Overcoming Sinful Addiction

[Christsfreeservant]

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”​

Before I get specifically into this one verse, I want to give an overview of the verses leading up to this verse. For this chapter begins with an overview of the children of Israel after God used Moses to deliver them from slavery in Egypt and into the time they spent wandering in the wilderness. It tells of how God provided for them and watched over them, but of how God was not pleased with most of them, and so they were overthrown in the wilderness.

Then, it tells us how all these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. For we are not to be idolaters and revelers and gluttons and drunkards. We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. And we must not put Christ to the test by assuming he will do nothing against us if we decide to continue living in sin and not in holy living. And then it says,

“Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” (vv. 11-12)​

So, what is this saying to us so far? It is saying, basically, that we can’t just make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, then have all our sins forgiven, and be guaranteed heaven when we die, regardless of how we live. For if we make sin our practice, we will die in our sins. We will not inherit eternal life with God. And this is letting us know that if we live like they did that we can expect the same type of judgment as they faced, which was death.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Alright, then today’s verse comes right after that. So we need to read v. 13 in the light of vv. 1-12 to get the context of what it is saying to us. For v. 13 is not just an arbitrary encouragement to us so that we know that God is going to help us to overcome the temptation to sin against him. This is in the context of, if you don’t let go of that sin and follow Jesus in obedience, your life is not going to end the way you want it to.

So, in the context of knowing that if you don’t get your act together, and you continue in deliberate and habitual sin against God – as most of the Jews did when wandering in the wilderness – that you will die in your sins, and that you will not inherit eternal life with God, let’s examine what v. 13 is saying to us. For it is for our encouragement, but we need to understand the context of the encouragement and what will happen if we ignore this.

We all who are human beings are going to be faced with temptation to sin, so if you are tempted to sin, you are not alone. And if we are following him with our lives, and our lives are committed to him and to doing his will, our Lord will not let us be tempted beyond our ability to resist that temptation and to flee from it, but not in our own fleshly strength, but in the power of God. But we can only tap into that power if our lives are surrendered to God.

And Jesus Christ already provided the way of escape for us when he died on that cross. For in his death he became sin for us so that when he died our sins died with him. Therefore, by God-given and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, we can be set free from our slavery to sin, and we are empowered of God to no longer walk as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. But we have to tap into that power.

And God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, teaches (instructs, trains) us to renounce (to say “No!” to) ungodliness and fleshly lusts and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s soon return. For Jesus Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (see Titus 2:11-14; cf. Ephesians 2:10).

So, there is no excuse for anyone who is genuinely a follower of Christ to keep walking in sin, continuing on a sinful course, always going back to the same sinful practices over and over again. Jesus made the way out for us from under the control of sin via his death and resurrection. And he will empower us to not yield to the sin. But we have to follow the course he has for our lives and no longer walk according to the flesh.

Caution: This link may contain ads

Songs in the Night

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.
You, my Savior, I now adore.
Hope in heaven awaiting me,
Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,
And I’m bound for heaven.
Jesus set me free from
All my sin, I say.
I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:
Overcame death, my vict’ry won!
Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!
I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!
My sin is but hist’ry!
I am free to please Him
With my life today.
I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me
A new life bought at Calvary.
Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.
Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;
Through my Lord, I’m able
To sit at His table;
Fellowship with Him.
I will thank Him always!

 

[dan.pine]

Great points… I would add also

21 It is not everyone who tells me, ‘Lord, Lord’ who will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 Many will tell me in that Day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your Name, cast out demons in your Name, and do many deeds of power in your Name?’
23 Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you! Depart from me, you who do what is wicked.’*

and…

46 Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

I worry for people who think St. Paul is somehow referring to non-Christians in these letters that are clearly addressed to Christian communities. And somehow they allow the enemy to deceive them into thinking that some confession of faith allows them to live however they want and God will just understand. It’s unfortunate but the first quote I added from St. Matthew clearly is calling out people who thought themselves to be Christ’s disciples.

 

[Truth_love]

Great point. Just to add:
Understanding that sin is primarily a substance/nature and not just the acts (the manifestation of the sin substance/nature) will help us fight the battle over sin and weaknesses which easily beset us. While the sin nature/substance is banished from the regenerated human spirit, it is still present in our souls (will, mind and emotions) and body. "I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members." (Romans 7.21-23). Therefore, to overcome the acts of sin, we must deal with the substance of sin in our flesh (soul and body). HOW? By the law of the Spirit (Romans 8.2). Practically, this involves:

1. The Word of God: They are spirit and they life, quick (alive) and powerful, and expose every contrary motive
2. Honesty and humility of heart towards the word of God. "I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word." - Isaiah 66.2
3. The application of the blood of the lamb to cleanse our hearts from all unrighteousness (regularly and especially when we miss the mark). These include not just sins of commission (common amongst men), but that of omission (most common amongst believers), for he that knows to do good, but fails to do it, to him (specific), it is sin (James 4.17).
4. The Lord Holy Spirit: That is, communion with Him and praying a lot in the Spirit. "If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good."
5. Fellowship of Brethren: For spiritual osmosis - where we draw strength, encouragement and support from one another. If one falls, the rest rallies around him/her to help (in intercession and admonition).

Now, this is how we keep the law of the Spirit!