Overcoming Sin

   Have you ever heard a Christian use the excuse, "Well even Paul says he doesn't do the things he should, and does the things he shouldn't do."? I have often encountered this misused statement while in discussion about the topic of sin. It is true, there are no perfect people, but we must never seek the means to justify sin. If we visit chapter 7 of the book of Romans, we will find Paul talking about when he was under the law, what a terrible person he was. Even though he loved God's law and knew it was good and right, he always seemed to find himself doing things which were against it. In this chapter he addresses the truth of the law and human frailty. Though it wasn't the law that was wrong or evil (chpt. 7:12,14); it was humanities sinful nature. Sin used the law, which was good, to accomplish its own evil purposes (7:13). Paul gives us an answer to this sinful nature problem (7:25, 8:1-2).

   The Spirit gives us power to overcome sin. We don't have to be obedient to sin anymore! We have the power to resist. This is the same power mentioned in Acts chapter 2. Ye shall receive POWER after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you. This power didn't come by the letter of the law, it could only come through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Which is why we find people like David, Abraham, and Moses, who loved God and his laws but were also subject to the sinful nature living inside them. They did not have the power of the Spirit possessing them to overcome sin, yet they were counted righteous for their faith.
   Chapter 8 goes on to say, those who are dominated/controlled by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Spirit think about things that please the Spirit (8:5-9) Those that do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to God (8:9); and those under the control of their sinful nature can never please God (8:8). Letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death, but letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace (8:6). So we conclude, the statement Paul gave in chapter 7 about doing the things he doesn't want to do and not doing the things he ought to do, was merely an attempt to connect with his readers on a deeper level before addressing the issue at hand; which we now know as the sinful nature problem. In chapter 8 he tells us that those who are under the domination of the sinful nature cannot please God and are not his children. So if that is in fact what Paul was saying about himself, he would be saying that he is not filled with the Spirit, or a child of God. Yet that is not what Paul was saying. He was telling the church that is what he was before the solution given in chapter 8 of walking in the Spirit. Now, through the power of the Spirit, he is no longer a slave to the sinful nature living inside of him, but to Christ! 

   So how is it possible for anyone to be saved? Aren't we all flesh and walk in the flesh from time to time? The answer is yes and yes. But the goal we should be striving for is to die out daily to our flesh and come alive through the Spirit, just as Paul says he does. He compels us to follow him as he follows Christ. This is a part of following Christ. If you find it hard for you to walk in the Spirit all the time with only prayer and the Word, there is another tool Paul gives us which he uses to submit his unruly flesh to God. Fasting! Fasting coupled with prayer and studying Gods Word is a force to be reckoned with. Jesus tells us that some spirits cant even be cast out EXCEPT through prayer AND fasting! We have hope through the Spirit! If we continue to keep ourselves washed and clean and submit our unruly flesh to these disciplines, we CAN continually walk in the Spirit. All it takes is diligence and determination to please God and him alone.