Introduction
Jesus saved us from the penalty for sin when we became Christians. We will not have to experience the “second death” which is separation from God for all eternity. Jesus will one day save us from the presence of sin when he takes us home (heaven) to live with Him. Whether we die first or He returns, we will go to be with Him. Nothing evil or sinful will enter into the eternal dwelling. We will be away from sin and evil. Jesus also provides a way for us to be saved from the power of sin. The Bible presents a very simple plan to overcome the power of sin in our everyday life. Here’s how:
(1) Recognize sin as sin
(2) Repent of that sin and ask God to forgive you
(3) Replace that sin by allowing the Holy Spirit to produce His fruit in your life.
Recognize sin as sin
We humans have a strong tendency to be able to see everybody else’s sin but our own. We will loudly put down the person who lies to us and never even consider the fact that it may be just as bad a sin for us not to forgive that person. We may be angry with a person for mistreating us and know that he has sinned; but we may not recognize that anger we have is also a sin. (There is such a thing as righteous anger, but most of us have never experienced that kind.)
Study the following Scriptures and make a list of all the sins that are mentioned. The Scriptures are: Mark 7:20-23; Galatians 5:19-21; Romans 1:28-31; I Corinthians 6:9-10; Ephesians 4:25-31; Revelation 21:8.
Go through the list of sins and mark each one that you have a problem with. Be completely honest with yourself as you do this. Some of the sins listed in these passages are listed below.
___Evil thoughts ___Fornications ___Thefts ___Murder
___Adultery ___Coveting ___Deceit ___Sensuality
___Envy ___Slander ___Pride ___Foolishness
___Idolatry ___Effeminate ___Homosexuality ___Drunkenness
___Reviling ___Swindlers ___Lying ___Stealing
___Bitterness ___Wrath ___Anger ___Unwholesome Words
___Malice ___Unforgiveness ___Unbelief ___Cowardly
___Immorality ___Sorcerers ___Unrighteousness ___Wickedness
___Greed ___Gossip ___Strife ___Haters of God
___Insolent ___Arrogant ___Boastful ___Untrustworthy
___Unloving ___Unmerciful ___Inventors of Evil ___Disobedient To Parents
Repent of your sins
Repentance is a change of the mind caused by a sorrow for sins leading to a reformation of life. It includes being sorry for the sin you committed but sorrow by itself is not repentance. Repentance also includes a sincere intention of not committing that sin again. You pray and ask God to forgive you. As you pray you also ask God to replace that sin with the fruit of the Spirit that is the “opposite equivalent” of the sin.
Replace the sin with the fruit of the Holy Spirit
For every sin there seems to be an “opposite equivalent” of it that the Holy Spirit will produce in my life when I allow Him to control me. Some of these are very obvious. For the sin of hatred there is love. For unforgiveness there is forgiveness. For sexual immorality there is morality and sexual purity.
Study the following Scriptures and make a list of all the good traits that are mentioned. The Scriptures are: Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:12-14; Romans 12:9-21. These qualities are evident in our lives when we allow the Holy Spirit to control us. The Bible calls this being filled with the Spirit. Some of those qualities are:
___Love ___Joy ___Peace ___Patience
___Kindness ___Goodness ___Faithfulness ___Gentleness
___Self-control ___Tender-hearted ___Forgiveness ___Not Vengeful
___Holiness ___Compassion ___Humility ___Hospitable ___Prayerfulness ___Treating Enemies Well
Go through the list of righteous qualities that you made (or the one above) and mark each one that is not in your life on a consistent basis. Remember that these qualities are produced supernaturally by the Holy Spirit. You cannot consistently produce them in your human power.
Conclusion
If you are a Christian God has saved you from the penalty of sin (hell) and will one day save you from the presence of sin (heaven). You also can be saved from the power of sin during your life. You do this by following three steps.
(1) Recognize sin as sin
(2) Repent of that sin and ask God to forgive you
(3) Replace that sin by allowing the Holy Spirit to produce His fruit in your life.
