Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry… you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Colossians 3:5, 8 (NIV)
As long as we are in the body, sin has a landing ground in our lives. Sin attaches itself to the flesh like Velcro, so the Christian is in a constant battle.
Grasping this truth will help and encourage you. When you become sensitive to the struggle with indwelling sin, you may begin to wonder if you are a Christian at all. You might find yourself saying, “If I belong to Christ, surely I should not be struggling with sin in this way. I should have left this behind.” If you are worried about the struggles you have with thoughts and desires that seem to rise from within you, what we are learning here should come as a great relief to you.
The experience of battling with sin is not a sign of failure. It is the normal experience of an authentic Christian life. The new life does not mean that the battle is ended. It means that the battle has begun.
Paul lists some of the sins to which a Christian may be tempted. These include, but are not limited to: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed. We are also tempted to: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language.
These are just a few examples. The point is that the impulse to sin will keep rising up from your flesh in some way, shape, or form. When you gain control over one impulse, sin will switch tactics and start throwing up another… the battle never ends in this life. But while we live, if we are believers in Christ, the fight must go on.
Have you felt encouraged or discouraged by the fact that your battle with sin is a normal experience in the Christian life? Why?
