lesson 5 sin?
Key Objective: Understanding the obstacles to knowing God.
Psalm 66:18, Isaiah 59:1-2
You have unconfessed sin. Because communication with God is so important and is so vital to every part of your Christian life, and because all of us deal with sin in our lives every day, we must understand how to deal with sin.
Romans 7:15-25
In this chapter, the great Apostle Paul realized that he had not reached “sinless perfection.” His flesh was still warring against his new nature in Christ. He needed deliverance from his “body of death” – a deliverance that will take place at the rapture.
What is Sin?
Sin is transgression. 1 John 3:4
Sin is trespassing. Ephesians 2:1
Sin is foolish thinking. Proverbs 24:9
Sin is unrighteousness. 1 John 5:17
Sin is omission of duty. James 4:12
Sin is faithless activity. Romans 14:23
Sin is missing God’s mark. Romans 3:23
Definitions of Sins from these Scripture Passages:
Galatians 5:19-21
Adultery and fornication - sexual sin, idol worship, homosexuality
Uncleanness - sexual lust, impure motives
Lasciviousness - an unstopping lust, shamelessness
Idolatry – worship of false gods, giving honor to any but the one true God
Witchcraft – using drugs, sorcery, deception, calling upon spirits
Hatred - hostile, opposing God, blaming God, hateful
Variance - strife, contention, debating
Emulation - jealousy, rivalry
Wrath - boiling anger, mad enough to kill, an angry drunk
Strife - putting yourself first, dividing others to put yourself first
Sedition - division, rebelling
Heresy - believing false beliefs or making your own false beliefs
Murderers – killing
Envying – desiring the possessions of another
Drunkenness - drunk, intoxicated
Reveling - rioting, drunken feasts
Colossians 3:5, 8-9
Fornication - sexual sin, idol worship, homosexuality
Uncleanness - sexual lust, impure motives
Inordinate affection - evil, sinful passions
Evil concupiscence - craving forbidden sin
Anger - a violent temper, a desire to punish, vengeance
Idolatry - worship, seeking wisdom or answers from false spirits or gods, giving honor to any but the one true God.
Covetousness - greediness, a desire to have more than is needed
Wrath - boiling anger, mad enough to kill, an angry drunk
Malice - a desire to injure, wickedness, not ashamed to break laws, trouble, evil
Blasphemy - speaking evil of God, swearing using God’s name
Filthy communication - foul speaking, obscene speech, false doctrine
Lie – deceiving
Psalm 51:2
Lord, wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
2 Corinthians 7:1
Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.
To Overcome Sin, You must be filled with the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:19
At salvation, the Holy Spirit moves in and indwells us. He will never leave us. He has purchased us for His possession; our bodies become His temple. You will never receive “more” of the Holy Spirit. Filling has to do with Him receiving “more” of you. This is accomplished as we yield our lives to His control.
Ephesians 5:18
God does not want us to always simply “seek forgiveness.” He would rather that we try to avoid the temptation. Being filled with the Spirit is a must if we are going to overcome sin.
To be filled with the Spirit means to be controlled by Him. The filling of the Spirit is a repeated experience (or at least should be). It is commanded by the Scriptures, and is, therefore, a must for a Christian who desires God’s blessings upon his life.
There are two primary prerequisites to being filled with the Spirit:
- Confession of known sin.
- Yielding our members to be instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:6-14).
How do I know if I am filled with the Spirit?
The filling of the Spirit is not meant to be something so mysterious that you never really know if you are “filled.” The Scriptures give us indicators that demonstrate a life that is Spirit-controlled in Galatians 5:22-24:
Love, Joy, Peace, Long-suffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, Temperance. When these are present, that is a good indicator of a life that is “filled” with the Spirit.
Some more Simple instructions for dealing with Sin:
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
Do not allow sinful thoughts to linger in your mind.
2 Corinthians 2:11
Be aware of the traps of Satan (unforgiveness, bitterness, etc.).
Romans 13:14
Do not go to places or be with people that make it easy to sin.
Psalm 139:23-24
Keep your life open and clean before God.
“Obey every impulse of the Holy Spirit.”
Dealing with Habitual sins
Admit the problem.
Give and leave it with God.
Avoid tempting situations.
Claim the Scriptures for victory.
Be accountable to your discipler.
Remember, you have a personal adversary that is committed to causing you to stumble. His goal is to find and exploit your weaknesses. Once a particular sin becomes a habit, the feelings of guilt and failure become overwhelming. Also, power in prayer is lost. Do not become a casualty due to habitual sins.
Notice the following truths from Romans 6:
1. Because of God’s grace, I yield to Him (vs. 12-14).
2. Because I yield, I am free (vs. 16-17).
3. Because I am free, I serve Him (vs. 18-21).
4. Because I serve, I bear holy fruit (vs. 22).
Have a good thought or idea for this section? Send them to journeydiscipleship@mac.com. Thank you
