November 24, 2023

Breaking the Grip of Sin

By Skip Heitzig

I read something fascinating recently. Archaeologists, when digging up the tombs of the pharaohs in Egypt, found that they were often buried with grain for the afterlife. And when these archaeologists planted some of those seeds and exposed them to sunlight, nutrients, and water, they grew. They were 4,000-year-old seeds that gave no evidence of life, but under the right conditions, they sprouted.

And that made me think about sin. Everybody has bad habits that, if nurtured, can become addictive behaviors and life-dominating sins—alcoholism, substance abuse, pornography, uncontrolled anger, and others. Sin doesn't seem irresistible until you want a break from it. Then you discover its very strong grip. In Colossians 3:1-15, we can find some steps from the apostle Paul to breaking that grip.

First, think clearly. "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth" (v. 1-2). We need to know truth. It's an ongoing pursuit that requires persistence. The verb form in Greek means to keep seeking, keep setting your mind.

Second, act decisively. Paul gives a list of things to "put to death" (v. 5), to "put off" (v. 8), and to "put on" (v. 10). I don't have space here to go into detail, but I invite you to read the passage. And note that these commands involve our will, our choice—which shows that there's always an element of self-control.

Remember, your choice can become your habit. Your habit can become your addiction. Your addiction can become your lifestyle. We rewire our brains by consecutive, consistent behavioral patterns, and soon the behavior becomes chronic—for good or for ill.

There is a solution for your flesh, the bad habits and sin: to kill it (see v. 5). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you…. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you" (Matthew 5:29-30). It sounds shocking, but that's the intended effect. That's how we should think about sin and its destructiveness. Jesus did not advocate radical surgery, because the problem is not the hand or the eye. The problem is the heart. So the point is that we should deal radically with sin.

In verse 10, Paul said, "Put on the new man." The best way to deprive your old nature is to cultivate a new one. "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16).

Now, some habits become so bad and prolonged that they become besetting, life-dominating sins. To fight those, you need the help of other people. Paul instructed in verse 13 that we believers should be "bearing with one another, and forgiving one another." We can't go it alone; we weren't designed to (see Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, 12). So invite accountability. Find people to support and encourage you. Just confessing your struggle will steal some of temptation's power.

The result of standing together and supporting one another is peace: "Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful" (v. 15). Peace will be yours when you're on the other side of this gripping habit. Sin doesn't have to control you.

Our key to victory is to keep our eyes on the master, to seek those things which are above, including the One who is above us, our situations, and our struggles. I pray you apply these life-giving principles so that you may see victory in your life.

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