August 17, 2019 IF ANYONE SINS part 2
If you missed the previous blog, “If Anyone Sins,” I encourage you to read it as it is an introduction to a subject that will be discussed in this blog and perhaps a couple more. I ended the last blog with a question: “Can we live without sin?” This is a question that forces us to deal with some scriptures that seemingly have been ignored or explained away; and importantly, how we answer this question reveals our understanding of the gospel and what it means to be a new creation. Lest I be misunderstood, I know that it is only by the sacrificial death of Christ that our sins are forgiven and we are adopted into the family of God-it’s by His grace. I also know that believers can sin and find forgiveness by repenting and confessing their sin.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
Galatians 5:16 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
There are many scriptures dealing with the new creation that we are in Christ, as well as about having a new mind, a new nature, and a new heart. I very often hear believers that yes they are Christians and they love God, but they find often find themselves succumbing to certain sins. For example, one may say that they become irritated or angry when someone does a certain thing, and they know they are wrong to do so. Also, there is a belief among many that if by telling others about their failures and sins, it will lead to a good rapport with them. There is certainly some validity in that perspective, but there is also some negatives we need to be aware of. We do not need cover up any sin we commit if the Spirit is telling us to share it openly, but we also should be able to testify about God delivering us from that sin. Hebrews 12:1 tells us to “lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us…..” There is a lot that could be said at this point, but let us get to the heart of this issue of sin in the life of a believer. Do we have to sin? Can we live one hour without sinning? One day? It is clear from scripture that the power of sin has been broken and that we are no longer obligated to the flesh. The point is that we have been made new and sin no longer has dominion over us. So, if we sin, we do so by choice. Sinning is contrary to our new nature. How do we not sin? The verse above in Galatians is the answer to that question. We can choose to put off the old self and put on the new self that God has made us to be. We can walk by the Spirit, and when we do, we will not sin. Putting off the old and putting on the new is a way of life.
Ephesians 4:24 “and put on the new self, which is in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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