How To Defeat Sin (part 3)

Over the last two weeks, we’ve been exploring the “elephant in the room” of sin, and how we can have victory over sin through Christ.

We began with the foundation of the cross, and saw how the only way to bear good fruit is to change the type of tree we are. 

Next we saw how this change occurs— not through striving and self effort, but through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and living your new identity in Him.

Today, we will look at the practical side of how to apply these truths in daily life, using real examples from scripture to experience the victory over sin that Jesus paid for us to have.

The Deeper Meaning of Repentance

When we think of the word repentance, we often think of a valiant rejection of sin. That’s the common idea of the word “repent,” and when we hear a typical preacher shout the word repent it often stirs us up to do better works. Therein lies the trap for many of us… although the intention of the preacher may be noble, the result of stirring up a person to self-works is counterproductive.

As we saw last week, true victory against sin does not come from your self, but it comes through Jesus Christ, and the new birth that He gives to us; the changing of nature that allows us to bear the good fruit of the Spirit.

As you may have heard before, the literal meaning of repent in Hebrew is “turn,” and the literal meaning of repent in Greek is “change your mind.” In both of these definitions we must ask the questions: what are we turning to? And what are we changing our mind to? Without these details, a crucial piece of the equation is still missing.

Many Christians see repentance as merely a turning away from sin, and only changing our mind to not commit sin any longer. But if we limit repentance to just what we are turning from, it can easily drive a person into a works-mindset; and that’s where numerous Christians are stuck.

Thankfully, the scriptures don’t leave repentance so vague, and they precisely define the turning and changing of mind. Jesus says in Mark 1:15:

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe the gospel.”

So we can clearly see that Jesus gives us a straightforward instruction to repent to turn and change our mind, but He doesn’t leave it there. Jesus tells us exactly how to go about this, by saying repent [change your mind] and believe the gospel.

Believing the Good News

Most Christians know that the word Gospel means “good news,”  and Jesus tells us to repent and believe the good news. But what does believing the good news mean in daily life?

Since we know that it’s connected with repenting, this gives us our first clue. Most Christians get stuck in the trap of trying to “fix themselves” — working to improve their performance by self effort. But if we were capable of doing it ourselves, Jesus would’ve never had to go to the cross.  It was humans wanting to be like God and trying to perform perfectly via the knowledge of good and evil that broke unity and placed the veil between us to begin with. And remember, God told Adam and Eve  not to eat the fruit of that tree. The knowledge of good and evil was never something God wanted us to have, but we often make the same mistake that Adam and Eve made— thinking that the knowledge of good and evil will allow us to perform better and through our performance we would be more like God. Do you see? It’s the exact same deception as the garden, playing out in the lives of countless Christians today.

Instead, we were supposed to eat from the Tree of Life, the pure gift of God’s love and grace based on His perfect character, nature, and union with His creation. This unity with God is what Jesus restored through the redemption on the cross. The veil placed between God and humanity by sin, was removed through His redemptive offering. Scripture records in Matthew 27:51 that the temple veil was torn apart from top to bottom.

What makes us think that the veil of our humanity is torn differently? The veil of sin is torn in the same manner, from top to bottom; starting with our mind (thoughts), and ending with our feet (action).

We try to tear the veil from the bottom, with our feet and move upwards, trying to reach the top, but there comes a point where we cannot reach. We can never reach God via our own efforts. That mistake has already been made repeatedly, especially at the tower of Babel, and again with the Law of Moses.

Rather we are told to repent of dead works (works of the flesh, and of the self) and be baptized into Christ, to put on Christ and be regenerated by His Spirit of Life inside of us.

So what does it mean to “Believe the Gospel in a practical sense? First we need to know what the gospel is and thankfully, 1^st Corinthians 15:1-4 defines precisely what the gospel is:

“¹ Moreover, brothers, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand;

² By which also you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached to you, unless you have believed in vain.

³ For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

⁴ And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”

Notice the details in these verses. 

First, we see that we receive and stand on the gospel. We do not earn it or work for it; we receive the good news of what Jesus has done, and stand on it. The gospel of Christ is our foundation and unshakable solid ground.

Next, in verse two, we see that it is the same good news of Jesus’ sacrifice that saves us. Again, our salvation and redemption is not something we earn, strive for, or merit. We are saved (Greek: sozo, preserved, protected, made whole) by the gospel— the good news of Jesus Christ. You’d be surprised how many “believers” do not really believe that the Gospel saves them… if you dig down deep into their thinking and beliefs, you find that they actually believe in their works, more than the sacrifice of Christ.

Verse three tells us that Jesus died for our sins. A critical point that we looked at in last week’s study. He had no sin of his own, and when he was tortured, torn apart, and condemned on that cross, it wasn’t for Himself or as Himself, but he took all of your sins and mine, and our sinful identity died on that cross with Christ. We must understand that fact for His sacrifice to have meaning for us.

Finally, verse four shows us that, Jesus rose again on the third day. And just as with his death in verse three, his resurrection in verse four can and should be personalized. The scriptures are clear that when He died, our sinful identity died with Him, and when He rose again glorified, we also rose with Him, and we are likewise made holy and righteous.

Living Your New Life

The wonderful news of the gospel, is that He did no sin, but had our sin imputed to Him on that cross. Likewise, we did no righteousness, but have His perfect righteousness imputed to us.

1^st John 4:17 says as Jesus is, so are we in this world. We are not waiting to be righteous, holy, and accepted before God when we get to heaven. We are righteous, holy, and accepted by God right now, in this world, because of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice.

This is the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And this is your victory over sin. Not that you defeat it by your own strength and power, but that it has been defeated for you by Jesus Christ, and now you walk in that new life every single day.

Walking in the righteousness which  Jesus has given you is how you repent and believe the gospel practically in daily life. To repent from your dead works of self effort, and be the new creation which he has made you.

As you live in his righteousness, it will have a divinely profound effect on your life.

And now you understand why I end every study by saying that I look forward to thriving with you again next week… because in Christ, we do not strive, we thrive. And we do not works for blessings or earn them, but we simply are blessed because that is precisely what He has made is to be.

So I encourage you to turn away from self effort, and embrace the finished work of Christ, and see the effect that the Gospel truly has. Christ has truly given us victory over sin through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Be blessed.