HOW SHOULD WE SEEK TO OVERCOME SIN ?
HOW SHOULD WE SEEK TO OVERCOME SIN ?
BERNARD BURT The Testimony 1981 p. 112
THERE ARE TWO concepts extant in Christendom today on the subject of how "the sin which doth so easily beset us" should be faced and dealt with. The most widely held view is epitomised by a popular evangelical author as follows: "It is by the power of the indwelling Spirit that the evil desires of our fallen nature are restrained and the good fruit of Christian character is produced".
These concepts can be summarised as follows :
1. The problem of sin can only be dealt with by the believer "surrendering his life to Christ" and allowing the Holy Spirit mystically to enter him with the result that he is transformed morally by its influence.
2. It is the responsibility of the believer to face up to, and tackle, the problem of sin in his life. Practical guidance and instruction on how to do this is contained in the Scriptures which must be read and meditated upon in order to obtain the help they can give. This article will seek to show that view (2) is the correct one and to indicate some of the guidance which is given in the Scriptures on the subject of overcoming sin. To him that overcometh In the case of each of the 7 ecclesias in Asia the wonderful promises at the conclusions of the letters (Revelation 2:1-29 and 3) are conditional. The things promised will be granted "to him that overcometh" (Revelation 2:7, etc.). The meaning of this word is clearly illustrated by some of its occurrences elsewhere in the Apocalypse :
"The Lion .. . hath prevailed to open the book" (Revelation 5:5); "He went forth conquering, and to conquer" (Revelation 6:2);
"The beast.. . shall overcome them, and kill them" (Revelation 11:7);
"I saw... them that had gotten the victory over the beast" (Revelation 15:2);
"These shall make war... and the Lamb shall overcome them" (Revelation 17:14). The Apostle Paul saw his responsibility in this matter very clearly: "But (like a boxer) I buffet my body—handle it roughly, discipline it by hardships—and subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit—not stand the test and be unapproved— and rejected (as a counterfeit)" (1 Corinthians 9:27, Amplified Bible). Furthermore, he was directed in his epistles by the Spirit to constantly exhort others to the same end, e.g.:
"Cast off the works of darkness" (Romans 13:12);
"Flee fornication" (1 Corinthians 6:18);
"Touch not the unclean thing" (2 Corinthians 6:17);
"Mortify .. . your members which are upon the earth" (Colossians 3:5); "Abstain from all appearance of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:22). The clear teaching of the contexts of these and many other passages is that it is necessary for each individual believer to "put off .. . the old man, which is corrupt.. . and .. . put on the new man" (Ephesians 4:22-24). The question which must be answered is, How is this accomplished? Does the Holy Spirit mystically effect a transformation or do the Scriptures indicate that other methods are to be used?
Renewed by the Spirit ? The lives of many of God’s servants, as recorded in the Scriptures, testify to the fact that in all its several manifestations the power of the Spirit bestowed upon them did not guarantee their moral renewal. Consider the following :
Bezaleel was "filled . . . with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge" (Exodus 31:3), and built and saw all the glory of the tabernacle. Yet Bezaleel was among those who lifted up their voices and appointed a captain to return into Egypt. He did not enter the land, but died in the wilderness as a rebel.
David, a prophet of the Lord, was given the Holy Spirit (Psalms 51:11-12), yet he fell into lust and committed adultery and murder.
Solomon, who was given wisdom by God so that he was "wiser than all men" (1 Kings 4:31), wrote proverb after proverb warning of the dangers of the "strange woman", yet "even him did outlandish women cause to sin" (Nehemiah 13:26).
Jesus was given an abundance of the Spirit, yet still he had to "sanctify himself" and subject his will to the will of his Father through the agonies of prayer in the garden of Gethsemane.
Peter was given the gifts of the Spirit (probably all of them) at Pentecost, yet he put a difference between Jews and Gentiles (despite being taught in a vision that he should not) and had to be "withstood ... to the face" by Paul.
There is no doubt that the idea of direct Divine influence upon the mind of man was part of Platonic teaching,
How did Jesus "overcome"? At the conclusion of his message to Laodicea the Lord said: "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne" (Revelation 3:21). How did Jesus "overcome"? The reader is referred elsewhere for a full treatment of this subject
1. He used the Word of his Father to directly refute temptation (e.g. Matthew 4:4, Matthew 4:7, Matthew 4:10).
2. He used the same Word to constantly remind himself (as well as his disciples) of the will of his Father and of the way he should go. This can be seen at least 12 times in 7 chapters in Matthew.
3. Jesus used the technique of "putting distance between himself and temptation" on several occasions when the wilderness temptation to "take the Kingdom now" reasserted itself (e.g. John 6:15).
4. A related method was to put the source of temptation away out of his sight if that were more appropriate (e.g. Matthew 16:23; John 8:6-8).
5. Jesus was well aware that being in certain places reduced the power of temptation. Hence his repeated visits to Gethsemane (John 18:2), the place where David had heard of Ahithophel’s treachery and possibly the site of Abraham’s meeting with Melchizedek.
6. He also knew and made use of the benefits of fellowship, seeking the company of the disciples in times of temptation (e.g. Luke 22:28; Matthew 26:38).
7. Throughout his life he wrestled in prayer for hours at a time, culminating in the great agony in Gethsemane in which he subjected his own will to the will of his Father.
These are practical methods which can be used in everyday life and which do reduce the effects of temptation on both mind and body. It is perhaps significant to note that the only occurrence of "spirit" in connection with Jesus’s temptation is, "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit.. . to be tempted" (Matthew 4:1)— the very reverse of the activity postulated by modern evangelicals. The counsel of Paul On more than one occasion Paul was directed to exhort believers to "mortify the flesh". It is logical to expect that in the epistles which bear his name ways of doing this should be indicated. It must be recognised that the phrase, "mortify the flesh", implies a battle fought to the death. In one place it is written, "ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin" (Hebrews 12:4); in another, "fight the good fight of faith" (1 Timothy 6:12). No army which wanders unprepared and ill-equipped onto the battlefield is likely to leave it victorious. So, in spiritual things, there is as much need to know the tactics of the enemy as there is to know the methods to be employed in the contest.
"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do (RV, practise) such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (Galatians 5:19-21). The value of this list is not its usefulness for pinpointing the weaknesses of others, but for identifying one’s own. Until the problem has been recognised no plan of campaign can be drawn up to combat it. Only when the enemy is recognised can he be attacked.
"Make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof" (Romans 13:14), counsels the apostle. How often do we pander to our weaknesses? Rather we are exhorted not to "consider in advance" or "take forethought" (Strong) concerning our lusts. One of the many ways of mortifying the flesh is to starve it to death. The woman who is addicted to Bingo courts temptation if she does her shopping in a supermarket next to the Bingo hall, but denies her passion if she travels to the other side of town to shop. In similar vein Paul wrote to Timothy: "No soldier on service entangleth himself in the affairs of this life; that he may please him who enrolled him as a soldier" (2 Timothy 2:4 RV). The application to army life is obvious; a soldier may not do when on duty things which are perfectly legitimate to ordinary citizens or off-duty soldiers—but can we as soldiers of Jesus Christ (v. 3) ever say that we are off duty? The danger is not always the activity, which may be quite innocent, but getting "entangled" by it and wasting time which could otherwise be employed on "active service". In addition to such warnings as have been considered, the epistles are filled with positive counsel. The "good fight of faith" is not just a campaign of defence against the assaults of the enemy; rather the attack must be carried into his camp. "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21), is one of many exhortations to positive and helpful activity which cannot but be beneficial. If we are continually employed in washing the feet of the saints our hands can never become soiled by the filth of the world. A positive mental attitude is required also: "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection (RV, mind) on things above, not on things on the earth" (Colossians 3:1-2). This is good counsel, but of course where our heart is will depend on the location of our treasure. Much of the output of modern printing presses consists of things that are untrue, dishonest, unjust, impure, unlovely and of evil report. Such things appeal to the "old man" and bring in the profits to the publishers. By contrast the apostle exhorts: "Whatsoever things are true ... honest ... just ... pure ... lovely ... of good report... think on these things" (Php 4:8). If frequenting certain places causes temptation to arise, let us avoid such places. If books and magazines in our possession are the cause of evil thoughts then let us burn them. The cost does not matter: "What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
It is possible to so fill the mind with Divine things that there is no room for anything else. When he had completed the writing of Eureka, Dr. Thomas commented: "While I was writing Eureka, I was, as it were, ’within the veil’, listening to the words of the Holy One of Israel... When a man is deeply and continuously engaged in an atmosphere of divine thoughts, he has neither time nor inclination to plot mischief or to play the fool".
"My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not... ’ (1 John 2:1), can in a sense be applied to the whole of the Scriptures. The Divine wisdom contained therein is calculated to be able to help and guide us in our striving against sin, as strive we must. Yet in the same breath the inspired apostle recognised that the fight would not be victorious on every occasion: "And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins... " (1 John 2:1-2). He moreover, is one who "is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25). With such knowledge we can rise again when we fall, and resume the battle against sin until the day dawns when he will "change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself" (Php 3:21).