Over the last few months our church has had the privilege of spiritually ministering to some of the young people from the Earle C. Clements Job Corps Center. This past Sunday, we invited the two that attended our church services home with us for some Sunday lunch and fellowship at our house before the evening church service and the nearly thirty-minute ride back to the center. One of the many conversations that I had with the young man involved nothing other than the pains of spiritual growth.
He had a lot of questions about faith and about how to handle life in general; the area that really bothered him the most was sin and how as Christians we should handle sin. His questions focused on a theme that every Christian struggles with – how to handle the temptation of sin as a Christian. Almost immediately I began to think of times in my own life when I, through the love and power of the Lord Jesus Christ, had avoided sin and the times that as a Christ-professing Christian, I had willfully stumbled and sinned. What made the difference between the two was simple – when I took the time to resist the temptation to sin, prayed to God for deliverance, and then made an effort to stay focused on spiritual things, I was able to resist the desire to participate in sin. On days where I tried to do it on my own or where I had already been “exposed” and remained in the vicinity of the activity taking place, I would willfully sin without any hesitation only to be met with extreme guilt and remorse when the “thrill” was over.
The apostle Paul also discussed the battle with the flesh that he had continually while on his missionary journeys across the Middle East, Asia Minor, and southern Europe. He wrote For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me (Romans 7:15-20). Although this may sound confusing the first few times its read, what Paul was saying is that the things that he doesn’t want to do – yielding to temptation and willfully committing sin – he does so because of the nature of the flesh. The flesh desires to fulfil its own lusts and the desires of the flesh are indeed strong.
As Christians, the strong desires of the flesh do not give us an excuse to willfully choose to sin; in fact, it makes it even more imperative that we understand our position, through grace, with the Lord Jesus Christ. As a Christian, when we do fail and yield to the flesh and sin, we are separated from the blessings and joys of our salvation until we have confessed our sins. The apostle John explained that when we do commit sin and If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). Not only does the Lord Jesus Christ forgive us, but John adds My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (I John 2:1). Wow, what a thought that when we have sinned, all we have to do is to ask Christ for forgiveness; not only does he forgive us, but when we are accused by Satan for our sins, Christ personally defends us from the accusations!
