Overcoming Habitual Sin
By Dan Gatlin
All sin condemns us before God.
James wrote, "For
whoever shall keep the whole
law, and yet stumble in one point, he is
guilty of all. For He who said, 'Do not
commit
adultery,' also said,
'Do not murder.'
Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder,
you have become a transgressor of the law' (2:10-11). The Calvinist
doctrine of the
"Continual Cleansing" denies the
force of this passages. Those with Calvinist
leanings say
that a
single act of sin will not condemn us, only habitual
sin will. But James points out that we will stand before God as either guilty of sin, or pronounced righteous
by the mercy of
God. This principle is recognized by every court
system on earth.
If one is found guilty of
stealing, he will not
successfully argue for his freedom because he has never committed
arson, murder, or assault. The criminal stands before the
court as innocent
or guilty. We
will stand before
God as having all our sins forgiven or as "a transgressor
of the law."
There is no middle ground. A single act
of unforgiven sin brings condemnation.
Sin is usually
connected with
some type of pleasure (Tit. 3:3; Heb. 11'-25), if such
were not the
case there would be no basis for temptation. Satan
uses our weaknesses to
entice us to sin, "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his
own desires and
enticed' (Jas.
1:14). The word translated "enticed" is deleazo, which means "to lure by a
bait" (W.
E. Vine). The first time we succumb to
temptation
the easier it is to
give in
thereafter. Before we know it, sin becomes
habitual. Jesus recognized this when
He said,
"Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of
sin" (Jas. 8:34). The verb
"commits" is present, active which describes one who continues in sin. Being a slave of sin
does not mean that it
is impossible to break away (Col. 3:5-7), but the task is
much more
difficult. There are things we can do to
overcome habitual sin.
Repent and pray for forgiveness.
This is what Peter
told Simon to
do (Acts
8:22), and it is essential whether
we've committed a single act of sin or are involved in
habitual sin. Every time a Christian does this
in sincerity of heart his sins are forgiven.
The word "repent" is often misunderstood.
Strong defines it this
way: "to think
differently or afterwards, i.e. reconsider
(morally, feel compunction)" (#3340).
Strictly
speaking repentance is a change of
mind. There are other things that accompany
repentance. Godly sorrow is not repentance, but
precedes it: " For godly sorrow producer
repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of
the world producer
death" (2 Cor. 7:10). Many feel "the sorrow of the world." They are sorry for the
consequences of their sin, but not for the offense that they have
caused God or others.
Their repentance is not valid because it is not
accompanied by godly sorrow. Repentance is
also not reformation of life. Changing the
way we live is necessary after we repent (Matt. 3:8; Acts
26:20), but
a changed life alone does not indicate repentance. If one converts to
Mormonism, he may change from a life of
immorality to
one that
is morally upright. Yet, he
would still stand opposed to God. God
does not accept
partial repentance.
To repent is to
make our thinking come in line with God's in
all things.
Peter
also told Simon to "pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may
be
forgiven you' (Acts 8:22). While God knows what
we need before we ask (Matt. 6:8), He
still wants
us to communicate that need to Him.
And the greatest need man has is
forgiveness.
First, we must
confess our faith in Jesus (Rom. 10:9-10; Acts
8:37). This is something
Christians should do throughout our walk on this earth.
Second, we are to confess our sins. In the
case of public sin, public confession is
necessary: "'Confess your
trespasses to one another, and pray for one
another, that you
may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails
much" (Jas. 5:16).
The word confess {exomologed)
means "of a public acknowledgment or
confession of
sins" (Vine). Too often, men who commit
public sins want their
repentance and confession
to be private. And, too many brethren are willing to
assume that
repentance has taken
place when there may be little outward
evidence of such. The problem with these views is
that they ignore the
command for public confession.
But
the Scriptures also teach us that we are to confess our sins to
God. John
wrote, "If we confess our sins. He is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness" (1 Jn.
1:9). Here the word
confess {homologeo} means,
"to
confess by way of admitting oneself guilty of what one is accused of, the result of inward
conviction"
(Vine). To acknowledge our sins to God is to recognize
our reliance upon His
grace and mercy and acts as a reminder that
God does not overlook sin (Hab. 1:13; Acts
17:30).
Study what the Bible says about the things that tempt you. " All Scripture is
given by inspiration of God.
and is profitable for
doctrine for
reproof
for Correction
for
instruction in
righteousness
(2 Tim. 3:16). The reason two-thirds of the Bible is
corrective is that
God knows that man gives in to temptation
easily. If we choose not to
study we are rejecting God's correction.
We are far less likely to sin if we have a clear understanding of the Bibles teaching
concerning those things that tempt us. Strength to overcome temptation
comes from
God's word: "Blessed
is
the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly. Nor stands w
the path of sinners. Nor sits
in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the
LORD, And in His
law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the
rivers of water. That brings forth its fruit
in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither.
And whatever he does shall prosper" (Ps.
1:1-3). Those tempted by alcohol should have
a
clear understanding of passages like Prov. 20:1; 23:29-35;
1 Cor. 6:9-11; Eph. 5:18-20, etc.
Those addicted to sexual immorality need to
see the physical, spiritual, and emotional ional
damage that
they do to
themselves and others by studying Prov. 5:3-14; 7:1-27; 1 Cor.
6:15-20, etc. Remind yourself often (2
Pet. 1:12-15).
Avoid
tempting situations. Jesus clearly taught,
"And do not lead us into
temptation. But deliver us from the evil
one." (Matt. 6:13). Notice that He did not
say,
"and do not
lead us into sin," but "into temptation." Sin
is less likely to occur where there
is no temptation.
James describes the connection between temptation and sin:
"But each
one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when
desire
has conceived, it gives birth to sin: and sin, when it is full-grown, brings
forth
death." (1:14-15). Satan (the tempter, 1 Thess.
3:5) entices us through our weaknesses,
but he has no power over us beyond what we allow him (Jn.
13:2, 27; Acts 5:3).
One of our greatest temptations is to
flirt with temptation. We know
that we
must avoid sin, yet we are drawn by its pleasures. Jesus warned against allowing our minds
to dwell on sin (Matt.
5:21-48).' And James tells us that doing so makes us double-minded: " Therefore submit to God.
Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw
near to God and e will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners: and purify your
hearts, you
double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to
mourning and
your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift
you up." (4:7-
10).
Turn to
your brethren for support. "No man is an island," according to the old
saying. And it's true! We often
need encouragement to remain faithful: "Beware,
brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing
from the living
God: but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest
any of you be hardened
through the deceitfulness of sin" (Heb.
3:12-13). Those that are mature in the faith have
the responsibility
of helping and encouraging those struggling with sin
(Gal. 6:1-2; 1 Thess. 5:14).
Remember,
"Blessed is the
man who endures temptation: for when he has been
approved, he will receive the crown of life
which the Lord has promised to those who love
Him" (Jas
l-.W