Besetting Sin

[CoffeeSwirls]

As a Calvinist, I can place my hope nowhere but in the atoning work of Christ. The result of His work includes justification, which is immediately ours and also sanctification, which will progress for the remainder of my life. I will never be without sin in this life and accept that as the lot of a fallen human.

At the same time, I expect to see the fruits of the spirit in my life. I anticipate a progression where I am increasingly free from sin. There are some examples that I see in my life, but other sins just cling to me with a firmer grip. It is the classic "I do that which I hate" situation. I hate what I do desperately and I make resolutions to repent of this behavior. Then a few days pass and I find myself in the same sin.

My friends, this matter has been troubling me greatly. I don't doubt my calling, but doubt my commitment to the one who saved me. I know that there will always be sin in my life, but hate it desperately. This is truly a paradox of the Christian life. Would anyone care to offer thoughts on this matter?

 

[Cajun Huguenot]

We all struggle with sin. There is now and always be tension in life between the desire to serve God (because we have His Spirit) while we still have the old man as well. God will use this struggle (which will be to His glory and our benefit) to perfect us in Christ. Our failings should keep us humble and make us to realise how much more we need the grace of God and how undeserving we are of His grace.

We should fall on our faces and cry out Abba, Father thank you for your Son and Spirit.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Kenith

 

[JJB]

Coffeeswirls,
If your commitment to Christ was truly doubtful your sin would not bother you. Take heart and press onward and forward and know that Christ is the Finisher of our faith. Hebrews 12

I also think the longer we live the clearer we see our sin and the more we despise it because we are striving toward the call for Holiness. In God's perfect timing we will be free from certain besetting sins. Some, tho, will haunt us until we die. But we must keep on keepin' on!

 

[edie19]

Coffeeswirls,
If your commitment to Christ was truly doubtful your sin would not bother you. Take heart and press onward and forward and know that Christ is the Finisher of our faith. Hebrews 12

I also think the longer we live the clearer we see our sin and the more we despise it because we are striving toward the call for Holiness. In God's perfect timing we will be free from certain besetting sins. Some, tho, will haunt us until we die. But we must keep on keepin' on!

A perfect response - wish I'd said it

The reality is that sin remains - but it doesn't reign. And consider this - we're in good company - Paul struggled with this too.

 

[Paleoconservatarian]

CoffeeSwirls, you sound exactly like me. You know, when I became serious about the Christian faith and set down the path toward Reformed theology, I kept despairing because I seemed to be getting more and more sinful. But this wasn't the case. I had been committing these sins all along, but either did not know them as sin or didn't care. It seems very overwhelming, but I thank God all the same, because when I find myself sinning, I realize that God is telling me where I'm going wrong. When I find myself committing the same sins despite having resolved to stay away from them, I find that the Lord is showing me better why I keep committing the same sins. It's humbling, especially when I find out that the root of these many sins have actually been an error in my attitude toward God in some area of my life, some area that needs to be reformed. And then that prayer of repentance is like a nice, hot, soapy bath for the heart.

 

[JJB]

Another thing I've found helpful is to find a trustworthy friend who will help to hold you accountable. It should be a non-family member of the same gender as yourself. They will ask you "the question" about your life that you need to answer honestly, if you want to have victory (How was your week regarding.......?). In return, you need to be willing to ask them "the question" about their struggle.

We are to help one another by bearing each other's burdens. I don't think it means we need to confess our sins to every brother or sister in the Lord, but to be able to have one or more friend who will not judge you and desires what the Lord desires for you is a blessing indeed. How can we really pray for one another if we keep our weaknesses secret?

Many sins gain strength when we hide them. To bring the sin to God's light in the company of another allows you to see it for what it truly is: a hindrance to our relationship with God, and perhaps our relationships with others as well. Bringing it to God's light reveals that we are not alone in our struggle. When we keep sins hidden, we have a tendency to believe falsely that we are the only ones who struggle with it, that somehow we are faulty and less valuable in God's eyes. The light shows us all the lies that encompass our besetting sins.