FORSAKING SIN
(week 36/12)
OLUBI JOHNSON
Proverbs 28:13 KJV: He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
Here, the scripture tells us to both confess and forsake sin; we all confess our sins with our mouths, but do we truly forsake them in our hearts?
This week, we will see why and how we are to forsake sin.
Firstly, we need to understand that sin is firstly a nature and secondly deeds because of the dominance of that sin nature in our souls (wills, mind and emotions) and bodies; also there is a spiritual power of sin in the air (like an invisible remote control wave from a remote control device that controls a television (Rom. 1:20)) that triggers and empowers the sin nature in the soul to commit deeds or acts of sin.
We see this truth in
Ephesians 2:2-3 KJV: Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (3) Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
The sin nature is a corrupted or distorted form of the good nature God originally put in created beings. Satan is the author of this sin nature; his nature became corrupted or distorted because he separated his heart from God by an attitude of pride and independence, which is the original sin, and the root of all other sins.
Ezekiel 28:12-17 KJV: Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. (13) Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. (14) Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. (15) Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. (16) By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. (17) Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
Observe that this scripture is talking about Satan, a being that was created perfect called the anointed cherub (meaning angel) whose wisdom or nature became corrupted because his heart was lifted up in pride because of his beauty and material possessions (many times when we have an abundance of material wealth and all our physical needs are met, we think we no longer need to be submitted and accountable to God; this is why the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Tim.6:10)). This can be likened (Rom. 1:20) to how fresh spring water can become polluted if it is separated from the source of the spring and becomes stagnant.
When we get born-again, this corrupted sin nature is removed from our spirits but it is still in our souls and bodies, so the sin nature in the soul and body (together referred to as the flesh) is in conflict with the divine nature in the recreated (2 Cor. 5:17) born-again human spirit (Jn. 3:3-8).
Galatians 5:17 NIV: For the sinful nature (in the soul and body) desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.
To truly forsake sin in our hearts, we have to understand sin, its origin and its consequences and so truly hate it, like the Lord Jesus did.
Hebrews 1:9 KJV: Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
In our article next week, we will see in more detail how to forsake sin.
