Victory Over Sin

Matthew 4:1-11 - Study this passage to learn from how Jesus resisted the temptations of the devil. What practical steps can you take to follow Jesus' example.

Matthew 5:29-30 - 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Matthew 18:8-9 - 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

N.B. these passages are not teaching self-mutilation. Jesus is emphasising the seriousness of sin and the importance of taking drastic action to avoid it. It would literally be better to lose a hand if that meant avoiding an eternity in hell.

Matthew 26:41 - “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 

Romans 6-8 - this passage is worth reading in its entirety, and in the broader context. Note the transformation that ahs taken place when we come to faith in Jesus. We are no longer slaves to sin. Before we were Christians, we could not not sin. We were slaves to sin and had no choice. But, as Christians, we are no longer slaves. We have a choice. It is possible to not sin. We sin only because we choose to.

In Chapter 7, Paul laments his own weakness and sinfulness, but note v.25: Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Romans 8:12-13 - 12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. 

Romans 12:1-2 - Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

Romans 13:12-14 - 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

1 Corinthians 10:13 - No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to us all. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Galatians 5:16 - Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Ephesians 6:10-13 - 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 

This passage goes on to list the items of the armour: truth, righteousness, the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, the word of God and praying in the Spirit. We put on these pieces of armour, not by some visualisation exercise, but by making sure they are real in our lives.

Colossians 3:5-11 - 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. 

2 Timothy 2:22 - Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the lord out of a pure heart.

Hebrews 2:18 - Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Hebrews 4:15-16 - 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. 

James 4:7 - Submit yourselves, then to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

2 Peter 1:3-4 - 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 

1 John 1:8-10 - If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word is not in us.

1 John 4:4 - Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

For the Christian, yes, and not only possible but expected.

Practical Strategies For Victory

You probably will. We all do.

It is not the end. Your relationship with God has not been forfeited because God is forgiving to a degree that we can barely believe.

1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

There might be consequences in your life that are unavoidable, but your life can be rebuilt with God's help. That has happened many times before. People have been rehabilitated.

The fact that we all do fail is not an excuse. God's desire and intention is that we do not. When you fail, the real question is: what is the desire of your heart. Are you grieved by your failure and grieved by the fact that you have grieved the Holy Spirit? Or, is your heart becoming harder? Are you becoming OK with sin?

What can you do to fix things?

Can you repair some of the damage? Are there people you need to apologise to, or is there restitution you need to make?

John Owen

John Piper