Tag: Overcoming Sin

Three Realities That Spur Us On To Reject Sin

On By BrianIn PASSION Reflections

Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.
– I John 3:4-5 (ESV)

In these verses John gives us three realities that spur us on to reject sin.  As we embrace these realities, they will lead us to live differently, to live for Jesus.

#1 – The Definition of Sin
Sin is lawlessness – not just breaking God’s law, but real opposition to it.  Sin is rebellion against God’s will.  When we sin, we are rebelling against God.  When we fail to love God, love our neighbor, love one another, or even love our enemies – that is rebellion against God.  When we fail to be patient or kind or good or gentle or self-controlled, that is rebellion against God.  When we hate or lust or steal or lie or covet, that is rebellion against God.  It is not a matter of indifference.  It is not just a little sin.  It is not just something that can be excused.  It is a matter of loyalty.  When we grasp what sin is, that it is rebellion against God, it will spur us on to reject sin.

#2 – The Purpose of Christ
Jesus appeared – God became one of us in person of Jesus – for a purpose.  He appeared to take away sins.  In John 1:29, John the Baptist proclaimed: Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!  Jesus came to take away sins.  In I Peter 2:24 we read: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.  Jesus bore our sins to make payment for them, that we might then stop sinning and live for righteousness.  Instead of practicing rebellion, practice righteousness.  Instead of doing what is wrong, do what is righteous.  Jesus died to take away the penalty and power of sin that we might live for Him.  So when we sin, we oppose His purpose. We oppose the very reason that He died.  When we grasp the purpose of Christ – to take away sin, it will spur us on to reject sin.

#3 – The Victory of Christ
Jesus did what no one else has done.  He overcame sin.  He was victorious over it.  In Him there is no sin – not even a trace, not the slightest infraction, no questionable behavior at all.  He was completely and totally victorious over sin. Just a few verses earlier (v2), John tells us that one day we will be like Him, that we too will be victorious.  When Christ returns, we will never sin again.  And in verse 3 he tells us that everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.  If our hope is one day to be sinless like Jesus is. then we will seek to be as sinless as possible today.  When we grasp the victory of Christ – which we look forward to enjoying with Him one day, it will spur us on to reject sin.

Sin is rebellion.  Jesus came to take it away.  One day we will be free of it.  And the more we grasp these realities, the more they will spur us on to reject sin.  Jesus has made us new.  We don’t want to rebel against God.  We don’t want to oppose His purpose.  We don’t want to do that which we long to be free of.  May we keep these realities and related desires front and center in our minds and hearts, so that we might overcome any other desire that may tempt us to sin.

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

Get to the Cross and Never Leave – David Mathis (DG)
For Christians, true worship and “real sanctification” not only flow from the purchase of the cross, but also draw strength from conscious faith in the crucified Christ. We know our former selves to be crucified with him (Romans 6:6). “I have been crucified with Christ,” Paul says. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). So also for us: “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24). “Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).

What Sins are You Killing Today? – Peter Adam (TGC)
It is not enough to stop doing what is wrong: you have to learn the habit of doing what is right. But you cannot start doing what is right, unless you kill off what is wrong!

Overcoming the Fear of Evangelism – Eric Davis (Cripplegate)
For those who like me have experienced butterflies in the stomach at times when you think about speaking the gospel to the lost, here are a few things that help me….

The Ministry of Presence – Tim Challies
I want to speak of the outsized value of the ministry of presence. The ministry of presence is the ministry of being there—of simply gathering with the church on Sunday. This may seem like a little thing, but it matters. It matters a lot. It’s genuinely a ministry. It’s genuinely a means of serving other Christians.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day with the Lord and His church!

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points2 Comments

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

Thirsty – Julie Van Meter
Our physical needs are great.  We need water to rain down on our thirsty land.  But more than that, we need to go to the well to visit Jesus, where we can drink deeply of the “living water”, and we will never be thirsty again.

Help Me Love What I Ought – Thomas A Kempis (via Trevin Wax)
Grant me, O Lord, to know what I ought to know, To love what I ought to love, To praise what delights you most, To value what is precious in your sight, To hate what is offensive to you.

Worth Weeping For – Kevin DeYoung
If we truly want our hearts to break for things that break the heart of God, we will weep to see the word so badly handled and so boldly broken in our day.

Puddleglum’s Lesson – Chris Brauns
Christians should obey God even when it looks as though obeying him will make our lives more difficult.  We must trust God’s word, rather than how we think things will turn out.

Seven Proven Weapons in the Fight for Holiness – John Piper
We all need to have a small arsenal of general promises ready to use whenever fear or craving threaten to lead us astray.  Here are a few of my most proven weapons….

Killing Sin Through Personal Prayer – J. I. Packer (via Desiring God)
As blooms of sin break surface and I recognize them, I am called to — indeed deep down in my heart I want to — go into action with this prayer procedure for draining the life out of them. And I think this is a discipline every Christian has to wake up to right at the beginning of the Christian life and continue with as long as we are in this world.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day worshipping the Lord together with your local church!

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts on overcoming sin and walking in holiness:

Jonathan Dodson has a three part series on overcoming sin:
Know Your Sin
Fight Your Sin
Trust Your Savior, Not Your Efforts

Kevin DeYoung offers an Anatomy of Holiness, looking at what holiness is as it relates to our bodies.

Finally, Trevin Wax offers a prayer for Grace To Love What God Commands.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day growing in your love for God and His commands!