Sin Has No Hold On You
Did you know that you don’t HAVE to sin?
Some of you reading this might reply with a simple “duh,” but really, did you know that sin need not be an inevitability? While we must understand that a life with Christ does not equal immediate perfection here on earth, one of the beauties of being in Christ is that we are now free from sin and death. The force that once held us in shackles now has no hold over us because Jesus Christ has defeated it on our behalf; that is good news!
Yet why is it that so many Christians live with a sense of learned helplessness towards sin? I often don’t think that this is an issue of lacking faith in people, but that we don’t fully understand what was accomplished on the cross. Christ not only purchased our salvation, but he has “condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” While we certainly can’t forget how sinful and far from God the human heart is, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are now made into new creations, new creations who can do good works, reject sin, and live Godly lives.
I was talking with some students recently, and in my conversation with them, I heard them say essentially that we can’t escape our sins even in our good works. That everything we do is tainted by sin. And while there is some truth to us having a nature of sin, what we can’t do is relinquish too much power to sin. Sin, while strong and leads to death, doesn’t compare to the power of the cross, Jesus Christ, and the finished work that has freed us from the bondage of sin and its enslavement over our hearts.
I love the CSB translation of Romans 8:12, where it says, “So then, brothers and sisters, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh.”
What was the last obligation you had to see to? Maybe it was the lawn that needed mowing, the groceries that had to be bought, or the test you had to take. How badly do you wish you could have gotten out of it?
Before Christ, living for our flesh and being enslaved to our sin was an obligation; we had to do it. But because of the power of God and the Holy Spirit moving in those who are joined to Christ, we have no obligation to sin! That means that when temptations arise, we can lean on and trust in a God who has made a way out for His people. In the New Testament, we’re told that no temptation has overtaken us that is not common to man, and that God will always give us a way out. Although there will be times and moments where we do give in, sin no longer reigns in us the same way it used to. Sins’ lingering effects are felt on the life of a Christian, but not its power. Because of Christ, there is a new power that Lords over us, a new power to whom we pledge allegiance, one that gives life, and life abundantly.
Do you feel helpless to sin in your life? If you are in Christ, you don’t have to sin. But through the power of the Holy Spirit, denying our flesh and relying on God, you can now choose life.
