To conquer sin
Contents
to conquer sin
<Romans 8:1-8>
Romans 8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and on account of sin, condemned sin in the flesh.
Romans 8:4 that the requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.
Romans 8:5 Those who are after the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, and those who follow the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
Romans 8:6 The mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.
Romans 8:7 The carnal mind is hostile to God, for it does not submit to the law of God, nor can it do so.
Romans 8:8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
<1> Definition of Sin
Breaking the law is called a sin.
Each country has its own laws, and those who break those laws are punished. Laws are made based on the philosophies of the country's leaders, with the goal of making the community peaceful and prosperous.
God also created the world and people and gave laws. As the Creator, Ruler, and Judge of all things and human beings, God established laws to give life and happiness to our lives. To Adam and Eve, he enacted laws related to the tree of good and evil, and afterwards as a lamb sacrifice, after Moses as a law, and today as the gospel. The laws of the gospel can be summarized as the Ten Commandments and the New Commandments.
If you keep God's law, you will receive God's love and blessings, and you will live a life of eternal life and eternal glory. On the other hand, if you disregard God's law and sin, you will live a life of suffering in the world, and you will have to live with the price of punishment as you did in eternal hell through God's judgment.
God's law first requires me to live a life that honors God regardless of God's glory, and secondly, it requires me to live loving each other with respect for all neighbors, including my family.
God's law does not define sin simply by visible actions. God, who sees the heart, sees and judges people's hearts as well. An evil thought in itself can be a sin. And every act and word (expression) that comes from an evil thought is sin (Matt. 15:19-20).
<2> Consequences of sin
(1) provoke wrath to God
The result of sin is first to anger God (Ephesians 2:3). God establishes and rules laws for his glory, eternal life and happiness in our lives, and for building the perfect kingdom of God in the future.
God is long-suffering with people's sins. God is well aware that our lives are so lacking that we are enslaved to sin. Therefore, after the fall of Adam, God provided a way of salvation for people to have their sins forgiven and to regain their lost eternal life.
Nevertheless, if I turn away from the path of forgiveness and salvation and live according to my sinful nature, God will surely punish me. For crimes that markedly insult God, the world Himself punishes me for my sins. However, in most cases, after the death of the body, you will be judged according to what you have done for the rest of your life before God. Even if a Christian is saved, his reward will be reduced by that much. You cannot receive answers to God's prayers or various blessings in this world, and you cannot receive any praise or reward even when you go to the kingdom of God.
Of course, if you repent, He will give you the grace of forgiveness of sins that you have already forgiven through the cross. In order to receive answers to prayers and the blessings of God's help, you must first be renewed through complete repentance and practice a righteous life that obeys the Word.
(2) harm to neighbors
God created human beings to love, cooperate, and enjoy happiness together, but He created them as one blood in one Adam. Therefore, it is a sin to cause pain and harm to neighbors. Inability to love your neighbor is ultimately hurting yourself by alienating those who will make you happy. Therefore, sin is a foolish act that makes you unhappy. Especially in Proverbs, it is very foolish to commit a sin.
If you harm your neighbors, others will keep you away from you. You will not be able to receive the cooperation and love of your neighbors. In severe cases, you may be subject to retaliation or legal punishment. Therefore, the person who commits a sin becomes increasingly lonely and unhappy.
However, if you keep away from sin and live righteously and good before God and people, you will enjoy God's great blessings. God blesses us who live this life. He answers prayers. You will be used as a precious worker in the kingdom of God, and you will receive a position of glory as a reward.
<3> Three things that lead to sin
(1) Original sin (sin nature)
Among the three things that cause people to sin, the first is the original sin, that is, the sinful nature from Adam, the ancestor of mankind. This original sin is probably the result of our physical mortal condition, which paralyzes our spiritual functions. Therefore, human beings became mortal, and they became fleshly beings enslaved to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
(2) Temptation of world culture
The second thing that causes us to sin is the temptation of the world. Most people in the world live a life that does not acknowledge God. Therefore, living a sinful life distorts people's consciousness of sin.
Because they do not know the law of God. Therefore, breaking God's law is not considered a sin, but it is considered very just. For example, the people of the world are not at all guilty of worshiping idols or worshiping demons. In addition, although we commit the sin of following the lusts of the flesh, we have no sense of guilt about it.
(3) Temptation of the devil
The devil tempts us through our original sin and the temptations of the fallen world, sometimes through believers but deceived by the devil and sinners. Even if the devil does not tempt you, these two temptations alone are difficult, but the devil tempts people by strengthening these two temptations.
Sometimes it provokes anger and leads to sin, sometimes it leads to fiery lust, and sometimes it provokes pride to commit the sin of pride.
<4> To conquer sin
(1) You must know God's law right away.
The devil makes people ignorant of God's law. Don't even pay any attention to it. As part of this, the Devil has created numerous religions. It deceives into believing that serving God is one of many religions. And keeping God's law is slandered as if it were a bondage of one's freedom. Therefore, it teaches us not to serve God, but to live freely. The freedom they are talking about is to live without God, that is, enjoy sin without feeling guilty.
Through the Bible and sermons, we must properly learn the law of God, that is, the truth. If you do not know God's truth, that is, God's law, you will commit a crime without your knowledge. However, as you come to know the Word, you will turn away from sin, and if you have committed a sin, you will come before the Lord to repent and receive forgiveness of your sins. Therefore, the devil is trying to keep us away from dealing with the Word of God.
You must know the Word of God, but you must know it correctly. This is because the devil creates a heresy similar to Christianity and tries to bring it down from the right truth of God, so we do not want to be deceived. As a heretic, the devil is trying to forsake God's true righteousness and teach other things as the standard of righteousness to eventually break God's Word.
(2) We must put all our energy into practicing the Word of God.
Living according to God's Word is not easy. This is because there are threefold hindrances: original sin, the world's temptation, and the devil's temptation. Therefore, in order to live according to the Word of God, we must first have zeal for obedience to God's Word.
First, we must pray earnestly and seek the help of the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:2 says, ?쏷he law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.??We cannot obey God's demands with only our physical strength, so we have no choice but to follow the law of sin in our flesh, even if we like God's law in our hearts like Paul before. But the Lord saves us from the law of sin and death by giving the law of the Spirit of life among us.
Second, we must resolutely reject and avoid the temptations of sin. When Potiphar's wife tried to seduce him, Joseph adamantly refused my temptation. And kept her away. Therefore, he was able to keep righteousness without sinning, and through this he did not fall from God's grace.
Third, we must correct the habits and dispositions of deep-rooted sin. Sins hardened by habits and character are not easily corrected. Even after being born again, these are the reasons why they can no longer sustain their Christian life. Mainly because of this, even after being saved, they fall and fail countless times. That is, they commit countless crimes, both large and small.
Fourth, we must examine ourselves every moment, correct ourselves, and act rightly according to the Word. Elder James said, ?쏧f anyone hears the Way and does not practice it, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror; he sees himself and goes away and immediately forgets what his appearance is??(James 1:23-24). By examining yourself through the Word, you must discover your sinful nature and solve it with repentance and a new life resolution.
(3) We must achieve thorough repentance for our sins.
Without thorough repentance, it is easy to commit the same crime. David fasted for seven days for his sins of fornication and murder and repented before God with tears. God says through 1 John 1:9, ?쏧f we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us.??However, because King Saul did not fully repent, his conscience gradually became dull, and in the end he disobeyed God's words and was destroyed.
Even if you have committed a sin, if you thoroughly repent, you will become immune to that sin, which can be a great help in overcoming sin and doing righteousness.
This is exactly what the Lord wants. He wants us to reach spiritual maturity by overcoming the sins that end through numerous trials and errors, even if we fail countless times due to the temptations of original sin, the world, and the devil.
<Concluding remarks>
Even if we constantly strive to live according to the Word, we cannot overcome the temptation of sin and commit sins in many cases. Even so, don't be discouraged. However, you should strive to achieve spiritual growth in the process of repeating repentance, sin, and repentance again.
Even if you obey the Word and lead a successful life of faith, you should not be conceited. We must not be proud of ourselves because we believe in our own piety. Because, taking advantage of our negligence, the devil tempts us all of a sudden and very powerfully through our sinfulness, weakness, and the evil culture of the world. Therefore, we must always pray and stay awake. Because you never know when the devil will attack you. If you stay awake while watching what sin will attack you, even if you are attacked, you can easily overcome it.
We must always rely on the help of the Holy Spirit. It is difficult to live according to the Word with human strength alone. Therefore, we must always pray earnestly to seek the filling of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says that we cannot fulfill the requirements of the law by human strength, but if we follow the Holy Spirit, we can fulfill the requirements of the law (Romans 8:3). As the Lord taught, I bless you all who watch and pray so that you do not fall into temptation. ??