The big question about sin is whether we should focus more on obtaining the power to stop sinning, or whether it is more important to concentrate on determination and self-discipline to change our behavior and thought patterns. Given the presence of our sinful natures and the pull of the devil and the world, which give us this non-stop propensity to sin, we can probably guess that we are not going to be able to stop sinning all by ourselves. Our belief is that God’s power will have to be the enabler to help us slow down this run-away train. Sin is the most divisive and destructive force in our experience. It wrecks everything. This question may be the most important one facing Christians today: How do I fight sin?
If God’s power is the source of our resistance to sin, where is the plug-in and how do we get to it? As always, the answers are found in the Scripture. II Peter 1:3 declares that the power of Jesus, His divine power, gives us all we need for Godlike behavior. The secret is seen in the phrase, “through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (v. 3). Knowledge of Him…that’s the source.
Look at II Pet. 1:8, where Paul says that faith and knowledge, and the fruits of the Spirit, “will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Knowing Jesus is the key to opening the pipes through which God’s power can flow into us. He saved us, through His glory and goodness, by His work on the cross, and then He left us with “great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (v. 4). 2 Peter 1:5 adds, “So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises [God’s Word] to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence”.
Knowing Jesus, knowing about Him, brings us the power to live “godlike” lives by applying the benefits of His promises, which produce more godlikeness, ending in greater morality and, ultimately, a godlike love. “Knowing Jesus” starts a whole series of good things that culminate in our being more like Him. Do you see it? To draw on the power to be more like Him, we need to know Him.
Knowing Jesus empowers us. Paul told the Galatians (3:10), “The Holy Spirit came upon you after you believed the message about Christ...after starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?” Paul tells them they are able to work miracles because they believe the message they heard about Christ. They were “knowing Jesus” and believing what they were learning about Him. This gave them power. To get power, then, get understanding.
Paul prayed that God would give the Ephesians, “spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you might grow in your knowledge of God” (Eph. 1:15-17). In that same chapter, v. 19, he said, “I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of His power for us who believe in Him.” In Eph. 3:18 and following he added, “May you have the power to understand…how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ….Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that come from God.” In v. 20, he said, “By His mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we ever dare to ask or hope.”
It is God’s power that gets it done, and that power comes through understanding the Word. “Understanding” is knowledge combined with faith. When we truly “know Jesus”, and trust Him, we will be able to overpower sin and perform godly acts every day. The choice I must make is to open His Word, and believe it with all my heart. By knowing and believing His Word, I will know Jesus, and morality and good behavior will come.
This is the beginning of many studies on ways for us to live our lives closer to God. We will see more on sin…and many other topics.
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If God’s power is the source of our resistance to sin, where is the plug-in and how do we get to it? As always, the answers are found in the Scripture. II Peter 1:3 declares that the power of Jesus, His divine power, gives us all we need for Godlike behavior. The secret is seen in the phrase, “through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (v. 3). Knowledge of Him…that’s the source.
Look at II Pet. 1:8, where Paul says that faith and knowledge, and the fruits of the Spirit, “will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Knowing Jesus is the key to opening the pipes through which God’s power can flow into us. He saved us, through His glory and goodness, by His work on the cross, and then He left us with “great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (v. 4). 2 Peter 1:5 adds, “So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises [God’s Word] to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence”.
Knowing Jesus, knowing about Him, brings us the power to live “godlike” lives by applying the benefits of His promises, which produce more godlikeness, ending in greater morality and, ultimately, a godlike love. “Knowing Jesus” starts a whole series of good things that culminate in our being more like Him. Do you see it? To draw on the power to be more like Him, we need to know Him.
Knowing Jesus empowers us. Paul told the Galatians (3:10), “The Holy Spirit came upon you after you believed the message about Christ...after starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?” Paul tells them they are able to work miracles because they believe the message they heard about Christ. They were “knowing Jesus” and believing what they were learning about Him. This gave them power. To get power, then, get understanding.
Paul prayed that God would give the Ephesians, “spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you might grow in your knowledge of God” (Eph. 1:15-17). In that same chapter, v. 19, he said, “I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of His power for us who believe in Him.” In Eph. 3:18 and following he added, “May you have the power to understand…how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ….Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that come from God.” In v. 20, he said, “By His mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we ever dare to ask or hope.”
It is God’s power that gets it done, and that power comes through understanding the Word. “Understanding” is knowledge combined with faith. When we truly “know Jesus”, and trust Him, we will be able to overpower sin and perform godly acts every day. The choice I must make is to open His Word, and believe it with all my heart. By knowing and believing His Word, I will know Jesus, and morality and good behavior will come.
This is the beginning of many studies on ways for us to live our lives closer to God. We will see more on sin…and many other topics.
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