1

How to Fight Besetting

Sins

By

Nathan Brummel

2

Bound Yet Free Publications

A Ministry of Cornerstone PRC

Copyright@2008

Contact Author at:

13251 W. 109th Avenue

Dyer, IN 46311

219-365-0144

3

Contents

Preface……………………………………………………….….5

Chapter 1

The Reality of Besetting Sins………………………………..….7

Chapter 2

The Consequence of Besetting Sins: Corrective Discipline…...17

Chapter 3

By Faith Avoid the Besetting Sins of Americans……………...27

Chapter 4

Leave Past Guilt Behind at Calvary…………………………...35

Chapter 5

Vow to Avoid Besetting Sins……………………………….…45

Chapter 6

Coping with Temptation………………………………………55

4

5

Preface

We all have sins in our lives that will not get off center stage.

Christians have called these sins “besetting sins.” This name for a sin

that continues to haunt a believer comes from Hebrews 12:1. The

King James Version translates a single Greek word with the words

“so easily beset”:

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great

a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin

which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the

race that is set before us,

You need to take an inventory of your life. What is your

besetting sin? What are your besetting sins? What kind of persistent

temptations do you repeatedly give in to?

Often the Christian gets stuck in a rut of sin. He tries to avoid

it, but repeatedly finds himself falling back into the rut.

Your besetting sins might even raise questions in your mind.

How can it be that I have a besetting sin if Christ is now my Master?

Or you might ask: Did not Christ promise that I would be free indeed?

These are questions that will need to be answered in time.

Is there anything more intensely practical for your Christian

life than learning how to fight against besetting sins? We will

discover that the answer to the question “How can I fight my

besetting sins?” is richly theological.

The Bible teaches that the pursuit of holiness ought to be a

serious, systematic pursuit on the part of the Christian athlete.

Let us begin by studying the idea of besetting sins in chapter

1.

6

7

1

The Reality of Besetting

Sins

The Nature of Besetting Sins

Hebrews 12:1 is the one place in the Bible where we find the

language of “besetting sins”: “Wherefore seeing we also are

compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside

every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run

with patience the race that is set before us.” This text is the only place

where the Greek word that is translated “so easily beset” is used in the

New Testament.

Yet we often find in the Bible a concern about the besetting

sins of believers.

The pagan Seneca long ago lamented: “Oh that a hand would

come down from heaven and deliver me from my besetting sin!” If

even pagans were worried about besetting sins, how much more the

Christian!

The Greek word in Hebrews 12:1 has three parts to it. The

first means “easily” or “constantly”. The second means “around” and

the third is a form of the word “to stand.” Therefore the literal idea of

a besetting sin is that it “easily stands around” a person. An easily

besetting sin is a particular habitual sin that is a hindrance to a life of

obedience. It is a type of sin to which an individual is personally

8

inclined because of personal weaknesses or circumstances. A

besetting sin is one that has the greatest advantage against us because

of what we are like.

Sometimes the Greek word is translated “ensnared.” An

argument is made that the connotation of a besetting sin is that it is a

sin that constricts. Besetting sins shackle. They ensnare. They

hamper a Christian.

The Christian is not only easily surrounded by a certain sin,

but the sin seems to hold him in bondage.

The writer to the Hebrews speaks about “the sin” that so

easily besets the Hebrew Christians. Some commentators have

identified what they take this particular besetting sin to be. Some

have thought that it was apostasy back to Judaism. The converted

Jews to whom the letter of Hebrews is addressed were overly fond of

the old dispensation. They were attached to many ceremonial laws in

the law of Moses that had been fulfilled by Christ. Therefore they

were in danger of rejecting Jesus and returning back to Judaism. The

besetting sin of the Jews during the time of the wilderness wanderings

had been unbelief.

John Calvin thought that “the” besetting sin is not an outward

or actual sin “but of the very fountain, even concupiscence or lust,

which so possesses every part of us, that we feel that we are on every

side held by its snares.”

But the writer to the Hebrews does not specify a particular sin

as “the” besetting sin of the Hebrew Christians. I am glad that he did

not. This allows us to apply this passage directly to our own

situation. Each one of us can ask the question: What is “the”

besetting sin that I so often commit?

Besetting Sins in the Bible

In the Bible we find numerous besetting sins on the part of

men who are also heroes of faith. Abraham repeatedly lied about who

his wife Sarah was. He told rulers that she was his sister and not his

wife. Jacob had a tendency to steal from his brother Esau. He stole

the birthright and the blessing. A besetting sin of the Israelites during

the wilderness wanderings was to murmur about their food or water

or lack of it. Sampson‟s besetting sin was the allure of ungodly

women. Eli‟s besetting sin was not disciplining his sons Hophni and

Phineas. King David‟s besetting sin was the lust that led him first

into polygamy and then adultery. Solomon‟s besetting sin was to

9

love his wives above God and therefore helping his pagan wives build

shrines to their idol gods. A besetting sin of James and John, the

disciples of Jesus, was pride—wanting to be first in the kingdom of

Jesus. Peter‟s besetting sin was to speak without thinking.

Sinful Habits can Master us for a Time

We can fall into a vicious cycle. We choose a forbidden

pleasure, feel guilty afterwards, repent, make a resolution to reject the

temptation in the future, have some success, but then give into the

sinful desire later.

How easily a single sin becomes a besetting sin! Each time

we choose to sin we cut a rut a little deeper in our heart. We develop

a pattern of giving in. Without much of a battle, the next time we fall

right back into the rut and dig it a bit deeper. Besetting sins play a

role in shaping bad character.

Weakness in our Armor

Besetting sins are evidence of weakness in our spiritual

armor. Think of yourself like a besieged city. You are under siege

from three combined enemies; Satan, the world, and your sinful flesh.

The enemy is able to figure out the weaknesses in your wall and

defenses. The enemy finds areas where you are vulnerable to

undermining, the placing of siege engines, and locations where

flaming arrows can be shot into the city. So the enemy exploits your

weaknesses repeatedly. The enemy wins repeated skirmishes.

What is your Achilles‟ heel? What long-established, sinful

behavior patterns are there in your life? What are the weaknesses in

your spiritual defenses?

A Hindrance to Running the Race

In Hebrews 12, the Holy Spirit uses the metaphor of an

athlete to portray the Christian. The writer uses the metaphor of a

race to show how besetting sins hinder us. The Christian life is like

running a marathon. The race is life long. It requires endurance.

We do not compete against fellow Christians in this race. We

do not try to outdo them in righteousness, fame, or accomplishments.

Instead we compete against Satan, the world system, and our old man

of sin. The prize is a crown of glory.

10

The problem with besetting sins is that they are a hindrance to

running the race and finishing well. The Greek athletes would run

practically naked, every weight being discarded. They certainly

would not run with a long robe hanging around their feet. Today

runners make sure that they wear just the right type of gear that will

not impede their running. A runner would discard a long robe that

might cling to his legs while running.

Besetting sins are like a long robe that gets around a runner‟s

legs and hinders him from running. Besetting sins entangle, much

like a flowing robe that reaches to the ground would entangle the feet

of a runner. Besetting sins encumber the runner‟s feet and trip him

up.

The Seriousness of Besetting Sins

We underestimate the seriousness of our sin for our

relationship with God and how it affects our loved ones. Our sin

diminishes our fruitfulness. They rob us of joy. They dishonor God.

English evangelicals have viewed August 17, 1662 as a tragic

day in the history of the English church. On that day, the Puritans

who would not sign the Act of Conformity, and subscribe to the

rituals and ceremonies of the Church of England, were kicked out of

the ministry. Some 2,500 Puritan ministers were deposed from office,

separated from their parishes, and sent into exile. On the last day that

the Puritans could preach in their pulpits a preacher named Calamy

helped Christians put the calamity into perspective. He said: “You

have experienced a calamity. This is a calamitous thing; this is a

calamitous event.” But then he made a point that helps us understand

the gravity of besetting sins: “There is more evil in the least sin than

in the greatest calamity.” He added: “There is more evil in the least

sin than in the greatest misery.” That Puritan preacher understood the

exceeding sinfulness of sin. Why is it that you can be so distressed

about certain trials in your life, but you are not distressed by your

besetting sins? You need to remember: There is more evil in the least

besetting sin than the greatest calamity.

What is the Explanation for Besetting Sins?

Why do we have besetting sins in our lives? One reason for

besetting sins is that we elect sinners are easily entangled by any sin.

Because of our old man of sin, the way we were raised, and the sinful

11

choices that we have made in the past, there are many temptations to

which we quickly cave in. All kinds of temptations easily entice us.

Since we give in to many different kinds of temptations and quickly

commit all kinds of sins, it is no wonder that we also choose to

commit certain besetting sins.

A second reason why we commit besetting sins is because of

the great power that sin has over our flesh. Our old man of sin exerts

strong influence on our will. The flesh presents strong desires to our

heart. Paul writes: “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the

Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so

that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” (Galatians 5:17) Ever

since the Fall, sin has conquered a beachhead in our lives. Sin has a

beachhead in the form of our old sinful flesh. Satan and reprobate

men find a willing ally in our own flesh. Sin has a powerful pull in

our lives because sin is not alien to us—but it is inside our being in

our old nature. Internal depravity is a reality in our lives.

As a result of our old man of sin, sin weaves its way into all

of our thoughts and acts. We cannot even do a perfect act that is

completely sinless. Even our best works are imperfect. Sin weaves

its way into the fabric of our motives and plans. Even our best works

are entangled with sin. There is a taint of self-seeking and pride in

the best things we do. So it is no wonder that we easily can given in

to certain habitual sins.

A third reason for besetting sins is that our wills, as a result of

the Fall, are powerless to do the good. You are powerless in yourself

to overcome your besting sins. Besetting sins are so powerful

because they seem to rule us. Every time we repeat a sin, the chain of

bondage pulls tighter around us. You must admit that you are

powerless to change for the better.

If your besetting sin is alcoholism, then listen to Step One of

the Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve Step program is: “We admitted

we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become

unmanageable.” It explains: “Every natural instinct cries out against

the idea of personal powerlessness.” A.A. continues: “Our

admissions of personal powerlessness finally turn out to be firm

bedrock upon which happy and purposeful lives may be built.” A

new member of A.A. is told that he is “the victim of a mental

obsession so subtly powerful that no amount of human willpower

could break it.” “Under the lash of alcoholism, we are driven to A.A.,

and there we discover the fatal nature of our situation.”

12

The doctrine of Total Depravity teaches something even more

profound about the human will. This biblical doctrine teaches that the

will of the fallen sinner is never able to choose the good. The Bible

teaches that the fallen sinner is dead in sin. Apart from Christ the

sinner can do nothing that glorifies God.

Therefore we fallen sinners are in the desperate situation that

only God can deliver us from His sin. Only God the Holy Spirit can

root out our sin. He alone can empower the elect sinner to overcome

it more and more. Only with God‟s help can we turn away from

besetting sins and walk in holiness.

A third reason for the existence of besetting sins is that God

loves to test us. Sometimes you might wish that God would simply

deliver you from your besetting sins with a snap of His finger.

Perhaps you have heard conversion stories about how an alcoholic

was converted to Christ and never drank again. Or maybe you have

heard the story of Augustine, the church father, who committed

fornication for years with a number of mistresses, but after his

dramatic conversion lived a celibate life. Why doesn‟t God simply

weaken our sinful desires, so that our besetting sins are not so

attractive?

Why doesn‟t God simply banish devils from planet earth? If

these tempters were not around, continually shooting their fiery darts

at us, we would not give in to our besetting sins as often as we do. Or

why doesn‟t God simply protect us from tempting situations where

we will fail? Isn‟t He able to keep us from the type of circumstances

that can lead to us being entangled in sin?

God allows us to be tempted by devils, wicked men, and our

old flesh because He is testing us. God loves to test us to see whether

we love Him or not. That we love God becomes evident as we reject

temptations.

The writer to the Hebrews states that the Christian race is a

race set before us by God. The race that we run was ordained by God

from eternity. The race is not of the runner‟s choosing. If we would

create our own track, we would make it easy and barrier free. But

God in His great wisdom has determined the end and the beginning of

the race and every trial in between. God knows that it is for our good

and His glory for us to be tested.

Fifth, God allows us to be tempted because it is through our

sin and failures that He humbles us. God uses our daily battle with

sin to build godly character in us. The school of such trials is the

curriculum that provides for growth in godly character.

13

Sixth, God also allows us to fall into besetting sins in order to

reveal to us more deeply the nature of His grace. Paul wrote: “But

where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” (Romans 5:20b)

When we repent of our besetting sin and turn to God for forgiveness,

we discover that He is a Father who throws open His arms and

welcomes us home. We learn about the wonderful grace of God

revealed at the cross. We are constantly amazed that God could love

and forgive sinners like we.

You must Persevere in the Fight

You must persevere in fighting against besetting sins. We are

commanded to run the race with patience. We must endure.

Hardship must be met with a spirit of fortitude. The Word of God

commands us to fight against sin: “Let not sin therefore reign in your

mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.” (Romans

6:12).

You must divest yourself of every unnecessary weight. We

are commanded in Hebrews 12:1: “let us lay aside every weight”. A

runner divests himself of anything that will handicap his running. A

“weight” is an encumbrance. Often this encumbrance might be

perfectly innocent in itself. A hindrance might not in itself be sin, but

because it impedes a Christian it can become sin. An hindrance might

be a friendship, an event, a place, a pleasure, or an entertainment.

These “weights” embrace everything that might in any sense turn

away the heart from the pursuit of heaven. The problem with a

weight is that it keeps us from running well and therefore winning.

Recently Olympic Medalist Katherine Merry volunteered to

be part of a binge-drinking trial. She won a bronze in the 400 meter

spring at the Sydney Summer Olympics. A documentary wanted to

explore the harmful effects of drinking binges. She drank two bottles

of wine every three days. She had skin problems and felt weak. She

lost her appetite and grew two inches fatter. She became ill and

needed antibiotics. What she did underscores the fact that an athlete

lays aside every weight.

You must pray for God to enlarge your heart. King David

wrote: “I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt

enlarge my heart.” (Psalm 119:32) Long-distance runners often have

enlarged hearts. Their heart muscles grow to an abnormally large size

so that the heart is able to pump all of the needed blood. Marathon

runners can compete so well because their hearts have been enlarged.

14

The Psalmist is telling us that we ought to pray for a heart of

obedience. We need God‟s help to have a heart that loves Him and

our neighbor more.

Thought Questions

1. What are besetting sins?

2. What are some of your besetting sins?

3. What strategies have you used in the past to overcome them?

15

4. Why do you keep returning to your besetting sin?

5. Why have you failed to overcome a besetting sin?

6. Why is it that Christians struggle with besetting sins?

7. What are some of the first steps that you need to take in the

battle against your besetting sins?

16

17

2

The Consequence of

Besetting Sins:

Corrective Discipline

Christians do not believe that God has a shallow, weak,

grandfatherly type of love. He is not like the High Priest Eli who let

his sons go unchastised and uncorrected.

Ignorance and forgetfulness are costly. Early Christians had

forgotten the teaching from Proverbs 3:11-12 about God‟s Fatherly

discipline. Christians can forget that God chastises His sons and

daughters.

Early Hebrew Christians had experienced trials in their lives

and they were clueless about two things. First, they were not aware

that the sickness, suffering, and persecution that they experienced

came from the hands of a Loving Father who was in control of every

detail in their lives. Second, they were clueless about the fact that

God sends evils into the lives of His people in order to chastise them

for sins committed.

What is your attitude towards painful events in your life? Do

you misunderstand what is going on in your life? It takes faith to

believe that God is a Father who disciplines.

18

There is no Christian who is too old for discipline. C.S.

Lewis wrote: “God whispers to us in our pleasure, speaks in our

conscience, but shouts in our pains; it is His megaphone to rouse a

deaf world.” We certainly can say that corrective discipline is God‟s

megaphone to rouse His children to realize the exceeding sinfulness

of their sin.

I Believe in a Father who Disciplines

The Bible teaches that God is a Father who sends corrective

discipline. The word “chastise” that is used some nine times in eight

verses in Hebrews 12 is a word that comes from a root that means “to

teach or instruct” a child. The word often means “to correct with

corporal discipline.” Corrective discipline involves three things.

First, it is a response to sin. Hebrews 12:5 speaks of a rebuke. This

assumes that a sin was committed which needs to be corrected by a

Fatherly rebuke.

Second, corrective discipline inflicts pain. Hebrews 12:6

speaks of scourging. Discipline is not meant to be pleasant. If

suffering or sickness or a guilty conscience were pleasant, they would

have little corrective power. God means chastisements to be

unpleasant so that they would affect behavior.

Third, corrective discipline is an act of love to correct a sinful

life-style. Hebrews 12:10 speaks of profit. The profit that results

from corrective discipline is that the child of God begins walking in

good works. Corrective discipline is not penal, but loving correction.

It is not the punishment of a Judge who merely wants to inflict pain to

punish a guilty sinner. Corrective discipline is motivated by love—

and by a concern for the welfare of the elect sinner.

God disciplines us in a two-fold way. First, He scolds and

warns us in His Word and in the preaching of His Word. Loving

words that are forcefully spoken can have a powerful impression

upon the sinner. Second, God afflicts the body or troubles one‟s life.

For example, God sent corrective discipline to the Corinthian church.

Since the saints were being greedy and getting drunk at the Lord‟s

Supper, He caused some to be sick and others to die. The Apostle

Paul speaks of the benefit of such corrective discipline: “But when we

are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be

condemned with the world.” (I Corinthians 11:32)

The Heidelberg Catechism, a confession of the Reformed

churches, explains that God as Father does send painful trials to His

19

children. In very personal language the Catechism has the Christian

confess that my Father “will make whatever evil He sends upon me,

in this valley of tears, turn out to my advantage; for He is able to do

it, being Almighty God, and willing, being a faithful Father.” (A. 26)

In this context “evils” do not refer to sins, but rather events or

circumstances that involve suffering. The Catechism is clear that this

life is a valley of tears. Your particular sins contribute to this life

being a valley of tears.

God sends evil for at least three reasons. First, God sends

evils to prevent future sin. Second, God uses evils to instruct us.

Third, God sends evils as corrective discipline. Let us look at these

reasons in order.

Evils that Prevent Future Sin

Sometimes God sends evils to prevent future sin. The

Apostle Paul is a prime example of this. God gave the Apostle Paul a

thorn in the flesh not because of any past sins, but because of the

danger of a future sin. Paul writes that God gave him the thorn in the

flesh to keep him from becoming proud. The danger was that he

would become conceited because of the many revelations he received

from God. Therefore God at times sends evils into our lives to keep

us from future sins that would dishonor Him and hurt our usefulness.

God allows sickness or a business to fail to keep us from pride.

Evils for Education

Sometimes God sends evils to educate us about His majesty.

Job is a good example of a saint who suffered evils for education.

The book of Job is clear that God did not allow Satan to take the lives

of Job‟s children, to turn him into a pauper, or take away his health

because Job had committed some terrible past sin. The three friends

of Job were convinced that he must have committed some great sin to

have merited these punishments. But the book of Job teaches us that

Job was a righteous man, one who feared God. The book of Job does

not teach us that God was trying to keep Job from some specific

future sin. Rather it seems that God simply was testing Job and

allowing Job to learn more deeply the grandeur of the wisdom and

sovereignty of his God. God used the afflictions that He sent Job to

teach His servant something more about Himself. God uses evils in

our lives to teach us how dependent that we are upon Him. When we

20

are prosperous we can feel independent. God uses problems to teach

us of our need for Him. God also taught Job that He is sovereign and

does not need to explain Himself to man. Job learned to trust God for

who he is and not for what he could understand.

Evils as Corrective Discipline

The Bible teaches that God‟s children undergo corrective

judgment. King David is exhibit A. Because of his murder of Uriah

the Hittite, God disciplined the king. Most other kings in David‟s day

were used to getting away with adultery and murder. What other

cultures tolerated, the Father of David did not. God disciplined David

by giving him a sense of guilt, by causing the death of the infant son

by Bathsheba, and by sending the sword into his family. Absalom

murdered his brother Amnon and then rebelled against the king.

These were stiff correctives. Yet David became a holier man because

of God‟s discipline. He grew in God‟s grace. David afterwards could

write: “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy

word” (Psalm 119:67) and “It is good for me that I have been

afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes” (Psalm 119:71).

Theodore Laetsch, and Old Testament scholar states:

His plans concerning His people are always thoughts of good,

of blessing. Even if he is obliged to use the rod, it is the rod

not of wrath, but the Father‟s rod of chastisement for their

temporal and eternal welfare. There is not a single item of

evil in his plans for his people, neither in their motive, nor in

their conception, nor in their revelation, nor in their

consummation.”

Since we believe that God is almighty and all wise we believe that He

is able to use corrective discipline and the tears that flow in the midst

of them for our advantage. He is a faithful Father. He is committed

to His children. He will never dissolve their adoptions. Once

adopted, you are God‟s child forever.

Comforted by Corrective Discipline!

It is remarkable that the words “comfort” and “discipline” can

be listed together! What does comfort have to do with discipline!?

21

The theme of the Heidelberg Catechism is comfort. The

Catechism begins by asking: “What is thy only comfort in life and in

death?” In Lord‟s Day 1, the Heidelberg Catechism states that our

comfort involves this truth about the Father: “that without the will of

my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all

things must be subservient to my salvation.” (Answer 1) Hebrews 12

does not speak explicitly of comfort, yet it is clearly implied. When

you are suffering corrective discipline you have reason to be

comforted!

There are three reasons why corrective discipline comforts.

First, it is evidence of love. Second, it is evidence of your adoption.

Third, it is evidence of how God is carrying out His goal of making

you partakers of the divine nature.

Proof of Love

First, Fatherly chastisements are evidence of divine love:

“For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son

whom He receiveth” (Hebrews 12:6). Faith‟s logic is: if I am

chastened by God, then I am loved as a son or daughter! The telltale

sign of being loved by God is discipline. The Bible says that God

does not afflict His children willingly (Lamentations 3:31-33). God is

loving and careful in His discipline. He will not discipline us beyond

what we need or can bear.

Discipline is not evidence of hatred, but of love. The Bible

teaches that the father who disciplines his children loves His kids: “he

that spareth his rode hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth

him betimes” (Proverbs 13:24). The rod is evidence of paternal love.

It is because God is jealous for our love, that He is angry with us

when we do not love Him.

Proof of Sonship

Second, chastisement comforts us since it is strong evidence

of our sonship. “If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as

with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?”

(Hebrews 12:7) Not a single one of God‟s children will miss out on

loving discipline. Discipline is a privilege that is extended only to

God‟s children. It is undeserved. It is a gift of grace. The ancient

world found it incomprehensible that a father could possibly love his

child and not chastise him.

22

The writer to the Hebrews states: “But if ye be without

chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not

sons” (Hebrews 12:8). The word “bastard” is a pejorative name for

an illegitimate child. An illegitimate child is a son or daughter whom

a biological father does not claim as his own. The situation of

illegitimate children in ancient times was often dire. Such a child did

not have the care and protection of a father. No father claimed him as

a legal child with rights of inheritance. The illegitimate child might

be a source of shame and embarrassment to the father because he

reminded others of the fornication or adultery of the biological father.

The illegitimate child was denied the grooming and discipline that

legitimate children received.

What a terrible thing it is to be left fatherless! Spiritually if

you are illegitimate it means that you do not have God for a father.

Instead you are a child of the Devil.

The reprobate wicked are subject to God‟s judgments and

punishments, but only His elect children receive His discipline.

God‟s children are not punished because God punished His Son on

the cross for the sins of His elect.

The Heidelberg Catechism teaches “That the eternal Father of

our Lord Jesus Christ…is, for the sake of God His Son, my God and

my Father” (Answer 26). Paul wrote about our Father that He

“predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to

himself, according to the good pleasure of his will” (Ephesians 1:5).

Discipline is evidence of our adoption. It shows that God views us

legally as His own children. The legal papers of our adoption were

written with a pen of blood.

God uses discipline to deliver us from the remnants of our

natural sonship to the Devil.

Proof of Fatherly Goals

Third, corrective discipline comforts us because it is evidence

of God‟s Fatherly goals. He uses corrective discipline to make us

holier. The writer to the Hebrews states that God disciplines us “that

we might be partakers of his holiness” (Hebrews 12:10b). Earthly

fathers can be too lax. Or earthly fathers can discipline the wrong

child. They can discipline a child because they are upset from a bad

day at work. But God‟s work in discipline always is wise and is

always done for the right motives.

23

Jonathan Edwards said: “They are holy by being made

partakers of God‟s holiness, Heb. Xii.10. The saints are beautiful and

blessed by a communication of God‟s holiness and joy, as the moon

and planets are bright by the sun‟s light. The saint hath spiritual joy

and pleasure by a kind of effusion of God on the soul.” It lies in the

very nature of God‟s love to perfect us.

God‟s goal is to produce in us “the peaceable fruit of

righteousness”: “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be

joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable

fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby”

(Hebrews 12:11). A spanking or a privilege revoked is painful. But

joy arrives later. Eventually there comes the harvest of righteousness

and peace. This peacefulness is the taste of sweetness that we

experience when all is well between us and God.

Submit to the Chastening of God

So how do you respond when God sends corrective

discipline? Sometimes we know very well that an event or

experience is corrective discipline. The man who falls into the sin of

drunkenness finds himself sitting in the back of a police cruiser. The

man who falls into the sin of viewing pornography on the internet

experiences guilt and shame. It does not take a rocket scientist to

conclude that God is sending corrective discipline to His child. How

should you respond to fatherly discipline?

You must not respond to corrective discipline in either of the

following ways; despising it or fainting under it.

First, you may not regard such discipline lightly: “My son,

despise not thou the chastening of the LORD” (Hebrews 12:5b). You

despise God‟s discipline when you act like a Stoic—you need to just

grin and bear it. You despise God‟s chastening by ignoring the hand

of God in your life. You treat corrective discipline lightly if you

complain, as if God is mistreating you. If you question God‟s

motives and question the nature of the discipline, you regard it lightly.

If you choose to remain indifferent to the significance of your

discipline and what God is trying to teach you, you despise it. Then

you act as if you are an illegitimate son.

Second, you may not respond to discipline by losing heart:

“nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him” (Hebrews 12:5b). Another

possible response is to be spiritually immobilized. This happens

when a Christian becomes paralyzed by his suffering and feels

24

hopeless. You cop out in respect to God‟s discipline by acting like it

is too hard for you to bear. Your Father knows exactly what you

need—and He will provide the grace for you to bear up under it.

Positively you must submit to your Father‟s corrective

discipline. The writer to the Hebrews makes an argument from the

lesser to the greater: “Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh

which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much

rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?” (Hebrews

12:9) Respect and submission characterized ancients in regard to

their natural fathers. How much more should our Father in Heaven be

respected! Since God always has good motives in corrective

discipline, His glory and our good, we should accept it. We should

accept preventative discipline as a gift of grace! Believe that your

Father is disciplining you for your good. Then receive it! Fear it!

Learn from it!

If you despise God‟s chastening in your life then you have no

real comfort. Submit yourself to the discipline of your loving Father.

Repent of your sins. Be comforted by what God is accomplishing in

your life. And learn to fear the rod of your Beloved Father.

The child of God believes that his besetting sins will not be

without consequences, for he is not a bastard, but a child of the

Heavenly Father!

Thought Questions

1. What is the difference between being punished by a judge

and chastised by a father?

25

2. How can you know when a time of suffering is a

chastisement or not?

3. Of what is Fatherly discipline a sign?

4. How has God chastised you?

5. Especially what besetting sin has resulted in chastisement?

26

6. What are some wrong ways in which you might respond to

Fatherly discipline?

7. Why should you view it as a privilege to receive

chastisements?

8. How ought you to respond to Fatherly chastisements?

27

3

By Faith Avoid the

Besetting Sins of

Americans

In Ephesians 6:16 the Apostle Paul includes among our

Christian armor “the shield of faith.” What we believe is a shield

against the fiery temptations of the wicked. Faith is therefore vital in

the battle against besetting sins.

In your battle against besetting sins, you must be like Moses.

Moses believed. He trusted in God.

It was by faith that he chose to avoid the besetting sins of the

Egyptians and to join the side of a slave-nation. From a worldly

perspective Moses sacrificed everything for nothing! He gave up the

pleasures of sin, the treasures of Egypt, and his title as a prince in

Egypt for a life of suffering with the people of God.

From faith‟s perspective, what Moses sacrificed is like dung,

refuse, and garbage compared to what he gained as a worshiper of

God.

Moses Chose to Avoid the Besetting Sins of the Egyptians

Moses chose “rather to suffer affliction with the people of

God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season” (Hebrews 11:25).

Sin is often fun. The besetting sins of the Egyptians are called “the

28

pleasures of sin.” Habitual sins often bring physical or mental

pleasure. There is the satisfying aftermath of delivering a put-down.

Besetting sins can feed your pride or satisfy physical appetites.

What pleasure does your besetting sin provide?

We would not sin unless we thought that our sin would

provide us with something pleasurable or desirable.

In her luxury, Egypt bathed in depravity. Egypt represents

the sinful world from the perspective of the pleasures of sin. Some of

the besetting sins of the Egyptians were gross and vile sins. Others

were more civilized and upper-crust.

It would have been easy for Moses to join the crowd of his

peers in trampling God‟s commandments. Think of a game of fox

and geese. After it snowed, my classmates used to make new, fresh

trails through the snow. Then we would play tag. After playing for a

while, a few children would start to trample elsewhere in the snow.

As soon as the rest of the kids started seeing that the trails were being

wrecked, a psychological barrier would be broken, and everyone

would feel free to trample around and mess up the snow between the

trails. But Moses did not join in with the rest of his peers who were

trampling God‟s commandments.

The pleasures of sin were the sinful pleasures that held in

bondage the rich and powerful in Egypt. They were the habitual sins

of the royal family, into which Moses had been adopted. These

habitual sins included women, wine, and music. These besetting sins

included violations of the seventh commandment. Remember that it

was in Egypt that Pharaoh had wanted to add Abraham‟s wife Sarah

to his harem. Later Pharaohs would marry their biological sisters.

Potiphar‟s wife assumed that she had the right to seduce the slave of

her husband whose name was Joseph.

The besetting sin of gluttony was alive and well. The

Israelites had a besetting sin of coveting the fine vegetables and foods

that they had enjoyed in Egypt. There was the abuse of authority.

The Hebrew people had wrongly been enslaved. There was the

besetting sin of idolatry. Also the Pharaohs were worshiped as gods.

The pyramids are monuments to the gigantic EGO‟s of these ancient

kings.

The treasures of Egypt were the rewards that Moses could

have enjoyed as an Egyptian prince. These treasures were what

provided the money to spend on sinful habits. Discoveries such as the

tomb of King Tut, who lived only a hundred or so years after Moses,

have shown us how vastly rich Egypt was at its peak.

29

The writer to the Hebrews reminds us of the fleeting nature of

sinful pleasures. Moses chose to suffer with the people of God rather

“than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season” (Hebrews 11:25).

The fleeting nature of sinful pleasures is in itself a good reason not to

indulge them. The pleasures of sin are only pleasurable for a

moment. A desire is satisfied, but the itch returns soon enough.

Many besetting sins of our fellow Americans are sinful

pleasures. With all of our prosperity we can also enjoy the pleasures

of sin. Want fun? Just join Egypt! Sinful Americans relish lust—

salivating over enticing magazines, books, and movies. A besetting

sin of Americans is greed and covetousness. Money is a god before

which thousands bow. Fame is another popular idol. Countless many

are disobedient to parents and superiors. Alcohol is a god to which

not only do many men and women bow for the fleeting pleasure but

also which is a Master who enchains the worshiper. Sabbath breaking

is a besetting sin on the part of athletes and the ticket-holders who

spend their Sundays bowing down before their favorite athletes.

All of these sins many of your peers slide into. They are like

cars driving up a snow-covered road in the Rocky Mountains. A

large truck made tracks in the two feet deep snow. But then the truck

veered off a cliff. Coming behind, one car after another, with its tires

stuck in the tracks, inevitably crashes down the mountainside. Moses

is like a car that, by an act of God, lurches out of the huge tracks,

avoids the rut, and successfully climbs the mountain. The besetting

sins of our culture exert a strong pull on us. In fact the pull is so

strong, that only an act of God the Holy Spirit can pull us out of such

sins into the path of holiness.

The Age of Discretion

Moses made an important choice when he “was come to

years.” He was actually forty years old. The faith that God had given

him in the home of Amram and Jochebed had been nurtured for the

many years that he grew up as an Egyptian prince. The time arrived

rather late in Moses‟ life when he made a firm choice against the

pleasures of sin. If you have reached the age of discretion, you also

face an important choice. Moses made a good choice, the right

choice.

He refused to be called “son of Pharaoh‟s daughter.” This

was a title like “Duke of York.” His public refusal to be called “son

of Pharaoh‟s daughter” was a dangerous insult to Pharaoh.

30

Moses crossed his Rubicon when he was visiting the

Israelites and saw an Egyptian task-master murder an Israelite. He

reacted by killing the Egyptian. He hoped to play a role as Israel‟s

deliverer. But to his chagrin he learned that the Israelites did not

view him as a deliverer. The news got out and he had to flee Egypt.

He had made his choice.

Faith sees into the Spiritual Realm

How was it that Moses could choose to be called the son of

Amram and Jochabed instead of enjoying the perks of royalty? How

could he choose for revilement rather than honor? How could he give

up his right to manifest himself as a prince in his land to join an

enslaved nation?

We are told that Moses “endured, as seeing him who is

invisible” (Hebrews 11:27b). This is a wonderful description of faith.

Faith sees beyond the visible world into another, the invisible. Faith

is able to comprehend spiritual realities—the greatest of which is the

existence and glory and power of the great I AM. John Calvin wrote

that “the true character of faith is to set God always before our eyes.”

“Faith,” Calvin says, “beholds higher and more hidden things in God

than what our senses can perceive.” Faith is like spiritual radar. Even

in the middle of snowstorms airplanes can land at O‟Hare airport.

The pilots cannot see the landing strip with their naked eyes. But

they rely on radar and their instruments to know where they are. So it

is with faith. Faith enables us to see spiritual realities that help guide

our life.

The phrase “seeing him who is invisible” is a paradoxical

statement. By definition you cannot see someone who is invisible!

The idea is not that Moses saw God with the naked eye. It is true that

Moses did see the backside of God one time. But Moses saw God by

believing in His existence and presence. He believed in the presence

of the invisible King of kings when he went to face the king of Egypt.

Faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1 as “the substance

(confidence) of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” If

faith is a conviction of things hoped for, then it is first a conviction

regarding the unseen God. He who comes to God must believe that

He is. Moses‟ lifelong vision of God was the secret to his

perseverance and courage.

Faith enables you to weigh the value of obedience versus the

cost of committing your besetting sin. Amazingly, by faith Moses

31

believed that the reward of obeying God was greater than the

treasures in Egypt. We are told about Moses: “Esteeming the

reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he

had respect unto the recompense of the reward” (Hebrews 11:26).

Moses put an altogether different value on the treasures of Egypt than

his fellow princes and princesses. Faith does a bit of accounting. It

sees that the treasures of this world rust and become corrupted and are

lost and stolen.

Faith sees the everlasting value of the treasures that are found

in the city of God. Faith is able to see what constitutes true riches.

Amazingly Moses saw that “the reproach of Christ” was great riches!

How can suffering with Christ be something to covet? Jesus made

clear that when you suffer persecution for his sake, you have reason

to rejoice because you have a great reward in Heaven.

It was because Moses saw spiritual realities by faith that he

decided to be called an Israelite and be hounded out of the nation

rather than having men bowing at his feet. The natural man looks at

Moses‟ choice and wonders whether he is all there.

By Faith Battle your Besetting Sin

By faith you need to believe that you are a child of God. You

are a son of Abraham, not an Egyptian. Therefore you ought not to

live like Egyptians. As one of God‟s people, you need to live like

what you are, a child of God.

Faith fights temptation by laying hold on invisible realities.

You must admit the need for faith in your daily life. If it was “by

faith” that all of these heroes of faith were able to serve God and void

sin, then it is only by faith that we are going to be able to triumph as

well.

Faith sees that we are freed from sin. Paul wrote about us

Christians: “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of

righteousness” (Romans 6:18). If a master or servant dies, then the

relationship between the two is broken. If a servant is liberated from

his master, that old master no longer has dominion.

Faith believes that you have a new master: “For sin shall not

have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under

grace” (Romans 6:14). Christ has delivered us from bondage to sin.

When the Israelites left Egypt, Pharaoh was no longer master. Faith

believes that we are already dead to sinful passions: “How shall we

that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:2)

32

Faith battles temptation by believing the promises and

warnings of God. By faith Moses instituted the Passover. God told

Moses to tell the Israelites to keep the Passover. Moses commanded

the Israelites to slay lambs and daub the blood on the top and sides of

their doorways. Moses had nothing to go on but God‟s word. It

might have seemed strange that doorposts sprinkled with blood would

protect the firstborn sons of the Israelites. But faith believes the

promises and warnings of God and takes them seriously. Moses

believed God and therefore he killed a lamb and daubed the blood on

the door of his own home. He also took seriously the warning that if

he did not obey God, the angel of God would destroy his firstborn

son.

Faith is helpful in battling against besetting sins because

when we believe God‟s warnings we have good reason to turn away

from a sin that brings consequences.

Faith battles besetting sins by not fearing people who might

put pressure upon us to continue in sin. The greatest pressure that

Moses faced was fear because of the wrath of Pharaoh. Fear is one of

Satan‟s most effective and therefore most widely used weapons. He

uses fear of being unpopular to enslave his millions. When we have

faith in God, we do not fear men. When we believe that the invisible

God is with us, then we will be able to stand up to the great pressure

that comes from peers.

Faith also battles besetting sins by trusting in Christ for

strength. By faith Moses looked ahead to Christ. It is remarkable that

Moses is said to have esteemed “the reproach of Christ greater riches

than the treasures in Egypt” (Hebrews 11:26). The question is asked:

How could Moses endure the sufferings of Christ when He had not

yet come? Moses knew that a greater prophet than he was coming.

He knew about the promised seed of the woman who would crush the

head of the serpent. He knew that a star would arise out of Jacob. He

knew that there would come a lion from the tribe of Judah. He looked

ahead to Christ. Before Jesus was born in Bethlehem or was crucified

outside of Jerusalem, Moses identified with Him and went forth to

Jesus outside the camp, bearing his reproach (Hebrews 13:13).

To battle against besetting sins, fix your eyes upon Jesus.

Those who look away from Christ will never finish well. When Peter

took his eyes off Christ while he walked on the Sea of Galilee, he

immediately plunged into the stormy sea. Keep your eyes on Jesus

because He is the author and finisher of the race. Looking to the

33

cross of Jesus we discover that Christ not only took away all of our

sins, but He merited for us the power to fight sin.

John Calvin writes about the importance of looking to Jesus.

He writes “that a view of God alone is sufficient to strengthen our

weakness, so that we may become firmer than rocks to withstand all

the assaults of Satan.” He adds: “It hence follows, that the weaker

and the less resolute any one is, the less faith he has.” The

implication is that if you easily give in to besetting sins, your faith is

weak. May God strengthen our faith. As we look to Jesus we are

strengthened and transformed into His image.

Thought Questions

1. Explain the choice that Moses faced.

2. What choice do you face today?

3. What is faith?

34

4. How did faith inform Moses‟ decision?

5. What role can faith play in fighting against besetting sins?

6. What do you need to believe that will help you fight against

your besetting sin?

35

4

Leave Past Guilt Behind at

Calvary

King David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, composed Psalm 32.

The Holy Spirit‟s motive was to teach us the importance of

confessing our sins and leaving past guilt behind at the cross. In this

Psalm we discover that the way of happiness is the way of confessing,

not suppressing guilt. The confession of your besetting sins leads to

the good effects of forgiveness, restoration, and prayers for power.

David experienced a wonderful release when he finally

confessed his sin to God. The purpose of Psalm 32 is to encourage

believers to seize on the hope of divine grace that is available for

those who honestly confess their sins.

Guilty Silence

There are two spiritual principles that we will look at in this

chapter. First, negatively, there is the following spiritual principle:

Suppressing guilt from past sins will hinder you from fighting against

besetting sin in the future. Second and positively we will see that

36

Confessing your past sins and receiving forgiveness paves the way for

a strong battle against besetting sins.

Suppressing guilt from past sins will hinder you from fighting

against your besetting sin.

Guilt is a legitimate feeling. The believer has a feeling of

shame and sorrow after he sins. This feeling comes from the

knowledge that you have sinned against God and your neighbor.

Guilt is the awareness that you deserve punishment. Objectively

speaking, guilt is liability for punishment. If a judge declares you

guilty in court this means that you will deserve a punishment.

Subjectively we experience this liability for punishment as we feel

guilty and shameful and sorrowful. Feelings of guilt can be very

painful. Your conscience convicts you that you have shamefully

disobeyed God and wronged your neighbor.

King David sings in Psalm 32 about how he suppressed his

guilt. He describes his attempt to suppress his guilt in terms of guilty

silence: “When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my

roaring all the day long” (Psalm 32:3). Guilty silence about a sin is

suppression.

David kept quiet about his role in Uriah‟s death. He

suppressed his sin. He shoved it deep down inside his soul. He tried

to forget about his sin and imagined that it would go away. He

refused to face God with his sin. He deluded himself with the thought

that if he kept quiet about his sin, even God would remain in the dark

about it.

Guilt suppression arises out of pride.

In pride we want to hide our sins. First, we want to hide our

sins from ourselves. We are too proud to admit that we are as bad of

sinners as we are. Suppression of guilt protects the false image of

yourself that you are kind and loving. Guilt suppression does not

alter the reality that you deserve punishment. Second, we try to hide

our sins from others. Even if I have sinned against another person, I

do not want to acknowledge this to that person. Human beings want

others to think well of them. Third, in pride we try to hide our sins

from God. How absurd the thought—that we can hide our sins from

God! Yet Adam and Eve went and hid among the trees in the Garden

of Eden. We want to hide our sins from God because we fear Him as

Judge.

In pride we want to play down the gravity of our sins. We

view serious besetting sins as small matters that hardly need to be

confessed in a personal relationship.

37

How humble David is in Psalm 32. He ransacks the Hebrew

language to find words to describe the true nature of his sin. He uses

three words to describe the gravity of his sin in committing adultery

with Bathsheba and then murdering Uriah the Hittite.

The first word that David speaks of is “transgression.” When

you fall into your besetting sin, you act in defiance against God.

Transgression is “a going away” or “departure.” It is rebellion

against God and his authority. A transgressor is literally a person

who jerks loose or tears loose. God has set a boundary for how men

ought to live. Transgression is a word that refers to the rebellious

stepping out of bounds. This word describes how willfully we

disobey God. Transgression means departure. This departure is from

the right path. It is done intentionally and is an act of rebellion. You

do not understand the gravity of your sin against another person

unless you realize that you have sinned against God. The blackness

of your sinning is that you act in flat rebellion against God Himself.

David confesses in Psalm 51:4: “Against thee, thee only have I

sinned.”

A second word that David uses to describe the gravity of his

sin is the word that is translated in English as “sin.” The Hebrew

word behind this means “missing the mark.” God has set a certain

mark for every man to shoot at. The bull‟s eye that God demands that

men hit is the glory of God. God has provided man with numerous

arrows. When we sin we search for another target. You are not a

victim of circumstances. You deliberately seek your own glory when

you commit your habitual sin. You miss the mark of the glory of

God.

A third word that describes David‟s sin is “iniquity.” Your

sins involve twistedness. Sin involves distortion. The sinner is

warped, bent, and twisted instead of being straight, perfect, and true.

Sin is a twisting of what God created straight. So “iniquity” describes

sin in relation to yourself. It is a twisting of your own being. When

you sin you distort how God created man to act.

In pride we also deny that we deserve judgment and

punishment. That is why God used the story of the Prophet Nathan to

get David to convict himself. Nathan told of a poor man who had

only one lamb that grew up with his children. The lamb drank of his

own cup and lay in his bosom and was like a daughter. A traveler

came to the rich man and the rich man took the poor man‟s lamb and

fed it to the visitor. David was angry and he condemned the rich man

38

to death. He had to restore the lamb fourfold. Then when David‟s

guard was down, Nathan said: “Thou art the man” (II Samuel 12:7).

Consequences of Guilty Silence

As a child of God can you keep guilty silence without God

chastising you? No, there are consequences for suppressing guilt.

First, there are feelings of being distant from God. Since your guilt is

a barrier, there does remain a distance between God and you. There

is fear that God would withdraw His Holy Spirit. Suppressed guilt is

a barrier to the Spirit‟s sanctifying work.

Second, guilty silence robbed David of the joy of his

salvation. He asks for it to be restored in Psalm 51. How can you

rejoice in salvation if you cannot rejoice in forgiveness? Usually

David was a happy man, but no more.

Third, David became sorrowful and depressed. David tells us

that his “bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long”

(Psalm 32:3). This “roaring” describes how he was sobbing and

groaning.

Fourth, guilt suppression leads to chastisements in your body.

David tells us: “For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me”

(Psalm 32:4). Guilt suppression can result in physical illness.

Suppressed guilt festers. David says “my moistures is turned into the

drought of summer” (Psalm 32:4). David bore the brunt of his guilt

in his body. He does not just describe spiritual anguish. If you bottle

up guilt, do not be surprised if it festers like a sore in your body. It

will eat away at your bones. You will feel physical results of spiritual

choices. David felt drained, he had no energy. Sam Storms says: “He

was quite literally sick because of his refusal to “come clean” with

God.” Storms adds: “His body ached because his soul was in

rebellion.” This is the price tag you will pay for suppressing guilt!

We are often like David. Do you always confess your sins to

God? Think of the last time that you committed a besetting sin. Did

you immediately fly to God for forgiveness? Are you tempted to

white-wash your sin?

Guilty silence hinders our battle against sin. This is how:

Where prayers of confession do not exist, neither do prayers of

supplication. Why would God answer prayers of supplication where

there are no prayers of confession? The natural order is: confession

of sin, awareness of forgiveness, a desire to avoid future sin, and

therefore prayers of petition for help. Where there is no sense of

39

forgiveness and grace there will be no encouragement to ask for

powerful grace.

So one reason why you do not grow in holiness is that you

suppress guilt and as a result feel powerless to fight besetting sins.

You avoid God‟s face in prayer, so you do not ask for gracious gifts

to fight sin. You end up feeling like past choices control what you

will decide to do in the future.

You feel and act like your past holds your future in chains.

You feel in bondage to the past.

Satan likes to spread the lie that if you simply commit a sin

once, it will have no consequences. But as soon as you commit the

sin, then Satan comes with the lie that you now are unable to avoid

the sin and are chained to it.

Therefore you must leave past guilt behind. You must leave

guilt for the sins you committed in the past, behind, at Calvary. On

Calvary‟s tree all of the sins of elect sinners are nailed to the cross.

Jesus is the Guilt-Bearer. You can and must believe that on Calvary

Christ has provided a complete remedy for your guilt. You need to

go to Calvary‟s Christ and hide in him. The famous hymn goes:

“Rock of Ages, cleft for me. Let me hide myself in thee…”

God provides genuine forgiveness for all past sins as we

confess them. You must believe this. Therefore you do not need to

reconfess past sins repeatedly. If you are constantly reconfessing a

past sin this might imply that you do not believe that God forgave you

when you confessed it in the past. Instead you need to thank God for

past forgiveness. Believe that God‟s word is true—that as you

confess your sins God is faithful to forgive your sins.

Illegitimate Guilt

Illegitimate guilt is a Satanic weapon. The believer who

keeps reconfessing past sins demonstrates that he is feeling

illegitimate guilt. If you feel guilty for a sin that you confessed in the

past, you have unlawful guilt. Illegitimate guilt comes from a lack of

faith in God as a forgiving Father.

Another form that illegitimate guilt takes is a feeling of guilt

because of the sin of another. Sometimes parents can foster personal

feelings of guilt over the bad decisions of a child. Parents of a

prodigal can feel illegitimate guilt. They need to recognize that their

child is responsible for his actions.

40

Sometimes a victim can have feelings of guilt. If you feel

guilt about a sin that an authority figure committed against you that is

illegitimate guilt.

Wrong ways to deal with Guilt

The history of pagan religions is the history of wrong ways of

dealing with guilt. You need to identify wrong ways in which you try

to deal with guilt. One wrong way is by punishing self in order to

atone for sins committed. Have you ever tried to make up for sins

you committed? When you try to punish yourself for doing

something wrong, you are implying that you can atone for your own

guilt. The truth is that only Jesus can pay for your guilt.

Another way that we wrongly try to deal with guilt is by

doing good works. Have you ever sinned and then tried to make up

for it by good works. We can act like good works are meritorious and

can pay for past guilt.

How to deal with Legitimate Guilt

The polar opposite of suppressing your guilt is repenting of

your sin, confessing it, and asking God for forgiveness. First, you

must identify legitimate guilt. Identify past sins that you have not

confessed. Identify sins that you are not committed to avoiding.

Realize that there is a reason why you feel guilty, because you have

sinned against God. You need to honestly look at your life and

realize where you are hurting other people. You need to make a

searching inventory of your life. Is it not striking that Step 4 in the

Alcoholics Anonymous program is: “Make a searching and fearless

moral inventory of ourselves.” It is frightening to take a moral

inventory of yourself. No one likes to face the darkness of his own

soul. No one likes to admit that he has sinned. No one relishes

confessing his sin. Facing your fault can be terribly uncomfortable.

That is why people try to hide their faults. The NIV Application

Commentary states: “Twelve-step groups are full of people who

followed their sense of powerlessness and fear of being discovered as

they really were into years of hiding their fears in a variety of

destructive behaviors: alcoholism, drug addiction, sexual compulsion,

eating disorders, gambling addiction, and many, many others.”

The guilt you feel for your sins must not be suppressed, but

confessed! David says: “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine

41

iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto

the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin” (Psalm 32:5).

Confess your sin in a timely manner. David states: “For this

shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou

mayest be found” (Psalm 32:6). Today is a day of opportunity, a time

when God may be found. Implied in David‟s words is the sobering

truth that the opportunity to repent will not always be there.

Seek forgiveness. Ask your heavenly Father graciously to

forgive you. Joy is not found in suppressing your guilt but in asking

for and receiving forgiveness from God. Believe that your Father will

happily forgive you, as He loves to do.

The Forgiven Believer is a Happy Christian

The Christian who is forgiven is happy. The first verses of

Psalm 32 begin on a jubilant note; they express the joy of the forgiven

sinner. Psalm 32 is the second Psalm that begins with the word

“blessed.” The first was Psalm 1 that rejoiced in the blessedness of

the man who walks in God‟s ways. Now we discover that even

though we fall into sin and do not walk in God‟s ways, as we repent

we are blessed.

Psalm 32 literally begins with the plural; “Blessednesses.”

There is no greater happiness than to know that your guilt is taken

away. Your besetting sin may be yelling at your children, punching

your wife, stealing money, cheating on a business partner, lying on

your taxes, taking God‟s name in vain, breaking the Sabbath day,

spoiling your children, or even adultery. It does not matter what your

besetting sin is---God is willing to forgive the penitent sinner. God

forgives all the sins that His children confess whether those sins

include murder or gossip.

The joy of forgiveness is the greatest of all joys: “Be glad in

the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are

upright in heart” (Psalm 32:11).

So great is the blessedness of being forgiven that David

ransacks the Hebrew dictionary to describe this blessed gift. He uses

three words to describe forgiveness. The first is “forgiven”: “Blessed

is he whose transgression is forgiven” (Psalm 32:1a). The word

literally means “to carry away.” Your sin is like an oppressive weight

from which you need to be relieved. God lifts the heavy burden of

guilt off your shoulders. God lifts the crushing boulder of guilt and

takes it away! In Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan describes what

42

happens to Christian when he comes to Calvary: “his burden loosed

from off his shoulders and fell from off his back and began to tumble,

and so continued to do so, till it came to the mouth of the sepulcher,

where it fell in” and was seen no more. The hymn-writer wrote: “My

sin—O the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part, but the

whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more.”

The second word for the gift of forgiveness is “cover”:

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered”

(Psalm 32:1). God has covered your sins from view. He does not see

them any more. He casts our sins into the sea of everlasting

forgetfulness!

Third, David says that guilt is not “imputed” to us: “Blessed

is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose

spirit there is no guilt” (Psalm 32:2). This word “imputeth” is a book

keeping term. Think of an account. There is a charge of innumerable

debts that must be paid. The debts are written in letters on the left

side of the ledger. Because of our sins we are spiritually bankrupt!

But God does not impute or count the sins of the repentant sinner

against him. God writes our sins into Christ’s ledger. God imputed

our guilt to Christ and punished Christ for our debts. God counts our

debt as paid because of the atonement of Jesus.

God writes the righteousness of Christ into our ledger and

counts us as justified because of His merit.

The awareness that our sins are forgiven, covered, and not

imputed to us fills our hearts with joy. We are amazed by grace.

The Happy Christian is most Effective in Fighting Sin

The happy Christian knows how blessed he is. As a result he

has a heart of gratitude. The grateful Christian is a holy Christian.

When you believe that God has taken all of your guilt away, you can

believe that He will also give you strength to fight against sin.

I am glad that God promises that the forgiven sinner will be

taught and guided by Him: “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the

way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye” (Psalm

32:8). I am glad that God promises this. As wonderful as forgiveness

is, as a Christian I also want to stop sinning. I want to avoid incurring

guilt. I want to show God how much I love Him who first loved me.

Being forgiven by God, He does not keep us trapped in the past. He

43

will watch over us and guide us. He will give us direction. He will

keep an eye on us to keep us from getting lost.

We have a God who is not only our Justifier, but our

Sanctifier. All because of His great grace!

Thought Questions

1. For what did David feel guilt? What were the consequences

of David trying to stuff his feelings of guilt?

2. What is guilt?

3. How does God give us feelings of guilt?

4. For what things can there be illegitimate guilt?

5. How do you wrongly try to deal with legitimate guilt?

44

6. What is guilty silence? Why do we engage in guilt

suppression? Over what sins have you kept a guilty silence?

7. How is guilt suppression a hindrance to fighting against

besetting sins?

8. How is confession of sin and experiencing forgiveness

helpful in the battle against your besetting sin?

45

5

Vowing to Avoid Besetting

Sins

The story of Job gives us a window into the godliness and

commitment to godliness of an Old Testament believer. We New

Testament Christians should covet the radical commitment of Job to

the pursuit of holiness. Job made a covenant vow to avoid a sin that

is often a besetting sin of American Christians. This vow is a

testimony to his integrity. It witnesses to the seriousness with which

he fought temptation.

In America we are into the habit of making New Year‟s

resolutions. A person might resolve to exercise more, stop smoking,

or to spend more time with his family. We American Christians have

a need for spiritual resolutions. We need to sing: “My wav „ring heart

is now resolved Thy holy statutes to fulfill” (Psalter #321, stanza 3).

Job’s Resolution

Job made a covenant with his eyes: “I made a covenant with

mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?” (Job 31:1) The

word “covenant” is one of the most heavily freighted words in the

Bible. The word describes God‟s vow of commitment to His people.

God‟s covenant reveals the responsibilities that bind God and Israel

together in an unbreakable relationship. The word is used to describe

46

the binding commitments that kings made with each other. Around

Job‟s time God established His covenant of grace with Abram.

In the book of Job the word “covenant” is used two other

times. In one context God speaks about Leviathan, a powerful

creature and the possibility of it making a covenant. Even if a man

could capture Leviathan, even then the animals would not make a

“covenant” with its master that resulted in passivity and servile

obedience (Job 41:3-4). God uses the language of a covenant to make

a statement about the amazing power of the creatures He made.

Leviathan would not be at peace with any human master.

The other place where the word “covenant” is used is in Job

5:23 where Eliphaz‟s counsels Job that if he can learn to accept

misfortunate, then one day he will be in “covenant” with the stones of

the field and at peace with the wild animals. This pictures a removal

of the curse and the restoral of Edenic harmony. In both cases being

in covenant involves having made an oath or vow that results in a

state of harmony and peace.

To make a covenant with one‟s eyes is an unusual twist on

the theme of covenant making. Job makes a covenant with his

physical eyes. He resolves to walk around wearing blinders. The

Amish have blinders on their horses so that the animals do not see the

cars and trucks speeding by. Job vows to wear spiritual blinders so

that he does not lust. There was no more solemn and public way to

make a commitment in the ancient world than to swear a covenant

oath. There is also no more solemn way for us today to express

commitment to God‟s commandments than swearing a solemn,

covenant oath. Through this covenant Job forcefully stresses His

allegiance to God.

He makes a resolution. As a younger man, Job made this

resolution with respect to his future. He wants to avoid the occasion

of sin. He will keep himself from a sight that might trigger lust.

Job vows to avoid looking lustfully on a virgin: “why then

should I think upon a maid?” (Job 31:1) A “maid” is a virgin or

young woman. Jesus said: “But I say unto you, That whosoever

looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her

already in his heart” (Matthew 5:28).

Your eyes are the gates by which all kinds of evil things gain

access to your heart and mind. You can use your eyes to feed the

beast of lust in your heart. Those who would keep their hearts must

guard their eyes. The eye is the window to the heart.

47

Job vows to restrict his sight. He will restrain his eyes from

looking at another man‟s wife or an available young virgin. He will

manifest true chastity in his heart.

Job promises to control his eyes to keep any sight that would

tempt his heart to lust from entering. The Law forbid looking at

certain things: “And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look

upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do

them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes,

after which ye use to go a whoring” (Numbers 15:39).

Sin needs to be starved of oxygen.

To “think” means “to look intently” or “to gaze.” Job did not

want to leer. He vows to close the door of his eyes so that his heart

would not have the possibility lustfully to gaze at a woman. We read

of “wanton eyes” (Isaiah 3:16) and “eyes full of adultery” (II Peter

2:14) in the Bible. John Calvin writes: “All the wicked fantasies that

we have when we are attracted to evil, are so many sins.” Job knew

that heart-adultery was sin. Therefore he vowed to avoid looking

intently at a maid.

Some recent biblical scholars claim that Job‟s covenant with

his eyes was not merely about lust, but was a covenant to avoid a

widespread form of idolatry, devotion to the goddess of fertility. She

was known as Venus in the Semitic world—and later as Ashtoreth in

pre-exilic Israel. Such goddesses of fertility can be found in

museums. Then Job is promising not to look at these fertility idols—

nor worship them. Their worship was connected with violations of

the seventh commandment.

But in the context of Job 31 this does not seem to fit. Job is

talking about his relationship towards the neighbor. He is not talking

about violations of the first table of the law. He is stressing that in

community he has shown love to the neighbor. In addition the

reference a few verses later to his avoidance of adultery makes clear

that he was committed to avoiding any violations of the seventh

commandment.

Job‟s vow reflects a standard for behavior that is unexcelled

in the Old Testament. The Job who utters this vow of purity shows

the tender conscience of a saint even in the Old Testament. Job held

himself to a higher code than “Thou shalt not commit adultery”, he

also held: “Thou shalt not lust.” Apparently Job felt a need to make

this vow. He was aware of how easily the sin of lust can become a

besetting sin. Perhaps it was a besetting sin in his youth.

48

The Gravity

Literally the Hebrew of Job 31:1 reads that Job “cut a

covenant” with his eyes. The making of a covenant was literally

described as “cutting a covenant.” Job‟s contemporaries would cut up

animals when they would swear a covenant oath. They would vow to

keep whatever promise they would make and if they broke their word

they would deserve to have their life taken. A covenant vow

includes an oath that is a self-imprecation. The oath requires God

either to activate the curses of the oath or to clear the swearer. A

common formula for an oath was: “May God do such to me, if I do so

and so.” Usually the swearer avoids and evades the actual curse; he

does not mention it. The swearer was often fearful of verbalizing a

specific curse. But Job is so bold that four times he specifies the

curse that should befall him if he would commit adultery. His

bravery reflects his unwavering confidence in his innocence.

In Nehemiah 10:29 we are told about the returned exiles that

“They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse,

and into an oath, to walk in God‟s law.” Scripture records how the

exiles made “a sure covenant” and wrote it down and many of the

people sealed it (Nehemiah 9:38). Nehemiah provides a list of the

men who sealed this covenant oath. They promised to avoid

intermarriage with the Canaanites and working on the Sabbath and

positively promised yearly to give a third of a shekel to support the

temple worship. What is striking is that this is explained in terms of

them entering “into a curse, and into an oath” (Nehemiah 10:29).

They understood that they were “cutting” a covenant. They were

calling down upon themselves the curses of the covenant if they

would walk in disobedience.

The seriousness with which Job viewed adultery is evident in

the sanctions he envisions for that sin. If he had violated another

man‟s wife, then his wife should “grind for another”—be subjugated

to another man. This curse seems strange to a modern audience. It

seems like Job gets off scot-free while his wife suffers. But in the

ancient world, as today, this would be a great judgment for a husband.

Since Job loved his wife it would pain him to see such a great

injustice happen to her because of his sin. A man who commits

adultery would deserve to be sent to the grave and to lose his wealth.

Job likens the consequences of adultery to a fire burning out of

control that consumes everything in its path—ultimately extending to

the depths of Abaddon, the domain of the dead. While the guilty

49

person is headed toward the grave, the flames consume all his

produce—both his standing grain and his stored grain. In addition

Job states that if he commits adultery he deserves to be punished by a

judge (Job 31:11).

Responding to the Covenant of Grace

We make vows of obedience knowing that God has first

established His covenant of grace with us. Job lived in covenant

relationship with God. He understood that in His relationship with

God there is the need for a mediator. He understands that his sins and

the sins of his children bring about a state of war between God and

them. Therefore Job sacrificed for his children, in case they had

cursed God in their heart. As a father, Job functioned as a priest. He

knew that the shedding of blood was necessary to take away guilt.

The priest is aware of his need for the Great High Priest. Job says,

“For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the

latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy

this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God” (Job 19:25,26). The

amazing thing is that God Himself steps forward and pays the price

for the sins of the one with whom He covenants. On the cross, the

curses of the covenant fell upon the Son of God in human flesh. The

blood of the Son of God incarnate is shed.

Job‟s covenant with his eyes flows out of God‟s gracious

covenant with him. Job views his part in the covenant to include

committing himself to a life of thankful obedience.

Cut a Covenant with your Eyes, Hands, or Feet

The Holy Spirit uses the promises and vows of the saints to

make them holy. The Holy Spirit works a commitment to holiness.

He uses vows to remind the saints about the gravity of disobeying

God. He uses oaths to warn the saints against breaking their

promises. He uses vows to remind the saint about the gravity of

obeying God. He also leads the saint who vows to pray for help:

“Lord, turn my eyes, in order that they may not behold vanity” (Psalm

119:37).

There is therefore benefit and value in making a vow to avoid

your besetting sin.

God used Job‟s commitment to work godly habits in his life.

Such a vow as Job‟s can only be kept by the power of God. John

50

Calvin writes: “He [Job] recognized that God had so well governed

him that he was no longer attracted by evil in his sight.”

Job could testify about his faithfulness to his wife. God used

Job‟s covenant with his eyes to protect him from adultery. Job

honestly testifies to his past godliness, to defend himself against the

charges of sin made by his three friends. He disavows lustful fancies

or any stealthy schemes to seduce a friend‟s wife: “If my heart has

been enticed by a woman or I have lurked at my friend‟s door” (Job

31:9). These words picture a man observing his neighbor‟s house,

spying on it, and watching for an opportunity to make intimate

contact with the lady of the house.

The lust of the flesh is a besetting sin of many American

Christians. It is a fatal rock on which multitudes suffer shipwreck.

Fornication is a besetting sin of singles. Viewing pornography is a

besetting sin of both men and women. Job shows the kind of

determination that is needed to fight against such besetting sins.

You ought to cut a covenant with your eyes or hands or

tongue to fight against your besetting sin. You need to vow that you

will do whatever is necessary to cut tempting circumstances out of

your life. Job reminds us of how the Lord Jesus insisted on plucking

off and cutting out whatever tempted us to sin: “And if thy right eye

offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for

thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole

body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it

off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy

members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast

into hell” (Matthew 5:29,30).

In contrast to Job and what Jesus demands, we often are not

committed to fighting against our besetting sins. We are not

committed to avoiding tempting circumstances. We view gouging

out of eyes as radical. Often we deal in an inadequate way with

temptation.

You should have a great desire to avoid your besetting sin

because of the damage it causes in your life, how it hurts your family,

and how it dishonors God.

The Holy Spirit uses practical steps to help you grow in

holiness. Holiness can only be attained as we implement very

practical steps in our daily lives. One step is a vow—a commitment

to avoid a sin.

The possibility of making such a vow and keeping it is

dependent upon the power of the Sanctifier. Such a vow can only be

51

made by the Holy Spirit powerfully working on your will, intellect,

and desires. John Calvin rightly remarked: “Job could not make such

a covenant by his free will.”

We are weak. We are more scarred by sin that we ever

realize. Naturally we love sin and would never want to renounce it.

Only with the Holy Spirit‟s help can we desire the glory of God more

than our personal pleasure in our habitual sin.

Commitment to holiness is not optional in the Christian life.

God demands that we be holy, as He is holy.

The Form for the Administration of the Lord‟s Supper that is

used in our church uses the language of making a resolution. It

implies that prior to the celebration of the Lord‟s Supper we need to

make sure that we are resolved to avoid sin. The Form states: “That

every one examine his own conscience, whether he purposeth

henceforth to show true thankfulness to God in his whole life and to

walk uprightly before him; as also, whether he hath laid aside

unfeignedly all enmity, hatred, and envy, and doth firmly resolve

henceforward to walk in true love and peace with his neighbor.” Are

you resolved to walk in true love and peace with your neighbor?

Thought Questions

1. What is the nature of the covenant that Job made?

2. Why did Job make a covenant with his physical eyes?

52

3. What is meant in Job 31:1 by “think upon a maid”?

4. If Job in the Old Testament had such high standards for

holiness and was so dedicated to holiness, why should we

New Testament Christians be even more dedicated?

5. Why is it said that Job “cut” a covenant?

6. What curses or sanctions did Job envision for the sin of

adultery?

53

7. How is it that the curses of the covenant will not fall upon

believers?

8. What does Jesus mean when he talks about cutting off your

right hand or plucking out your eye?

9. What is the benefit and value of cutting a covenant like Job

did in your fight against besetting sin?

54

55

6

Coping with Temptation

I Corinthians 10:13 is a greatly loved Scripture. Christians

have loved this text because it provides encouragement with respect

to something every believer needs to cope with—temptation. The

Apostle Paul writes in I Corinthians 10:13: “There hath no temptation

take you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will

not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the

temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

The previous verse is a familiar warning: “Wherefore let him that

thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (I Corinthians 10:12).

Christians coping with temptation have reads I Corinthians 10:13 and

found comfort. God tells us how and why we can cope with

temptation. We are going to meditate on this well-known passage in I

Corinthians so that we can like generations of Christians receive hope

to help us when we are discouraged by the power of temptations.

Discouraged by Backsliding

How do you cope with temptation? Paul speaks of trials that

contain temptations: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as

is common to man.” The Greek word for “temptation” has more than

one meaning. It can mean an attempt of the devil or a sinful man to

seduce you into sinning. So the Greek word can have the negative

connotation of an act by which someone tries to solicit you to sin

against God. We use the word “temptation” in this sense when we

56

pray: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” But the

Greek word can also have a positive sense and mean a test sent by

God. God sends trials to test our faith and love. In I Corinthians

10:13 the emphasis probably falls on temptation as an attempt to

seduce a person into sin. But perhaps the idea of a trial is also lurking

in the background. Since God tries us by allowing wicked men and

devils to tempt us—trials and temptation often arrive together.

The words “There hath no temptation take you” imply that

temptation seizes a person. Satan dangles the bait before you and if

the temptation is powerful you can be overcome with a desire for

gratification. Temptation wants to overtake you, to control you.

Christians in the church in Corinth in the first century were especially

tempted by the sins of idolatry, drunkenness, and fornication. The

saints were often in the throes of temptation. The tense of the verb

implies that this was going on for some time. They felt the power of

temptations to return to their old ways of paganism. We also are

easily over taken by temptation. The pleasures of sin tempt us. We

covet the approval of our peers. We are tempted to curse God when

we face hardships in life.

How painful it is when we backslide into a besetting sin.

Rev. James Slopsema has written:

Very easily temptation seizes hold of us and won‟t let us go.

We find that they are so overpowering that we are falling

victim to them again and again. Time and again we vow

never again to fall into the sins into which we have been led

by temptation. But before we realize it, temptation had led

into the same shameful sins again.”

How discouraging it is when you fall back into the same old trap.

Perhaps for a while you successfully avoided the besetting sin. You

were even satisfied with how things were going. But just when you

thought that the old sin had lost its attractions you find yourself

sliding back down the same old slippery slope. You wonder, “Is there

any hope?”

When we crowd the Scriptures and prayer and public worship

to the outside of our lives, we backslide. Spiritual coasting results in

backsliding. How wearisome it is to slip back into old sins! We

know that God calls us to holiness. We know that our sins are evil

and hurtful. We wonder whether we will be any holier next year than

we were last year.

57

We even question whether it is possible to overcome certain

besetting sins. Temptations seem constant and overwhelming. Why

should you not just give up in the face of the enemies and pressures

you face? Are not Satan and his devils far more intelligent than you?

Are not devils far more adept at tempting you than you are in

rejecting temptation? Have not devils successfully tempted hundreds

of men for centuries and even thousands of years? Are you not under

such a level of attack that you do not have the power to withstand the

attacks? Are not the demonic forces amassed against you such that

you simply do not have the spiritual resources to deal with them? Is

not your own heart so deceitful and your old flesh so ready to

influence you to sin—that there is no real hope for greater holiness in

the future?

Perhaps you can understand why Christians have struggled

with some parts of I Corinthians 10:13. First, Christians have been

troubled with it because it takes away a ready excuse they have for

giving in to temptation—namely, that the temptation was too great!

We often think that God places us in situations where we have no

choice but to sin. Second, this Scripture has been unpopular because

it implies that no trials or temptations are too great for us to bear. But

we often feel like God is sending us too painful of trials and too

powerful of temptations.

We often believe that our own situation is impossible and we

become discouraged because we imagine that our trials and

temptations are unique. Because the temptations that you face are

greater than what others face, it is no wonder that you lose motivation

in battling against them. We often feel that God unfairly sends to us

trials and suffering and unfairly allows us to be tempted in ways that

others are not. The result of such thinking is devastating. We wish

that we could have someone else‟s life situation and we really believe

that then we could be holier.

So is there any hope in fighting against your besetting sins,

especially after you experience backsliding?

God’s Caution to the Presumptuous

In I Corinthians 10:13, God tells us how to go on and why we

can cope with temptation. One strategy for fighting against

temptation is to obey the exhortation: “Wherefore let him that

thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (I Corinthians 10:12).

58

The person who presumptuously thinks that he can stand by

his own power, is in danger of falling.

To stand is to be safe in the Christian faith and life. To fall is

to fall into sin and be lost. The verb “to fall” in this context means a

loss due to rejecting God‟s grace. The Israelites experienced their

downfall in the wilderness when they defiantly rejected God and

would not trust in Him. The result of their downfall was that the

older generation could not enter into the Promised Land. The end

time prize that we seek is eternal life in the new heaven and new

earth. The Apostle Paul is not teaching that a person can fall away

from the faith who is a true Christians. But a person can certainly fall

away from his confession. The danger is that you claim to be a

Christian but then it becomes evident by your ongoing enjoyment of

sin that your confession is not authentic.

A person who thinks he stands is self-confident and has a

false security. Some Old Testament Jews thought that they were

spiritually secure because of the covenant that God had made with

their father Abraham. The Corinthians prided themselves on their

knowledge and Christian rights. Paul has in mind Christians who

place their trust in church membership or baptism and not in Jesus

Christ. Just because you are a member of a Christian church does not

guarantee that you will go to heaven.

We must avoid the danger of self-reliance. It is self-reliance

and pride that often leads to our falling back into sin. You are

negligent when you think that you are beyond the reach of danger.

John Calvin said that it was a “silly conceit” for the Christian to think

that he was strong in himself. However small a temptation might be,

if you rely on your own strength, the temptation will immediately

overcome you. The presumptuous man does not think that he really

needs the means of grace.

There is a vicious cycle when you keep falling into a

besetting sin. First, you desire never to commit the sin again. You

tasted the bitter after-taste of the sin.

Second, you begin to take pride in your avoidance of that sin.

You look down a bit on the person who does not have the self-control

to stop doing the same sin. You think: “I have not committed my pet

sin for a week.” You feel better—perhaps you stopped using drugs or

alcohol. You begin to have a superior attitude. You imagine that you

have reached the point where you are strong enough to resist

temptation. A series of successes can even set you up for a fall!

59

Third, you begin to feel that you have mastered a particular

temptation. You think that you have your problem under control.

You give a sigh of relief over the fact that you finally are getting your

spiritual life under control. That is when things can become

exceedingly dangerous.

Fourth, you think that you can play with the circumstances

that formerly tempted you to sin. You think that you can enjoy those

circumstances without sinning. You decide that you can therefore

compromise a little. One of two things may happen. First, if you

play with fire for the first time and do not get burned, you think that

you can safely play with the tempting circumstances in the future.

The second thing is that you might fall back into the sin. The end

result is the same. You are back in the rut.

Some Corinthian Christians thought that they could

participate in cultic temple meals—since they were Christians. They

thought that their participation in the Christian sacraments placed

them above the danger of reverting to paganism. They did not

understand that not only was it dangerous to eat cultic meals, but it

was sinful. Paul tells the Christians who were not on guard that

partaking of a cultic temple meal involved communing with the pagan

gods and the devils that lurked behind them. Paul taught that it was

incompatible with the Christian faith to participate in pagan meals:

“Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot

be partakers of the Lord‟s table, and of the table of devils” (I

Corinthians 10:21). By persisting in attendance at cultic meals with

pagan friends, the Corinthian believers had placed themselves in

grave danger of falling.

The counsel we must hear is: “Take heed.” We take heed by

humbly confessing that we are sinners. Each one of us must say: “I

am a sinner.” We must remember that even after we have stopped

committing a particular sin. We remain sinners as long as we are in

the flesh. Therefore we must beware of thinking that we have a

specific sin permanently under control.

You must realize that it is only by God‟s grace that you are

able to do anything good. Your success is God‟s success. You were

able to avoid your besetting sin only because God the Holy Spirit

gave you strength.

You must continue to examine your life. Since you remain a

sinner, the way to avoid the danger of proud self-reliance is by

examining your life. You need to continue to show that you know

that you are a sinner who needs to take an inventory. Examine your

60

motives. Why did you do the things that you chose? Examine

whether you are rationalizing away sinful conduct? At the end of the

day think about how you have lived. Did you show self-control?

Which commandments did you break and how? It is important for

you to see your sinfulness so that you see your constant need for help

from God.

You must humbly ask God for forgiveness after you have

sinned. After you fall, you need to humbly pick yourself up and go to

the cross. Sometimes you might hesitate to pray. You feel

uncomfortable about asking for a forgiveness that you do not deserve.

Or you might feel so embarrassed about your sin that you only want

to approach God later after you have done some good works. You

might even put yourself on probation for a while. But do not

postpone an appointment with God until you are back on track. The

fact of the matter is that you can do nothing to merit anything from

God. You always approach the throne of grace as a guilty,

undeserving sinner. You come with nothing in your hands. Humbly

confess your sin and know that there is forgiveness with God.

I think it might have been the Puritans who said that you

should “keep short accounts with God.” They meant that you should

not allow unconfessed sin and guilt to pile up in your life. Confess

your sins the moment you are aware of them.

We need to confess our sins so we can appreciate the grace of

God. It is grace that encourages and motivates us to once again take

up the fight against sin.

God is Faithful

The Holy Spirit wants us to know that the work of

sanctification is God‟s work. Since God is faithful, the work of

sanctification in our life will continue. Despair comes when you slip

into the error of thinking that your sanctification is all up to you.

Then you forget the faithfulness of God. The Apostle Paul writes:

“but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that

ye are able” (I Corinthians 10:13). God has started a work of

sanctification in your life and He will continue it until you are safely

home in heaven. Paul writes: “Being confident of this very thing, that

he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day

of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). This verse does not teach that we

are passive in the Christian life. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us as He

61

works in and through us: “For it is God which worketh in you both to

will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

That God is faithful ought to encourage every Christian who

is discouraged by failure and sin. Does the fight against sin seem to

be more than you can bear? God is faithful. Does it seem like you

will continue to commit shameful sins? God is faithful? Does it

seem like you will simply be overpowered with more and more

temptations? Take courage, for God is faithful. Do you think that

God will abandon you into worse sins? Remember that you have a

faithful Father.

God is committed to His children. He has established His

covenant of grace with us and He will not allow the devil to separate

us from His love. The Bible extols the faithfulness of

God as reaching to the sky. God will never allow His child to perish

because of powerful temptations. The Bible says: “The steps of a

good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD

upholdeth him with his hand” (Psalm 37:23-24).

The Apostle Paul does not just tell us that God is faithful, but

he also tells us that God can be counted on to help us in two ways.

First, God provides a hedge of protection around us. Second, God

provides a bridge, an exit from temptation.

God Provides a Hedge

God hedges around His people. Paul writes: “There hath no

temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is

faithful” (I Corinthians 10:13a). Satan insinuated to God that the only

reason why Job worshipped God was because God had hedged him

around: “Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear

God for naught? Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about

his house, and about all that he hath on every side? Thou hast blessed

the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land” (Job

1:9,10). Satan was right. God does place a hedge of protection

around His people. It was God who had protected Job and given him

riches.

God hedges us around and protects us from uncommon or

extraordinary temptations. God does not allow Satan to tempt us in

ways that are uncharacteristic for mankind. With Jesus it was

different. I believe that He withstood temptations beyond what is

common to everyone. Just compare the temptation that Adam faced

62

in Paradise with the temptation that Jesus faced in the wilderness.

Jesus‟ temptations were of greater intensity. Jesus was repeatedly

tempted. Jesus had fasted for 40 days when he was tempted to turn

stones into bread. Jesus also had a greater incentive to give in to

temptation—the result would be that he would avoid the cross.

But God filters out uncommon temptations from our lives.

What a relief it is to know that God hedges us around! Other

Christians have faced the troubles you do. That includes a Christian

who has a spouse who is difficult to live with. It includes a Christian

who is also an alcoholic. No matter what trials you face, other

Christians have faced them and even passed the same test with flying

colors! Countless numbers of Christians have been taken with the

exact same temptations you have and by the power of the Holy Spirit,

turned away from sin. So the decree and extent of the temptations

you experience are limited by what is common to mankind.

How important it is to understand that you are not alone in

your struggles. Fellow believers know what you are going through.

Most importantly, your situation is not impossible. Thousands of

Christians have rejected the same temptations you face and have beat

their body under submission.

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man

in this sense—Christ has endured it. In Hebrews 4:15 we are told that

Christ was “tempted in every way, just as we are.” He is able to send

His Holy Spirit to help us in precisely the way we need help.

God Filters out Temptations that would be too Much

God will not allow you to be tempted beyond your ability to

withstand: “but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted

above that ye are able” (I Corinthians 10:13b). God filters out any

temptations that are too difficult for us to bear. God does not tempt

you beyond the point of human endurance. There are certain things

that God will not allow. He may allow you to stray into sin for a

season. But God will never allow you to be overwhelmed by

temptation so that you are led eventually to destruction. Even when

Lot placed himself in a city where he was surrounded by temptation,

God rescued him from sudden destruction.

The temptations you face are not ones that you must succumb

to. It is not as if when God sees you weak and ready to sink under the

weight of temptation that He pours further temptations into your life

or extends the length of the temptation. What a comfort it is that God

63

does not allow us to be tempted above what we are able. God limits

the period of time. He governs the power of the temptations. When

they reach a high-water mark, God does not allow them to go any

higher.

Where is your comfort if you deny this? How can you feel

comfort if you think that God gives you college level exams when

you could only pass a fourth grade quiz?

How comforting it is that God protects us from our old flesh,

the devil, and the world by hedging us about. He filters out

temptations that would be too much.

God Provides a Bridge

We can cope with temptation because God provides a bridge:

“but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may

be able to bear it” (I Corinthians 10:13b). God the Holy Spirit opens

a way of escape. He provides an escape hatch, an exit. When God

allows a temptation in our life to test us, He also provides a way of

escape. God, who commands us to be holy, also gives the grace that

we need to obey.

A time of temptation and testing can be compared to a

Spanish treasure galleon being blown by a hurricane toward the shore

of Florida. But suddenly, the ship slips through a gap on the

inhospitable coast and finds safe anchorage in a river.

Sometimes God provides a way out by making an end to a

temptation. Sometimes God‟s way out is to change the circumstances

in your life. God provided a way out of the temptations that you

faced in high school when He placed you in a college. God changes

the situations in your life so that a temptation is removed or

diminished in its intensity. God uses different stages of your life to

deliver you from temptation.

Most often God‟s way out of temptation is to strengthen us by

the Holy Spirit so that we can fight it. As strong as temptation is, the

Holy Spirit is stronger. God the Holy Spirit supplies power through

the means of grace both personal and public. The personal means of

grace are private prayer and Bible reading. A public means of grace

is listening to the preaching of the Word.

The purpose of God providing the way of escape is so that

you may bear up under the temptation. To bear up is to stand up

under it. God will help you stand up under your trials. Troubles

would normally crush you, except that the Spirit‟s power upholds

64

you. The Holy Spirit prevents you from falling and enables you to

stand firm in the faith.

So do not despair when you are taken by temptation.

Hundreds of thousands of Christians have suffered from the same

temptation and overcome. In the hour of temptation, pray to be filled

with the Holy Spirit of God. By His irresistible power, your will can

reject sin. May the Holy Spirit change your desires so that you desire

the glory of God more than the tasty morsels that Satan dangles.

Thought Questions

1. What is meant by a “temptation” in I Corinthians 10:13?

2. What steps can occur in your life that lead you to fall back

into a besetting sin?

3. When you are making progress in the fight against a besetting

sin, what do you need to remember?

65

4. How does God provide a hedge for us?

5. What does it mean that our temptations are “such as is

common to man”?

6. What does Paul mean when he says that God “will not suffer

you to be tempted above that ye are able”?

7. What kind of bridge does God provide for us?

66

8. What role does the Holy Spirit play in your sanctification?

What role do you play?

9. How can you avoid being driven to despair when you

backslide?