God's restraining Hand - Why we are not committing particular sins.

Believer, believe right. Many among us don't yet realise that the reason why we are not committing particular sins is because God did not allow us to get tempted beyond what we can bear in those areas of our "strength." See 1 Corinthians 10:12-13:

"12 So beware if you think it could never happen to you, lest your pride becomes your downfall. 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."

If God lifted His restraining hand that restrains us from sins, we would all be wallowing in heinous sins by now. Our success at doing the right thing has got nothing to do with our strong moral resolve or non-existent prowess at keeping the Ten Commandments for the purpose of morality after we got saved. Paul addressed this in Romans 1 where a group who “suppress the truth” of righteousness by faith (verses 16-19) devolved into sin after “God lifted off His restraining hand…” —

“24 This is why God lifted off His restraining hand and let them have full expression of their sinful and shameful desires…”

Man’s default mode is to do wickedness (Romans 3:9–18.) Of ourselves, there is no good in anyone of us — Romans 7:18- “For I know that nothing good lives within the flesh of my fallen humanity. The longings to do what is right are within me, but will-power is not enough to accomplish it.”

But we often think we did good all by ourselves. The potential to commit heinous crimes is in everybody. God sees this potential and how, like Peter who denied Christ after boasting, favourable circumstances can make some people think that some sins are beneath them and that they can keep the law as a guiding principle for morality after being saved. No, friend. Not a single one of us has it all together by ourselves concerning the issue of sins. Our salvation from acts of sin after we got saved is in Christ's hands and not in our puny arm of flesh that will fail. Sin is a prison that draws its strength from the law that many are trying to keep in order to be godly. 1 Corinthians 15:56 says-

"Death gets its power to hurt from sin, and sin gets its power from the Law."

The more one tries to keep the Law in order to be righteous before God, the more sin has dominion over that one (Romans 6:14). Romans 5:9 says:

"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."

Our right-standing with God and eternal salvation have got nothing to do with what we do or didn't do or who sinned what sin; even non-Christians do their best to not sin all the time. It's got all to do with receiving what Christ has done for us. Believing that we are righteous by faith in Christ is what separates the righteous from the sinner/wicked.

Romans 5:19 says "By one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous."

From the above verse, we see that committing acts sins is not what makes people sinners. Adam's disobedience passed on the sin/old nature to his descendants- all mankind. So sinners will commit sin, just as a teacher teaches. She does not teach all the time, but that is who she is. Even though she also bakes and does other things after work, her teaching is what defines her. Her baking does not cancel the truth that she is a teacher, just as keeping the law cannot make anybody less of a sinner or righteous in God's sight- "For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are." (Romans 3:20.)

Likewise, with Christ as our righteousness, we are forever righteous in God's sight and only through the blood of Jesus. Romans 5:9 says:

"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."

With Christ as our righteousness, we are like a butterfly that might fall into mud for whatever reason. We don't want to. In fact, we hate to, but Christ always brings us out of it as overcomers and stronger in His strength. Remember: "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." Titus 2:14.

Our sins that He changes our hearts to hate can never turn us back into pigs that love to wallow in dirt. He transforms us and saves us from them all. But many are trying to transform themselves to godliness by keeping the letter of the law that kills using the arm of flesh (human effort) that will fail.

Just as sinners who were made sinners by Adam's disobedience can only produce sins, the righteous who believe that we are made right with God by Christ's obedience get to live a righteous life through Christ. Both sides are imperfect of themselves, but in Christ, having Him as our Righteousness and no longer looking to the Law that kills to make us right with God or deserving of His goodness, our path becomes brighter and brighter- Proverbs 4:

"18 The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. 19 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble."

Remember Romans 3:10 says "...“There is no one righteous, not even one;" So "the righteous" in the Proverb above is we who are made right with God through Christ. 

As for the wicked that do not know what makes them stumble, criminals, when they are caught, don't wonder why they get punished. They know it is because of their crimes. But notice that "the wicked" in the Proverb above "do not know what makes them stumble." That's odd, since everyone knows that doing wicked things has dire consequences — the Law always comes to collect from those who are under it. "The wicked " in Proverbs 4 are not necessarily people who are wallowing in sins ( plus sin has dominion over people under law). "The wicked " includes people who are doing their very best to get right with God by keeping the Law. They can’t understand why they still stumble given that they are trying so hard to get right with God by keeping the Law and doing good things. Galatians 3:10 tells us why:

“But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under His curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.” No one can. For those who try to, their rejection of Christ as their righteousness becomes a stumbling block- see Romans 9:

“30 What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place. 31 But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded.32 Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in Him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path. 33 God warned them of this in the Scriptures when He said,

“I am placing a stone in Jerusalem that makes people stumble,

a rock that makes them fall.

But anyone who trusts in Him

will never be disgraced.””

Believing that we are righteous by faith in Christ is what separates the righteous from the wicked.

All who have the sin/old nature that all mankind inherited from Adam are “the wicked,” no matter how hard they try to keep the Law. The sin/old nature is characterised by trying to keep the law in order to be godly aka be like God, just as Adam and Eve did. Such are not "a new creation in Christ" even though they profess Christ. They do not believe that we are made right with God by Christ's obedience. Even the good things that such do to get right with God are like "a menstrual rag" in God's sight:

"We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in Your sight." Isaiah 64:6.

This trying to keep the law to get right with God is dangerous too; It cuts one off from Christ-

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace." Galatians 5:4.

Law-keeping for whatever purpose, whether for justification before God or "just as a guiding principle for morality" by those who claim to be married to Jesus (making themselves adulterers according to Romans 7:1-4) brings condemnation.

By Grace, let's keep believing that "By His divine power the Lord has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of the One who called us by His own honor and glory.”

By grace, let’s believe Galatians 5:1- “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.”

God's grace is not a license to sin. He is the only Way through which we get to "live in triumph over sin and death" (Romans 5:17). The Law cannot prevent lawlessness. If it could, Peter who knew the Law would never have denied Jesus. The Law only gives the knowledge of good and evil. No one can be godly by it. Like the tree of the same name, the Letter kills. Under Grace, you will not continue to live in sin, yet not you but Christ in you. Believer, let's see ourselves as we are and take no pride in the arm of flesh (human effort at obedience) that will fail. By Grace, let's depend on Christ for every single detail of our lives. Only then can we enjoy the fullness of God's abundant Grace.

The Holy Spirit will teach you all things

Right believing always produces right living.