Word of Encouragement (10/23/2020)

Continuing with some applications on using God's promises in our sanctification....

“16.  You must believe that you have died to sin (Rom. 6:2). Sin is crucified unto you and you to it (Gal. 6:14). Do you struggle with lust? You are dead to lust. Is it anger? You are dead to that anger. If the power of sin is the law (1 Cor. 15:56) and you are not under the law but under grace (Rom. 6:14), then do not yield your members to unrighteousness as though sin is still your master. You are alive to God in Christ Jesus and must therefore yield your members unto righteousness, as those whose Lord and Master is Jesus. [I know it may be difficult to believe this, especially when we are being assaulted by alluring temptations. But if we do not believe this to be true, then what are we believing —that sin is still our master, not Jesus? This doesn’t mean that we are completely free from the influence of sin in our lives—that will happen only when we enter heaven. Consider the next point.]

“17.  ...your struggle with sin is not inconsistent with a state of grace but instead is irrefutable evidence of it. Only those alive to Christ struggle with the old man (Rom. 7:17) and only those indwelt by the Spirit of the living God feel the contrary striving of the flesh at the threshold of every spiritual duty (Rom. 7:21). [So, do not give up your fight against sin. Don’t accept defeat as your fate and reality. Instead, keep fighting: The Hebrews writer says, ‘In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood’ (Heb. 12:4). That means, our fight against sin is worth shedding blood for. As you do so, God will give you a greater assurance of your salvation.]

“18.    God has given you faith. You, then, must believe in His promises that relate to your sanctification and overcoming of sin. Do not doubt that He has given you His Spirit and that He is at work renovating your heart, preparing you for glory (John 14:1-3, 16-17). This is a simple but important reminder, isn’t it? God gave us faith, not to keep it on a pedestal but to use it every day and in every situation to believe in all of His promises in confident expectation. Let us exercise our faith, especially in our fight against sin, to affirm our union with Christ and our freedom from sin!