk in the Spirit! "This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16). Learning to walk in the Spirit doesn't happen overnight; it is a process which involves steadfast faith and daily renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2 tells us, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." As new creations in Christ, we have the "mind of Christ" (see I Corinthians 2:16), showing us the will of the Father. His will is that we know His Son Jesus,
grow up to spiritual maturity, and overcome the lusts of the flesh by walking in the power of His Spirit (Galatians 5:16). In Christ Jesus, there is liberty. "Only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another"
(Galatians 5:13).
This Bible teaching (in its entirety) was freely used with permission from Christ-Centered Mall (http://www.christcenteredmall.com/).
Currently, there is a fierce battle taking place between the flesh patterns of our old man (which are "bent" toward sin) and the renewed spirit of our new man (which is submissive to the Lordship of Jesus). Paul described this conflict when he said, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do"
(Romans 7:18-19).
Paul's inward man delighted to do the law of God, but another law (the law of sin) was in his physical body. He exclaimed,
"O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind [in the spirit] I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin"
(Romans 7:24-25).
It is important to note that not every temptation we face comes directly from the devil; many temptations come from our own flesh patterns that we have sown (programmed) into our brain and body. You see, the flesh has a way of remembering past footholds of sin and condemnation, and the enemy often uses these against us to try and bring us down from walking in the Spirit.
The Conflict of Two Laws
Paul goes on to describe two "laws" within us which war against each other: the law of sin and death and the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. The law of sin and death is like the law of gravity; it is constantly there, holding us down. We can jump, but we always come back down to the ground. This law of sin will be in our fleshly body until we die. Fortunately, there is a greater law which God writes in our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33), the "law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:2). This law sets us free from the law of sin and death and can be compared to the law of aerodynamics: it lets us soar like an eagle over the law of sin.
The fact is, you cannot overcome the law of sin by fleshly efforts. No amount of self-determination or willpower can truly set you free from the bondage of sin in your flesh. However, "we are more than conquerors through him that loved us"
(Romans 8:37). In Jesus Christ, you are not a sinner or a slave to sin. That is because Jesus has set you free to live for Him by the power of His Spirit in you, for "greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world" (I John 4:4), and "not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts"
(Zechariah 4:6).
Therefore, the members of your physical body should now become the servants of righteousness. Paul said, "for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness" (Romans 6:19). In other words, no longer should your fleshly members (eyes, ears, mouth, hands, feet, etc.) serve your former lusts and habits, but these members must be brought under subjection to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. "Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid" (I Corinthians 6:15).
Our members must be trained to obey the leading of the Holy Spirit. "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteous-
ness?" (Romans 6:16). When we bring our bodily members under the influence of the Holy Spirit and choose not to make provision for the demands of our flesh, our bodies then become a "living sacrifice" unto God. Paul said, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service"
(Romans 12:1).
Bringing your members under the power of the Holy Spirit requires "sowing to the spirit." Why? Because the flesh is very stubborn! Christians often struggle with sin because they keep feeding their fleshly appetites, lusts, and habits — then they wonder why their flesh has such power over them! Yes, if you sow into your flesh, it grows stronger and will ultimately reap corruption (see Galatians 6:7-9). But the opposite is true, too: if you stop making provision for your flesh and start sowing to your spirit, you will begin reaping life and freedom in Jesus Christ. You must feed your spirit so that it will grow stronger to overpower your flesh — that law of sin in your members. "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof"
(Romans 13:14).
Seven Keys to Freedom
How then do you overcome the strongholds of sin? Well, the Word of God gives us seven keys to freedom.
Become dead to sin through
repentance and faith in Jesus.
Those who are new creations in Christ are no longer slaves to sin! "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin" (Romans 6:6). "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me"
(Galatians 2:20). "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts" (Galatians 5:24).
Keep your eyes on Jesus.
Come closer to God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Submit yourself to God and draw near with a heart purified by faith. Learn to hate what He hates. "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith ..."
(Hebrews 12:1-2). "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded" (James 4:7-8).
Saturate your mind and heart
with the Word of God.
Read the Word, hear it, sing it, meditate on it day and night. "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby" (I Peter 2:2). David prayed, "Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end" (Psalm 119:133), and, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee" (Psalm 119:11). Jesus used Scripture to defeat the devil's temptations: "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). Truly, the Word of God is a powerful weapon against the enemy. "The weapons of our
warfare are not carnal [fleshly], but mighty through God to the pulling down [demolition] of strongholds; 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" (II Corinthians 10:4-5). We are to continually renew our minds with God's truth. "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2).
Tear down the idols in your
heart.
Turn off, put away, get rid of anything that makes provision for your flesh or hinders you from hearing the voice of your Shepherd, Jesus Christ. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service"
(Romans 12:1). "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:1-3). God wants your whole heart and nothing less! "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also"
(Matthew 6:21).
Submit yourself to God and
have someone keep you
accountable.
Identify the weaknesses of your flesh and see temptation coming ahead of time to avoid the ambushes of the enemy. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). Understand that the temptations you fall for are relatively predictable, and ask a brother or sister in Christ to pray for you. "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16).
Yield to the promptings of the
Holy Spirit.
Be wise and stand firm in the faith by recognizing the way of escape provided for you. If you allow doubt to creep in that Jesus isn't sufficient to handle your situation, it will lead to sin. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer 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" (I Corinthians 10:13). Choose to obey the leading of the Holy Spirit (see I John 2:27), which always lines up with the Word of God. "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye
your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God" (Romans 6:11-13).
Walk in the Spirit.
Be filled (controlled) by the Holy Spirit. "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit"
(Ephesians 5:18). Herein lies the key to overcoming sin: it is impossible to sin when you walk in the Spirit! "This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16). Learning to walk in the Spirit doesn't happen overnight; it is a process which involves steadfast faith and daily renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2 tells us, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." As new creations in Christ, we have the "mind of Christ" (see I Corinthians 2:16), showing us the will of the Father. His will is that we know His Son Jesus,
grow up to spiritual maturity, and overcome the lusts of the flesh by walking in the power of His Spirit (Galatians 5:16). In Christ Jesus, there is liberty. "Only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another"
(Galatians 5:13).
This Bible teaching (in its entirety) was freely used with permission from Christ-Centered Mall (http://www.christcenteredmall.com/).