LIVING above sin is often a problem for many of God’s children because they are struggling against it in their own might. Just imagine for a moment that Jesus had to take the form of a man and die just to free us from sin. That should tell us how serious the matter is, but more than that, it should tell us that it is not something we could ever do on our own.
Some interpret Paul’s message to the Romans as suggesting that living above sin is impossible; therefore, any effort on our part to do so is futile. So, don’t worry; rather, be happy while you sin, for God understands and is delighted to accommodate sin with His abundant grace. True, God does have an abundance of grace to cover sin, but Paul never intended for his message to be interpreted with such looseness. To the contrary, Paul taught that a victorious Christian life was possible and should be pursued. Consider his message in chapters 5, 6, 7, and 8 to the Roman Christians. First, let’s look at what we will entitle “the three R’s of sin”.
The three R’s of sin:
Reason or cause of sin
Result of sin
Remedy for sin
The reason of sin
The reason of sin is because of disobedience. Adam and Eve were given only one rule to live by: do not eat of one particular tree. It was their disobedience to this command that brought the knowledge of sin.
The result of sin
The result of sin was that all those who are born would have the nature of Adam. Mankind would be born impure as God regards impurity. Second, mankind was cast out of the presence of God. Fellowship with God was broken (spiritual death). Third, the earth was no longer a utopia. Man must now work to survive. Life became full of toil. Fourth, man’s lifespan on earth was cut short. He will die (natural death). Fifth, all mankind will be judged and eternally sentenced.
The remedy for sin
The remedy for sin, however, is the grace of God. This grace was purchased by the shed blood of Jesus Christ for the sins of the world. Faith in Christ and obedience to His Word given by the Apostles is sufficient to remit one’s sins. This is called “saving faith”.
The beauty of New Testament salvation is the process by which we obtain it. When sin broke our communion with God, man was totally hopeless. He did not possess the ability to obtain personal salvation. In all of man’s accomplishments, he has not been able to rid himself of his sins. Salvation was eternally out of his reach. He could not save himself. Only God could remit his sins. The manner in which God chose to put man’s sins from him is the world’s greatest love story. Literature has many love stories, but none of them can compare to the love story of redemption.
Three simple steps for living above sin
The first step to living above sin is recognizing your need for God’s help and depending solely on that help. Now, the Holy Ghost is our helper. That help includes His enabling power that helps us live a holy life – above sin.
Whoever you are, whatever your struggles and temptations may be, sweet victory is yours for the taking. All you need do is appreciate, appropriate and act upon what already belongs to you in the person of Jesus Christ. You are guaranteed success in whatever battle you may be fighting, not because you are sufficient for the battle (you are not!), but because there are massively powerful provisions at your fingertips, in Christ.
Here are three simple steps that will release you from the grip of even the most besetting sin.
Name the Thing
Honesty is the precursor to victory. Before God, and in your own conscience, call your sin exactly what it is. Cease all explanations and excuses. Just get on your knees and confess that this thing is absolutely opposed to God’s character, that it is hurting others and destroying you. Verbalizing the truth of the matter is vitally necessary. Doing so awakens a deeper sensitivity and places your heart in an honest position before God and before yourself.
Moses instructed Israel, “It shall be, when he is guilty in any of these matters, that he shall confess that he has sinned in that thing” (Leviticus 5:5).
Confess “that thing,” the specific “thing,” for exactly what it is, without reserve and without any kind of justification.
David gave us an example of total transparency before God: I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin (Psalm 32:5).
Stop hiding!
Simply tell the truth.
Stop lying!
Stop explaining!
Decide and Act Against the Thing
There lies within you a God-given power to choose. It’s a power no force in the universe can prevail against. Satan himself, and all his unholy angels, cannot make a man or woman sin when the will has decided not to.
The biblical word for the movement of the will away from sin and toward God is “repentance.” It basically means a deliberate change of mind and direction.
Call it a spiritual 180.
The moment you decide against sin and begin to act in a new moral course, new neurological, synaptic pathways immediately begin to form. Your mind actually begins to take on a new shape! Paul says you literally “become renewed in the spirit (the bent or inclination) of your mind” (Ephesians 4:23). As the repentant frame of mind is sustained, a new personhood is formed in the image of Christ. New patterns of thought, feeling and behavior become easier with every passing day. You become naturalized to and at home in character of God.
Receive Power Over the Thing
No matter how honestly you confess your sin, and no matter how firmly you decide against your sin, your willpower does not innately posses the quality and kind of power you need to overcome. Of yourself, you are utterly bankrupt of the moral oomph to obtain victory.
So where does that leave you?
Well, you are in desperate need of a power outside of and above yourself to be poured into the moral fiber of your being. You need a steady inflow of a particular kind of power that is not of human origin. This power is not a mysterious or nebulous thing. It’s not a magical wave of energy or some kind of miraculous act of divine fiat that bypasses your awareness and freewill.
Quite simply, the power you need is the love of God!
If God’s love is the power I need, then how do I tap into it? How do I drink it in? How do I get God’s love into the moral fabric of my being?
The Bible offers a simple answer to this vital question. Paul says that God’s love gains access to our lives through the conduit of comprehension; that is, through the rational faculties of the mind.
Paul is clear here. The inner moral strengthening we need is none other than the love of God, in Christ. We need to become rooted and ground in this love. And the way we do it is by giving our minds over to the task of comprehending God’s love manifested in Christ. This love, when comprehended, is “the power that works in us.” This is Paul’s exact point.
As a Christian, is it possible to live righteously, above sin? Emphatically yes! That’s what Jesus accomplished for us. There are two reasons why people sin: “fear” and “selfishness.” But God has brought us faith and love to replace fear and selfishness. If you walk by faith, you can’t live in fear. If you walk in love, you can’t be selfish. Therefore, if you function in faith and love, you can’t sin; nothing done by faith and love could ever be sin.
Love is self-giving. When you love, you give. The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that He gave…” (John 3:16). Selfishness holds back; love, unlike selfishness, is considerate and puts others first. 1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” If you’re born again, you’re born of love; you have the nature of love and righteousness, and can live above sin.
