Our Attitude And Behavior Toward Indwelling Sin – Part 2
By John Fast
An often neglected and forgotten biblical truth is that the only true and saving faith is the faith which perseveres to the end (Mt 24:13; Col 1:22, 23; Jm 1:12; Rv 3:12). Equally neglected is the truth that God tests the sincerity of a person’s faith by trials and temptations, “The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests hearts” (Pv 17:3; cf. Dt 8:2; Rm 5:3-5; Jm 1:2, 3; 1 Pt 1:6, 7; 4:12). These trials may be external or internal, “conflicts without, fears within” (2 Cor 7:5), temporal or spiritual in nature, mild or severe. Whatever it is that examines and tries the sincerity of faith, these tests are to faith what fire is to gold, “And I will bring the third part through the fire, refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested” (Zech 13:9). The promises of salvation are only for those whose faith endures the “various trials” (1Pt 1:6) appointed for its testing. Of all the trials which God appoints to test the sincerity of our faith, none sifts us finer than a person’s attitude and behavior toward the sin which indwells us.
In our last study we considered two of five circumstances in which a person’s attitude and behavior toward indwelling sin make it obvious if they are a child of God or a child of the devil (1 Jn 3:10). The first of these was in our abstinence and avoidance of sin. Both the children of God and the children of the devil will abstain from and avoid sin, but their motives for doing so are vastly different because they operate from and are motivated by different principles.
The primary principle which motivates all unbelievers is self-love. All they do, all their professed religion, even their abstaining from some sins, has self and self-interest as their primary focus and consideration. “When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months these seventy years, was it actually for Me that you fasted” (Zech 7:5)? All their thoughts, affections, and actions begin with self. “They do all their deeds to be noticed by men” (Mt 23:5). Christ’s interests are subservient to their interests. They profess to love Jesus because of what Jesus does for them. Their only interest in Jesus or religion lies in the perceived benefits they provide to themselves; “you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves, and were filled” (Jn 6:26). There was never a hypocrite alive whose profession of faith was not motivated by self-interest, because they cannot rise above the principle of self-love that governs all they do. The only reason they abstain from any sin is because it does not serve their self-interest, and because it serves their own self-interest to abstain.
In a true Christian, self-interest may be one of the motivating factors, but it is not the primary motivation for abstaining from sin. In the child of God all their motives begin with God and self is subservient and secondary to God’s interests. A true Christian is one who actually denies self to follow Christ. Our own interests, nor the benefits received – be they real, anticipated, or perceived – are not the primary motivation for the affections and actions, but rather the nature, excellence, and holiness of God as He is in Himself. Only when God is seen as He really is will sin be seen as it really is – utterly sinful and abhorrent, and deserving of God’s holy, just, and righteous judgment, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! …For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts (Is 6:5). The true Christian abstains from and avoids sin because sin is opposed to his/her greatest love; God as He really is and has revealed Himself to be in His word, the Bible.
The second difference which distinguishes the children of God from the children of the devil is a person’s loathing and hatred of sin as sin. As we saw in our last study, no insincere heart can hate sin as sin. There may be several things about sin which they hate, but they cannot hate sin in its nature as sin. They cannot hate sin as sin because they cannot see the spiritual nature of sin, but only its temporal and material manifestations which they may or may not hate depending on how it affects their self-interests.
No natural person will accept the Bible’s verdict of sin because they cannot perceive the spiritual nature of sin, “But the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (1 Cor 2:14). The true Christian hates all sin, sin of every kind; the secret sin of the heart as well as outward sin. The hypocrite will, in some way or other, continue “indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind” (Eph 2:3), thereby making it obvious that they are still “by nature children of wrath” (Eph 2:3). They are unwilling to admit that the particular sin which they love and indulge is utterly sinful. They deny the sinfulness of their sin by giving it respectable names or providing extenuations. They imagine God’s word does not apply to their particular sin. They would sooner condemn God than condemn their sin (Job 40:8).
The vast majority of the professing church, to say nothing of our culture, goes out of its way to avoid identifying sin as sin. This is why we see so few true conversions today. People have been taught it is wrong and unloving to hate sin; that it is cruel and heartless to make someone “feel bad” about their sin. Rather than turning people “back from iniquity” (Mal 2:6), we have invented a Christianity whereby a person can be saved and go to heaven without forsaking and hating their particular sin, but rather indulges it, thereby making it obvious that they are children of the devil (3 Jn 11). In this study we will consider the final three attitudes and behaviors towards indwelling sin by which the children of God and the children of the devil are made obvious:
- In their sorrow and remorse over sin
- In their subjection to the demands of sin
- In their opposition to sin.
In Our Sorrow and Remorse Over Sin
Just as the children of God and the children of the devil are manifested by their abstinence from sin and hatred of sin, so they are made obvious by their sorrow and shame over sin. Not all grief and shame over sin is evidence of a person’s sincerity. The Bible describes two types of sorrow over sin and provides numerous examples of each. There is a godly sorrow which leads to true repentance and life, and a worldly sorrow which leads to false repentance and death (2 Cor 7:9-11).
The former makes the heart and conscience more tender and sensitive to the sinfulness of sin, whereas the latter makes the heart hard and desensitizes the conscience to the sinfulness of sin. The first is motivated by love for God, the latter by self-love. True conversion promotes greater convictions of conscience whereas false conversion tends to a greater silencing of conscience. Godly sorrow produces a greater grief and shame over sin, while a worldly sorrow produces a greater tolerance and indulgence of sin. Jeremiah grieved over the sins of his people (Jer 9:1, 2), whereas the false priests and prophets affirmed the people in their sin (Jer 14:13-15; 23:16, 17).
Godly sorrow makes Christ and faith purifiers from sin (Tit 2:14), but worldly sorrow makes Christ and faith protectors of a person’s sin. Their professed “faith” makes them worse, not better. They trust in Christ to shield them from the wrath of God against their sin, not as Savior from their sin, thereby making Jesus a minister of sin. Many an insincere heart secretly thinks, “I can have my sin, and a quiet, peaceful conscience now, because I trust in the mercy of God to pardon me later.” They trust that Jesus died on the cross for their sins and that is where their faith stops. Their faith is never accompanied by sorrow and grief over their sin; it never results in more love for Christ. Their “faith” is why they have no faith. Their “faith” hardens and blinds them to the sinfulness of sin and makes them secure in their sin. No amount of sin in their life will shake their assurance. They become impervious to conviction. Were it not for this “faith” they would despair for their souls. Their “faith” shields them from feeling any true sorrow and shame for their sin. Any sorrow they have for sin is worldly, not godly sorrow. This makes the children of God and the children of the devil obvious.
First, the false Christian’s conscience is only troubled by the commission of more gross and overt sins, but not for the inward thoughts and desires of the heart which conceive the sin (Jm 1:14, 15). Their natural conscience is shocked and scandalized by the commission, not the conceiving of sin. Judas “felt remorse” that his betrayal resulted in Jesus’ condemnation, but not for his plotting to betray Jesus, nor for the greed and avarice that was the root of it, nor for his lack of love for Jesus (Mt 27:3, 4). If Jesus had not been condemned, Judas would have felt no remorse. He never felt any remorse or shame for being a thief because his pilfering was not overt (Jn 12:6). Outward sins may be sins of greater shame and scandal, but heart sins are often of greater guilt (Mt 5:27). To only feel grief and shame for gross and overt sin, but feel no conviction for the more common and daily sins of the heart is a sign of a corrupt heart.
Secondly, an insincere heart will be troubled by the discovery and exposing of sin, yet feel no shame for the guilt of sin, “As the thief is shamed when he is discovered, so the house of Israel is shamed;” (Jer 2:26). Such people will commit a hundred sins against God in order to conceal one sin from the eyes of man. They will shamelessly lie, manipulate, coerce, even commit murder to keep their sin from being found out, and only when it is discovered do they express any remorse. When David kept silent about his sin of adultery and murder, the torment of his conscience was more than he could bear (Ps 32:3, 4). It is a shameless and seared conscience that feels no sorrow even when its sin is exposed, “Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; they did not even know how to blush”….”And they display their sin like Sodom; they do not even conceal it” (Jer 6:15; cf. 8:12; Is 3:9). To be ashamed and sorrowful over sin only because others see it, rather than to be like Daniel, “Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us open shame” (Dn 9:7), is gross hypocrisy. To have no shame is a sign of being given over to a depraved mind (Rm 1:28).
Thirdly, a worldly sorrow is only sorrowful for the consequences of sin and for the trouble which follows in its wake, but not for the sin itself. It is sorrowful for the fear and terror they feel when their sin is in danger of being exposed, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself” (Gn 3:10). Their sorrow and grief evaporates as soon as the danger is past and their secret is safe.
Fourthly, an insincere sorrow makes a person sorrowful for themselves. They may be moved to tears by the consideration of what a vile sinner they are, but their tears are more from self-pity than from sorrow over their sinfulness, “…you cover the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and with groaning, because He no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hands” (Mal 2:13).
A godly sorrow is of a different kind and nature. It does not stupefy a person’s conscience, but makes it more sensitive and tender. It does not silence convictions of sin’s sinfulness, rather it increases them, and makes the conscience more sensitive and able to discern more clearly and thoroughly the sinfulness which makes sin so sinful and wicked (Jn 16:8). The conscience becomes more impressed with a deeper and clearer sense of sin so that a person is more convicted of their own sinfulness and with the wickedness of his/her own heart, thereby making them more distrustful, ashamed of, and more watchful over their own heart (Pv 4:23).
First, a sincere heart is grieved that God is wronged by their sin, and that by their sin they have grieved the Holy Spirit. To grieve the Spirit is to think, act, and live in a way contrary to the purpose for which He was sent to indwell and transform the heart and mind, “God has chosen you from the beginning for sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.…walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh….If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit” (2 Th 2:13; Rm 8:13; Gal 5:16, 25). When there is love for God there will be grief and sorrow for sin; “My eyes shed streams of water, because they do not keep Your law” (Ps 119:136). Those who feel no grief for daily sins have no love for God. A child of God is grieved and ashamed because God is wronged by sin.
Secondly, a sensitive and tender conscience is grieved by the defilement which sin brings upon their own life, “For my iniquities are gone over my head; as a heavy burden they weigh too much for me. My wounds grow foul and fester because of my folly” (Ps 38:4, 5). Sin will produce a burdened conscience or it will yield a benumbed conscience. The first is more painful but the second is more deadly. Godly sorrow for sin comes from a burdened conscience.
Thirdly, a sincere heart’s sorrow for sin is a more private and silent sorrow than that of the hypocrite. Since all insincere faith is motivated by self-love, even their sorrow and self-professed sinfulness and humiliation will be for public display. An infallible sign of spiritual pride is when someone is impressed with their own humility. Since hypocrites are prone to think highly of their humility, a counterfeit humility is eager to display itself to others and to make much of how “broken” and how “unworthy” they are. They are anxious that others should see their humility and admire it as much as they do. Social media is tailor made for displays of false humility. It is the hypocrites who “neglect their appearance in order to be seen fasting by men” (Mt 6:16). Because the more heinous sins are the secret sins of the heart, a sincere sorrow for sin is expressed secretly to God in the closet (Mt 6:6).
Fourthly, the troubles of a tender conscience are not removed by a change of circumstances; by removing the consequences of sin. The conviction is not assuaged by the removal of some outward pressures and inconveniences. Nothing but full confession, pardon, peace, and reconciliation witnessed by the Holy Spirit can calm a troubled heart. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:9).
Fifthly, a godly sorrow is constant and continuous. Jesus said that true saints are those who not only have mourned for sin, but those who are mourning, “Blessed are those who mourn” (Mt 5:4).The verb “mourn” is present tense, indicating a habitual action, attitude, and disposition. Worldly sorrow is a passion of the mind. It comes in fits; it changes, and does not last. It may be strong for the present and make a great outward show, but their belief that they are forgiven makes their sorrow short-lived. They say to themselves, “Jesus has done all for me and I have His righteousness imputed to me”, and this ends their grief and sorrow for sin. The comforts of the gospel free a sinner from the sorrow of punishment for sin, but not from the sorrow and grief over repentance of sin. A godly sorrow is continuous and constant.
Sixthly, a sincere and godly sorrow over sin is not only constant, but it also grows in proportion to a person’s awareness of the sinfulness of the sin which dwells within them. The more a sinner sees themselves as they really are the more they will grieve and mourn over their sin. The more they grow in holiness the more they mourn over their lack of holiness. The more they experience the blessedness of those who mourn, the more they want to mourn. All spiritual graces are growing graces. A worldly sorrow, since it is motivated by self-love, when it has had enough sorrow to satisfy self, stops. The ultimate goal of a false faith is to satisfy self and once self is satisfied it is content. This is why people can be content in shallow churches and with weekly doses of superficial teaching, emotional experiences, and sermons that tickle their ears and affirm their self-worth. The ultimate goal of a true Christian is to please and satisfy Christ; therefore he/she is never satisfied. This is the nature of all true spiritual desires; the more we have, the more we want and long after.
True godly sorrow, grief, and shame over sin is one of the distinguishing marks and signs of a new birth, “Then (i.e. when “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you” – Ezk 36:26, then and only then) you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations (Ezk 36:31; cf. Ezk 16:60-63). “For after I turned back, I repented; and after I was instructed, I smote on my thigh; I was ashamed and also humiliated, because I bore the reproach of my youth” (Jer 31:19). It is by our sorrow and grief over sin that the children of God and the children of the devil are made obvious.
In Our Subjection to the Demands of Sin
All unregenerate people are slaves of sin (Rm 6:19, 20). Their heart, mind, desires, and will are subject to its demands. Because they are children of the devil they want to do the desires of their father (Jn 8:44). When they sin they are simply acting in accordance with their nature because all unregenerate people are by nature objects of wrath who habitually indulge the desires of the flesh and of the mind (Eph 2:3). While a true Christian still possesses a sinful nature, they also have what no unregenerate person can have, and that is a new nature which is of the same nature as the Spirit which gave it birth, so that there is a vast difference between the two. The unbeliever sins with the full continued consent of their will while the true Christian, when he/she sins, sin against their will.
First, when someone deliberates whether or not to sin, and chooses sin over obedience, this is a sign that they are under the dominion of sin. Some people make no pretense about their enjoyment of sin. Their feet run rapidly to it (Pv 6:18). Others, however, must be forced into sin. They would avoid it if they could, but circumstances make it unavoidable. Such was the case with Naaman (2 Kg 5:17, 18). He vowed to be obedient to God in all other matters, save one, and that was to enter the temple of an idol and bow down before it. To refuse to do this may have cost him his position, his livelihood, his reputation, or even his life. So it is with many a false Christian. They place a necessity on sin, but not on obedience, thereby showing they are under the dominion of sin to obey its lusts (Rm 6:12). If faced with the choice of submitting to sin to avoid affliction and hardship, or submitting to God’s word and thereby suffering affliction, they voluntarily choose sin over affliction. They consider themselves very noble and magnanimous for not allowing their private beliefs to influence their public life. Paul told Timothy that “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tm 3:12). That is because all who truly desire to live godly actually do live godly, therefore they will be persecuted. Godliness consists not just in desiring to do the will of God, but in having a heart to actually do it. Israel professed to have the desire, but they lacked the heart; “They have done well in all that they have spoken. Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they should fear Me and keep My commandments always” (Dt 5:28, 29). To deliberately choose sin over obedience is to be under the dominion of sin.
Secondly, the customary and habitual practice of sin shows a person to be under the dominion of sin; “No one who is born of God practices sin” (1 Jn 2:9; 5:18). Those who make a practice and lifestyle of sin, any sin, are still slaves of sin. “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness” (Rm 6:16)?
Thirdly, delighting in sin is proof of the dominion of sin. This is how the servants of sin are described, “They delight in falsehood” (Ps 62:4). “They have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations” (Is 66:3). But the Christian, “his delight is in the law of the Lord” (Ps 1:2). “Your testimonies also are my delight; they are my counselors” (Ps 119:24). Just as delight in God and His word is a measure of our holiness and love for God, so our delighting in sin is a measure of our sinfulness. No one who loves God can be amused by sin or take pleasure in wickedness (2 Th 2:12).
Fourthly, those who chafe under the restrictions and commands of God’s word, this is evidence they are still subject to the demands of sin. This is clear from Jesus’ own teaching, “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to one, and despise the other” (Lk 16:13). A person may serve many masters if they all demand the same thing, or things that are subordinate to each other, but they cannot serve two masters whose interests oppose and clash with each other. No one can serve the demands of God and the demands of sin. When one comes into direct competition with the other, it will be obvious which one they will cling to and which they will despise. Those who chafe under the yoke of God’s government do so because sin is still their master. God would keep them from what they love the most; their sin.
A true Christian, however, may fall into sin, and even the same sin, but they are not a servant of sin, sin is no longer master over them, nor are they in full subjection to sin, as is clear from the following considerations:
First, a sincere heart may be drawn to sin, but it cannot dwell on sin without shame and sorrow, which clearly shows the attraction to be involuntary. An unbeliever can derive new pleasures from old sins by reflecting on them. To them “stolen water is sweet; and bread eaten in secret is pleasant” (Pv 9:17); “evil is sweet in his mouth, and he hides it under his tongue” (Job 20:12); “As a well keeps its waters fresh, so she keeps fresh her wickedness” (Jer 6:7). A true believer may be drawn to sin, but it is not with the full consent of their will. They are doing the very thing they hate (Rm 7:15). They “joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man” (Rm 7:22). Sin is not their master. If they serve it they do so unintentionally, not deliberately; sorrowfully, not with pleasure; and unwillingly, not voluntarily.
Secondly, a true Christian may fall into sin, but not jump into sin. He may be captured by sin, but not surrender to sin. Sin may make him its prisoner (Rm 7:23), but not its friend. Just as a prisoner is always restless and looking for a way to escape, so a sincere heart is in any sin. His heart is not in it. He is as restless and uncomfortable in sin as an unregenerate heart is in obedience to God and holy living; “My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see; they are more numerous than the hairs of my head; and my heart has failed me. Be pleased, O Lord to deliver me; make haste, O Lord, to help me” (Ps 40:12, 13). Like righteous Lot, their soul is tormented to even be in the presence of evil (2 Pt 2:8).
Thirdly, when a sincere heart falls into sin, they do not go from evil to evil or from bad to worse as the ungodly do; “for they proceed from evil to evil (Jer 9:3). When a true Christian sins, their sin serves as a warning and preventive to future sin. Their prayer is “do not let any iniquity have dominion over me” (Ps 119:133). This is not the case with those who are servants of sin. Their sin emboldens them to more sin (Eccl 8:11); “the imaginations of their heart run riot” (Ps 73:7). They double-down in their sin and “stiffened their necks in order not to listen or take correction” (Jer 17:23; 5:3; 7:28).
Fourthly, a sincere Christian may be drawn to sin, but he would rejoice with all his heart to be rid of sin. This shows that sin has no dominion over him. Those who are under the dominion of sin are unwilling to part with their sin. It is as dear to them as their right hand or right eye. “They hold fast to themselves an evil purpose” (Ps 64:5). To hold fast to sin is the same thing as being under the dominion of sin. The cry of the sincere heart is “who will set me free from the body of this death?” (Rm 7:24).
Fifthly, a sincere heart rejoices when God by some providence prevents them from falling into some sin. This shows that they do not willing yield to sin. An insincere heart becomes angry, sullen, and bitter if God should frustrate their sinful plans, desires, and ambitions; “You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel…You ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures“ (Jm 4:1-4).The foolishness of man subverts his way, and his heart rages against the Lord” (Pv 19:3). A sincere heart is like David with Abigail, “blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodshed, and from avenging myself by my own hand” (1 Sm 25:33).
Sixthly, a sincere Christian takes every precaution to prevent sin in himself. He resists sin as well as avoids sin. He “watches over his heart with all diligence” (Pv 4:23). It is one thing where in the course of our daily life we must be subjected to evil and be assaulted with the profane language and wicked behavior of our culture, but it is another to voluntarily subject ourselves to wickedness. A sincere Christian turns their heart away from all that would entice and tempt to evil, thereby showing that sin has no dominion over them; “I have restrained by feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your word” (Ps 119:101). Those who call on the Lord from a pure heart are those who guard their hearts from evil.
A true Christian has been “delivered from the domain of darkness, and transferred…to the kingdom” of Jesus Christ (Col 1:13). Sin no longer has dominion over him/her. By this – in their subjection to the demands of the sin which dwells within them – the children of the God and the children of the devil are made obvious.
In Our Opposition to Sin
It is one thing to say we hate sin, and it is another thing to actually oppose sin. To profess a hatred of sin in the heart but not actually oppose sin in the life is a self-contradiction. It is a pretend hatred. For someone to oppose sin in others and in society while at the same time countenancing sin in their own life and heart is a sign of a corrupt heart. This was Jehu who though he “eradicated Baal out of Israel….But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel sin” ( 2 Kg 10:28, 31). Both true and false Christians will oppose sin, but there is a vast difference between the two.
First, there is a universal opposition to sin and a selective opposition to sin. The first is found in believers, and the second is found in unbelievers. A sincere heart not only hates every false way (Ps 119:104, 128), but they also guard themselves from their own sinful tendencies; “I kept myself from my iniquity” (Ps 18:23). They take an active role and make a concerted effort to “cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor 7:1). They actively resist, oppose, and expose the influences of the world, the flesh, and the devil (Eph 5:11; 1 Pt 5:9). They oppose sin as sin. They do not harbor or shelter any known lust or sin, but war against it with all their might. The false Christian, however, will always grant asylum to some sin they cannot part with.
Secondly, in a sincere Christian there is an opposition between the new nature and the old nature; “these are in opposition to one another” (Gal 5:17). In a false Christian, since they have no new nature, any opposition they have to sin is between sin and their natural conscience. The new nature of a Christian is opposed to their old nature by virtue of their being opposites, like fire and water, as well as by their being opposites in their designs, desires, and activities; “the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and Spirit against the flesh” (Gal 5:17). But the opposition to sin found in a false Christian is not from their nature. Sin is perfectly compatible with it. Nature is a more powerful force than anything that restrains or prevents it. Like a stream that is dammed; unless the source of the stream is stopped, the stream will either overflow the dam or find another outlet. The only opposition to sin is from the natural conscience which can be easily reprogrammed (i.e. “sensitivity training”), overpowered by some lust, and even seared. The only contest is between sin and their conscience, not between sin and their nature. In a true Christian the war is between the old and the new nature. Their prayer is “do not incline my heart to any evil thing” (Ps 141:4); “keep me from temptation”.
Thirdly, the opposition to sin in a sincere heart is a permanent opposition, whereas any opposition to sin by a false professor is only temporary. The true believer makes no truce with sin. There is no end to his battle with sin until life is finished. They never take off and lay aside the full armor of God (Eph 6:10-17). If there is any change in their opposition to sin it is in that it becomes more intense. As the awareness of the sinfulness of sin grows, so does their opposition to it. How could it be otherwise? But this is not the way it is with an imitation faith. Their quarrel with sin is only temporary. They soon become accustomed to it and desensitized to sin’s sinfulness. One day they are opposing sin, and the next day they are ignoring, excusing, and even defending it. The reason for this is obvious from what was just noted; it is because it is not from the opposition of two natures. Sin is perfectly compatible with the old nature; therefore any original opposition there was to sin will eventually acclimate itself to sin. Our society and the professing church today provide irrefutable evidence of this fact.
Fourthly, there is a dependent opposition to sin, and there is an independent opposition to sin. The first is the product of a true faith, and the second is the product of a false and presumptuous faith. The true Christian soon learns that apart from Christ he can do nothing (Jn 15:5). They not only know it intellectually, but they come to learn and feel more and more by experience their own impotency and sinfulness, so that they “Seek the Lord and His strength” (2 Chron 16:11). A presumptuous faith opposes sin and temptation in the strength of its own self-confidence and resolutions. They arrogantly assume they have the innate ability to resist and oppose the power of sin, the subtlety of Satan, the lure of the world, and the deceitfulness of their own heart. They think they can go where they please, view what they want, befriend who they will, all without harm to their soul; “The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, but the naïve go on, and are punished for it (Pv 22:3).
Fifthly, there is an effective opposition to sin, and an ineffective opposition to sin which comes to nothing. The first is practiced by true Christians, and the second is practiced by mere professors. Every Christian is equally righteous, but not all are equally holy. Holiness increases as the power of sin decreases. The work of killing sin is a slow death. Its power diminishes by degrees. “And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure (1Jn 3:3). “…as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk) that you excel still more” (1 Th 4:1). Mere professors, however, whatever opposition they make to sin; they are never more holy for it. Their lusts are as strong and dominant as ever. All their resolutions and intentions come to nothing. When urged to obedience and holiness they respond like Israel, “But they will say, ‘It is hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart’” (Jer 18:12). All their opposition to sin yields not a whit of practical holiness.
That which has the appearance of being gold, and makes a profession of being gold, is tested to see if it truly is what it appears and professes to be. True gold endures and perseveres under all the trials designed for its testing. That which fails to endure and persevere is proven to be dross, not gold. Both its appearance and profession are proven to be false. So we see that a person’s attitude and behavior toward indwelling sin is a most thorough test that will show the authenticity of a person’s faith and whether they are a child of God or still a child of the devil. That which comes through the furnace is always a fraction of what enters into the furnace.
In our next study, we will consider one of the properties of indwelling sin, that of enmity or hostility, which allows sin to be at home in the heart.