How do We Overcome Sin?
Ultimately, trusting in God is the answer to that question, but how do we trust in God? Trust is very akin to faith. As a matter of fact, thesaurus.com lists faith as a synonym of trust. If we have faith in something, then it’s like saying we believe it will work and/or do what we expect it to do. If we have faith in God, then we will believe that trusting in what He tells us will succeed in the object of what we are trusting in His word for. So how do we get faith?
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Basically what the Word of God is saying is that you get faith by reading the Bible. It says hearing, but that is because in ancient times knowledge was passed on through oral tradition. As human memory degraded because of sin over the centuries, it became necessary for men to write things down.
So hearing is accomplished by someone who reads the Bible and teaches it. Furthermore, Paul the Apostle understood that the duty of the Church was to preach the Gospel to all Nations. So when he wrote hearing, he was just illustrating the nature of the church and their duty to broadcast the Gospel and share their faith.
So can we just read the Bible and gain faith without understanding it? I think not. Let’s take a look at a few scriptures which illustrate how God is a God of knowledge and understanding. {Isaiah 28: 9-10} Here I Isaiah is illustrating that knowledge and doctrine are not as simplistic as feeding a baby milk. You must build line upon line and precept upon precept. This shows how everything in the Bible works together to give understanding for those who are mature and have been weaned from the breast. It takes a lot of diligent study to understand the Bible.
Matthew 6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
2nd Timothgy 2:16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
1st Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
The previous three scriptures show that the God of Israel’s doctrine is not loaded down with nonsense. As a matter of fact, Paul says that leads to ungodliness in 2nd Timothy 2:16. He also says that God is not the author of confusion. The word Babylon means confusion and it also represents false religion. So we know who the author of confusion is and that’s why so many false religions use chanting and babblings to access the spirit world. Where do you think the word babbling comes from? It is derived from the word Babylon.
Therefore it only makes sense that we have to read and understand the Bible in order to get faith. So what does God’s Word say about faith, and exactly how do we put our faith in God? Well first of all, as the scripture says, we need to see, hear or read what Jesus and/or the prophets say about any given topic and believe in it.
Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
Obviously the Bible is teaching that the first thing we need to do is believe that what the Word of God says is true, and that God will actually do what He says He will do. In Hebrews 1:6 Paul is basically saying that we need to spend lots of time praying to God when he says diligently seek Him. This also means diligently obeying Him and doing His will because God hides His face from sinners and does not answer their prayers. So basically you need to pray for deliverance from your sin, believe that God will deliver you and then do your part in cooperating with God by fighting hard to overcome sin from your life.
Psalm 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
So we definitely have a part to play in the process. If we pray asking God to help us stop drinking alcohol, but then drive down to the supermarket and buy a case of wine, then how in the world do we expect to have victory over sin? That’s why the Bible says:
James 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
In order to have victory over sin, we must cooperate with God in His plan to cleanse us from sin.
1John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
John is saying that the victory that overcometh the world is our faith. Since James said faith without works is dead then it only stands to reason that we have to do our part in cooperating with God in His plan to cleanse us from sin by refusing to sin. This is the work of faith we must do to have a living faith for faith without works is dead. It is a fight and a struggle and we must be determined, and God gives us many more clues on how we can have the victory in His Word such as this one:
James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Psalm 119:9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
In the book of Psalms you will find many scriptures that instruct you how to do spiritual battle.
Hebrews 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
What does it mean to live by faith? It means that you do the works that you put your faith in. If you have faith in and live by the Golden Rule which comes from the Bible, then when you see someone who is hungry, you will feed them because you are doing unto others as you would have others do unto you.
Thus you are living by your faith and you have a living faith because faith without works is dead. If the just live by faith and faith is dead without works, then those who say they have faith, but not the works to show for it will not be justified before Christ.
As we said before, if we have faith in something, then it’s like saying we believe it will work and/or do what we expect it to do. For example, if we believe that when we water our garden, that it will make our vegetables grow, then we will water our garden. That means we have faith in watering our garden. Otherwise we won’t reap the crop we expect. So it is with putting our faith in God’s Word. If you think that you can have faith without works, then I suggest that you take a look at Matthew 25: 14-30 and Luke 19: 11-27 which are strict warnings that we must be wise stewards of the talents that the Lord has given us.
Then in chapter 11 of Hebrews, known by many as the “Hall of Faith by many,” ( a pun on the Hall of Fame ) Paul goes on to illustrate all the works that were done in and through faith by the patriarchs, matriarchs and various other individuals of the Bible showing that the faith of the Bible is perfected by works {James 2:22}.
So it should be becoming obvious that the faith of the Bible does not necessarily have the same definition as the word faith in the English language. The faith which the Bible is not independent of works, but the only way to perfect your faith is through works.
Philippians 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Why must we work out or salvation with fear and trembling? Because, you see, the wages of sin is death. {Romans 6:23} So we do have a work to do and a part to play in eradicating sin from our lives and it is a work of obedience to the law of God for sin is the transgression of the law. {1John 3:4}
Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
So first God works in us to be willing to do His good pleasure, but that’s not all. He also works in us to actually do His good pleasure, because the scripture says that He works in us BOTH to will AND to do His good pleasure. You can see that I emphasize the words BOTH and AND, because God is working in us not only to be willing to do His good pleasure, but to actually do it also. It clearly says BOTH to will AND to do His good pleasure. The word “BOTH” clearly refers to two things. First is to be willing and second is to actual do His good pleasure. So even though we are not saved by works, our works play a indispensable and mandatory role in the process of our salvation, because the scripture clearly say that we are to “WORK OUT OUR OWN SALVATION” in fear and trembling.
James 2: 17-20 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
The uniformity of God’s Word is evident here. Here Paul says that God works in us to will and to do His good pleasure and previously, in Hebrews 11:6, Paul said that without faith it is impossible to please God. So are you making the connection? Without faith it is impossible to please God. Since we know that faith without works is dead we know that we have a work to do and it is to obey the law of God with fear and trembling because sin is the transgression of the law {1John 3:4} and the wages of sin is death {Romans 6:23}. That work which we must do, and which is the work of faith, is the doing of God’s good pleasure. In a nutshell it means to do good works as opposed to works of darkness and evil. For we are saved by grace alone, through faith but faith without works is dead.
This is very critical to those who say that we cannot earn our salvation by works. Yes of course it is true we cannot earn our salvation by works because as Paul said in,
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
So we know that we cannot brag or boast that we have proven ourselves to be worthy of salvation through our works. But, we are saved by grace through faith. So what does “saved by grace through faith” mean? It means that the grace is administered to us through our own faith in God. Without faith, we cannot receive that grace. Faith without works is dead. In other words, without works, you really don’t have faith. The only true faith is a living faith, and as James said, I will shew thee my faith by my works.” {James 2:18}
So we need to understand that believing is more that just an intellectual acknowledgment. One can not simply say that they believe they can walk on water. They have to actually step out onto the water to prove that they really do believe. Likewise, you cannot say that you believe God can cleans you from all your sin if you don’t stop sinning.
So you see, even the devils acknowledge that Jesus is the Lord. They have an acknowledging belief, but their works are dead. How are their works dead? Their works are evil. Either your works are evil or they are good. There is not in between. If you have good works then you are putting your faith in God, because you know that He will do his part and trusting in His word will succeed in accomplishing your goal of victory over sin.
John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.