Why Do I Still Struggle with Sin?
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- Why Do I Still Struggle with Sin? An ongoing frustration in the Christian life is our desire to do what is right and repeated failures to follow through with it. What is wrong with us? Are our failures indicative of a weak faith, a non-existent faith, or something else? In this video, I turn to passages like Romans 7 for help in seeking an answer.
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I found as soon as i completely divorced myself from an old covenant mentality, the belief that my behavior or good works controlled the favor I would receive from God , and trusted the finished work of Christ, He changed me. In other words, once I stopped trying to be a better me and started listening to the leading of The Spirit, the things I couldn't do on my own, He changed in me, changed my desires!!!!! Thank you Jesus!!!!
The same happened to me. After the change in mindset, made possible by the Holy Spirit and, quite frankly, wearing myself down, I finally felt the love of God like never before. It was true freedom.
Every single day, Chad. I am tormented by certain sins. And every single day, He is with me, beside me during every failure, He does not flee. I feel His presence. Thanks for this, Chad, and praise the Lord for His mercy and grace
A very powerful truth, my daily goals are to be transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ amen in Jesus name. Chad have a wonderful evening.
Albert I'm going out on a limb here but I'm guessing the "certain sins" you refer to are 'porn' related?
From experience let me tell you that only you can change that - IF you are struggling with pornography, the only remedy is to just stop watching it! "Cold turkey" is the only way out of it my friend. Abstain and flee from it long enough to allow your brain to heal and to be free from the grip of the dopamine addiction associated with it. It's a vicious cycle but it will break if you want it to. Cold Turkey is the only way (and cleanse your mind with God's word, prayer and fellowship with others in a small accountability group of brothers)
when tempted, it's good to remember Paul was tempted and begged Jesus to take it away. "My grace is sufficient for you." Pray for strength to resist.
The unbeliver does not really have to struggle with sin. Sinning is the normal way of life for those who are lost. I always come back to this fact, That Christ knows our hearts, He knows we are but dust, and He knows the enemy of our souls. We are given weapons to resist the enemy, and we need to use them in the power of Jesus name.
I have also been discussing this with my husband, who believes differently. I find myself always questioning why I am so weak. Thank you for this comforting video. You are right: if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us. I need to remember to cry out to God. This was a very timely topic for me!
I was today reading John Bunyan's take on this in his book "On the fear of God." He adds that God can and will chastise us for our sins even severely...but as sons and daughters not as slaves.
I get the essence of what bunyan is saying , but I'd like to put it this way , For God to chastise us for the sins he as already and fully punished in christ makes no sense , God cannot judge the same sin twice ( once on christ and once in us ) . So whatever our struggles and sufferings are , it's not at all due to our sins ( for it is already forgiven ) , but Elizabeth elliot once said " God will not save you from anything that will make you more like christ " . I think that sums up our whole Christian life .
@@oscarflorian4147 quote scripture not some lady
You reap what you sow! God is not mocked. Sow to the flesh reap corruption sow to the spirit reap eternal life
@@oscarflorian4147My friend, you’re missing something in your understanding. Chad rightly explains that we have something called “indwelling sin” and remaining corruption. Romans 7:17 and Gal. 5:17 depict these realities.
Sin is defined not only in what Jesus paid for (as you noted), our thoughts, words, and actions but it is found also and primarily in our fallen selfish nature.
The way that is overcome is by trust and fellowship with Christ and by training ourselves to think and act differently - as Christians (please see Colossians 3:1-4; 2 Peter 1:3-11).
It just so turns out that we are so prone to temptation and even yielding to sin (as Chad notes), that we need temporal consequences to move us toward repentance and change.
In other words, God disciplines in love so that “we might share in His holiness” or likeness (Heb. 12:5-11). If He didn’t love us, He wouldn’t discipline us, and we would be miserable, spoiled children who wouldn’t change much (which is a key feature of our salvation - see Romans 8:29). But He does love us, so He does discipline us. ❤
There are two forgivenesses here - judicial and parental. You are referring to judicial - the payment of the penalty of our sin. Parental forgiveness refers to those sins that affect our fellowship and intimacy with God and need to be disciplined at times (when we get entrenched in them). It’s necessary to be disciplined because we love things or are drawn to things that are not good for us and hurt the experience of our intimacy with experience our Father.
Blessings.
Thank you, Chad, for this word of encouragement and hope.
I struggle on a moment by moment basis with temptation and sin. Sometimes I win the battle, but, it seems, mostly I lose and give in to the temptation. My biggest temptation is lust. I often feel guilt and condemnation. Thank you for reminding me that I’m loved by God and that He forgives. I am reconciled to God through Christ, and I’m saved through Christ’s life. I’m saved to the uttermost.
Chad, I have been working with a friend through this very topic. Your words here are incredibly timely and comforting. Praise God for his work on our behalf in Christ.
❤ Somedays, it feels like tugawar. Such a great teaching and explanation. "Rest in the accomplished work of Christ".
I get it, that if / when we sin we can come before the cross and ask for forgiveness. But, with every sin there is an inherent punishment built into each type of sin (IMO). Sins of the flesh / other sins just perpetuate themselves & can evolve into more than we can handle. Stay strong brothers/sisters. PTL
Hallelujah ❤🙏🏽. Thank you so much, Chad, for this encouraging assurence, that although it is a every day battle being a follower of Jesus, we are secure in Him🙏🏽❤. Glory be to God. Amen
Really appreciate your teaching Chad. Very encouraging.
This is my verse…
Psalm 51:3-4
[3] For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
I persist unceasingly thinking of how sinful I am … how utterly deplorable and disgusting I am. I am NOTHING without Christ… I know that very well.
Thank you for this video… I totally forgot all about Romans 8:1.
That is your old identity not your current one in Christ. “Your faith has made you well” again. Gal 2:20 says it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. You’re alive in Him to the measure at which you’re dead in Him. Daily sanctification means that things are dying daily and you’re growing in your maturity in being His Royal priestess. That scripture that you used is out of context for your situation. King David was repenting for the sin of murder and adultery amongst many others he committed against Uriah and Bathsheba. We know this because he asks that “the joy of your salvation” be restored to him. God does so. David said purge me with Hyssop. Hyssop is your faith applied by the blood in Christ. You have been baptized into newness of life. (Rom 6). You are no longer that person that has to perpetually tend the grave of your old self. Do you have to acknowledge that you are dust and that you need what Christ accomplished? Yes! Daily! Do you have to live a lifestyle of daily repentance and daily sanctification? Yes! A lifestyle of abiding and fasting? Yes! But these are beautiful things not works. They are the lifestyle we get to live in Him and He delights in renewing us daily. Our minds, our actions begin to look more and more like Him. It’s what Paul meant when he said “you ought to be teachers by now”. They still hadn’t learned growth. God will grow you through testing, trials, purification, so that you can grow and sustain your walk in Him by His strength. Remember it’s not by our deeds but by His strength. The parable of the seeds that were sown is a good example that Christ gave about our co-laboring role and invitation into Him. Be blessed and remember that though we sin we don’t have to wallow in the identity of the old man. You’re a new creation and you’re empowered to walk in the identity of daughter of the King. He’s places on you His Royal robes and places His Royal ring on your finger. He celebrates your return to Him and your faithfulness by pruning you. John 15. You just keep abiding and sitting at His feet like Mary. Jesus told Martha, “only one thing is needed and your sister has chosen the better thing”. Be blessed in Jesus’ name.
The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee explains (in chapter 4 specifically) how we are to have the revelation of being dead on the cross with Christ and can overcome the power of sin and don't have to live in the struggle.
I needed this so much today. Thank you for posting.
Thank you, I really needed to hear this today.
Thank you Jesus! ❤
I need to hear it every day 😁
This is perfect timing. I spend 99% of my day fighting with this.
You don’t have to. Christ fought it for you already and won. Any trial subsequent to your salvation is an invitation into the person of Christ walk in your true identity of a son. You might be tempted but it’s for growth in Him. It’s unto something and that something is becoming more and more like Jesus. It’s that carrying of your own cross. You’ve got this!
Amen
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Such sweet words, thank you brother Chad.
I feel like I have been in such deep sin that God could never forgive me..I was so on fire and then I allow sin in and now I feel dirty opening my bible..😢
Don’t believe that lie. One of the enemies goals is to build so much guilt and shame around you- that you become blinded to the power of the Cross.
Christ defeated all sin and death FOR YOU!
Submit to him. Open your Bible.
He graciously and lovingly wants to meet you there in your daily repentance and submission to Him.
He loves you. He will never leave his sheep.
He died for you.
Grace to you.
My sheep hear my voice and I lead them, turn to Yeshua and break all ties with sin. It is a deadly poison and you have felt its bite. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that sin is ok. Sin separates us from our God plain and simple, turn from sin to God through Jesus and make no place for the devil. If these preachers told the truth there would be nobody in their churches. Don’t believe the lies. Peter warned of the false teachers among us, Jesus Himself said they will proclaim Him God but teach falsely in His name, Matthew 7, Matthew 24 etc.
Even before Christ, back in the Old Testament Leviticus days, in the Law, God provided a means of daily cleansing. It was when a person was made aware of their sin, they were unclean, but only until the evening, when they were to go and wash their clothes and body in the river, and return to camp, clean and enjoy fellowship again.
This still holds true, minus the river. John tells us that, if we confess our sins, He is faithful to cleanse us. This is how we wash ourselves, by submerging and bathing in the never-ending river of His grace.
As hard as it may seem, your guilt is an indication of your position. Truly unsaved people don't care at all about their level of sinfulness. They love and enjoy it, and are proud in it. Romans tells us that they cannot understand the things of God. They don't struggle with their sinfulness at all. So, if you struggle, if you fail, and are concerned at all about your place before God, then take notice, because that's evidence you're fine.
However, you need to turn your focus away from yourself, and put it on Him. When a kid gets in trouble and does wrong, do they cease to be their fathers son/daughter? No. The same is true for us. We're children of His, no matter what. That's our position in Christ.
REST in His FINISHED work, which He fulfilled the Law in doing for you.
You can rest in Him, because His perfectly lived life replaces your sin-riddled one, and His resurrecting seals the deal on its eternal application. God lived a perfect life as a human in your place and died on a cross to pay in full the debt you owed. Then, He resurrected Himself, and now reigns in human form at the right hand of the Father. Do you think He'll forget all the work He did to forgive you? Never.
Plus, you CAN'T sin yourself unsaved, because Romans 11:29 tells us His gifts and call are irrevocable. John tells us no one can snatch us out of His hand, and John also says of all the Father gives Him, He will lose none.
Not one single drop of the blood He shed will be in vain. You're secured, because God died in your place, and it is He who reigns, alive, still to this day.
REST in His finished work! It is finished!
Don't feel dirty, because you're clean! Open the Bible and wrap yourself in it like a warm blanket on a cold night. You're His kid, no longer His enemy. Be it. Act it. Live it.
The truth shall set you free, and the truth is He died for you two thousand years ago, before any of your sins. He died knowing all about your sins. That was already accounted for. They're dealt with in the past. He did this to set you free.
Be free.
@@justhebigideaGood word!
I completely agree with you, beautifully worded. However, 1 John 3:7-10 makes it difficult for me to understand.
Because were alive!! We will struggle with sin everyday. Its an addiction and only through Christ can we overcome.
Romans 7:21-24
I don’t think sin is an addiction. I’m not addicted to sinning anymore. I once was but after Christ that became impossible. If after Christ sin we’re still an addiction that would mean He died for nothing. But instead He defeated sin and death on the cross. You don’t have to tend the grave of the old man. Do I sin? Yes but I do not have a lifestyle of sinning. I have a lifestyle of identity in Christ by which He prunes me because of abiding (John 15). That word prune in John 15 is “to cleanse of sin”. So He actually rewards our abiding by pruning us. That pruning is part of my daily sanctification. That Romans 7 scripture is so true but we forget that Paul was teaching about that truth in the context of his trying to “work” his way through that circumstance. In chapter 8 is where we see what Paul was teaching about chapter 7. He calls it “walking according to the spirit”. He realized that the law was in full operation in his mind over his circumstance. Once he applied the new covenant he realized that his success as a follower of Christ did not rest on his ability to make himself righteous but on the finished work of the cross, so he learned to apply his faith by the blood. Hope this helps.
@@irod1971 "it's an addiction and only through Christ can we overcome" that once sentence summizes your entire post.
I don’t agree about expecting to be tempted til your last breath if you’re implying every waking moment. I agree that we will always be tempted but there are times of victory in resisting where He flees. You know the scriptures better than most. Resist him and he will flee. Well if he has fled he can’t tempt me. I also believe that if we learn the Christ model of defeating the attacks with scripture, because we know our identity, there exists a reward on the other side of that temptation. However, we know he returns to tempt again. When he does, I am empowered and strengthened by the Lord from my last experience to win again and thus growing in my likeness to Him.
Well said
We agree on much. Here is an area, however, where it seems there is a missing component: we are not only tempted by the devil but by ourselves, by the sinful nature within us. The devil may flee from us but we cannot flee from ourselves. We are stuck in an ongoing inner civil war. No, that does not meant every waking second is a full blown battle, but it does mean that we live, every waking moment with an enemy lurking within us that looks just like the man in the mirror.
@@chadbird1517 We have a little bit different of a view in this area and so I’d love to challenge you in the oil of unity. I’d love to hear a teaching on Psalm 133 if you haven’t already by the way. In scripture I see and believe who God says I am in Him. He says “I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me, and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me” Gal 2:20. It also says, ”Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin” Romans 6:4-7 NKJV. The old man has been done away with. The issue I think is my sinful nature wanting to resurrect itself daily which is a blessing. I wasn’t meant to tend a grave. I am alive in Him to the measure at which I am dead in Him. He is all in all and I can’t do ANYTHING apart from Him (John 15:5). However there is a process of daily sanctification that I’ve been invited and commanded into with Him for my own growth and maturity. I’ve been called into a co-laboring role where in this role I get to choose Him over temptation or any other sin daily. I get to exercise growth. I get to “work out my salvation with fear and trembling”. I am a “new creation”. I am no longer the man I used to be. My job is to believe that I have been crucified with Christ and as a priest in His temple, the temple of my body, it is my job to be a living sacrifice. He falls on the sacrifice but it’s the priests job to keep it burning and as a royal priesthood I’m empowered to do this because my hope is in Him. ”This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.“
Hebrews 6:19-20 NKJV. Every circumstance whether it be temptation, loss, promotion, strife, pain, sorrow, whatever, is an invitation into the person of Christ to have an encounter with Him unlike ever before, and in Him I can have beautiful exchanges such as “beauty for ashes”. Isaiah 61 is my portion because of Christ. Anyhow Chad. I truly love your content and appreciate the gift on your life and how you’ve yielded your life to Him to be a blessing to others. Truly love the image of God on your life. It is a gift to learn about the Lord through the vessel that you are in Him. I honor your surrender and how through you we get to see a part of His nature that had you not yielded, it would never have been seen by the world. You are seen by the Lord and He holds your circumcised heart in His pierced hands. Be blessed always brother.
Why does everyone only half quote Romans 8:1?
Or, (if you believe Romans 8:1(b) isn't in the original texts, at least go through verse 4.
I was drawn to this from the title, but, he didn't give the answer
The answer is, FEED the spirit by Feeding on the Word of God and not the lies of the World. We are new creations, but babies, so, if we feed our flesh and our spirit we neglect we will struggle more.
There is condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus that walk after the flesh, not condemnation to Hell because we are secure in Him. But to grow you need the Word of Life, Bread of Life.
More scripture than TV
More scripture than sports
More scripture than church
He will wash us, but how if we don't have His Words written on our hearts.....
This is the secret to life abundant....
Everyone listening to podcasts and on social media should try the same amount of time listening to His Word, watch Him work in you.
You are only fighting daily battles, because you have not confirmed yourself in Christ... When you do, without question, you will see the change... 1 John 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin... A true Christian walks a sinless life. That does not mean satan will not be there every chance he gets, but unless you reach out and take hold of that sin, or continue to dwell on it, that sin is not yours, it falls on satan... Go with God
Sinner by birth, Saint by Grace.
I thought you were born again?
Why do I still struggle with sin? Because people want to and they have created religions that bless it. So the pastors who betray their covenant with God can also do the same with their wives. The New Covenant promise is that the LORD would write His laws on our hearts and minds by His Spirit, Jeremiah 31, Ezekiel 36, Isaiah 59:21
The reformation didn’t go far enough back, go back to Jesus and stop misquoting Paul, a good place to start might be 1 Jn. 1:6-7
You obviously have not been around true Christians a lot.
Be careful with Paul
14Therefore beloved, expecting these things, be diligent to be found in peace, without blemish and blameless in His sight. 15And consider the patient endurance of our Lord as salvation, even as our beloved brother Paulos, according to the wisdom given to him, also wrote to you+. 16Likewise he also speaks in all of his letters about these things. In his letters there are some things which are difficult to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they also do to the other Scriptures. 17So you+, beloved, knowing these things beforehand, be alert. Otherwise, being carried away with the error of the lawless, you+ may fall from your+ own steadfastness. 18Instead, grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Yeshua the Messiah. To him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
What do you mean, “Be careful with Paul?” The problem is not with Paul, but with those who misinterpret or even malign his writings. I am not saying that is you. But there are plenty out there who want to denigrate his apostolic authority. It is those people whom we should be careful about.
This unfortunately sounds to me like I can do the same sins over and over again and I do not need to worry as Christ paid the price and will forgive me if I confess. I am also not sure the interpretation of Romans 7 is correct. Paul called himself a Hebrew of Hebrews. I would be careful to compare myself to Paul. I think he is talking about an internal struggle with sin not obvious to people. Not like the fruits of the flesh given in Galatians 5. 1 John clearly says he who makes a practice of sinning is of the devil.
We should note up front that you, in fact, DO the same sins over and over. So do I. You have thoughts and desires of greed, lust, spite, pride, etc. These are internal, yes, but just as sinful as committing adultery or murdering. So, in fact, you do "the same sins over and over again."
Should you and I worry about these sins? I would not use that word. We should be contrite over them, confess them, and pray that God would "lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil." What I never worry about is whether God will forgive me for the sake of Christ. Of course he will for he is a God merciful and gracious, who removes our sins as far as the east is from the west.
As far as the interpretation of Romans 7, Paul uses verbs in the present tense. And there is nothing idiosyncratic about his speech, as if this is just Paul's struggle. You cannot get more universally applicable to every Christian than Romans 7.
Go and sin no more lest something worse happens to you, Jesus Jn 8.
Teachers’ that present this message are not helping anyone. Doesn’t He live in the believer. It’s not about you, if when you are tempted you cry out His promise is to deliver . Jesus talked about 2 trees, one good and one evil. Evil trees are known by there fruit good trees are known by there fruit. Evil trees are thrown into the fire. Religious conversions yield the kind of struggle you mentioned and normalize it but true repentance and accompanied by deliverance yields freedom. On the good tree is fruit of self control, the Lord supplies it because we don’t have self control. Many isolate Paul’s words in Romans 7 already forgetting what he said in Romans 6.
All those addicted to sin were comforted by your words and are worse off by hearing them. What shall we continue to sin that Grace would abound? God forbid!
So it means Jesus did not solve the problem of sin?? if we still have sin in us. I think Jesus absolutely solved sin problem and at new birth sinful nature is destroyed completely. And romans 7 is all about explaining to roman jews of how the law does not save us because it can not eliminate sin in us but trying to fulfil the law sin is stirred more and more)) . ( Romas 7 is not about born again believer condition and struggle) If we still have both sinful and righteous nature in us , so my condition today is more painful than it was before when I had just ONE ( sinful )nature. Don't think so . I believe that we are absolutely new creation ( newly created) and there is no any sin anywhere in us but our soul and flesh were so trained abused under the old nature that this is what we have to deal with today - deep rooted habits that we have to retrain and renew> So why do christians still sin???for the same reason Adam and Eve sinned when they were absolutely perfect before the fall ( Gen 3) . Because they chose to! The gospel is a good new because. Jesus conquered sin and death. - He did not need it for Himself . God never had problems with it> We had and HE dealt with sin for us. His victory was not partial but full and absolute.
But why do we choose it? "For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness." Mark 7:21
@@joshuaschmidt6331 Just think about Adam and Eve BEFORE THEY sinned in the Garden. They did not have any sinful nature in them and yet THEY sinned!! They did not have any history of sinful thinking or sinful behaviour ! THEy just start listening to the voice of the enemy, the moment they start believing it and doubting God's honesty they felt drawn to act - THEY CHOSE TO SIN!!! So it is about whom you believe and what you choose to do ! AND if we still have sin in us, Jesus's sacrifice was not complete? So what did Jesus accomplish on the cross for us??? He just added to us righteousness and not have dealt with sin? Is sin still our problem??? I believe in the absolute sacrifice of Jesus that DESTROYED MY SIN. If sin lives somewhere in the body, does it it mean we can do something about it? Let's do a surgery ))))) and get rid of it))))... and I love Paul's words about the fact that our bodies are HIS temple))) Anything that is His can not contain in itself any darkness) Anyway , there have been 2 points of view in Christianity on that but I know which one makes Jesus absolute Winner and me more than a conqueror and which one the enemy LOVES))) sorry .
You’re absolutely correct on your understanding of scripture. The sins that had me in chains are not what I struggle with today. Those are dead but like you said there are habitual things that the enemy will use to try and cause you to fall and in those places especially, you’re invited into the renewing of the mind of Christ. He uses all of it for growth in Him. Repentance is a lifestyle not a one time event. Prayer and fasting is a lifestyle not something you do at the beginning of the year only. We can do all He commanded us to do because in the lifestyle of prayer and fasting you learn what it means to abide in him. It’s what Mary of Bethany knew how to do so well. Be encouraged because you have the correct understanding of what Paul was teaching.
Do you know any real Christians? If you did you would know exactly what Chad and Paul is talking about.