Killing Sin: 4 Tips for the Most Important Battle

According to God's Word, the most important battle you and I will face today (and everyday) is not the battle for a prime parking spot at the mall, the unresolved bill dispute with the cable company, or the lingering tension in a key relationship.

If only life were that ... easy!

The most important battle we face regularly and consistently is the battle with our sin. You know, the sins that easily entangles us - anger, lust, greed, pride, despair.

Consider, from God's Word, these 4 Tips on How to Kill Sin:

1. Kill the Enemy (and Resist Any Mercy)

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, 

but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Romans 8. 13

The apostle Paul answers the question - what are we to do with the sin that remains in us - with a startlingly simple answer. Kill it.

In our struggle against sin, we are never to show mercy, we must never give ground.

There is to be no 'peace' with sin. We dare not baptize our sins with benedictions. It is imperative that sin be destroyed. Its life is not to be spared. Kill it, strangle it, starve it of oxygen until it cannot breathe again. There is no other way.

Derek Thomas, How the Gospel Brings Us All the Way Home

2. Starve the Pattern (and Feed the Soul)

There is one sure way to kill something - starve it. In many ways, this is the key to fighting sin.

If then you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is ... Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire ...

Colossians 3. 1, 5

Note Paul's exhortation - "keep seeking the things that are above." As we move throughout the day, you and I face a choice - will we feed sin or starve it? Will we feed righteousness, or leave it gasping for nourishment?

What does it mean to starve sin?

• Recognize the tipping points of temptation and agressively avoid them (whether it be cable TV, drinking at night, or Facebook wanderings);
• Ruthlessly determine to starve sin of even the slightest morsel of nutrition (whether it be a passing thought, a lingering glance, or a well-worn excuse)

  What does it mean to feed and nourish righteousness?

• Agressively fill your soul with the Word of God
• Actively pursue the means of grace (worship with God's people, sitting under the preaching of God's Word, prayer)

3. Embrace Redemption (and Resist Cynicism)

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 

For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

Romans 8. 1-2

Many of us are skeptical that we will make any real progress in our battle against sin. It's not that we lack the desire; rather, we have lost hope. We have tried in the past, but any "success" seemed short-lived.

The spirit of cynicism, whether it arises from laziness (as we view the law's demands) or resignation (as we view our past failures) must be resisted!

Set faith at work on Christ for the killing of your sin. His blood is the great sovereign remedy for sin-sick souls. Live in this, and you will die a conqueror; yes, you will, through the good providence of God, 

live to see your lust dead at your feet.

John Owen, The Mortification of the Flesh

Sadly, most of our "failures" come not from a lack of gospel power, but from half-hearted efforts on our part to destroy our mortal enemy. 

Embrace the work of Jesus on your behalf. The Spirit of sin-killing-power is now at work in you!

4. Remember Your Identity (and Don't Forget It!)

"What we need in order to engage in Biblical holiness 

is a right understanding of who we are." 

Thomas, How the Gospel...

If you are a Christian, you have a new identity. The New Testament in chock-full of words and phrases to remind us and encourage us of this truth - "new creation" (2 Cor. 5.17), "in Christ" (Romans 5. 12-21; 8.9). In fact, Paul's uses the phrase "in Christ" over 44 times in his writings to describe our new address!

The point? Sin is entirely inconsistent with our new identity. It no longer has mastery over you, you are not its slave.

Let me end with a great quote (its longer, but worth ever word) ...

The first great secret of holiness lies in the degree and decisiveness of our repentance. If besetting sins persistently plague us, it is because we have never truly repented, or because having repented, we have not maintained our repentance. It is as if, having nailed our old nature to the cross, we keep wistfully returning to the scene of the execution. We begin to fondle it, to caress it, to long for its release, even to try and take it down again from the cross. We need to learn to leave it there. When some jealous, or proud, or malicious, or impure thought invades our mind we must kick it out at once. It is fatal to begin to examine it and consider whether we are going to give in to it or not. We have declared war on it; we are not going to resume negotiations ... we have crucified the flesh; we are never going to withdraw the nails.

John Stott, The Message of Galatians

Tipping Points: 3 Key Things That Can Make a Big Difference

We've all faced them, haven't we? Those moments when ...

• Mild frustration grows into seething anger
• Subtle temptation transforms into aggressive lust
• Low-grade sadness catapults into high-grade depression

They can happen anytime, any place, often with little warning and no fanfare. And suddenly we find ourselves entrapped, enslaved, and wondering, "How did I get here?"

Yes, we've all faced them.

Tipping points.

Those moments when one drink becomes one too many, when one glance becomes a gnawing obsession, when one feeling becomes an interpretation of reality.

Just like a roller-coaster ride, when a tipping point is reached, it seems as if there is no recovery. No going back.

And what's left in its wake is guilt, regrets, shame, and the sting of broken promises.

Does the gospel of Jesus offer any real hope and help for people like us? Is it possible to prepare now for the tipping points ahead?

Absolutely!

Centuries ago, as the apostle Paul (lying in a prison cell) wrote to his dear "son" in the faith, Timothy, he warned him about the tipping points ahead. And, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he equipped Timothy (and us) to meet them head-on.

So, from 2 Timothy, here are 3 key things than can make a big difference - admit the battle, wield the weapon, cherish the victory.

1. Admit the Battle

Throughout Paul's letter there are clear warnings that difficult times are coming, and that the wise man (and woman) will prepare well for them.

• Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. (2.3)
• Understand this ... in the last days there will come times of difficulty. (3.1)
• As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering .... (4.5)

In fact, words such as "chains", "suffering", "difficulty", "endure", and "fight" occur 15 times in this one letter! The call to prepare now for the battle later is not a minor theme in Paul's exhortation! And neither should it be in your life.

Perhaps (unfortunately) you are like me. You think, "That will never happen again." Or, "That was just a fluke." Wrong!

One thing I have noticed in my own life (and it really didn't take any great powers of observation!) is this - times of temptation come regularly. That's right, tipping points are some of my most frequent companions.

You too?

So, let me ask you, what is your tipping point? 

* Is it late at night, when you feel alone and unloved and begin to conclude that no one really cares?

* Is it as you wander through Facebook, wondering why everyone else seems happy and fulfilled, and you don't?

* Is it on your walk through your day, as you see couples seemingly enjoying intimacy, and you feel so alone?
 
* Is it early in the morning, as you lie in bed wondering if you can endure the challenges of the day ahead? 

* Is it as you encounter media images - from athletic superstars to lingerie models to wealthy entrepreneurs - and despair of ever having a life that's meaningful?

One key thing to do now is this - understand the battle lines in your own life. Have the courage and humility to admit that tipping points abound in your life. Be ruthless in identifying them.

2. Wield the Weapon

I often think that, in the moment of battle, I need a brand-new weapon. That's right, something uniquely suited for the occasion. A weapon, a strategy, a device that will rescue me, dramatically and decisively, from the tipping point of temptation. And ... I often despair that God has left me alone in the battle, and that nothing will work.

Are you as foolish as I am?!

In the midst of the battles raging around him and within him, Paul points Timothy to his sure weapon ...

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed ... All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (3. 14, 16-17)

How simply ... simple. No brand-new weapon is needed. No dramatic rescue is called for. Just the tried-and-true provision of God that has been used well in battles past, and will endure for any future standoff.

The Bible.

Paul's counsel to Timothy, as he faces his tipping points - read the Bible. The Word of God, breathed out by the Creator of all things, has been given for such a time as this.

Can I ask you - when times of temptation hit, do you turn to God's Word immediately, confidently, decisively? 

As you think ahead to the battles before you, have you prepared now with key portions of God's Word that will equip you and strengthen you for the fight?

Is the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, ready to be unsheathed and wielded with deadly accuracy when the battles looms large before you?

Paul's exhorts Timothy,

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. (2.15)

May I encourage you (and me) - prepare now for the tipping points ahead. Memorize key texts and passages that will nourish and equip you. Write out precious portions of God's Word, store them in an accessible place, so that they are ready to be unleashed when needed.

3. Cherish the Victory

Before a tipping point is reached, I often feel over-confident, blithely unaware, smugly naive. Nothing can shake me!

But after a tipping point, my emotions regularly experience a 180. From over-confident to despairing, from unaware to over-sensitive, from naive to condemned.

You too?

One of the key things Paul does for Timothy is to focus his eyes on the decisive victory of the gospel. He reminds him of a key truth - that though the battle rages, though everyday skirmishes may be won or lost, the ultimate battle has been won. 

Linger on these words from the pen of our brother ...

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! 

The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him ... if we are faithless, He remains faithful - for He cannot deny Himself. (2. 8-13)

The ultimate tipping point in your life has been met, and defeated, in the gospel. That's right - the only battle that could ever really destroy you, that could tip you and sink you, was entered into on your behalf by Jesus. And won!

What confidence for the temptations we face each day!  Because of Jesus, they cannot destroy us, but are used by God to strengthen us. Because of the gospel, we are always "tipped" toward grace and redemption and forgiveness, even in our moments of utter failure.

Such is the power of the gospel!

When the battle rages, what do you cherish? Your bruised pride? Your shattered ego? Your dashed dreams? 

Or do you self-consciously cherish Jesus and His victory in your life?

So, as you face the coming temptations, as the sins that so easily entangle you loom large and foreboding, remember and believe - Jesus came for such a time as this, and such a person as you.

You are always sick enough to be healed.

You are always weak enough to be saved.

You are always lost enough to be found.