“For the death that He died He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so, consider [KJV “reckon”] yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:10-11)
Our behavior is a direct reflection of our beliefs. And our beliefs are a direct reflection of what we know and how strong our faith is in what we know to be true. If we doubt that the Bible is the Word of God and that Jesus will judge all men and bring all things to light some day, we will have a more difficult struggle with temptation. Perhaps the doubter never will gain the victory since he is constantly undermining his own progress (James 1:5-8) and never really sure what side he wants to be on. If we don’t believe the scripture that says that Jesus has set Christians free from sin and that through Him we are dead to sin, we may begin to give in to the idea that we will never be able to escape sin’s grasp, that it is hopeless for us, or that we can’t help ourselves when we sin. Many lies can be introduced when we do not know or believe the truth. But to those who doubt the reliability of the Scriptures as the Word of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13, 2 Timothy 3:16-17) I would ask, “How do you know with confidence your alternative true?”
I used to be an atheist and a committed believer in evolution. I used to say the Bible was full of errors and could not be trusted. But was my basis for unbelief truly founded on a thorough study of the facts and data, or was I just believing and repeating what I had heard? Unfortunately, I simply believed what I had been told by the ignorant and biased, and I did not have the facts or inclination to evaluate other alternatives. Now I believe the Scriptures to be the most trustworthy source of history and information about man that is available to mankind. I believe, as some scholars have convincingly argued, that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most well established facts of ancient history. Darwinism and naturalism are soundly refuted by the scientific facts available, in spite of the misplaced faith and arrogant claims of the atheists. When I am tempted to doubt the scriptures, I remember the unbelievable number of staggeringly improbable events that would have had to occur in extremely rapid succession for life to have been formed by chance collisions of atoms. (What are the odds of a person winning the mega jackpot lottery a million times in a row? Yet the faith of the atheist is trusting far less probable odds than that.)
I recall the unbelievable complexity of life’s chemistry, much of which man still does not understand, and the extreme diversity between different life forms at not only the visible level but also the chemical and genetic level, and it becomes clear that only an amazingly intelligent and powerful Being could have created life. And the fact that anyone could say life has arisen by natural processes apart from God, and yet not be able to show any credible evidence that there are such processes at work today nor in the past is proof to me that Satan is alive and well and battling for men’s souls. [Note: variation between species has been observed for centuries and is nothing new; Darwinism assumes but has never demonstrated that these variations can give rise to new species such as bats from rodents and whales from cows. Scientific experiments have shown that there are certain genes that can vary to a limited extent, giving rise to variations within a species, but that changes in the genetic information that governs the organism’s body plans earlier on in its development do not occur. Nor can proteins, extremely complex and specialized molecules, change very much without ceasing to function; therefore the notion of huge changes in the external shape and chemical compositions of organisms occurring by gradual incremental changes in molecular structure have not only never been demonstrated or observed but have been soundly refuted by the scientific evidence. Fossil evidence likewise is full of gaps and devoid of any real proof of evolution, and the claims of the textbooks otherwise have long been refuted by scientists themselves. Evolution is a set of religious beliefs, even though atheistic, but it is not science, and the best example the world has ever seen of the Emperor with no clothes.]
Why do I go into all of this? Because I believe that much sin in the world and temptation comes from individuals that have been persuaded that evolution is true, the Bible is false, and that there is no such thing as right and wrong, no such thing as sin, no God in heaven, and no judgment to come. This thinking has hijacked peoples’ worldviews and infected the Church at every level. Unbelief is rampant, immoral behavior has reached epidemic levels, and as Jesus said, “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:12)
Studying the facts related to the truth of God’s Word, the numerous amazing fulfilled prophecies, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a sure way to strengthen our confidence in the Word and give us a solid basis for our faith when temptation comes. And if the Lord Jesus really was raised from the dead, as the Scriptures clearly attest (1 Corinthians 15:1-20), then the truth about the Christian being crucified with Christ to make us dead to sin must also be trustworthy. We must then respond in faith and obedience, believing what the scriptures say about our victory over sin through the Lord Jesus Christ and the coming judgment of mankind.
· Believe that you already have the victory over sin, through Jesus Christ.
1 John 5:4-5
· Believe that your body is a temple of the Lord, with the Holy Spirit living inside you. Believe that you can overcome temptation by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Believe that “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”
John 14:16-26, Romans 8:9-14, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:15-20, 1 John 4:4
· Believe that as a Christian you have already been given “everything pertaining to life and godliness.” Believe that Jesus and His truth can set you free. Believe you have all the resources and power necessary to resist temptation.
John 8:31-35, 2 Peter 1:3-4
· Believe that if you are in Christ, no temptation can overcome you without your consent.
1 Corinthians 10:13
· Believe that God is ‘able to make all grace abound to you’ to enable you to overcome.
2 Corinthians 9:8
· Believe that in Christ you are a new creation, “the old things passed away, behold new things come.”
2 Corinthians 5:17
· Believe, or reckon, yourself dead to sin, like a corpse is dead to the world, so be dead to sinful desires. Understand and believe that you have been crucified and raised up with Christ in order to render sin powerless.
Romans 6:1-11, 7:1-6, Galatians 2:20, 5:24, Colossians 3:3
· Believe that as a Christian sin has no hold or claim on you, no right to rule over you. Sin only has power in the Christian’s life if we choose to let it. Take full responsibility for your behavior, choose victory rather than defeat. Never let sin have control.
John 8:31-32, 36, Romans 6:12-18, 8:1-17
· Believe that without faith you cannot please God.
Hebrews 11:6
· Believe that as a Christian you have been bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ; you are not your own but rather are a servant of righteousness. As a Christian it is your obligation to walk in a manner worthy of Jesus.
Romans 6:15-22, 8:12-13, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Galatians 2:20, 5:17, Colossians 1:9-14, 1 Peter 1:18-19