Category Archives: Sin

Battles, Bible, Choices, Failures, God's Will, Scripture, Sin

THROW OUT THE OLD

EPHESIANS 4:22

“that, in reference to your former way of life, you are to rid yourselves of the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,” 

One good thing about moving is the opportunity to get rid of some stuff, especially clothes which you haven’t worn or can’t wear any more. Why do we hang on to the old stuff? When my dad passed away, he left a shop and three outbuildings full of old sinks, toilets, light fixtures and pieces of wood and metal. He wouldn’t throw anything away. Guess what? Somebody has to, eventually.

In today’s verse, Paul tells us to “rid yourselves of the old self.” The verb here means to renounce, lay aside. In other words, take it off and don’t put it back on. That “old self” mentioned there is not talking about our personality or body. He is talking about that manner of life we lived before Christ. Don’t revert to your old ways. You have something new now. Don’t go back!

APPLICATION

The same verb is used several other times in the New Testament, almost always talking about getting rid of the bad stuff. Look over in Colossians 3:8 where Paul said, “But now you also, rid yourselves of all of them: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene speech from your mouth.” How about that verse that is so often quoted from Hebrews 12:1? “Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us,”

What are you still hanging on to that you need to let go? I am not talking about clothes or books. I am talking about habits or sins. I was talking to a guy recently who wants to get rid of his nicotine habit. He stopped smoking but is still using nicotine patches. He knows it is not good for him. He is asking the Lord to take away that addiction. Praise the Lord.

Can I give you some advice? If you have something (and we all do) that you need to lay aside, put it out of your reach. Don’t leave it laying somewhere that is easily accessible. If it’s around, you will more easily stumble. Throw it away. Dispose of it. Put it out of reach. And God will give you the strength and fortitude to live without it. I promise He is able.

Thank You, Father, for delivering me from those things that so easily entangle me.

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Bible, Law, Power, Scripture, Sin

THROWN IN NEUTRAL

EPHESIANS 2:15

“by abolishing in His flesh the hostility, which is the Law composed of commandments expressed in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two one new person, in this way establishing peace;”

Have you ever driven a manual transmission vehicle? You know, a stick shift. I grew up driving my dad’s three-on-the-column manual transmission pickup. I loved that truck and wanted to buy it from him, but he sold it to someone else. Occasionally that truck would get stuck in neutral. You’d be driving down the road and shift from first to second or from third to second and the mechanism that control the shift would get stuck in neutral. All you could do is coast to the side of the road, get out, raise the hood, yank on the mechanism to loosen it and then start off again. Vehicles in neutral won’t go anywhere. They have been made idle.

The Greek word translated as “abolished” is katargeó, which means to “idle down, rendering something inert (‘completely inoperative’); i.e. being of no effect (totally without force, completely brought down)” (HELPS Word Studies). When Christ came, He rendered the law as powerless. The source of all the hostility between the Jews and the Gentiles now had no power to cause that enmity. They were now one in Christ.

APPLICATION

Over in Romans 6:6, Paul tells us the same thing happens to our sin nature. “knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;” When will we realize that sin has no power over us any longer? We can’t use the excuse that we just couldn’t help ourselves. Yes, we can.

1 Corinthians 15:26 says that death will be neutralized one day. “The last enemy that will be abolished is death.” One day there will be no more death. Christ will rule and reign in a New Kingdom here on earth. As believers in Christ, we will be right there with Him. There is no fear in physical death for a believer because we know that our life is really in the hands of the Master.

I am not saying we should sit around in neutral. No! We have work to do until He comes. There are souls to save. There is kingdom work to do. But don’t let the law, don’t let sin rule and reign over you. They are powerless. Christ has rendered both neutral. Now just shift gears with Jesus.

I am thankful that my power does not come from anywhere but You, Lord. 

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Bible, Choices, Death, Decisions, Eternal Life, Eternity, Gospel, Offenses, Scripture, Sin

YOU WERE DEAD

Ephesians 2:1

“And you were dead in your offenses and sins,” 

Let me let you in on a little secret – dead means dead. I have attended a lot of funerals and burials and have never once met someone who came back from that event. I am not trying to be hurtful or disrespectful if you have gone through that recently. I just know that death is the final act of this earthly body. Unless you are lucky enough to have been brought back medically, everyone who is reading this has never experienced death – yet.

Paul kind of slaps the Ephesians in the face with today’s verse. “You were dead! D-E-A-D, Dead!” Why? Because of their offenses and sins. Remember Romans 6:23? “For the wages of sin is death,…” The result of the fall of man in the garden was death – physical and spiritual death. Without an intervention by God, man would die spiritually because of their sins. Paul wants the Ephesians to remember that.

APPLICATION

You are probably thinking Well, thanks for the good news, Carl. That really made my day! You have to hang on. The first three verses of chapter 2 are all about showing us what we were BEFORE Jesus. In verse four we will see the good news. So, just hang in there. Keep coming back each day to get the full picture. This may feel like a cliffhanger, but I promise there is a bridge in sight.

Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all mankind, because all sinned—” It all sounds so hopeless, doesn’t it? We have all been infected by this germ called “sin.” It is highly contagious. In fact, we were all born with it. Now hang on, Carl. You can’t tell me those precious little babies are sin filled. According to Scripture, yep! I don’t believe a baby or child will be held accountable for that until they are able to hear and comprehend the Gospel (but that’s a whole other discussion for another day).

I love 1 John and how John shows when we have left this sin-filled life and chosen to live our lives for Jesus. He says this in 1 John 3:14. “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death.” This is how we apply this verse. First, we accept Jesus, and then we show the world. Can you live today in that manner? Through Christ, you can.

O Lord, You have given me a new life. Help me live it honoring You.

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Bible, God's Will, Love, Mercy, Restoration, Scripture, Sin, Stains

RESTORE

GALATIANS 6:1

“Brothers and sisters, even if a person is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you are not tempted as well.”

My dad taught me how to restore furniture. It wasn’t a quick, easy or clean process. It required elbow grease, hard work and usually lots of sandpaper, cleaners and rags. And after time and energy is spent over days, weeks or even months, you would have a beautifully restored piece, something worthy of displaying.

Let me use that analogy today to describe the word translated as “restore” in today’s verse. Paul is describing how the mature believers should respond to a fellow believer who has been caught in sin. The Greek word used here is katartizo, which means to be “exactly fit to be in good working order.” Paul is saying that the Galatians need to help those individuals become useful servants again. The body needs all its parts to function correctly. The church cannot afford to lose these precious saints because of their slip into temptation.

APPLICATION

Okay, I want you to list all your slipups right now. Just kidding. I would not want to list mine anywhere. I would probably need two legal size notepads to list all mine. But as Albert Barnes says, “Christians do not commit sin deliberately, and as a part of the plan of life; but they may be surprised by sudden temptation, or urged on by impetuous or headstrong passion, as David and Peter were.” Those are the ones Paul is saying we should restore.

Like in my analogy of furniture restoration, restoring a brother or sister from their slipups can be messy. Sin stains. James says in James 1:27, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” We know the effects of the world on us. If we allow it, it will pull us down and leave its mark.

Instead of burying our wounded in the church, let’s bandage them up and help them gain their spiritual strength. Let’s help them wash away the filth that sin has left on them. When we do that, we not only strengthen them, but we strengthen the body of Christ as well. One warning – as you do this, be careful to guard yourself of being stained by their sins. Be guarded against the devil’s schemes to pull you into the cesspool with them.

Father, help me be that person to lift up the fallen among us and restore them to serving You.

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Battles, Bible, Crucified, Death, Flesh, Forgiveness, Redemption, Scripture, Sin

CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST

GALATIANS 5:24

“Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

The idea of being crucified does not appeal to me. How about you? You’ve probably read a lot about the agony of that. Christ suffered greatly. The pain must have been unbelievable. Yet He did it all for you and me. Why? Why would any sane person go through that for someone else? Because He was following the Father’s plan of redemption for us. Look at what Paul says about how that affects us.

Paul says a statement here that is repeated throughout the New Testament, in one way or another. He says if we are in Christ, we have “crucified the flesh.” That act of crucifixion means death. Paul is saying our flesh should be dead. Its passions and desires should be irrelevant. Dead men don’t have passions and desires, right? Let’s see some other references to this gift from our Lord.

APPLICATION

Of course, just back a few chapters, we find Galatians 2:20 (my life verse). It says we have “been crucified with Christ.” The verb there is sustauroo from sun and stauroo, which means to impale in company with, to crucify with. When Christ’s physical body died on that cross, our flesh died with it. Sin no longer has a hold on us. Do we really understand that?

Romans 6:6-7 say, “6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for the one who has died is freed from sin.” The same Greek word is used there for “crucified with.” We don’t have an excuse for sin. We can’t blame our sin nature. It has been nailed to the cross.

What is our excuse for sin? Simply, our choice to sin. My former brother-in-law used to say, “Before salvation we chased sin. After salvation sin chases us.” We should be pursuing Jesus every day. We should be chasing righteousness. Paul told Timothy that in 1 Timothy 6:11. “But flee from these things (fleshly things), you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.” What are you chasing today?

O Lord, I run to You. I have You in my sights and am pursuing You. 

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Belief, Bible, Bread, Corruption, Law, Leaven, Scripture, Sin

A LITTLE LEAVEN

GALATIANS 5:9

“A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.”

Anyone who has been around baking knows the effects of leaven. Leaven “is a broad term that encompasses any agent used to make dough rise or create a similar effect on baked goods.” It doesn’t take much to get the action started. And it takes a little time to see the effects. That’s why bread is rolled, kneaded and then usually put in a pan, covered and set aside for the leaven to work.

Paul, using this well well-known proverb, is warning the Galatians that it doesn’t take much to corrupt. Being a former Pharisee, Paul knew the laws about leaven. He had probably instructed people on how to rid their homes of leaven during the season of Passover. Every little speck of leaven had to be removed to cleanse the home. In the same way, every little thing that diverted them from living the grace life had the ability to grow and become a bigger obstacle.

APPLICATION

In 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, Paul writes, “6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? 7 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let’s celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” Can you see the symbolism in that passage? This is what Paul is talking about in Galatians 5:9.

Jesus told the disciples in Matthew 16:5-12 something about this. He warned them about the leaven of the Pharisees. Verse 5-6 read, “5 And the disciples came to the other side of the sea, but they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6 And Jesus said to them, ‘Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’” In verse 12 we see His meaning. “Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

You see, anything that takes our eyes off of loving and serving Jesus can be considered leaven, a force to corrupt. We do not need any rule or law to be secure in Christ. We just have to place our trust in Him and Him alone. If anyone tries to add anything to this, it is leaven. And a little leaven will corrupt the whole loaf. Don’t forget that.

Father, help me to keep the leaven of life out of my spiritual journey.

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Bible, Gospel, Impossible, Redemption, Salvation, Scripture, Sin

FAR FROM IT!

GALATIANS 2:17

“But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Far from it!”

Some things are just not going to happen. I will never be a ballerina. Just the thought of that makes me roll with laughter. I will never land on the moon, but if NASA called today, I would suit up. Think of an impossibility in your life as we read today’s verse.

Paul gets forceful. I can just see him saying this to Peter and the crowd. I bet he raised his voice on those last few words. The Greek actually reads, “It cannot be.” These words have been translated as “God forbid,” “May it never be,” “It is not so” and several other ways. I really like how the NIV translates it, “Absolutely not.”

APPLICATION

But what is Paul so worked up about? Well, look back at the previous phrase, “is Christ then a servant of sin?” Whoa, no wonder he gets so forceful. Peter and the Jews, who had pulled away from the Gentiles, were implying by their actions that the Gentiles, who were justified in Christ alone, were sinning by not following Mosaic law. Paul says that is the same as saying Christ is enabling their “sin.”

Is there anything in your spiritual life that you have added to your salvation? Do you think doing certain things makes you more spiritual? We need to live right and do right, of course. But what do you base your salvation on? We’ll get to my favorite verse about this in a few days (Galatians 2:21). You can read ahead in you want. But spoiler alert – it might change your way of thinking.

Are you forcing certain expectations on others? Yes, we need to have a high bar of standards when it comes to living a holy life. But be careful you don’t put “your” standards on them. As Paul was telling Peter and the Jewish believers, all you need, all anyone needs is Jesus.

Instead of a closing prayer today, take a listen to the song by Keith and Kristyn Getty. 

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=in+christ+alone

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Accountability, Bible, Death, Fear, Reverence, Scripture, Sin

YOU DO NOT FEAR ME

MALACHI 3:5

“‘Then I will come near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, those who oppress the wage earner in his wages or the widow or the orphan, and those who turn away the stranger from justice and do not fear Me,’ says the LORD of armies.”

Oh, how our sins pile up in the face of God’s truth. That’s why I start every day in my Quiet Time in a period of confession. I confess any and all sins I have committed and even ask for forgiveness of those I may have committed but was not aware of. That can happen, you know. But more than likely, I am well aware of my sins and confess those by name. Why do I do that? Because I fear my Lord, not in a cringing, bone-shaking way. I revere His authority in my life.

The Lord lays out a list of sins before the people in today’s verse. A couple of these (sorcery and adultery) were worthy of death but had been tolerated by the priests. They all boil down to the last thing the Lord says, you “do not fear Me.” This is the bottom line. One commentator says this, “The words, ‘and fear not me,’ point to the source from which all these sins flowed, and refer to all the sinners mentioned before.” (Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament)

APPLICATION

I did a quick google search (yes, I use Google sometimes) and found 100 verses on the fear of the Lord. Hmmm, that might be important, you think. One of my favorite verses on this topic is Proverbs 1:7. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” How about these words of Jesus in Matthew 10:28, “‘And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.’” I could go on and on listing dozens of verses, but I think you get the picture. Do your own search of verses on this and spend some time just meditating on the verses.

One of my memory verses is on this subject. Psalm 86:11 reads, “Teach me Your ways, O Lord, that I may rely on Your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart that I may fear Your name.” That’s why I spend time each morning confessing my sins before Him. I do fear His name. I want an undivided heart.

Do you have a healthy fear of God? Are you aware of His power to deal with your sins at a moment’s notice? Yes, as a believer in Jesus, your sins are forgiven, but that does not give you license to sin, as the priests and people were doing in Malachi’s time. We must own our sins and confess those in our fear of God, our holy God. Do that now.

O Lord, You are the One I fear. Cleanse me, Father, from all my sins. Wash away my iniquities today.

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Bible, Devil, Forgiveness, Humility, Scripture, Sin, Trials, Trouble, Warnings

YOU’VE BEEN WARNED

ZECHARIAH 12:9

“And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”

We receive all kinds of warnings in this life. Our automobiles have warning lights and sounds. We see lights flashing from emergency vehicles that give us warning. You may live in a region where you have tornado sirens to warn you of an impending storm. If we are wise, we will heed those warnings and take appropriate action.

The nations have been warned. Do not come against Jerusalem. Do not attack God’s chosen people. I believe this warning is still in place. Israel is still precious to our God. He still longs to see His people redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. So, He is still protecting her to the end. We may not live to see the miraculous protection of Israel from her enemies, but I believe God is faithful to His words spoken right here in verse 9.

APPLICATION

Here are six warnings Scripture gives us which we need to pay attention to.

  1. Sin – Jesus said in John 8:34, “Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.’” We are to avoid sin at all costs, not just excuse it.
  2. The devil – Too often we don’t take the devil seriously. We “don’t go in for all that super spiritual stuff.” Well, he’s real and has you in his crosshairs. Remember he even tempted Jesus in the wilderness.
  3. Stuff – Matthew 6:19 Jesus tells us, “‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.’”
  4. False teaching – We are warned over and over about this in the Scriptures. 2 Peter 1:19 warns us “And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”
  5. Judging others wrongly – In Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus tells us not to judge someone else when we are guilty of the same or worse sin.
  6. The lack of humility – Oh, this is a big one for most of us. But the Bible is plain on this. Both James (James 4:6) and Peter (1 Peter 5:5) tell us that God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble.

Father, help me heed these warnings today. I want to walk in a manner worthy of You.

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Affliction, Bible, Death, Failures, God's Will, Grace, Scripture, Sin

REMOVING THE BAD STUFF

ZECHARIAH 9:7

“And I will remove their blood from their mouth and their detestable things from between their teeth. Then they also will be a remnant for our God, and be like a clan in Judah, and Ekron will be like a Jebusite.”

I have been so fortunate to have never had an abscessed tooth, much less one that required removal. I know people who struggle with their dental health. They just have bad teeth. They do all the right things, but they develop abscessed teeth. If they can’t be healed with medication, they have to come out. Why? Because the infection will spread and cause more problems.

In today’s verse, God says He will “remove their blood from their mouth and their detestable things from between their teeth.” This refers to the sacrifices the Philistines offered in their idolatry. These things had to be removed. God judged them for this practice. It could not remain because the effects would spread into Israel and to His people. The “cancer” of idol worship had to come out.

APPLICATION

Is there something in your life that needs to be removed? Are you harboring a hidden sin that can grow and infect your whole life and the lives of others? God still does surgery on us today. He wants to cut out that sin that infects us. James tells us why in James 1:14-15. “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”

Sin is like that abscessed tooth. Left in your mouth, it will continue to infect, eating away at the bone. You can numb it for a while. You can ignore it temporarily, but it must come out. Sin will lead you down a dark road. We know it leads to destruction. Once we confess our sins, He will forgive us. Our initial prayer of confession which leads to salvation seals us by His Holy Spirit. But everyday sins (and I do mean everyday sins) can hamper our spiritual growth and take us out of the battle.

I try to confess my sins to the Lord daily. I usually quote part of Psalm 51 where David asked God to cleanse him and wash him. That’s what I want. I desire to live sinless, but I have a long way to go. One day, I will live sinlessly in eternity. Until then, I keep pulling those abscesses. They are painful and they stink. Get rid of them.

Father God, pull out all my abscesses of sin. Cleanse me today that I may be used of you.

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