Updated: Aug 22
By Tim Shaner
No Christian is immune to sinful desires. We have been saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8) and we are new creations in Christ (2 Cor 5:17), but sometimes we fall into our old habits. The good news is that when we sin, Jesus is our advocate (1 John 2:1) - and he has forgiven us of all our sins; past, present, and future.
But if we have been made new in Christ, why do Christians still sin?
And why do some Christians still deal with long-term habitual sin? The reality is that while we continue to exist in this life, we are still fleshly beings. The Apostle Paul makes the distinction between “walking according to the flesh,” and “walking in the flesh” (2 Cor 10:2-4). Christians walk in the flesh, but we no longer live by, or according to our old selves.
The reality is that we have been set free in Christ. Paul makes it clear that not only are we set free from sin, but we are also set free from the law which condemned our sinful lifestyle. This is an important distinction as it reveals the grace God has given us. We are no longer under condemnation (Rom 8:1) from the law. If we are led by the Spirit, we are not under the law and its condemnation against us. As a Christian, you still walk in flesh, but "because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:2)
The mature Christian is never happy with presuming upon his grace. Our sin is troublesome to us (as it should be). Anything which interferes with our communion with the Lord is troubling, to say the least.
I have read numerous articles, and have attended many pastor seminars and men’s conferences that address the subject of a Christian’s sinful tendencies. The advice given is broad: get an accountability partner, read your Bible every day, write your sins on a piece of paper and “nail it to the cross,” install blocking software on your computer, etc. I’ve even heard Christians say to simply stop banging their head against the wall and accept the fact that we can never stop sinning this side of heaven. I think some of those things are fine, but we are missing something big if we neglect the Holy Spirit who is already at work in us.
Everything I am saying about freedom in Christ and everything I’m leading up to about dealing with our sin has been spelled out in the book of Galatians. Paul makes it clear - we are free in Christ and so we need to walk in the Spirit and allow the Spirit to help us with our sinful desires.
Galatians, chapter 5 contains two contrasting lists. These two lists are mutually exclusive to one another. Verses 19-21 contain the “works of the flesh”. Verses 22-23 contain the “fruit of the Spirit”. Notice in this passage that Paul refers to “desires” and “works” (plural), but then he says “fruit” (singular). Paul’s list of sinful deeds is not exhaustive - the list goes on and on. But when the Bible talks of the “fruit of the Spirit,” it refers to the completion of his ongoing work in us while we walk in the flesh. This specific “fruit of the Spirit” is present today in us and is continual for the rest of our lives. He set us free from sin and the law and his fruit is on display in our lives.
Here is the passage which has changed my life:
Galatians 5:16-26 (ESV) But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Notice that for every desire and work of the flesh, the Spirit is present in our life with a virtue that opposes those desires. In other words, if the Holy Spirit is to be complete in us, we need to allow his complete list of fruit to be active. If we are lacking in any one of these items from the list, we do not possess the complete fruit he wants to work through us. If your life demonstrates love and joy, but you lack self-control, then your life does not demonstrate the fullness of the Spirit’s fruit. To the extent that we allow the Holy Spirit to do his full work in our lives, is the extent to which we mature and grow in the Lord.
To illustrate this further, I’ve intermingled words from these opposing lists from the ESV, NLT, and KJV versions of the Bible. For example, King James renders “patience” as “longsuffering” - so both words are listed. I’ve done this to help you meditate and identify with each one. Look at these lists carefully - do you struggle with anything mentioned on the left side? And do you lack anything on the right? Pray that the Lord will show himself more and more in your life.
Works of the flesh | Fruit of the Spirit |
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Below is the same list of words, but I have grouped them differently. I put “works of the flesh” in their own similar categories. If you struggle with any category on the left, the list on the right may be lacking in your life. Pray that the Spirit’s complete work will be evident in you.
Works of the flesh | Fruit of the Spirit |
adultery, sexual immorality fornication, impurity lasciviousness, lustful pleasures, sensuality, orgies, revellings, wild parties |
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idolatry, sorcery, witchcraft |
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drunkenness, hatred, hostility, enmity, quarreling, strife, variance, emulations, jealousy, fits of anger, outbursts of anger, wrath |
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rivalries, selfish ambitions, strife dissensions, seditions divisions, heresies envy, envyings murders |
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This is not a magical formula.
I pray this can be a tool to help Christians mature in the Lord. Jesus won the war of sin for us - the Spirit helps us live our lives for him.
Maybe you’re a Christian who is struggling with ongoing, habitual sin and it’s tearing you up inside. Here is my encouragement: don’t try to stop sinning. That’s right - stop trying to overcome your sin problem on your own, which is what you might have been doing in the past. Jesus already overcame your sin problem once for all on the cross. Remember what Paul said in the above passage? “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Gal 5:24) It’s a done deal. Jesus already condemned sin in the flesh (Rom 8:3). My point is to cease your self-effort to make things right. Yield to the Lord and trust he will help you.
“Anyone who seeks after the commandments of God, but ignores intimacy with God, seeks after religion and is no better off than the Pharisees.”
It is possible to stop a bad habit and stop a certain sin in your life through self-discipline and behavior modification. It’s even possible to do that and never draw closer to the Lord. Even if you could cease all sin in your life through your own efforts, there would be no joy in you. The goal should always be for your relationship with Christ to deepen as you trust him more and more. Anyone who seeks after the commandments of God, but ignores intimacy with God, seeks after religion and is no better off than the Pharisees.
Christians are to trust Jesus (by definition), so start trusting that he will deliver you from these habits so you can give him the glory.
My encouragement is that you pray and seek him every day. Get back to a daily quiet time with the Lord in his Word and in prayer. Purposely sanctify every day as a new day to the Lord. Tell the Lord you want to walk in his steps. Paul said, “...walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." (Eph 5:16)
Paul said, “...walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
The more you walk in him, the closer you will be to him and the less you will see the desires of the flesh. This needs to be more than just reading your Bible - pray over scripture and listen to him. Here are specific ways you can have purposeful quiet times:
Stick to a Bible reading plan you can handle every day. Start off with sections of the Bible that bring you comfort and encouragement: Psalms, epistles of Paul, the Gospels, etc.
Go deep with your quiet times - stop and just listen to him. What is the Lord telling you?
Realize God has forgiven your sins, but continuing to sin hurts your relationship with him. Approach him with godly sorrow for what you’ve done - confess and repent. Tell him you’re sorry - tell him you want your life to change - tell him you want to walk in his ways.
Talk with God as you go through your day - have conversations with him - walk in his forgiveness.
Stop beating yourself up when you fall - God is the very one you need to come to right away when you do. The last thing you need is to run away from the Lord after you’ve fallen. Pray this: “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up…without you, Lord! I refuse to try and get up on my own without you.”
Give God permission for his Spirit to work through your life.
Talk to Jesus and tell him you want to be like him - ask him to help you with this.
Again, this is not a formula. But I believe God will honor your true desire to yield to him if that’s what you want from your heart. This is not about trying to do better or trying to obey his commandments more. Drawing closer to the Lord and learning to love him more is the goal - not merely trying to follow rules. In the end, his fruit will be on display in your life and your love for him will manifest through your obedience to him.
Images: spiriduallydiscerning.com and knowing-Jesus.com
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