Even though it can easily be said that
"He is working" in a situation of habitual sin, and it is understood
that we are delivered from Hell by the work of Christ, we have that natural
human need to do our own work to remove sin from ourselves. We proclaim the
need to immerse ourselves in His Word and apply the various scriptural truths
to our lives. Then, we unwittingly convince ourselves that through this self-effort
we - or someone else we are exhorting - will be delivered. Impossible, without power from Him.
Seven step programs, twelve step programs and other
activities of the flesh have shown themselves to be ineffective or temporary at
best. They might acknowledge a higher power but it’s in a context of disease,
not sin. Since it is not necessarily
sin, the effectiveness of the finished work of Christ is essentially removed.
Then, it becomes an effort of the flesh.
So, the real problem is that we have to abandon our
desire to implement a self effort program and just believe. Simple power comes
from believing. How can the Holy Spirit give you the power you need to release
you from being a slave to sin, (habitual sin, addiction), unless you first
believe. You believed and the power of
God delivered you from Hell. Why would that power not be available to you if
you would just believe that He is enough?
If His
Word says that you are powerless to overcome your sin nature on your own,
(Romans 7), and says that if you are in Christ you are not a slave to sin,
(Romans 6), then you MUST believe it. Otherwise, the power of God though
the Holy Spirit is not available to deliver from habitual sin, just as Heaven
is not available to those who have not believed that His death and resurrection
saves us from Hell.
There should be no more debate about the cycle of
habitual sinful behavior to repentance, back to habitual sin again. It's a
cycle because of spiritual bondage. The Lord Jesus didn't die on the cross and
rise again for us to be bound with sin and running through hopeless sin cycles.
It's impossible! But, if we don't simply believe it, we become bound to
sinful behavior by our unbelief.
Why would one who believes in the Lord Jesus keep
cycling back into habitual sin? Without
saying it we, (and they), believe they are worse than others. No. We
are all “worse.” It is simply due to
unbelief. The Holy Spirit cannot work to
empower one who does not believe. “O unhappy and pitiable and wretched man that
I am! Who will release and deliver me from [the shackles of] this body of
death? O thank God! [He will!] through
Jesus Christ our Lord!”
Don't be blind to the Power that delivers. Believe
and be free.
"All my life, I have loved simplicity and
liberty. Only in Christ were they found."
