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The first one is that someone can become saved, redeemed and forgiven, yet still continue in worldliness, carnality and sin lifestyle – willy nilly. My easy target would be the “gay Christians”. Those who suppose that God’s love allows them to live a continuous homosexual life and still be counted as Christ’s sheep. But wait a minute, before we cast our first stones at the homos, let’s look inside our own churches that we attend, there, I see many young and grown folks, some of them even leaders and choirmasters who unashamedly do those X-rated acts with their boy/girlfriends, all in the name of “we are saved by grace.” “How can you that have died to sin, live any longer in it?” laments the Apostle (Rom 6:2). True believers, my brethren, cannot live in a continuous sin lifestyle all the days of their lives without any repentance nor godly remorse whatsoever. That is a tragic false idea.
The second pitfall is that a Christian is the one who is perfect without sin; one who lives in complete angelic holiness and bliss. That cannot be possible because although our spirit man is indeed born again, our flesh is still the same old that takes pleasure in sin and “cannot be subject to the Law of God” (Rom 8:7). Therefore, the evidence that you are in Christ is neither willful wallowing in sin nor perfect righteous living but a hatred for sin, that goes in parallel with a desire to please Him. This inevitably results in a constant battle against that evil that is within our members so that we can pursue faith and righteousness with others who call on the Name of the Lord. This is what Paul meant when he said, “For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members” (Rom 7:22-23). The difference between a hypocrite and a true believer is that the former jumps into sin and makes excuses about it while the latter falls into sin, confesses it, and returns to the path of righteousness.
The point of this document, therefore, is to help believers with that sin that always lies at the door, ready to have them. What can you do to master that evil that is always present when you want to do good all the time?
Know your weaknesses
Before we get to Satan, there is already an enemy within every one of us. It is that heart that is “deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” (Jer 17:9). Hence a good Christian is he who zealously guards the wellbeing of his own soul. The first step is to search and identify those things that make you vulnerable to sin. Then you resolve to either fight or run from them. If there are people, for example, that are a temptation to you, why don’t you spend less time with or if possible shut them out completely? To teach us the seriousness and the grave consequences of our sins, our Lord taught us to either cut out our own body parts or else the fires of hell will do it for us.
Confess as soon as possible
Remember that guy who blamed his wife after they were caught eating the forbidden fruit in the garden? That is what many of us do when we sin; we always find something or someone to hide behind. Brethren, there are no excuses before the Holy One, if something doesn’t please Him it has to be repented of, as soon as possible. The more you hide your sin, the more control it has on you, the further you go from grace. Yet there is an assurance that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us of all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Just get it confessed while you still can.
Always refresh your mind with godly things
“Bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come” (1 Tim 4:8). The only way we make it in this long walk of faith is by keeping our minds renewed in the things of God. There are only two things that have been given as our daily means of grace; prayer and the Word – in private, at home and in church. Private prayer and the Word, family prayer and Bible reading and finally, we must all be members of a local church, and be fully dedicated, so that we can pray and listen to the Word with others. If you constantly discipline and give yourself to these, you are well ahead in your battle against sin. While those who neglect this won’t have sufficient food to strengthen them in the long run.
Do not be idle – do something
What happens when a tool is left unused for a certain period whilst it’s outdoors? It rusts and wears off into uselessness. That is what happens to those believers who waste their Christian lives doing absolutely nothing for their Saviour. The reason why we are saved and left here on earth is that we all have gifts and purposes, to bear fruit and advance the cause of Christ to His glory. The busier we are in our Father’s vineyard, the less time we have to serve the sinful desires of the flesh. On the other hand, if you have nothing to do, no worries, the devil will see to it that you have something to do to advance his own kingdom while destroying your soul. Think about it, why do some of us even bother spending time to write these things for you? It’s because we are trying to keep our tools sharp for the good use of the Master. Who knows what might find me if I don’t do this? Therefore, whatever you do my Christian friend, do not be an idle Christian. What are you doing to keep yourself busy in this harvest field of heaven? Well, pray about it and the Owner will give you a job that rightly corresponds with your purpose and gift on earth.
Do not despair
There was a false doctrine that used to hold me in bondage a few years ago. It says that once you fall into sin, it’s over for you, you have applied for your citizenship in hell. So joyless was my Christian life such that I saw God as the one who always waited for me to mess up so He could send me straight to the bottomless pit. Then I learned that God is a good Father who is always willing to pick me up whenever I stumble, so He could restore my weary soul back to Himself. You see dear Christian, you will have many falls in your faith walk – guaranteed. Yet there is no time for self-condemnation and despair. Look to Christ, every time and come back to the path of righteousness. Jesus is your good Shepherd that is willing to leave the 99 of His sheep, just to find you. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ (Rom 8:1). In our Romans 7 passage, notice Paul’s moment of despair in the words, “oh wretched man that I am, who will deliver me…?”, yet he ends the chapter with a triumphant hope and rejoicing when he says, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Therefore, take heart oh, redeemed of the Lord and trust in His finished work on the Cross!
Conclusion.
Sin is a real enemy that easily entangles even the best of our faith warriors. It’s not a game. Therefore, my comrades, let’s arm ourselves as best as we can with the heavenly weapons that have been given to us and let’s fight this good fight. The reputation of Christ’s Name, the salvation of our souls and even the redemption of the future generation is all at stake. Grace and peace.
Sinothi Ncube
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