Do Christians Have Power Over Sin?

[dkbwarrior]

Our will is the highest gift of our spirit.

Our will is not a part of our spirit, it is a part of the soul, ie., the mind, will and emotions.

Our soul is not saved. Our spirit is. The salvation of the soul is the process of sanctification, ie. renewing the mind.

The will is not powerful enogh to overcome sin. At least mine is not. If yours is, then I am not speaking to you. I am speaking to any and all of those who struggle and struggle and struggle and struggle against sin, and cannot seem to get the victory.

I spent years and years of my life struggling against drug addiction. Quitting was easy, I quit hundreds of times..... (Figure that one out...)

It wans't until I was sitting with God and His Word with nowhere else to turn but suicide, that God enlightened me with a revelation of this verse:

11Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
-Psam 119:11

He showed me that I was fighting the wrong thing. I was fighting a war that was already won by Jesus on the cross. It wasn't up to me to fight sin. Jesus did that and won for me. It was my job to put His word into my heart, so much that it would start to pour out of me, exchanging my thoughts for His thoughts. Jesus said "that which cometh out of a man defileth a man" because "out of the heart of a man come evil thoughts, adultry, fornication" etc., etc.

As you put Gods Word in you then you get the will of God coming out of you. I had a desire to stop using drugs but I did not have the will. I finally stopped trying to 'quit drugs' and concentrated on putting Gods Word in me. Guess what happened? I quit using drugs. That was in 1997. They haven't even been a temptation in the ten years since then.

Like I said, if you have the will on your own to overcome sin, God bless you. I don't, and most people I know don't. We have to do it the 'Word in' and then 'faith out' way.

Peace...

 

[JimfromOhio]

Our will is not a part of our spirit, it is a part of the soul, ie., the mind, will and emotions.

Our soul is not saved. Our spirit is. The salvation of the soul is the process of sanctification, ie. renewing the mind.

The will is not powerful enogh to overcome sin. At least mine is not. If yours is, then I am not speaking to you. I am speaking to any and all of those who struggle and struggle and struggle and struggle against sin, and cannot seem to get the victory.

I spent years and years of my life struggling against drug addiction. Quitting was easy, I quit hundreds of times..... (Figure that one out...)

It wans't until I was sitting with God and His Word with nowhere else to turn but suicide, that God enlightened me with a revelation of this verse:

11Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
-Psam 119:11

He showed me that I was fighting the wrong thing. I was fighting a war that was already won by Jesus on the cross. It wasn't up to me to fight sin. Jesus did that and won for me. It was my job to put His word into my heart, so much that it would start to pour out of me, exchanging my thoughts for His thoughts. Jesus said "that which cometh out of a man defileth a man" because "out of the heart of a man come evil thoughts, adultry, fornication" etc., etc.

As you put Gods Word in you then you get the will of God coming out of you. I had a desire to stop using drugs but I did not have the will. I finally stopped trying to 'quit drugs' and concentrated on putting Gods Word in me. Guess what happened? I quit using drugs. That was in 1997. They haven't even been a temptation in the ten years since then.

Like I said, if you have the will on your own to overcome sin, God bless you. I don't, and most people I know don't. We have to do it the 'Word in' and then 'faith out' way.

Peace...

You keep forgetting the Holy Spirit. Christ is the Word and as long as you allow the Holy Spirit to work within you, you can resist temptations. This is not about faith or knowing the word.

 

[dkbwarrior]

You keep forgetting the Holy Spirit. Christ is the Word and as long as you allow the Holy Spirit to work within you, you can resist temptations. This is not about faith or knowing the word.

The Holy Spirits function is to reveal the Word. The Bible says that it is the Word in my heart that keeps me from sinning against Him. The Holy Spirit gives revelation of the Word in our heart to produce faith. And faith gives us victory over the world.


4For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
-1 John 5:4

Peace...

 

[DevotiontoBible]

Our will is not a part of our spirit, it is a part of the soul, ie., the mind, will and emotions.

Our soul is not saved. Our spirit is. The salvation of the soul is the process of sanctification, ie. renewing the mind.

The will is not powerful enogh to overcome sin. At least mine is not. If yours is, then I am not speaking to you. I am speaking to any and all of those who struggle and struggle and struggle and struggle against sin, and cannot seem to get the victory.

I spent years and years of my life struggling against drug addiction. Quitting was easy, I quit hundreds of times..... (Figure that one out...)

It wans't until I was sitting with God and His Word with nowhere else to turn but suicide, that God enlightened me with a revelation of this verse:

11Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
-Psam 119:11

He showed me that I was fighting the wrong thing. I was fighting a war that was already won by Jesus on the cross. It wasn't up to me to fight sin. Jesus did that and won for me. It was my job to put His word into my heart, so much that it would start to pour out of me, exchanging my thoughts for His thoughts. Jesus said "that which cometh out of a man defileth a man" because "out of the heart of a man come evil thoughts, adultry, fornication" etc., etc.

As you put Gods Word in you then you get the will of God coming out of you. I had a desire to stop using drugs but I did not have the will. I finally stopped trying to 'quit drugs' and concentrated on putting Gods Word in me. Guess what happened? I quit using drugs. That was in 1997. They haven't even been a temptation in the ten years since then.

Like I said, if you have the will on your own to overcome sin, God bless you. I don't, and most people I know don't. We have to do it the 'Word in' and then 'faith out' way.

Peace...

Why don't you back up two verses and read Psalm 119:9 (NLT)
How can a young person stay pure?
By obeying your word and following its rules.

The Bible does not say Bible memorization will keep you from sinning. I ask you to please back up everything you just said with Scripture. If you can't it's because you are following a philosophy you have invented but God didn't. You stopped using drugs because you wanted (willed) to stop.

 

[JimfromOhio]

The Holy Spirits function is to reveal the Word. The Bible says that it is the Word in my heart that keeps me from sinning against Him. The Holy Spirit gives revelation of the Word in our heart to produce faith. And faith gives us victory over the world.


4For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
-1 John 5:4

Peace...

"even our faith".... what does that mean? Just wondering.

 

[DevotiontoBible]

The Holy Spirits function is to reveal the Word. The Bible says that it is the Word in my heart that keeps me from sinning against Him. The Holy Spirit gives revelation of the Word in our heart to produce faith. And faith gives us victory over the world.


4For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
-1 John 5:4

Peace...

Go down a couple of verses and notice the greek text on this one says you keep yourself from sinning: 1 John 5:18 (KJV)
We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

 

[dkbwarrior]

Why don't you back up two verses and read Psalm 119:9 (NLT)
How can a young person stay pure?
By obeying your word and following its rules.

The Bible does not say Bible memorization will keep you from sinning. I ask you to please back up everything you just said with Scripture. If you can't it's because you are following a philosophy you have invented but God didn't. You stopped using drugs because you wanted (willed) to stop.

I did not say Bible memorization would keep you from sinning. I said that putting the word in ones heart would give one the power to not sin against God:

11Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
-Psalm 119:11

As far as engaging you in debate. No. I don't think so. I have tried on three previous occasions to engage in debate with you and all three times you lowered the debate to personal misrepresentation and accusation. In my opinion, you are unable to have a logical dispassionate disagreement with some one. If I view your responses to have changed in their character in the future, I would be happy to engage you then.

Until then I will respond only as I see fit, and minimally. This is not to say that I dislike you. I don't know you, so I have no idea if you are likable or not. So my statement here is not meant as an attack on your person, just a statement of reason.

Peace...

 

[dkbwarrior]

Go down a couple of verses and notice the greek text on this one says you keep yourself from sinning: 1 John 5:18 (KJV)
We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

So....

If 'our faith' is the victory that overcomes the world, and we 'keep ourselves' then wouldn't that mean that we keep ourselves through 'our faith'?

Or do you want to remove the 'our faith' part from the book of 1 John all together?

 

[LeadWorship]

I remember you! You're they guy who defines struggle as cry with tears about it. Tell me what authority defines struggle as being a cry baby because you sinned?

Not even worth my time.

 

[DevotiontoBible]

I did not say Bible memorization would keep you from sinning. I said that putting the word in ones heart would give one the power to not sin against God:

11Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
-Psalm 119:11

As far as engaging you in debate. No. I don't think so. I have tried on three previous occasions to engage in debate with you and all three times you lowered the debate to personal misrepresentation and accusation. In my opinion, you are unable to have a logical dispassionate disagreement with some one. If I view your responses to have changed in their character in the future, I would be happy to engage you then.

Until then I will respond only as I see fit, and minimally. This is not to say that I dislike you. I don't know you, so I have no idea if you are likable or not. So my statement here is not meant as an attack on your person, just a statement of reason.

Peace...

I know its not because you dislike me it's because you have no Scriptural support for your position. I have given you what the Bible says on how to stop sinning but you want to think it is a magical spell that occurs by Bible memorizing. Is it because you don't want to stop sinning until your magical spell you are waiting for is one day granted?

 

[DevotiontoBible]

Not even worth my time.

That seems to be the modus operandi around here when asked to support baseless assertions.

 

[dkbwarrior]

I know its not because you dislike me it's because you have no Scriptural support for your position. I have given you what the Bible says on how to stop sinning but you want to think it is a magical spell that occurs by Bible memorizing. Is it because you don't want to stop sinning until your magical spell you are waiting for is one day granted?

Yeah, thats it, you got me....

 

[DevotiontoBible]

So....

If 'our faith' is the victory that overcomes the world, and we 'keep ourselves' then wouldn't that mean that we keep ourselves through 'our faith'?

Or do you want to remove the 'our faith' part from the book of 1 John all together?

You are almost right on this. If you have real faith you will exercise your will to obey God's commands thereby keeping yourself from sinning. 1 John 5:3 (NLT)
Loving God means keeping his commandments, and really, that isn't difficult.

 

[JimfromOhio]

The Holy Spirits function is to reveal the Word. The Bible says that it is the Word in my heart that keeps me from sinning against Him. The Holy Spirit gives revelation of the Word in our heart to produce faith. And faith gives us victory over the world.


4For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
-1 John 5:4

Peace...

"even our faith".... what does that mean?

 

[holo]

Holo is contradicting my statement, where I said Rom 6 tells us to resist sinning, by saying our action of resistance is a commandment of the law that gives sin it's power. That verse you quote is not telling us that when, by our own will and effort, we resist sinning then sin gets power. You and Holo are directly contradicting Romans 6:12-13 (NLT)
Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to its lustful desires. [13] Do not let any part of your body become a tool of wickedness, to be used for sinning. Instead, give yourselves completely to God since you have been given new life. And use your whole body as a tool to do what is right for the glory of God.

You know what else Paul said?

That everything that is not of faith, is SIN. It's actually SIN, especially AFTER you've already been sanctified and bought and redeemed by Christ, to go back to trying to fix it yourself. HE begun a good work in you, and HE will complete that work. You began in faith, and you're supposed to continue in faith.

The problem is, you're not actually overcoming sin by this reliance on yourself. You can't do it, it will never happen. If it worked, we should see at least a few christians around who could honestly testify of the sins they've conquered. But we never hear that, not unless they're lying, or fooling themselves.

No, each and every time we hear a REAL, powerful, TRUE testimony, it's always about the power of GOD. Not our abilities.

Your attempts to resist sin will be as futile as the amount of effort you put into it. It is in and through and by CHRIST we RECEIVE victory, not by ourselves.

I have never freed myself of one single sin, and neither have you. Because you have never ever been able to do that. You, like the rest of us, needed a miracle, and we still need miracles every single day.

The struggle against sin is really the struggle against our own pride, because we always want to do God's work. But as Paul says, we can't boast of anything but our weakness. It's in our weakness that HE becomes strong.

 

[holo]

None of those say resisting sin is a commandment of the law.

No, but you are, like so many others, turning it into a commandment. And hence, it becomes the power of sin.

 

[DevotiontoBible]

You know what else Paul said?

That everything that is not of faith, is SIN. It's actually SIN, especially AFTER you've already been sanctified and bought and redeemed by Christ, to go back to trying to fix it yourself. HE begun a good work in you, and HE will complete that work. You began in faith, and you're supposed to continue in faith.

The problem is, you're not actually overcoming sin by this reliance on yourself. You can't do it, it will never happen. If it worked, we should see at least a few christians around who could honestly testify of the sins they've conquered. But we never hear that, not unless they're lying, or fooling themselves.

No, each and every time we hear a REAL, powerful, TRUE testimony, it's always about the power of GOD. Not our abilities.

Your attempts to resist sin will be as futile as the amount of effort you put into it. It is in and through and by CHRIST we RECEIVE victory, not by ourselves.

I have never freed myself of one single sin, and neither have you. Because you have never ever been able to do that. You, like the rest of us, needed a miracle, and we still need miracles every single day.

The struggle against sin is really the struggle against our own pride, because we always want to do God's work. But as Paul says, we can't boast of anything but our weakness. It's in our weakness that HE becomes strong.

The Bible says it is our work to stop sinning not God's.

 

[DevotiontoBible]

No, but you are, like so many others, turning it into a commandment. And hence, it becomes the power of sin.

Please explain.

 

[holo]

A true Christian will struggle against sin:

Hebrews 12:4 (NLT)
After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.

Romans 6:12-13 (NLT)
Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to its lustful desires. [13] Do not let any part of your body become a tool of wickedness, to be used for sinning. Instead, give yourselves completely to God since you have been given new life. And use your whole body as a tool to do what is right for the glory of God.

Amen, and all this is possible through Christ, and only through Christ.

I could list sin after sin and problem after problem that I've just... lost and left behind and walked all over and cast off me. And I couldn't take credit for a speck of an inch of an iota of it. I tried to be a christian for years, trying to go by all these suggestions and "encouragements" to "stand firm against sin" etc etc... to NO EFFECT WHATSOEVER. Nobody around me got any better at it, either. It simply doesn't work. It's the same principle at work as when Paul talks about the law (with all its GOOD commandments) and says that it's simply powerless.

Discipline doesn't work.
Dedication doesn't work.
Re-dedication doesn't work.
"Accountability partners" don't work.
"WWJD" doesn't work.
Vows and promises don't work.
Zeal doesn't work.
Getting a hold of yourself doesn't work.

In short, YOU don't work, and you never will. There's absolutely NOTHING that you have in you that can or will conquer sin. You will never ever make it.

The grace of God, however, does work. Grace is free, anyone can come and get it. But you can only benefit from it to the degree that you LET GO of your own strength and STOP trying to do what God does best. Jesus said to DENY yourself and DIE. Daily. Dead men don't struggle. It can be a struggle to stay dead, though...

 

[holo]

The Holy Spirit said it is a burden for them to abstain from sexual immorality, idolatry, murder and eating blood. Just like it is for any real Christian today.

I don't find it much of a burden personally, but rather a relief and a blessing