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Killing Sin (part one)


Grace can be so easily misunderstood. To some it is license for poor behavior while to others it is life. The reason for such a dichotomy is that Satan has slipped in and promoted his lie in the face of God's truth. Grace was never meant to be a scapegoat for sin. Grace is meant to be the springboard to further maturity and holiness. 

Consider Paul's writings in Romans 6:1, "Shall we go on sinning that grace may abound? God forbid!" God forbid that grace becomes easy or cheap! God forbid that we view grace as that which permits us license. God forbid that grace is less than a fall back position for us to regroup, after we do sin, and then spring board forward for us to conquer the strongholds of sin in our lives; (see also 2 Cor 10:4 "For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds."

Destroying strongholds of sin in our lives is warfare that begins with an awakening or a reckoning of sorts. This awakening leads us to one conclusion, "God does not want one ounce of sin having authority in who we are." The logical response to that awakening is that sin must die, yet the acts of killing sin seem almost as difficult to appreciate as an abstract painting. We preach of killing sin, yet do we understand its execution?

This morning God spoke to my heart about this in the following verse that gave me pause:



14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.  James 1:14 - 15

The writer of James lays out 3 battlefields for the fight against sin. We see them in the following:

1. The lure of sin
2. The birth of sin
3. The life of sin

 Every sin that we commit begins the exact same way. The flesh craves action. The flesh speaks to the brain and the brain rationalizes the action. If the spirit man does not intervene, in that if the Word of God which has been planted in the spirit of the person does not rise up to take the errant thought captive, too often the flesh will win. Sin will be committed. Fellowship with God will be damaged and eventually broken.

Thus the key to winning this battle is to assault the root of sin, the control of the flesh in our lives. The very first battlefield is here. The battle is joined long before the errant thought rises. It is joined through the daily battles of sanctification, the acts where God conforms us to be more like Jesus.


Yet realize something here. When you got saved you were given a blank slate. Previous sin is no longer counted against you and you are no longer slaves to previous sin. This means that you are empowered by the spirit of God to live as over-comers You have been set free from sin and no longer have to surrender to its chains. (Gal 5:1-2). Paul speaks of this event,

"9 Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, 10 or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. 11 Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Cor 6:9-13

You have been made holy. You start from that premise. You are also being made holy. This is where the lure of sin becomes lessened because as part of the realization of who you are in Jesus. You are being made holy in that you, for loves sake, choose to live in the change of salvation in your life in order to preserve fellowship with Jesus Christ.

So to kill sin, even before we take the errant thought captive, we must begin with the reality and foundation that we are changed wholly and completely by the shed blood of Jesus. We must embrace a new way of living, protecting that clean slate and not letting it get filled back up with acts of self. We must receive the love of God and respond with love in return, surrendering any areas where God does not have lordship in our lives.
Confusions say, "The cookie is less sweet when the diet has shown results..."









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