Obtaining Victory Over Sin - NetBibleStudy.com

Victory Over Sin 35The fact that we’ve come to trust God to keep us from stumbling is not aguarantee that we will never fall. It just means that we are trusting God, we are openingour life to His help. As long as we say, “yes” to God, we are saying “no” to temptations.Saying “yes” means that we must choose to focus on the Cross. Understandingour identification with Christ, we learn that God is indeed able to keep us fromsinning.God will not only drain the swamp,but also stop the underground supply.FINDING THE SOURCEAll sinful habits have a common source! There is a tendency to think of somesins as “less sinful” than others. We may say to our self, “I have a bad temper, but at least Idon’t get drunk” -- or -- “I do struggle with overeating, but I’d never have an affair.”It is true that some sins do have worse consequences than others. The thoughts oflust and hatred do not lead to the same social consequences as the acts of adultery andmurder. In this sense all sins are not the same. But from another perspective, all sins areessentially the same because they originate from the same source. We can’t rate sins ona scale somewhere between “Serious” and “Minor.” Some sins may seem unimportant tous, but they are not to God. The reason is because all sins originate from the corruptionof our rebellious sinful nature. The New Testament writers often referred to this as “theflesh,” – which refers to the compulsive inner force inherited from man’s fall -- [whenAdam sinned] -- that expresses itself in general and specific rebellion against God.Read carefully Galatians 5:19-21, the passage of Scripture where God lists “thedeeds of the flesh” in order to find your particular sinful habit listed:Defining “Sins of the Flesh”“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these;1. Adultery [immorality, or impure thoughts] –“Adultery” is translated from the Greek word is, “moicheia,” meaning, “unlawfulsexual relations between men and women, single or married “ (This word is also foundin Matthew 15:19; Mark. 7:21; & John. 8:3). The verbs, “moichao” is found inMatthew 5:32, 19:9 & Mark. 10:11-12; and “moicheuo” in Matthew 5:27-28; 19:18;Mark 10:19; Luke 16:18; 18:20; John 8:4; Romans. 2:22; 13:9; James 2:11; &Revelation 2:22).2. fornication [or, impurity] –Translated from the Greek word, “porneia,” and has the same as adultery besidesall manner of other unlawful relations. This word means, “adultery of married orsingle people” according to Matthew 5:32; 19:9; 1 Corinthians 7:2; 10:8; 1