Why can’t I stop sinning? (1/2)

God Himself is saying to you in His word that you cannot do this by yourself—

“Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 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 3:19-20‬.

Also consider Galatians 3:19 which shows us the purpose of the law which many are trying to obey in order to be sins-free or godly (be like God)—

“Why then was the law given at all? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the “Seed,” the child who was promised. When God gave the law, he gave it first to angels; they gave it to Moses, his mediator, who then gave it to the people.” Galatians‬ 3:19‬ ‬‬

The law was given to show man of himself that he is sinful through and through. For the believer in Christ, the law has completed its work of bringing us to the end of our self-help tether and showing us our utter need for God’s saving Grace Who is a Person. His name is Jesus Christ. Titus 2:11 says of Him-

“God’s marvelous grace has manifested in person, bringing salvation for everyone."

Verse 14 of the same Titus 2 shows us His job description, a tittle of which none of us can undertake -

“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."

Also Matthew 1:21— “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Notice Christ gave His life to free us from "every kind of sin" according to Titus 2:14? Even those sins in Revelation 21:8 with which some preachers whack the flock with threats of hell unless you save yourself from them with your human strength (arm of flesh) that will fail—

"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers,and whoremongers (pornos in Greek), and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

The fearful and the unbelieving leading the pack of the hell-bound is no coincidence; those two sins — fear and unbelief —usually are the cause or launchpad for producing the rest of the sins. E.g, people lie, steal and commit murder out of fear of being discovered for their evils or fear of bad things such as lack or death happening to them. Many seek fulfilment or satisfaction elsewhere (at the hands of men) because they are not being pointed to Christ as Saviour; because of their unbelief in God’s saving Grace (unmerited favour.)

Let’s even see how Christ dealt with these two “mother of all sins” called fear and unbelief which birth the rest of those sins — Peter denied Christ out of fear. He and the rest of the fearful disciples were huddled together in a room out of fear of the Jews on resurrection day—

“Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.”20 As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! 21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” John 20:19.-22

For their weakness of fear, Christ whose strength is made perfect in weakness gave them the Holy Spirit whom they did not have previously and who is referenced in 2 Timothy 1:7—

“For God hath not given us the Spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

And the unbelieving Thomas who missed Christ’s appearance on that day? Thomas stewed in unbelief for a whole week. Christ did not tell him— “So after walking with me for more than three years you still do not believe? To hell with you, Thomas!” Certainly not. He gave Thomas reason to believe! Here’s the account in the same John 20—

24 “One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. 25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”

26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”

28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.

29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

In essence, whatever your weakness is— every demand for being sins-free which the law made of us: for our inability to keep the law including keep ourselves free from those sins in Revelation 21:8 which defines the hell-bound, Christ is the Supply of salvation from that demand.

— Christ "gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us,.." This includes the sins listed above and every sin in existence. He came so that we should have no part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: so that we should "not perish but have everlasting life." The ones who end up in hell are the ones who do not take advantage of and rest in His finished work of salvation from those sins but strive to curb their sins by themselves.

Christ- Grace Himself - tells us in (John 6:43-46) what He is doing right now in the life of every believer:

“Jesus said, “Don’t bicker among yourselves over Me. You’re not in charge here. The Father who sent Me is in charge. He draws people to Me—that’s the only way you’ll ever come. Only then do I do My work, putting people together, setting them on their feet, ready for the End."”

Beloved, this is reality: in Christ, God sees us as righteous, "even though we are guilty of many sins."—

“And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.” Romans 5:16.

This is God's written word. It is "license to sin" and blasphemy to those who, like the Christ-despising Pharisees, still look to useless human strength/the arm of flesh for the attainment of good (be like God) or being free from some or every sin. It comes with the territory, beloved— trust in self for obedience and godliness is the antithesis of the message of Christ which is GRACE — undeserved, unearned, unmerited favour. But in the Wisdom of God whose ways and thoughts are higher than man's fallen human logic, receiving His abundance of Grace and His gift of righteousness is how we get to live in triumph over sin and death plus all of death's symptoms of earthly ills. See Romans 5:16-17 -

"And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 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."

This is the Good News:

“None of self; all of Christ.”

When your believing is right, you will live in triumph over sin and death, yet not by your power but through the power of Christ in you.

So stop trying to stop sinning or become godly (be like God) by your own puny and pointless might and through dependence on your ability to keep the law from which is the knowledge of good and evil— that has been Satan’s doctrine since Eden. By God’s grace, begin to receive God’s abundance of Grace and His gift of Righteousness. Those sins will vanish as surely as the Israelites were delivered from the sting/venom of the fiery serpent (sin nature) and its deathly symptoms (acts of sin that lead to death plus all earthly ills which are “death begun.”) Christ Himself gives us this typology for our salvation in one of the most famous of Bible passages—

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John‬ 3:14-17‬ 

Rushing off to treat your snakebite symptoms aka acts of sin that lead to death by yourself is a typology for trying to obey the law in order to be made perfect or whole. Doing so is an effort in futility for the arm of flesh (human effort) will fail. Doing so will only take your eyes off Jesus Christ who was lifted up for our salvation from sin and death, and cause the sting aka sin nature within to wreak more havoc, hence—

“The law was given that sins might increase…” Romans 5:20.

This Bible verse we never hear from the mouths of church leaders who keep on shoving the Ten Commandments and trying to curb sins by human effort down the throats of believers, so watch what you are hearing in your local church. Their way is the hallmark of having the sin nature aka “walking in the flesh.”

The one with the sin nature does not believe that Christ’s obedience has made him righteous, so he strives to be sins-free or righteous by human effort at obeying the law—

“By one man’s disobedience many were made sinners so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”Romans 5:19.

I’ve included a more detailed answer in part (2/2.) It answers the “So does that mean that we should now go on sinning sprees” as well as other questions which religious folk ask when they hear about God’s saving Grace who gave His life to free us from every kind of sin. His name is Jesus Christ.