That Ye Sin Not

(Article for publication week of 7-15-2009 AD)

My little children, these things I write unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins; and for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (I John 2:1-2).

One indispensable evidence of a gracious state is that we do not sin as a habit and general course of life (I John 3:9). To such John writes seriously that we sin not. This is a command that a Christian takes seriously. If you are not taking John’s command not to sin seriously, then I doubt very seriously if you are born again. So our text gives us the goal of every heaven born soul, that is not to sin. Dear reader, have you made it your goal and purpose in life to live above sin? If not, I fear for your eternal state.

But not only does John give us the goal of the Christian, not to sin, he also gives us the reality of the Christian life, “if any man sin”. This is the reality that every believer faces that when he would do good, evil is present with him (Romans 7:21). “In many things we offend all” (James 3:2). We are always missing the mark and coming short of the glory of God. We have a plague in our heart that is continually breaking out.

In the face of this reality John gives us the remedy for sinners, Jesus Christ the Righteous. We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous. Jesus Christ is the sinner’s remedy for his sins in two ways according to our text.

First the Lord Jesus Christ is the sinner’s Substitute. He is the propitiation for our sins. Propitiation is a word that came into use, as I am told by scholars (I am not a scholar myself, but have studied enough to know a scholar), through William Tyndale’s translation of the scriptures into English. It means that the wrath of God has been appeased by the expiation Christ made for believers when he died on the cross. Christ has fully discharged all the debts His people owed to a holy God. For every one that believes in Christ, the just wrath of God has been turned away by the offering of Christ once for all. But if you are not joined to Christ dear friend, you are as Jonathan Edwards put it, a “sinner in the hands of an angry God.”

Secondly, Christ is the believer’s remedy for sin as our Advocate with the Father. If you had to go before the Judge, would you not want a capable advocate? Well, Christ is such an advocate for His people. We have an Advocate who is the Judge’s Son! And he has already paid our fine! The Lord Jesus intercedes in heaven for all those for whom He died (Romans 8:34). Right now in the Court of heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ is reminding His Father that he died for old wretched sinners like Thomas Ray Floyd. And not for me only, but for all who will repent of their sins and believe in Him. Christ is able, willing and ready to advocate for the vilest offender who truly believes. And that my friends is the gospel truth.

Killing Sin

(Article for publication week of 7-8-2009 AD)

“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” (Romans 8:13).

Since Christians still have to contend with indwelling sin (Romans 7:17), we are instructed to mortify, or put to death the remaining corruption within us. As one of old commented on this text, “you will either be killing sin, or sin will be killing you.” If you are serious about your eternal soul, you had better get busy mortifying sin.

No person will ever get serious about mortifying sin until they have come to hate sin. Christians hate sin in themselves more than in anyone else. We hate sin because it is an offence to the Thrice Holy God Whom we have come to love. We hate sin because it will be punished in hell. And we hate sin because of all the grief it has brought to ourselves and those we love. But most of all, we hate sin because the Dear Saviour hung on the cross to atone for our sins.

Sin is not something to be petted, but rather to be hated and to be put to death. Our Lord told us that we must be so committed to mortifying sin that we must be willing to part with right eyes and right hands if they lead us to sin (Matthew 5:29-30). As William Cowper expressed it so well in a hymn, “The dearest idol I have known, whate’er that idol be, help me to tear it from its throne, and worship only Thee.”

Now please note with me what we are to do about the corruption within us. We are to mortify it- kill it- put it to death. The text does not tell us to “let go and let God”. No! it says mortify it! It does not say to pray through for a second work of grace or anything like that. We must roll up our sleeves and fight against sin. We find the same truth in Colossians 3:5, “mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth”. This is an exhortation that we ignore to the peril of our souls.

Mortifying sin is like hoeing Bermuda grass in the field. You never can completely kill it, you just have to keep hoeing and working. That is the way sin is. It is so rooted in us that every time we think we are making some progress, it shows itself in another place. Putting sin to death is the lifelong work of a believer. I have heard old, experienced saints express that they are still battling against sin in themselves. And my own experience and the scriptures confirm it.

Thankfully, the text does not leave us helpless. “If ye through the Spirit, do mortify the deeds of the body.” There it is, the help of the Holy Spirit is given to believers to mortify sin. The Holy Spirit does not do it for us, but He helps us in the hard work of mortifying sin. The Holy Spirit indwells all the Lord’s people (John 14:17), and “leads “ them (Romans 8:14). The Holy Spirit continues the good work of grace that he began in regeneration (Philippians 1:6). He is carrying on the good work of sanctification in God’s people. He guides us into the truth of God’s word and illuminates the scriptures that He inspired. We must mortify sin, but the Holy Spirit helps us. And He is a very able and strong Helper indeed.

I pray the Holy Spirit will be your Helper my dear readers, for as our text teaches us, if we are not killing sin, sin will be killing us.