THE HOLD OF SIN

I was teaching a class some two weeks ago and I got talking to my listeners about sin and the law. From the session I saw one of the reasons living above sin seem difficult for some believers. I want to share with you the reason you may still find total deliverance from the power of sin a difficult one.

I have had interaction with many Christians who are tongue-talking and very compliant with church activities and programs; these set of people love God genuinely and have been taught about grace, however, they still struggle with living clean and this makes a lot come to the conclusion that “we are just humans who cannot do without sin”. That’s a very untrue statement. The power of sin over mankind has been destroyed by Jesus at the cross.

Let me start from the systems that are in operation. Before man fell in the Garden of Eden, there was a perfect relationship between God and man. Man had no reason to think about if he had sin against God or not; it wasn’t even a possibility by any means. Why was this so? Does that mean man at this point had no reason to make a mistake however little?

Adam and Eve at this point were in glory; a state of being one with God. He never had any reason to be fearful that the name he had given to any of the animals would be rejected by God because they were not trying to please God at this time, they were busy expressing God; the expression of God from the declaration that they should subdue the earth. They were busy expressing this proclamation.

At the instance they went against the dictate of God, believing the devil, that capacity for expression lost confidence and the feeling of guilt replaced it. They immediately could not think of any other thing but how to begin to please God. The question now will be, have they not been pleasing God before now? The system had changed. They could no longer understand God and what He requires. The attention shifted to self; how they would appear before God not naked. So, man began to invest in how to please God to be acceptable. This was how the system of law came into existence.  So, trying to please God may be a magnification of self in a subtle way and this is what sin feeds on because the law makes you aware of sin. (Rom 4:15)

That dispensation of trying to please God to be acceptable ended when Jesus came. He changed the system back to the way it was designed. Man now had access to God through Jesus and all authority in Jesus is now also available to man. The only reason Adam and Eve could stay pleasing to God then is the same thing we can now do to be acceptable in this dispensation: expressing God.

The story of Mary and Martha gave us a picture of this. Jesus was in the house of these sisters. Martha was being nice, preparing a meal for Jesus, so he could feel comfortable. This was the operating system the life after sin delivered to us and it would only give room for sin to have a long life-span. So, Jesus wanted to correct this that the system had changed and “you can only please Me by expressing Me and not labouring to please Me. I am the one to do the labour, you just sit and learn of me”. Do you get that?

Mary was on the other divide who sat at Jesus’ feet just to have an understanding of Him which would enable her have an expression of Him. And in doing this, Jesus is pleased. It could look as though Martha was the one to be applauded but Mary was truly interested in becoming Jesus. This is the divide between Law and Grace. You can never be free from sin if all you concentrate on is how to ensure you please God to become acceptable by Him. Such a life is usually one of continuous struggle.

When you give your life to Christ, He is now resident in you. There is no need to want to prove to Him what you can do to be acceptable by Him. He didn’t die for you because you were perfect or clean. Hence, the struggle to please He who died for you even when you were dirty isn’t wise. God is pleased in you, in Christ. Channel the energy to expressing Jesus and see how fast the hold of sin over you becomes non-existent.

“Your “husband,” your master, used to be the Jewish law (TRYING TO PLEASE GOD TO BE ACCEPTABLE); but you “died,” as it were, with Christ on the cross; and since you are “dead,” you are no longer “married to the law,” and it has no more control over you. Then you came back to life again when Christ did, and are a new person. And now you are “married,” so to speak, to the one who rose from the dead, so that you can produce good fruit, that is, good deeds for God (EXPRESSING GOD!).” Romans 7:4 TLB (Emphasis in bracket, mine).

Do you get this?

Have   a victory filled week.

Be Innovated

Olufemi Ibitoye