Flesh and Spirit

There was a man who visited our church a couple of weeks ago and after the Sunday morning second service, pulled me aside and tried to convince me that Christians cannot sin.

That the person in whom the Holy Spirit resides cannot give into the flesh and sin.

He went as far as getting into my face and pointing his finger into my chest (which in and of itself raised up fleshly thoughts in my spirit).

Despite that fact of me sharing with him from 1 John 1:8, "if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us," he persisted in trying to convince me of his beliefs.

My friends, you and I struggle each day with the flesh and we will do so until we die.  While we are filled with the Holy Spirit and have a relationship with Christ, we still struggle as Paul says, "that which I don't want to do I do and I do that which I don't want to do."

The difference between a follower of Christ and one who is not is that as Christians, we no longer have to sin.  We can make a choice whether to sin or not.

Plus, we fight against an enemy who is trying to destroy us.

In his book By Grace Alone, Sinclair Ferguson identifies four major "fiery darts" Satan uses to unsettle believers and rob them of their assurance and peace in the gospel:

Fiery Dart 1: "God is against you," Satan says. "He is not really for you. How can you believe he is for you when you see the things that are happening in your life?"

Fiery Dart 2: "I have accusations I will bring against you because of your sins," Satan argues. "What can you say in defense? Nothing."

Fiery Dart 3: "You can say you are forgiven, but there is a payback day coming—a condemnation day," Satan insinuates. "How will you defend yourself then?"

Fiery Dart 4: "Given your track record, what hope is there that you will persevere to the end?" Satan asks.

Let's continue to realize that while we fight against our flesh and against an enemy who throws his fiery darts against us, we can, and I repeat, we can walk in victory.

"Greater is he that lives in us than he who lives in the world," John writes in 1 John 4:4.

Walk with boldness this day knowing that with God's power in you - you and I can live a life of holiness.