The Key to Defeating Sin

I have been struggling with sin for nearly twenty two years now. However, I have been justified from my sin for fourteen years. I was saved at an early age of six. My parents brought me up in a God-honoring and Christ-centered environment. I am eternally blessed to have had such God-fearing parents, their impact in my life is undeniable.

The plan of salvation is easy, for it relies on God's grace alone for our depraved nature. This is why Jesus says, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14) The Gospel is easy enough for even a small child to comprehend. However, the difficulty comes in sanctification. You see, theologically, salvation has three parts: justification, sanctification and glorification. Justification refers to the moment that a person is made from a spiritually dead person to a spiritually live person in Christ and through Christ. This moment only happens one time. Sanctification refers to the constant confession of sin throughout our Christian walk. I John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to purify us from all unrighteousness.” Living a sanctified life is one of the most important components of a person's walk with Christ, as Christ cannot have holy fellowship with an unrepentant and sinful heart. Finally, glorification refers to the time when we enter into glory with Jesus, becoming like Him, conformed to His perfect image.

Now, I just want to talk about sanctification for the moment. This has been one of my biggest struggles throughout my walk with Christ. But over the past year or so, I have been refining my theological views concerning sanctification and studying practical ways to defeat sin in general. Much of my progress has been while reading a book entitled, Gospel by J.D Greear. It is one of the best books I have ever read, and will teach you to become Gospel-centered in every area of your life. It is truly an excellent book. Throughout the book, I have been challenged in many ways, one of which is in the realm of sanctification.

We as Christians deal with sin on a moment by moment basis, constantly choosing either Christ or the world (“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23). We battle our flesh daily, and will continue in this tumultuous journey until the glorious day that Jesus returns on a white horse and takes us home to be with Him forever and ever. This never ending battle has caused so much turmoil in my life. The agony that befalls me because of my wickedness is inexplicably horrific, because my sin is inexplicably horrific. But defeating sin is not as difficult as we make it.

Defeating sin does not have to do with abstaining as much as it has to do with adoring. Victory over sin will come when we realize the true magnificence of the God we serve. Our motive for not sinning should only be because we love Jesus so much that we choose to hate the things he hates, which is sin. Greear puts it best saying, “When we see the size and beauty of the God who speaks to us, the power of sin and idolatry over our hearts is broken. The way we stop sinning is not being told over and over, “Stop sinning!” but by seeing the majesty and glory of God in our hearts.” (Greear, Gospel, pg. 97).

So if you want to stop a habitual and agonizing sin, then focus less on defeating that sin and focus more on who it is that we serve. Jesus Christ should take our breath away. His love should move us to forsake sin and to do great things for His name and glory. It is here, in the midst of His unfailing and ultimate love that we will find victory over sin; then we will see the beauty of sanctification and understand its significance.