THE STRUGGLE WITH SIN

In today’s sophisticated world, sin has become like morning breakfast, afternoon lunch and evening dinner. This new age has lost its sense of sin. The reason behind this is the internal conflict within every human being. Paul speaks about this very conflict in Romans 7:19 – “For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing.” Some people express their desire to quit bad habits like smoking, drinking, immoral behavior, lying, stealing, etc., but also express their inability to quit from such sinful deeds. What could be this demonic, evil force holding us as slaves to this helpless and devastating situation?
The Apostle Paul talks about it in the very next verse, Romans 7:20 – “Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” The same Apostle Paul, who speaks about sin dwelling in him, also speaks about the human body being the Temple of the Holy Spirit and also a home for Jesus to abide in. As far as we know, darkness and light cannot exist together as we read in John 1:5 “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” Similarly, Jesus and sin cannot live together. It is all a matter of your personal choice, whom you invite and give access to in your life. How do we say that there is a choice? What is the other option?
Let’s go back to Genesis 4:7 where God Almighty says to Cain, “…sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” On the other hand, in Revelations 3:20 Jesus says: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
Now we can also see the eventual consequences of inviting Jesus and the consequences of inviting Sin:
a. If you invite Jesus Christ, as He says in Revelations 3:20, He will come in and eat with you and you with Him.
b. If you invite the devil into your life, you will suffer the consequences mentioned in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; …”
It’s a matter of your own personal choice because God has given every human being his or her own free will. Deuteronomy 30:19 – “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.”
John 11:25 – “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live even though he dies.”
John 14:6 – “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

By Pastor Robin Almeida