Overcoming Sin

[Firstfruits]

Well, that can be interpreted a number of ways. If someone gossips this week, feels conviction over their sin along with sorrow while confessing it to the Lord, but at the same time they catch themselves gossiping again the following week . . . would you say they are practicing sin? At what point does committing a sin become a practice? Perhaps it has less to do with the action and more to do with what's going on in the heart of the person.

Jas 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

2 Pet 2:14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

It is both.

Firstfruits

[PneumaPsucheSoma]

Christians are good at patting themselves on the back when it comes to the easy sins, excessive drinking, pornography, etc. Almost universally they fail at THE sin that God is most concerned about, that is, compassion for others.

Those first few "easy" things are sinS, not sin. Not loving others isn't A sin (act) or THE sin (act), it's sin (the nature).

[ProjectPeter]

Yes, I sin every day. You do not sin?

Again... what I do or don't do isn't going to mean jack when you find yourself standing before God. I could be an ax murderer of the finest order and were I to say that "we should stop sinning"... that is still the truth of the matter according to the Scripture. I'm going to stand before God a murderer and a hypocrite but that doesn't change the truth according to Scripture.

And no... I don't sin every day and wonder how one can sin every day and still go on to say they aren't practicing sin. That sounds an awful lot like someone practicing sin and again what does Scripture say about that? I ain't saying it... what does Scripture say?

[ProjectPeter]

Christians are good at patting themselves on the back when it comes to the easy sins, excessive drinking, pornography, etc. Almost universally they fail at THE sin that God is most concerned about, that is, compassion for others.

You bet... like I said earlier too.... sins such as gossip and whatnot are going to be the downfall of many.

[Firstfruits]

Those first few "easy" things are sinS, not sin. Not loving others isn't A sin (act) or THE sin (act), it's sin (the nature).

Is all unrighteousness not sin according to the scripture?

1 Jn 5:17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.

Firstfruits

[ProjectPeter]

Well, that can be interpreted a number of ways. If someone gossips this week, feels conviction over their sin along with sorrow while confessing it to the Lord, but at the same time they catch themselves gossiping again the following week . . . would you say they are practicing sin? At what point does committing a sin become a practice? Perhaps it has less to do with the action and more to do with what's going on in the heart of the person.

Sounds like they were perhaps "sorry" for that sin but not all that repentant. Certainly it is the heart that is the issue... that's pretty much a biblical no-brainer. Remember Ahab... he repented so strongly that it got the attention of God thus putting off judgment on Ahab for a season. He still fell in his sin and ultimately God took him down. But for that moment in time... God heard him. Ninevah... the same story. There are many other such examples in Scripture.

[PneumaPsucheSoma]

Is all unrighteousness not sin according to the scripture?

1 Jn 5:17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.

Firstfruits

Yes. I'm agreeing with you. I'm differentiating to strip away sinS that blind us to their source: sin. We are freed from sin. It hath no more dominion over us. But many are not dealing with this at the causal level, allowing sin to operate until it manifests as sinS.

Ceasing from sin (the nature) will cause us to cease from sinS (the acts). Trying to stop sinS (the acts) is the Law. Grace has freed us to cease from sin (the nature). SinS can't result if sin has ceased.

[embankmentlb]

Those first few "easy" things are sinS, not sin. Not loving others isn't A sin (act) or THE sin (act), it's sin (the nature).

So if you sit in your comfortable home with an abundance of food & money & leave your neighbor to die from exposure & lack of nutrition that is not a sin but just our sin nature?

[andrew_no_one]

So if you sit in your comfortable home with an abundance of food & money & leave your neighbor to die from exposure & lack of nutrition that is not a sin but just our sin nature?

Our friend has a good point. We can sin not only by what we do, but also by what we DO NOT do.

[ProjectPeter]

There are many that would adhere to that and this is very much a shame.

[PneumaPsucheSoma]

So if you sit in your comfortable home with an abundance of food & money & leave your neighbor to die from exposure & lack of nutrition that is not a sin but just our sin nature?

Yes, by all means that is A sin. But it merely results from the selfish corruption of the sin nature. By contrast, I could also sell my possessions and do all benevolent works and it could all be self-righteous sinS from my sin nature. SinS are works, and many good works are sinS, and thus sin.

I'm not comparing acts.

[embankmentlb]

All sins are results of a selfish corruption of the sin nature. People just brush the Sins that take real sacrifice to solve under the rug.

[VerticalReality]

Should I find it surprising that the OP speaks of how the church today goes on and on about sinning without really discussing how to overcome it, and this is now exactly what this thread has turned in to?

Why don't we just start setting tablets of stone outside our churches and just save people the trouble of coming in?

[BroRog]

Should I find it surprising that the OP speaks of how the church today goes on and on about sinning without really discussing how to overcome it, and this is now exactly what this thread has turned in to?

Why don't we just start setting tablets of stone outside our churches and just save people the trouble of coming in?

Okay, you want to know? I'll give you a bit of advice that will go a long ways to help you overcome sin. Ready?

Face the truth.

Jesus said, that if you want to be free, face the truth.

John 8:31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

In general I would say that if you are struggling with a particular sin, you aren't facing the truth about yourself or others.

[Slug1]

Should I find it surprising that the OP speaks of how the church today goes on and on about sinning without really discussing how to overcome it, and this is now exactly what this thread has turned in to?

Why don't we just start setting tablets of stone outside our churches and just save people the trouble of coming in?

See post #205