A Question About a Friend
She believes that because sin is constantly in her life it is most important
for her to rid herself of that before pursuing anything else. But I
think that if we allow sin and the quest for ridding ourselves of it to control
all aspects of our life, we will miss out on the good things that God has
set before us during those times of uncertainty, which may in fact be the
very thing needed to free ourselves from those times. .... What advice
can I possibly give her that might help her in her pursuit to be free of sin?
Jeremiah
ANSWER
I agree with your friend that it is most important for a Christian to take steps to free him/herself from sin.
Paul writes,
(Rom 8:13 NKJV) For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
and
(Col 3:5-7 NKJV) Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. {6} Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, {7} in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
However, at the same time I also agree with you that the personal pursuit of perfection can rob us of the blessings of our life in Christ. The problem is that we can easily turn the conquest of sin into a personal quest forgetting that God has given us the gift of the holy Spirit so that we can live in the power of our new life in Christ. The Scripture says,
(2 Cor 5:17 NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
We need to learn to live in the power of that new creation rather than trying to renovate our sin-filled lives which cannot be transformed into anything good buts rather grows corrupt.
(Eph 4:17-24 NKJV) This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, {18} having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; {19} who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. {20} But you have not so learned Christ, {21} if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: {22} that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, {23} and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, {24} and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Paul also writes about the 'new man', (Col 3:10 NKJV) and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,
The new man is complete in Christ Jesus.
(Col 2:6-10 NKJV) As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, {7} rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. {8} Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. {9} For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; {10} and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
Therefore we must choose to walk in the power of that which God has already given us. Trying to overcome sin by our own efforts is fruitless. If your friend is trying to perfect herself then she will only become more frustrated. What we need to do is to acknowledge by faith that Christ has already conquered sin on the cross and has created for us a 'new man' patterned after the image of Himself. We must learn to walk in the completeness of God's new creation which knows no sin.
That doesn't mean that it is easy or that we give up the fight. What it does mean is that we can rely on Christ and rest in His strength. Instead of waking up in the morning and saying, "I must try harder to get victory over sin", we should simply pray, "Father, help me to walk in Christ today, and live in the victory of the new life I have in Him".