Subduing Sin

The Bible says that all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).  Even after we become Christians, Satan continues presenting distractions to our Christian focus through temptations that plant seeds in our minds which can conceive sinful thoughts. Left unchecked, they germinate and grow into sinful contemplations that translate into actions and impede our walk of faith.  We are spiritually targeted whether we realize it or not. James 1:13b-15 says, “each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death.”

This should not surprise anyone since Jesus himself was led into the desert to be tempted (Matthew 4:1).  Despite being saved, Christians still inhabit their mortal bodies during their time on earth and Satan uses this to cause division within us as he aspires to weaken and even destroy our faith.  The flesh is weak and our physical bodies have cravings and desires that remain after we have received spiritual life when we are born again.

Our spiritual identity is charged with subduing our physical nature through obedience to the Holy Spirit who dwells within true believers.  The apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 5:16-17, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.  They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.”

Comprehending sin’s metamorphosis

Understanding the mechanism of how temptation transforms into sin is critical to learning the discipline to surrender to the Holy Spirit and be obedient to Him.  We are inundated daily with sensual advertising, pictures and videos designed to appeal to our physical desires and compel us to act out what our minds envision.  Temptation itself is not a sin, however when we accept the temptation that is presented to us and choose to contemplate it in our minds, it transforms into unholy thoughts that can lead to sin.  A thought precedes an act and our actions and words reflect our thoughts and the choices we make beforehand.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that when we look at another person lustfully, we are guilty of committing adultery with that person from God’s perspective (Matthew 5:27-28).  Similarly, if you are angry with someone, you are guilty of murder (Matthew 5:21-22).  Jesus understood the nature of sin and also the perfect nature of God.

Matthew 6:22 tells us, “The eye is the lamp of the body.  If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.  If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness.”  Mark 7:21-23 instructs, “For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.  All these evils come from inside and make a man unclean.”

Repentance is paramount

Repentance is the changing of one’s mind and it is the act of repentance that arrests our thoughts and thwarts the temptation to act on them, thereby turning us away from sinful conduct.  Repentance addresses the root cause of sin not just the symptoms of sin and prevents sin from manifesting itself in the lives of sincere believers.  That is why repentance is critical to being saved.

This is a simple, yet profound truth that the Bible teaches, however many fail to grasp the concept, claiming that we are saved by grace and not by works, therefore there is nothing we can do to ensure our salvation.  Or even further beyond the periphery of truth, the notion that Christ put an end to sin when he proclaimed “It is finished.” (John 19:30). Yet John conveys the importance of subduing sin in 1 John 3:6, “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.”

In the same way that an alcoholic must never drink again when they recover from alcoholism or a drug or tobacco addict in remission can never take that substance again without risking addictive recurrence, the cognitive recall of sin can be instrumental in causing one to relapse into sinful behavior after they have been saved.  Entertaining sinful thoughts is akin to playing with fire.

Paul wrote in Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.” We are called to live holy lives (1 Peter 1:16).

It is crucial that Christians imitate Christ (1 Peter 2:21; Ephesians 5:1-2; 1 Corinthians 11:1).  How we live is a testimony to the legacy of Jesus Christ and how others perceive the truth of the gospel.  We do not want to be perceived as hypocritical by the way we live in the eyes of the world and more importantly in the eyes of God.  1 John 2:6 says, “Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.”

Pastors, Priests and others in ministry are especially vulnerable to hypocrisy and will be held accountable (James 3:1). Paul warns in Romans 2:21-22a, “you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself?  You who preach against stealing, do you steal?  You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery?”

One cannot indulge their sinful nature and think they can have the strength to live a holy life.  We must guard our hearts and minds by avoiding environments we know are rife with temptation.  We must deliberately confront temptation or it will confront us.  This takes discipline and self control.  Interestingly enough, self control is listed as a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23) which is achieved through obedience to the Holy Spirit.

Nip sin in the bud

Paul advises in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – think about such things.”  When our minds are focused on these things, any temptatious thoughts will be displaced and will not be able to command our attention.

I have found that reading scripture can supplant sinful thoughts.  In fact, nothing is more powerful than the word of God when it comes to making the devil flee from us.  The writer of Hebrews reminds us of this fact, “For the word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Jesus quoted scripture when he was tempted in the wilderness by Satan (Matthew 4:1-11) and the devil left him.  The word of God is part of the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17) and is called “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

The battle is spiritual

In order to fight spiritual battles, we must employ spiritual weaponry and the Holy Spirit is our commander in chief.  Our adversary the devil doesn’t fight fair.  He knows that our flesh is weak and he directs his attack at our weakness.  It is incumbent upon us therefore to surrender to the indwelling Holy Spirit and rely upon His strength which exceeds our enemy’s.

Once again, I refer to Ephesians 6, this time verse 12, “For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  1 John 4:4 contains the strategy for fighting spiritual enemies. “You dear children are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you, is greater than the one who is in the world.”   

It has been said that the devil will tell you a lie in your own voice.  Indeed, he gets inside your head and appeals to your physical senses and plants thoughts that may seem benign, however if left unrestrained, they grow into temptations that produce actions. The father of lies often increases his assault on believers by interjecting interference or “noise” in order to prevent us from dialing into our Savior and drawing near to Him.

As Christians, we are called to action.  We are to be more than just hearers of the word; we are called to be doers of the word.  By actively engaging in godly thinking, having holy aspirations and being obedient to the Spirit within us, we gain the strength to do what seems impossible for the carnal minded. Sin must be subdued and conquered by tackling it in our minds before it manifests as deeds. Once Christians master this, by the power of the Holy Spirit, they will truly have unity with our Father in heaven.

Paul advises in Ephesians 5:8, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.”