Overcoming Sin

JESUS DIED so that you may , LIVE YOUR LIFE FREE FROM SIN Is it possible for us as Christians to live our lives completely free from sin? I know that we have all sinned at one time or another in our lifetime. The Bible makes it perfectly clear that ALL have fallen short of the glory of God, but what I want to assure every believer is that: "It IS possible, after we have accepted Jesus as our personal Savior, to live our lives totally and completely free from any and all sin!" Everyone may have his or her own opinion on this subject. However, I am not interested in opinions. I am only interested in what the Bible has to say . Jesus said in Mark 9:23, "If you can believe, ALL things ARE possible to him that believes." First let’s qualify what is meant by the phrase “all things”. I think that it would be safe to assume that most Christians would agree that anything that is God’s "WILL" could be placed in the category of “all things”. Therefore, if it is God’s WILL for us to stop sinning, then it would seem logical to put the phrase “living your life free from sin” in place of the phrase “all things”. After making the substitution, this is how the scripture now reads, “If you can believe, then living your life free from sin IS possible to him that BELIEVES." For some Christians this one scripture would be enough biblical evidence to start living a sin free life, and that would be great. However, using only scripture does not give us an adequate foundation for sound Biblical doctrine. The word of God also says in 2nd Corinthians 13:1 that out of the mouth of two or three witnesses let everything be established. In other words, you cannot make a valid statement of faith based only upon one scripture. You need two, or more scriptures to support your point of view, and establish a sound biblical doctrine. Also there must be no direct contradiction with the rest of the Bible. So secondly let’s look at Philippians 4:13 which says, " I can do ALL things THROUGH Christ which strengthens me. " The same procedure may also be applied to this scripture that we just did in Mark 9:23, because most assuredly it is the WILL of Almighty God for us to stop sinning. Here is what we have when we put the phrase “live my life free from sin” in place of the phrase “all things”, “ I can live my life free from sin THROUGH Christ which strengthens me ”. The word “Christ” here simply means anointed. So when we see Jesus Christ, or Christ Jesus written in the Bible it would be helpful for us to translate the word “Christ” in our minds as “anointed”, or “the anointed one”. Hence, Jesus Christ would be, Jesus the anointed , and Christ Jesus would be, the anointed one Jesus. It now becomes apparently clear to us that it is the ANOINTING of God that strengthens us and enables us to live our lives free from sin, just as the ANOINTING of Almighty God strengthened and empower his Son Jesus to live without sin and do the mighty works of healing the he did. I will explain this a little further on in the study. Keep this in mind as we now read from the third witness found in Mark 10:26,27, which says, " Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them says, With men it is impossible, BUT NOT WITH God: for WITH God ALL things ARE possible. " The word “saved” here is SOZO in the Greek, and means to save, to deliver, to protect, to heal, to preserve, to be made whole, and to be placed back into right relationship with Almighty God. So let’s use the definition delivered in place of saved and read Mark 10:26 a second time. “Who then can be delivered from a life of sin?” Jesus answers in verse 27 and I again paraphrase, “ With natural human strength it is impossible, but NOT WITH God’s ANOINTING: for WITH God’s anointing of the Holy Spirit, then living your life totally free from sin IS possible. ” Now that we have looked at three witnesses, that is to say, three different scriptures, that clearly show that it IS POSSIBLE to live our lives totally free from any and all sin, all that is left to do is to determine whether or not it is God’s WILL for us NOT to sin or to stop sinning. Let’s begin with 1st John 3:8 that reads, “ He that commits sin is of the devil; for the devil sins from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might DESTROY the works of the devil . " It is crystal clear from this scripture as well as many other scriptures that sin is one of the works of the devil. And it was for this VERY purpose that Jesus came into the world as the Son of man to destroy sin. The word “destroy” here means to ruin completely so that restoration is impossible. In other words Jesus came to totally eradicate sin from our lives, even to the point that it would be impossible for sin to creep back into our lives. The word destroy also means to do away with, get rid of, to put an END to, render useless, to defeat completely. In other words, Jesus came to do away with, get rid of, and put an end to sin in our lives so that the restoration thereof would be impossible. Let me say this yet another way, Jesus came to put an END to sin in our lives, to set us completely free from sin. The Bible clearly tells us in Romans 6:14 that sin SHALL NOT have dominion over us . Satan is no longer our god. The blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ our Lord, has DESTROYED every last bit of rule or dominating influence that he once had over us. Satan may still be the god of this world, but praise be to God, Satan no longer has dominion over us as believers, because the GREATER one lives within us, speaking of the Holy Spirit of Almighty God. Here is what 1 John 4:4 has to say about the GREATER one living IN us as believers. “ Greater is he (speaking of the Holy Spirit of Almighty God) that is IN me than he (referring to Satan as the god of this world) that is in the world”. Now go to 1st John 5:1 that tells us, “ Whosoever believes that Jesus is the CHRIST (or more specifically whosoever BELIEVES that Jesus is the ANOINTED one of Almighty God) is born of God.” For a deeper understanding of the vital importance of seeing and BELIEVING that Jesus was ANOINTED with the Holy Spirit of Almighty God and this is HOW Jesus did the works that he did INCLUDING living his life WITHOUT SIN, then please read the study called "JESUS THE CHRIST" , which remember CHRIST means the ANOINTED ONE of Almighty God. But for now I would like you to skip down to verse 4 and 5 where we see that whosoever is BORN of God WILL OVERCOME the world BY OUR FAITH. “For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and THIS is the victory that overcomes the world, even OUR FAITH. Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” Remember that the Bible teaches us that Satan is the god of this world, so therefore if you are BORN of God, that is to say, if you are a born again believer in Jesus Christ, then that makes you an over comer of Satan, and therefore an over comer of sin as well. Satan is under YOUR feet if so be you are a BELIEVER in Jesus Christ. You have been given all AUTHORITY and power over the enemy in the NAME of Jesus, so start standing in your authority and begin resisting the devil called Satan in the mighty NAME of Jesus you Lord and savior. The word of God says in James 4:7 to “ RESIST the devil and he will flee from you.” Resist the temptation to sin and the temptation will flee from you. This is a written guarantee from Almighty God who cannot lie. I want you to consider this next statement very carefully, because this is what the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart when I cried out to God to help me over come this sin in my life that I kept falling back into over and over. The Holy Spirit asked me the question, "Have you ever successfully resist even ONE temptation in you life that you did NOT give into and sin?" I said back to God, of course I have many times, but I just cannot over come this one particular sin no matter how hard I try. Then the Holy Spirit said back to me, if you have successfully resisted the temptation to sin, any temptation whatsoever, no matter how big or how small, even just one time in your life, even if you gave into this same temptation at a latter time, then I want you to know that you are able to resist any and all temptations at all times in your life. So then, I am here to ASSURE you that YES it IS POSSIBLE for YOU to live YOUR life totally free from ALL sin simply by resisting sin one temptation at a time. Jesus said don’t take thought for tomorrow for sufficient is today. In other words don’t worry about the temptations that may or may not come down the road, but deal only with the one you are faced with at the present time. KNOW that all the authority of Almighty God is BEHIND you ENFORCE what you command in the name of Jesus. KNOW that God is FAITHFUL to perform his word, therefore if you RESIST the temptation to sin, then the temptation WILL leave you if you hold fast and refuse to give into it. The Bible ASSURES us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that “ God will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able,(able to what? Able to resist and overcome) but will with the temptation make a way of escape, that you are able to bear it . ” So then if you say, like I used to say myself, that the temptation that you are faced with is too great and that you just can’t resist it, then you are being deceived just like I was deceived by this same lie from the devil before that Holy Spirit assured me that I could overcome any and all temptations in my life. In other words, in essence you are calling God a liar, when you say that you are NOT ABLE to over come the temptations that come your way. You may have not realized it before, but your are in doubt and unbelief, and everything that is not of faith is sin. Now I know that this is not your intention, but that is, in fact, what you are doing when you give into the temptation to sin. You are not submitting yourself unto God, but rather unto man. The carnal man, our fleshly nature, that says we are only human and subject to failure, but God says be ye Holy for I am Holy. Let God be true and every man a liar. Look at 1st Peter 4:1, “ For as much then as Christ (the ANOINTED one) has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the SAME mind for he that suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin . ” Think about that for a moment. As long as you are resisting the temptation to sin, and you are NOT yielding to temptation, that is to say, you are NOT giving into the temptation, but rather SUFFERING through the temptation, then you are NOT sinning. In other words, while, during, or at the t ime, you are suffering the temptation you have ceased from sin. You see, the temptation is NOT sin. It is when you yield to the temptation that it becomes sin. Think about that the next time that you are being tempted. It is a time of suffering, but God is WITH you to strengthen you, IF so be that the Holy Spirit of Almighty God DWELLS IN you, so resist the devil and do not give into sin and the temptation WILL FLEE from you. You have God's word on it! Remember that 1st John 3:8 says, that if WE commit sin, then WE, who are true born again believers are OF the devil while we are COMMITTING SIN. Romans 6:16 says it like this, "Know you not, that to whom you yield yourself to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey, whether of sin unto death or of obedience to righteousness?" It all comes down to a choice. It is that simple! Are you going to yield yourself to what tempts you, or are you going to obey the word of God and live your life free from sin? One definition of yield means to give up, to surrender, to be overcome. Therefore when you give into sin, in reality, you are being over come by the enemy, Satan. Now it is definitely not God’s WILL for you to be over come by the Devil. The word of God says in Romans 8:31, "If God be for us who can be against us?" I want you to KNOW my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord that the Devil cannot succeed against you,IF you BELIEVE, because Almighty God himself is for you. It is your choice! Resist the temptation of the devil! And the temptation WILL flee from you. Look at Romans 8:9,12 for a moment. "But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, IF so be that the Spirit of God dwell IN you." Now skip to verse 12. "THEREFORE (or for this reason) brethren we are debtors NOT to the flesh to live after the flesh" Notice that this scripture says that we indeed ARE debtors, but we are NOT debtors to the FLESH. In other words, we have been set FREE from sin and now have become SERVANTS or DEBTORS of RIGHTEOUSNESS. Let’s look at this scripture from some other translations. The Living Bible says it this way, "So dear brothers you have NO obligation whatever to your sinful nature to do what it begs you to do." Are you seeing it yet? It is your choice! You are under no obligation to sin. The New English Version reads, "It follows, my friends, that our LOWER nature (the flesh) has no claim upon us; we are NOT obligated to live on that level.” Our flesh is our lower nature, and our spirits, which are born of God, ought to be ruling and reigning over our flesh. This is where we are debtors. God is not going to make your spirit take dominion over your flesh. This is something YOU yourself are going to have to do with the HELP of the Holy Spirit. And the ONLY way that you are going to be able to overcome sin consistently is through FAITH. Living free from sin will not be possible for you until you first BELIEVE that WITH God's HELP, then living free from sin will be possible. Verse 13 goes on to say, "For if you (speaking to true born again believers in Jesus Christ, if YOU) live after the flesh, you shall DIE, but if YOU (speaking of YOU yourself) THROUGH the Spirit do mortify (crucify or put to death) the deeds of the body, you shall live." This is a serious matter that is not to be taken lightly . Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is DEATH. We need to wake up to the fact that when we are being tempted that it is a LIFE and DEATH decision that we are making. Every time you give into temptation you are literally slipping back into Satan’s dominion and you are running the risk of being forever separated from God and losing the promise of ETERNAL LIFE. I cannot stress this enough my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, if you are living in sin and you were to die while you are living in sin, then you will NOT inherit ETERNAL LIFE in the world to come. God’s word clearly declares in the book of Deuteronomy 30:19, "I have SET before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore CHOOSE life, that you and your seed may live." Again I say unto you, it is your choice. Choose life. You can live a sin free life, IF you yourself CHOOSE to do so.But first you must BELIEVE that it IS possible, because the JUST, those who have been brought back into right relationship with God by the blood of Jesus, shall LIVE BY FAITH. Now let’s look at 2nd Peter 1:10, which is my favorite scripture dealing with living a life free from sin. The last portion of this verse says, "For IF you do these things you shall NEVER fall." The word “never” here in the Greek means not at all, anymore, by no means, in no case, in any wise, at any time, never. And the word “fall” here in the Greek means to trip, that is to err, to sin, to fail of salvation, to offend, stumble, fall. So then, if words mean anything at all, then this verse of scripture is literally saying, and I paraphrase, “For IF YOU DO THESE THINGS YOU SHALL NEVER, by NO MEANS, in NO CASE, in ANY WAY, at ANY TIME SIN, NO, NOT AT ALL, ANY MORE, NEVER AGAIN, ERR or FAIL of SALVATION, STUMBLE, FALL, or OFFEND in ANY MANNER!"