“Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” -Psalm 103:13,14.
A Christian's battle with temptation & sin is ongoing, and it will be so throughout our earthly lives. Paul acknowledges this in Romans 7:18-21, so please read these verses carefully;
“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.” Bold type added for emphasis.
We can thank God that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from sin (1 John 1:7), and that we have access by faith into this grace through which we stand (Romans 5:1,2). Yet our fight remains with the devil, who is our accuser (Revelation 12:10), and he seeks to undermine our relationship with God by shame and isolation. First, we feel shame because we have failed our Savior, who bore our sins on the cross to save us. Secondly, this shame isolates us; we feel ALONE in our failure, alone in struggling against the sins that beset us. Remember that the devil is a liar (John 8:44)), and if God has so loved us that He sent Jesus to die for us when we as yet wanted nothing to do with Him, He will love us now when we are seeking to please Him, and sometimes fall short;
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” -Romans 5:8-10.
And I hope you can appreciate the weight of the scriptures when they tell us that there is nothing new under the sun. Others have struggled as we do. Others have fallen like we have, and many that may seem stronger have done far worse. Maybe that's because the greater our efforts and desire is to serve the Lord, the more Satan resists!
“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” -Ecclesiastes 1:9.
But this theme is repeated in the New Testament as well, addressing more directly how sin & temptation relates to it. In 1 Corinthians 10:12&13 we read;
“Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
There are 2 points from verse 13 I'd like to emphasize, and the first is when scripture describes ALL temptation as, “common to man.” Whatever you face, or struggle with, it isn't unique to you, as if you alone are the problem-but the devil wants you to feel alone, ashamed, and by this you will have trouble finding the help or forgiveness that you need. Remember that the temptation is only common.
Think of King David, when he fell into adultery with Bathsheba; he told multiple lies to cover his sin, and ultimately had her husband killed to turn away scrutiny of her pregnant state (2 Samuel chapters 11,12). David violated at least 4 of the 10 commandments in that he coveted, committed adultery, lied, and killed. But of all God's heroes in the Bible, only David was referred to as a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22). Now if this great man of God could fall by such an egregious sin, surely this can happen to anyone!
Yet when periods of temptation arise, remember that the Lord is still with you; AND that He has promised to make a “way of escape” for you to bear it! This is a promise from the Word of God for us to lay hold of, brethren. Pray hard, dig deep, wait patiently upon the Lord to reveal the way which He has already made for your escape. Follow the way in which God is leading you, and not a way bent on pleasing others; you are the Lord's, and it is to Him you will answer; we are justified in Christ.
“Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.” -1 Corinthians 7:23
“For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” -Galatians 1:10.
“So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” -Romans 14:12.
“Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” -Romans 8:33,34.
And in seeking that way of escape, God has promised to give WISDOM to those who ask Him for it, even though persistence in asking may be in order (Matthew 7:7-11).
“...the acknowledgement of God...and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” -from Colossians 2:2&3.
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” -James 1:5.
“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” -James 3:17.
Please do not take temptation or sin lightly, but neither let it overwhelm you, for that's exactly what our adversary aims to do (1 Peter 5:8). Nothing foisted upon us can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38,39); who paid the ultimate price for us to be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:18).
We read earlier how even Paul lamented over his own struggles with sin and temptation, and concluded it to be unavoidable that sin would be with him-even when he longed to do what was good. But how could Paul go on from such a point of discouragement? Just listen to the conclusion he reached through God the Holy Spirit in the same section of scripture;
“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. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” -Romans 7:22-8:2. Bold type was added for emphasis.
Therefore when we are born-again through Jesus (John 3:7), we have been forgiven, and receive His righteousness for our own; and when we then continue to walk after the leading of God's own Spirit, we are NOT condemned in our struggle against the flesh. Many Bible versions cut out the key phrase, “who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” from verse one; but this phrase is an identifier of who is REALLY “in Christ Jesus”, and to cut it out is tampering with God's Word!
“What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.” -Deuteronomy 12:32.
“For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.” -2 Corinthians 2:17.
Jesus' sacrifice through the cross has already won the victory in our fight against sin-we cannot succeed otherwise. Yet it is still for us to fight this battle with prayer on a daily basis, and not faint. The Lord hears us, and has promised us the victory as we follow after the will of God.
“Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” -1 John 3:21,22.
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