HOW TO KEEP FROM SINNING

Bob Myhan

T

here are those, even among our own brethren, who teach that man cannot keep from sinning. Others think they are above sin, and do not guard against temptation. David, however, not only knew that he might sin but that he could keep from sinning; and he knew how:

    “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11).

T

hus, to keep from sinning you must hide God’s word in your heart. Spurgeon said that this verse mentions the best thing—God's word—in the best place—my heart—for the best purpose—that I might not sin. “But,” someone asks, “What is the heart and how do I hide God’s word there?”

T

he heart is the inner person and has four distinct natures: intellectual (Matt 9:4); emotional (1 Peter 1:22); ethical (1 John 3:19-21) and volitional (Rom. 6:17; 2 Cor. 9:6,7).

W

hen speaking of the heart in its intellectual nature, we call it the mind. When talking of its ethical nature, we refer to it as the conscience. When speaking of its volitional nature, we refer to it as the will. We do not seem to have a separate word for the heart when talking of its emotional nature. To hide God’s word in your mind, emotions, conscience and will, you must:

1

 Desire to understand it. “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2). “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thess. 2:9-12).

2

 Strive to understand it. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:17).

3

 Appreciate its power. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul” (Psalm 19:7).

4

 Esteem it highly for its value. “”Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path;” “Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of Your word” (Psalm 119:105,161).

5

 Store it up in your memory “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).

6

 Apply it consistently to your life. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:22-25). “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46)

O

ne might well ask, “How does the word of God keep me from sinning?” By doing at least six things.

1

 The word of God imparts counsel concerning sin. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1,2).

2

 The word of God warns of punishment for sin. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23)

3

 The word of God makes promises for overcoming sin. “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12).

4

 The word of God informs of God's love. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this was love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be a propitiation for our sins…. We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:9,10,19).

5

 The word of God enjoins practical duties. “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. Therefore ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:9-21).

6

 The word of God communicates strength. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak” (Eph. 6:10-20).

W

ill we truly be able to keep from sinning? Yes, this was the reason John wrote his first epistle. “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).

W

ill we be able to perfectly keep from sinning? Yes, if we perfectly apply these principles. But as pirates used to say, "Aye, there's the rub!" &

MAN’S PART IN SALVATION! (Conclusion)

Randy Cavender

F

urthermore, the Hebrew writer says, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (Heb. 11:6). You see faith is man's part. People cannot be justified without it (Rom. 5:1). If one does not have faith, it is IMPOSSIBLE to be pleasing to God. This faith as defined by the scriptures is "faith working through love." (Gal. 5:6). In other words it is an obedient faith that does exactly what God says.

K

ind reader, the point is this: God has given man something to do in order to be saved. This is evident by the fact that the most famous question in the book of Acts is, "What must I DO to be saved?" (Acts 16:30; emphasis mine, RHC)

I

t is sad to see people who will twist and pervert what God has said to prove the doctrines and commandments of men. &

IF YOU DON’T TIC LIKE I TIC...

YOU MUST BE A HERETIC!

Tony Ripley

I

t is a strange atmosphere in which we no live. At times we might wonder if people have forgotten what unity is all about. I am persuaded that many of the Lord's people don't know the difference between being united and being unified.

A

lthough I do not believe in the doctrine of "unity in diversity", I do realize that people are very diverse in personality, chemistry, whims, & tastes. The truth of the gospel should never suffer because of man's foibles in any way. Yet, many of the dissensions among brethren today I am afraid are leaning more toward the fact that we are not unified. "You don't tic the way I tic, therefore, you are not compatible with the circle of people I am congruous to. And summarily, you can not be a part of us".

L

et me say up-front that truth must prevail regardless of who you are or what circle you embrace. No clique is above the authority of the Master! Those who oppose truth should repent or prepare to suffer great consequence for their compromise. However, many Christians are divided today, not because of doctrinal issues per se. There are divisions between allies of different circles. This too is sinful and wrong.

I

ll-treatment toward others is just plain wrong! Vengeance does not belong to man; it belongs to God (Rom. 12:19-21). Some who don't even know what the issues are seem to be ready and waiting for the opportunity to pounce on someone who has been accused of being on the opposing side. "If you don't tic the way my friends tic, you are a heretic!"

I

t is a sad commentary on the Lord's people when this is our agenda. Good friends have become bitter enemies because of the caustic way they have treated each other in the discussion of these doctrinal topics. Slanderous remarks, cutting letters by "greenhorns" who are only playing champion for someone else's cause, gossip, and even lies are the product of this evil among our brethren today.

I

 understand that I may lose friends while standing for the truth and I'm ready for that as difficult as it may be. But I will not be guilty of generating enemies because of my own sour disposition, bitter attitude, and arrogance. When people fall into error, it is a time for admonishment, rebuke and convincing persuasion from the scripture. Yet it must always be coupled with anguish over loss, meekness, longsuffering, and prayerful demeanor.

Q

uite frankly, I'm tired of being "sized-up" by some brethren because I have an acquaintance that is not compatible with their circle. The fact that I have a friend who has a strange conviction does not mean that I embrace his convictions or support them. My responsibility is to take advantage of every occasion to teach him the truth, not tearing him to shreds with propaganda!

A

 good study of the Sermon on the Mount would be appropriate for our brethren right now. Our Lord never compromised nor did He back away from standing for truth in heated opposition, but He did share with His disciples the proper attitude of heart with which to approach it.

T

his is my plea. Make sure that your defense is seasoned with love for the soul whom you are trying to convince. And make sure that you are striving for unity in truth, not unification in partyism! &