I Sinned...Now What? Part 5: Resolve to Keep Fighting

I Sinned...Now What?
Part 5: Resolve to Keep Fighting

The theological term for the process of becoming more like Christ is called sanctification, and it is a concept that seems to be experiencing somewhat of a revival among Christians. A quick look around your local Christian bookstore or online will reveal thousands of books, sermons, and teachings resources that give techniques and strategies about avoiding, hating, and eliminating sin in the Christian life. I have access to plenty of information and techniques to avoid sin as I live my new life in Christ. But what if I sin anyway?

Christians have historically been very bad at answering this question. In the early church, a book called the Shepherd of Hermas heretically seems to imply that believers can only be forgiven for continued sin once after they’re baptized. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, believed that Christians could actually obtain perfection and never sin again. There is staggeringly little honest teaching throughout Christendom on the personal continual battle with indwelling sin, especially in regards to failure. However, the Bible does address this issue and it is good to sort through it and be reminded of the truth. The Apostle Peter says, “Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder” (2 Peter 1:12-13). So let us be stirred up by way of reminder to continue our fight with sin both during and following failure.
Now What?
So what is the biblical response for Christians who struggle with sin? We continue this fight by feeling the conviction of the Holy Spirit, repenting, confessing, accepting forgiveness, and resolving to continue the fight. In our past blogs we explored conviction, repentance, confession, and forgiveness. We will now finish our series with a discussion on moving forward by resolving to continue the fight.
Resolve to Fight
“For this is the will of God, your sanctification.” (1 Thessalonians 4:3)

After sinning it can feel like we’ve failed completely, but the Holy Spirit’s conviction brings us to repentance, confession, and acceptance of God’s forgiveness offered in Christ. Then we must continue to fight against indwelling sin, remembering that we’re justified by Christ who gives a new nature. Because we’re treasuring Christ above all else, we remove any obstacles that would keep us from finding our joy in Christ as we continue fighting for holiness.
Justification and Lordship of Christ: New Creations
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

After we’ve messed up and the weight of sin begins to put pressure on our hearts, it can seem overwhelming. We may ask ourselves, “Am I hypocrite for saying that I am justified by Christ even when I continue to sin?” The answer is, maybe. The Apostle Paul warns us that, “If I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor” (Galatians 1:18). Is Christ’s Lordship gaining more and more control over your choices or are we still the Lords of our lives? We have to be very careful and soberly allow the Spirit to convict us because there is a temptation to dwell on our sin and failure rather than take into account our repentance, confession, and perseverance. What is the trajectory of our lives and what does that say about who we ultimately view as Lord? We may continue sinning but are we continuing to repent? Looking back on your life, can you see the work of the Holy Spirit transforming you by slowly and continuously helping you to consider your old nature dead? I believe that the true Christian can see real change. Change is usually so slow it’s only noticeable in hind-sight. For me it is often almost impossible to believe I have changed in the light of fresh sins, but God the Spirit graciously opens my eyes to see the glory of what He is “carrying on to completion” in my life.

There is a tension in our walk of sanctification because many say they are justified by Christ, but their lives show that Christ is not their Lord. They’re proven to be hypocrites because the pattern of life doesn’t reflected a growing understanding of the Lordship of Jesus but only growing habitual sin that rebuilds what was tore down. This isn’t a change of nature from being born-again but simply the outworking of a carnal heart that sees the benefits of playing the religious game. I want to remind my struggling brothers and sisters that Jesus didn’t come to show us how to be more disciplined but to die as our sin bearer and give us a new nature through the Holy Spirit. As they say, you can scrub a pig down and clean him up but he’ll always run back into the mud and get filthy all over again. Don’t blame that pig, that’s what he does, he’s a pig! The only way to keep a pig clean is if it had a new nature that hates mud. We must walk in the newness of life that hates sin and considers ourselves dead to it. This is the walkway of true Christian life.

“So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:11)
Making Christ our Treasure
The way we continue to fight against sin is to not give it dominion in our hearts. As Christians we have a new nature and a new treasure. “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24). After sinning due to our service to the masters of money, sex, approval, accomplishment, etc, it’s the inward master/idols of the heart that we must learn to hate so we can serve Christ.
As Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44). We must pray and plead with God that he would conform our hearts to see him as the most beautiful, most valuable, most precious treasure in our lives.
Removing Obstacles: Cutting Off Hands and Plucking Out Eyes
After sinning, we must repent, confess, and accept forgiveness, but our new nature demands that we assess how we can root that sin out of our lives. Out of our joy in loving Christ, who is better than anything else we can love in this world, we are compelled to remove every stumbling block. Jesus says:
If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. (Matthew 5:29-30)
Christ demands that we get violent on our sin! Brothers and sisters, don’t stop fighting for joy in Christ above all else!
Resolving to Continuing Fighting for Joy
“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” (Colossians 3:5-10)

Let us strength our resolve to continue our fight with indwelling sin, knowing that by the Spirit of God victory is assured in some measure in this life time as we become the new creations God has made us to be. And we have the certainty of our future hope built on Christ’s eternal victory over sin!

Remember, the fight isn’t over once we’ve sinned. Satan is a liar who has come to steal, kill, and destroy. As long as we are breathing he will continue to tempt us. And the temptation to give up in despair after sin is especially beguiling. But there is hope after failure! There is God’s grace, seen though the conviction of the Holy Spirit, repentance, confession, acceptance of God’s forgiveness, and the resolve to continue to fight! Praise be to God that:

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” (Romans 16:20)