Why you have failed to experience Christ's victory over sin.
You have probably heard hundreds of messages and sermons on the Gospel of Christ. You probably know many of the Christian facts like Christ being born of a Virgin and you know about His miracles. You even believe the fact of His crucifixion on the cross and His resurrection from the dead.
You may also know and believe that when Christ was crucified that you were crucified with Him, and when He rose from the dead you where raised with Him. You may recognize that you have been born again and are now totally a new creation in Him.
You may also know that now you are no longer under the law but under grace and that Christ had set you free from the CONTROL OF SIN AND SIN ITSELF.
Rom. 6:11-14, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid."
I bet you even know Gal. 2:20 by heart, "I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
Now even knowing all these facts you are still are struggling with sin in your life. These facts have not helped you in the least and they seem only to make maters worse for you.
The problem is that you have been using your own will power and your desire to do good to live the Christian life. You have put your trust in your own abilities to believe and work up the faith and love that you think is required. You may have dedicated and rededicated your self to God countless times with out any results. You have even have acquired a true hatred for sin but with no effect. You may have fasted and prayed asking for victory but you still have missed out on the true victory that is in Christ. I am sure you have acknowledged your sins to God over and over without real relief. You have made promise after promise to God and have failed miserably to keep them.
I bet you think that that God's that salvation from sin would automatically work its fullness in you just because you believed it would. I bet you have tried confessing these truths over and over again in the attempt to make then true. I bet you have even confessed the fact that you are dead to sin, many times, thinking that your ability to confess this truth would make it happen and then you experience it. This will never work at all and you will keep stumbling and failing as long as you do this.
Some preaches tell you just to keep on believing in these facts and then to totally ignore the fact of sin in your life. Well this teaching is just stupid because you try to believe that you are holy and righteous while not looking at the obvious sin that you are experiencing. This will NEVER work.
I am sure you have been told just to stop sinning and you have repented many times but still have missed His true freedom and victory.
You are probably now involved in some type of sin maintenance, which is defined by Paul as the attempt to do good things and also the attempt to avoid doing bad things. Paul had good desires and used his will power to do this but continually failed over and over in his attempts to control his evil desires or to over come sin.
Now let us look at what Paul wrote and saw about the law of sin and death.
Romans 7:12-23, "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 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. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 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."
Paul found that in his attempt to obey the law that he could not, He found out that sin was dwelling in him. When he tried to do good things he failed. When he tried to avoid bad things he failed.
What was the cause of this? He found and saw a law operating in him that was at war against his own will, his own desires and God, Himself. This law would always make him a captive and defeat every effort he ever could ever make. He saw that the root cause for all his sinful acts was this law. These outward acts of sin were CAUSED by this law. So the true solution was not to somehow attempt to stop sinning but TO GET YOU FREE OF THIS LAW!
Under this law all victory was forever IMPOSSIBLE for mankind to accomplish.
What is the law of sin and death and where did it come from?
Another word for law is rule. Adam was mankind's representative so when he sinned, all of mankind sinned and were cut off from the Life of God. Now the result of this was, when a person was born in this world they were automatically placed in the kingdom of self. Self was on the throne and in total charge. All of mankind was now born independent of God and placed under the authority and rulership of self. The law of sin and death results from being under the rule of self. Under Adam mankind was automatically placed under this law without their choice or permission. There was no other choice or option available. While self rules, this law is FOREVER present. There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that any person can do to be rid of or get free from self or this law. Even death could not free anyone from this law because included in this law is eternal condemnation and total separation from God. The kingdom of self could never deal with this law.
When Adam died all of mankind died with him and became subjects of self rule. No person was left out. Even if a person refused to believe or accept this fact, they were still affected. No amount of belief or unbelief could ever change this existing reality. Every single person was affected by what Adam had done. They really had NO CHOICE in the matter and were trapped in selfishness.
Paul found out that that he did not sin accidentally or occasionally; it is not that he sometimes sinned and sometimes did not; he saw that his sinning was a result of this law because he constantly sinned. He found that he sinned all the time because of this law. Whenever he tried to do good, evil was present. When Paul's eyes were opened to this, he realized that all his own efforts were futile. What had he tried? He had tried to do good things and he had tried to avoid doing bad things. He had thought that his will could overcome sin, not knowing that his will power could ever overcome sin. Now as soon as he saw the law of sin, not just his wrong sinful conduct or behavior, he immediately conceded that his power to will and his own desires where completely useless in overcoming sin. He now knew that his will could never conquer the law. This, indeed, was a great discovery, a very great revelation.
So now do you see that the real problem is not your outward acts of sin?
Do you see why all your attempts to deal with these sins have been totally useless and powerless?
Do you see that the real issue is this law of sin and death because this law is the only true source and real reason why you sin?
Do you see that this law is just like any other law that operates without your consent and that it will continue to operate even if you do not believe in this law?
Not only that, but you have never even dwelt with the ROOT cause and source of these outward sins - The law of sin and death - the kingdom of self
So the true solution is not to somehow attempt to stop sinning but YOU NEED TO BE FREED OF THIS LAW!
Have you been defeated over and over again? Are you hopeless? Have you found it impossible to ever Love and Obey God correctly?
I am hoping that you realize when you look at and examine all of your failures that you have made that you are now REALLY ready to concede to the fact that by your own power to will and that by your own desires you are now and will always be completely useless in overcoming sin.
Do you see that by these things you will NEVER conquer sin or obey the law?
Are you ready to admit that all your willpower can never accomplish anything at all?
Do you see that you can NEVER believe or work up any faith or love that is acceptable to God whatsoever.
Please answer these questions because you need to fully recognize this fact before you could ever give up your own efforts and will power to overcome sin.