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A Meditation on Sin
- 03/23/11
- 25
Sin. I can't live with it, but am just not able to live without it. I know that I've been freed from sin, freed from the power of sin, and yet I still sin. Scripture tells me not to let sin reign, it tells me that if I am truly a child of God I will not go on sinning (Romans 6:12, 1 John 3:9). And still I sin. Even in those times that I focus my efforts on one particular sin I find that I am unable to stop, unable to put it entirely to death. My mind can't do it; my will can't do it. It may not reign as sovereign, but it continues to exist as a trial and a steady temptation.
In The Christian Life: A Doctrinal Introduction Sinclair Ferguson writes about this tricky relationship of sin to the Christian and offers these words of assurance: "We are no longer what we once were; we are no longer related to sin the way we once were." This is important for me to understand and to keep in the forefront of my mind as I battle sin—any sin. I am not what I once was. I am not who I once was. I was once a slave to sin, owned by it, inexorably drawn to it. But now I am the slave to a different master. I am owned by God and subject to him. My relationship to sin has been radically transformed.
And yet I still get angry. I still lash out in anger. I still simmer in anger. I still have desires that stem from anger and suffer the consequences of my anger. And that is just one sin. I still lust and am still jealous and am still thankless and still sin in so many ways. I have died to sin but sin has not yet died within. But here is the difference; here is the change: Sin no longer has dominion. And practically I cannot relate to it as if it has dominion. I have to ensure that my experience of sin is consistent with my theology of sin.
Anger does not own me. Christ owns me. Lust does not motivate me. Christ motivates me. Jealousy does not get the final victory. Christ will get the final victory. The cross stands there as assurance that I have been saved from its power and will some day be fully and finally delivered from its presence. Sin is in me but I am in Christ. And what is in me was put upon him on the cross. He triumphed over it then. He broke its power. And now I just wait, battling all the while, for him to speak the word and bring it to an end once and for all.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I worship and serve as a pastor at 
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Comments (25)
This was a good thing to read first thing this morning. Thanks for this.
“First thing this morning” is 5:55 where I am—not the 8:55 time on my comment!
Praise God for your honesty. I’ve been meditating on sin’s hold and lamenting my rottenness and unworthiness to worship or be used by a God who is so holy. Thank you for this encouragement today for it reminds me that I already have been given the victory won by my sinless Savior, it is now my choice to walk in that victory or walk in defeat.
‘Who shall deliver me from this body of death?’…. I thank God…
That’s all I can say at times. The corruption of my heart can threaten to overwhelm, but our God has covered *all* my sin. What a total, complete, finished, altogether salvation this is. And what a wonderful, altogether lovely Saviour we have.
Thank you for your words on sin- something we all struggle with. Praise God for his great mercy in our lives!
Thanks for posting this Tim. What a great encouragement!
” I have to ensure that my experience of sin is consistent with my theology of sin.”
This is so important. Our theology can become so academic and intelectual that we forget to see whether or not we actually believe it. To belive that Christ is victorious while we are in defeat is the Gospel. And I praise God that we are no longer under the dominion of sin but under the dominion of Christ.
Thank you Tim, this was an encouragement today.
Great insights Tim… I have come to view salvation as both instantaneous and continuous… I became a new creation when first I believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. My sin debt was paid in full when He said, “It is finished” on the Calvary Cross.
And yet I see my salvation (from slavery to sin) as a continuous, daily, moment by moment choice to “be transformed by the renewing of my mind “(Rom 12:2), to ” work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12). Indeed I endeavor to “stand” (Eph 6:13 ) in a battle that seems to be perpetually raging against my desire (command) to walk in holiness. For me this amounts to living in a continual state of *repentance* (changing my mind to believe what God says as opposed to what I am thinking and/or feeling at any given moment). I do believe the battle is fought in the mind. My actions follow my thoughts. My emotions follow my decisions and so like David, I hide God’s Word in my heart that I might not sin against Him, myself and my fellow brothers and sisters….
Tim — related to this post, would be great someday to read your review of a book that’s been around for some time, Needham’s “Birthright”.
And yet I still get angry? Is anger a sin?
Awesome stuff Tim! Thank God for his grace.
@RogerFrom yesterdays A La Carte : http://www.ccef.org/angry-person-always-last-know
Hi Tim - I love the blog. This is my first post. I honestly have some questions…
“I just can’t live without sin” - is this really true? Why are we encourage to be holy and strive for perfection if we can’t live without sin?
“I am unable to stop, unable to put it entirely to death. My mind can’t do it; my will can’t do it.” Can’t Christ do that in you? Isn’t that what is meant part of the power of the cross?
“I am owned by God and subject to him.” How can someone owned and subject to God continue to sin?
“…I still get angry…I still sin…” What should be the correct response when a brother confesses to one another? Should I be encouraged?
“…I cannot relate to it as if it has dominion.” So the relation, the “experience of sin” matching theology” - is it that we just keep sinning and wait until that final Word to take us from its presence?
“…He broke its power..” so what now? I just wait, as you say? Still sinning, or is that power of sin and death useful to me presently?
Steve,
You may find many of your questions answered here:
http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/piper/depravity.html
God bless.
Thanks for the link. I read Piper’s stance on Total Depravity, but maybe I didn’t understand it correctly. I always thought that meant that man was totally depraved before receiving salvation. Is that not correct? My questions apply to after salvation, in the stage of “continuing salvation” (from Sharmayn, above) or sanctification…Is there no hope to be free from sin during that time? Maybe specific sins, but not all sin?
John Wesley believed that there was…but the orthodox Christian position is that we will never be fully sanctified until we receive our new bodies.
Until then, we will sin. However, sanctification is an upward movement. With time, we will become more and more like him through the work of God. It does get better.
Perhaps this will help:
http://reformedanswers.org/answer.asp/file/99857.qna/category/th/page/qu…
That is a great question though. Romans 6 is hard for me to fully grasp, that’s for sure.
Have a good one.
I should clarify. Many of Wesley’s followers interpreted his teachings to imply that sinless perfection was attainable in this life.
The reformers disagreed.
Thanks for the link again. That one is very good. I know that others before me have already looked into these questions. However, I don’t know who though what-so it really helps for me to understand the distinction between Wesley’s followers and the reformers. I don’t really know much about specific differences, but now I can look into those positions and more easily target answers on my own. Thanks.
Steve,
Keep digging, but I think the most helpful answer is simply to look at your own life.
Do you not find more sin there than you can shake a stick at? do you not find that everything you do is shot through with sin in one form or another?
Thank you for this.
Steve,
I re-read my comment, and thought I’d add a clarification just in case…
When I’m asking those 2 questions, please understand that what follows them is an unstated “Because when I look at my own life, I certainly do.”
Also Romans 7:14-25 certainly says that Paul did too.
.
A fairly short sermon audio about ‘working on your sins’:
http://theoldadam.wordpress.com/2011/03/24/shedding-your-sins/
Enjoy.
There are a few things that can instantly bring tears to my eyes… I’ll be sure to add this to the list…
Thanks, Tim.
I second that motion.
I second the motion to review Needham’s “Birthright”