No sin is beneath anybody but Christ saves from sins
Believers, Romans 5:17 says- "For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ."
Beware of places where "righteousness" is taught as something that one earns by obeying the law and not God's gift to all who believe in Jesus Christ. The teaching of this false doctrine is why the proliferation of churches in Nigeria has not translated into living "in triumph over sin and death," among churchgoers. Sin has dominion over those who are trying to obey the law and do its works in order to be godly,
"For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under Grace." Romans 6:14.
But many churchgoers are struggling to obey the law in order to be godly so sin has dominion. Those who think they can obey the law or overcome sin by human effort have no idea that the reason why we are not committing particular sins is because we have not been tempted beyond what we can bear in those areas. No matter how hard a weightlifter trains, he cannot carry a weight that is designed to crush him 10 times over, and life does not consider weight, resources or level of preparedness before throwing weights at anybody. Don't forget that we are not all of the same 'size' so a weight that is crushing for one might be nothing to another.
Because many have not encountered dire situations that will make them do the unthinkable, many boast that "I can never do that." Peter too boasted that He would never deny Jesus.
As he did with Peter, Satan is lying in wait to test those who boast in the flesh (depending on human effort at obeying the law and stifling sin.) Peter "knew 100%" that he would not deny Jesus, just as many of us today "know 100%" that there are some sins that we just cannot commit:) This is confidence/boasting in the flesh (human effort.) Proverbs 16:18 counsels us:
"Your boast becomes a prophecy of a future failure.
The higher you lift up yourself in pride,
the harder you’ll fall in disgrace."
No sin is beneath anybody. Christ told Peter after his boasting: Luke 22-
31"And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
33 But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.”
34 Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”"
We all know how the story ended. Telling ourselves or others that some sins are beneath us because we are "better than that" or relying on our ability to obey the law just a tiny bit is the way to invite Satan to test that willpower and determination to not sin that many rely on. What to do when one is tempted beyond what he can bear?
Recall what Christ said to Peter in Luke 22:32 above "But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
Notice that Christ did not say: I have prayed for you, so that you should not sin. He prayed that Peter's FAITH should not fail in the face of his trial and denial. The law is not of faith. Trying to obey the law or doing its works in a bid to be restored or "righted" before God after you sinned is being faithless. Judas tried this but died, even though he was very remorseful for his sin.
Believer, when you sin, know that the Author and Finisher of faith is the One who upholds you still. He will never condemn you. He knew you would fail even when you thought you would not. He will help you as He helped Peter. Don't run around trying to do restitution like Judas or start to make promises to obey the law better thus repeating the cycle of boasting/confidence in human effort and subsequently cause sin to have dominion over you. At those times when you sin, don't be shocked at yourself. Realise that left to you and I, we would do worse! Paul said in Romans 7:18 (TLB)-
"I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn I can’t make myself do right. I want to but I can’t."
The old nature is the one that all mankind inherited from Adam. It seeks to attain godliness aka "be like God" by human effort. But this is our story as new creation in Christ:
"And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God." Romans 5:9.
In Christ, The Lord is our Righteousness. In Him, we are righteous by His blood and not by human effort at obeying the law. Of ourselves, in our ordinary human nature, nobody is "better than that." In your weakness, confess what you believe in your heart: that in Christ, you are completely forgiven and righteous by faith. It was our sins that Christ died for. I believe that God allows us to go through some tests and fail at them to make us realise the futility of putting any confidence in human effort at attaining godliness. This way, we get to depend on Him for salvation from even those sins that we "know 100%" that we can never commit.
The potential to commit heinous crimes is everybody. God sees this potential and how favourable circumstances can make some people think that some sins are beneath them, that they can obey the law and even boast that: "I can never do that kind of thing." Peter thought so too...until his circumstances became unfavourable....
Be sure that the one whose confidence is in the arm of flesh (human effort at obeying the law and stifling sin) will fail, even though it looks like he might be making some progress at first. Remember Peter too seemed to be making good progress on his resolve to die with Jesus when he slashed off the ear of one of those who came to arrest Jesus in Gethsemane, ready to fight for Christ. See this in John 18:10-
"Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus."
But confidence in human effort at obeying the law, overcoming temptation/sins and living right only leads to failure; this is the doctrine that is being taught in many places of worship today. Believers, let's not be found here. For we who are in Christ, this is how we overcome trials and temptations: 1 Corinthians 10:13-
"We all experience times of testing, which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it. And each test is an opportunity to trust Him more, for along with every trial God has provided for you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously."
Christ could have helped Peter follow through with his resolve to go to prison and die with Him. He could have ensured that Peter did not deny Him; even made sure that nobody asked Peter if he was His disciple. But Peter would imagine that he overcame the temptation all by himself and so not see his need for salvation from his pride in human effort at obedience and doing right.
Someone needs to bring you out of every trial, test and temptation. His name is Jesus Christ. In Him, God screens and filters every test or trial that comes our way.... and provides the way of escape. This is how we stand. In Christ. But many of us think we did good all by ourselves. No friend. Suppressing sinful urges by human effort at obeying the law can only take one so far. The arm of flesh (human effort) will fail and when it does, when a person gets tempted beyond what he can bear, the suppressed sinful urges will explode in a volcanic eruption of sinful deeds that lead to death. See Romans 7:5.
The only reason why we are not committing vile sins is because God does not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. When our eyes are opened to His revelation of how we overcome trials and temptations, it becomes difficult for us to condemn those who are still held captive by their sins, many of whom are tryng hard to overcome but are failing because they are being told to re-double their effort at obeying the law in order to be godly. This is as useless as a cancer patient putting plaster on a festering sore that is as a result of the cancer within and hoping that the plaster will heal him- see this in Romans 8:3-4 (MSG) :
"The law always ended up being used as a Band-Aid on sin instead of a deep healing of it. And now what the law code asked for but we couldn’t deliver is accomplished as we, instead of redoubling our own efforts, simply embrace what the Spirit is doing in us."
This "obey the law to be godly" has the opposite of the desired effect, "For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under Grace." Romans 6:14. Try to obey the law in order to be righteous and sin strengthens its grip.
Instead of pointing these beloved of God and ourselves to more laws to keep and things to do in order to be free from sins and their consequences, we point them and ourselves to the One of whom it is said in Matthew 1:21-
"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
And Titus 2:14- "He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds."
Notice "every kind of sin"? No sin is too big for Him to save the sinner who believes from. Even the vilest offender who believes receives perfect forgiveness and everlasting righteousness; and in Him, we never remain the same. All who receive God's abundance of Grace and His gift of righteousness to us in Christ GET TO live in triumph over sin and death through Jesus Christ:
"For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ."
Romans 5:9 says of God: "And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God."
God's gift of righteousness to us in Christ cannot be removed or sullied by acts of sin- we did nothing to earn or deserve it to begin with. Christ's strength is made perfect in weakness- our weakness. He came to save us from our sins and give us His gift of righteousness, not demand righteousness from us. We have none. Telling God that you "won't do it again" by your own effort is as useless as Peter telling Jesus that he would not deny Him.
Believer, believe right. Depend on your own ability to obey the law and do right and sin will have dominion (Romans 6:14.) But receive God's abundance of Grace and His gift of righteousness to us in Christ, knowing that even when you sin and mess things up, you are forgiven and forever righteous in His sight because of the blood of Jesus alone, and you will live in triumph over sin and death through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17.) This is the wisdom of God. It is illogical to many, especially those who think they have the power to "at least try" to obey the law, but it makes perfect sense to all who, by grace, see that of ourselves, we cannot obey even the tiniest portion of God's law and depend WHOLLY on Christ for our righteousness and strength- see 1 Corinthians 1:18-
18 "For the message of the cross is foolishness [absurd and illogical] to those who are perishing and spiritually dead [because they reject it], but to us who are being saved [by God’s grace] it is [the manifestation of] the power of God."
Believer, there is no condemnation for us in Christ Jesus. And it is His "Neither do I condemn you" that makes us "go and sin no more." Let's take our blessed brains to church: the gift of no condemnation can only be received by those who have sins that they should be condemned for!
Believe Right and you will Live Right!
Beware of places where "righteousness" is taught as something that one earns by obeying the law and not God's gift to all who believe in Jesus Christ. The teaching of this false doctrine is why the proliferation of churches in Nigeria has not translated into living "in triumph over sin and death," among churchgoers. Sin has dominion over those who are trying to obey the law and do its works in order to be godly,
"For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under Grace." Romans 6:14.
But many churchgoers are struggling to obey the law in order to be godly so sin has dominion. Those who think they can obey the law or overcome sin by human effort have no idea that the reason why we are not committing particular sins is because we have not been tempted beyond what we can bear in those areas. No matter how hard a weightlifter trains, he cannot carry a weight that is designed to crush him 10 times over, and life does not consider weight, resources or level of preparedness before throwing weights at anybody. Don't forget that we are not all of the same 'size' so a weight that is crushing for one might be nothing to another.
Because many have not encountered dire situations that will make them do the unthinkable, many boast that "I can never do that." Peter too boasted that He would never deny Jesus.
As he did with Peter, Satan is lying in wait to test those who boast in the flesh (depending on human effort at obeying the law and stifling sin.) Peter "knew 100%" that he would not deny Jesus, just as many of us today "know 100%" that there are some sins that we just cannot commit:) This is confidence/boasting in the flesh (human effort.) Proverbs 16:18 counsels us:
"Your boast becomes a prophecy of a future failure.
The higher you lift up yourself in pride,
the harder you’ll fall in disgrace."
No sin is beneath anybody. Christ told Peter after his boasting: Luke 22-
31"And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
33 But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.”
34 Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”"
We all know how the story ended. Telling ourselves or others that some sins are beneath us because we are "better than that" or relying on our ability to obey the law just a tiny bit is the way to invite Satan to test that willpower and determination to not sin that many rely on. What to do when one is tempted beyond what he can bear?
Recall what Christ said to Peter in Luke 22:32 above "But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
Notice that Christ did not say: I have prayed for you, so that you should not sin. He prayed that Peter's FAITH should not fail in the face of his trial and denial. The law is not of faith. Trying to obey the law or doing its works in a bid to be restored or "righted" before God after you sinned is being faithless. Judas tried this but died, even though he was very remorseful for his sin.
Believer, when you sin, know that the Author and Finisher of faith is the One who upholds you still. He will never condemn you. He knew you would fail even when you thought you would not. He will help you as He helped Peter. Don't run around trying to do restitution like Judas or start to make promises to obey the law better thus repeating the cycle of boasting/confidence in human effort and subsequently cause sin to have dominion over you. At those times when you sin, don't be shocked at yourself. Realise that left to you and I, we would do worse! Paul said in Romans 7:18 (TLB)-
"I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn I can’t make myself do right. I want to but I can’t."
The old nature is the one that all mankind inherited from Adam. It seeks to attain godliness aka "be like God" by human effort. But this is our story as new creation in Christ:
"And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God." Romans 5:9.
In Christ, The Lord is our Righteousness. In Him, we are righteous by His blood and not by human effort at obeying the law. Of ourselves, in our ordinary human nature, nobody is "better than that." In your weakness, confess what you believe in your heart: that in Christ, you are completely forgiven and righteous by faith. It was our sins that Christ died for. I believe that God allows us to go through some tests and fail at them to make us realise the futility of putting any confidence in human effort at attaining godliness. This way, we get to depend on Him for salvation from even those sins that we "know 100%" that we can never commit.
The potential to commit heinous crimes is everybody. God sees this potential and how favourable circumstances can make some people think that some sins are beneath them, that they can obey the law and even boast that: "I can never do that kind of thing." Peter thought so too...until his circumstances became unfavourable....
Be sure that the one whose confidence is in the arm of flesh (human effort at obeying the law and stifling sin) will fail, even though it looks like he might be making some progress at first. Remember Peter too seemed to be making good progress on his resolve to die with Jesus when he slashed off the ear of one of those who came to arrest Jesus in Gethsemane, ready to fight for Christ. See this in John 18:10-
"Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus."
But confidence in human effort at obeying the law, overcoming temptation/sins and living right only leads to failure; this is the doctrine that is being taught in many places of worship today. Believers, let's not be found here. For we who are in Christ, this is how we overcome trials and temptations: 1 Corinthians 10:13-
"We all experience times of testing, which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it. And each test is an opportunity to trust Him more, for along with every trial God has provided for you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously."
Christ could have helped Peter follow through with his resolve to go to prison and die with Him. He could have ensured that Peter did not deny Him; even made sure that nobody asked Peter if he was His disciple. But Peter would imagine that he overcame the temptation all by himself and so not see his need for salvation from his pride in human effort at obedience and doing right.
Someone needs to bring you out of every trial, test and temptation. His name is Jesus Christ. In Him, God screens and filters every test or trial that comes our way.... and provides the way of escape. This is how we stand. In Christ. But many of us think we did good all by ourselves. No friend. Suppressing sinful urges by human effort at obeying the law can only take one so far. The arm of flesh (human effort) will fail and when it does, when a person gets tempted beyond what he can bear, the suppressed sinful urges will explode in a volcanic eruption of sinful deeds that lead to death. See Romans 7:5.
The only reason why we are not committing vile sins is because God does not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. When our eyes are opened to His revelation of how we overcome trials and temptations, it becomes difficult for us to condemn those who are still held captive by their sins, many of whom are tryng hard to overcome but are failing because they are being told to re-double their effort at obeying the law in order to be godly. This is as useless as a cancer patient putting plaster on a festering sore that is as a result of the cancer within and hoping that the plaster will heal him- see this in Romans 8:3-4 (MSG) :
"The law always ended up being used as a Band-Aid on sin instead of a deep healing of it. And now what the law code asked for but we couldn’t deliver is accomplished as we, instead of redoubling our own efforts, simply embrace what the Spirit is doing in us."
This "obey the law to be godly" has the opposite of the desired effect, "For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under Grace." Romans 6:14. Try to obey the law in order to be righteous and sin strengthens its grip.
Instead of pointing these beloved of God and ourselves to more laws to keep and things to do in order to be free from sins and their consequences, we point them and ourselves to the One of whom it is said in Matthew 1:21-
"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
And Titus 2:14- "He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds."
Notice "every kind of sin"? No sin is too big for Him to save the sinner who believes from. Even the vilest offender who believes receives perfect forgiveness and everlasting righteousness; and in Him, we never remain the same. All who receive God's abundance of Grace and His gift of righteousness to us in Christ GET TO live in triumph over sin and death through Jesus Christ:
"For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ."
Romans 5:9 says of God: "And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God."
God's gift of righteousness to us in Christ cannot be removed or sullied by acts of sin- we did nothing to earn or deserve it to begin with. Christ's strength is made perfect in weakness- our weakness. He came to save us from our sins and give us His gift of righteousness, not demand righteousness from us. We have none. Telling God that you "won't do it again" by your own effort is as useless as Peter telling Jesus that he would not deny Him.
Believer, believe right. Depend on your own ability to obey the law and do right and sin will have dominion (Romans 6:14.) But receive God's abundance of Grace and His gift of righteousness to us in Christ, knowing that even when you sin and mess things up, you are forgiven and forever righteous in His sight because of the blood of Jesus alone, and you will live in triumph over sin and death through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17.) This is the wisdom of God. It is illogical to many, especially those who think they have the power to "at least try" to obey the law, but it makes perfect sense to all who, by grace, see that of ourselves, we cannot obey even the tiniest portion of God's law and depend WHOLLY on Christ for our righteousness and strength- see 1 Corinthians 1:18-
18 "For the message of the cross is foolishness [absurd and illogical] to those who are perishing and spiritually dead [because they reject it], but to us who are being saved [by God’s grace] it is [the manifestation of] the power of God."
Believer, there is no condemnation for us in Christ Jesus. And it is His "Neither do I condemn you" that makes us "go and sin no more." Let's take our blessed brains to church: the gift of no condemnation can only be received by those who have sins that they should be condemned for!
Believe Right and you will Live Right!
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