JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH SERIES

Victory Over Sin.

Galatians 3:3. Are you so foolish and senseless? Having begun [your new life by faith] with the
Spirit, are you now being perfected and reaching spiritual maturity by the flesh [that is, by your
own works and efforts to keep the Law]?-Amplified Bible

The flesh and the Spirit of God have nothing in common. They are "contrary the one to the
other," that is, they lie over against each other, like two active foes, each eagerly watching the
opportunity to crush the other. The flesh is corruption; it can not inherit the kingdom of God,
because corruption doth not inherit incorruption. 1 Corinthians 15:50. The flesh can not be
converted; it must be destroyed. The carnal (fleshly) mind "is enmity against God; for it is not
subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh can not
please God." Romans 8:7, 8. Here is the secret and of the trouble which so many find in living
the Christian life. The Galatians began in the Spirit, but thought to attain to perfection by the
flesh (chapter 3:3), a thing as impossible as to reach the stars by delving in the earth. So many
people desire to do right, but, not having definitely and fully yielded to the Spirit, they can
not do the things that they would. The Spirit strives with them, and has partial control, or is
at times quite fully yielded to, and they have a rich experience; then the Spirit is grieved, the
flesh asserts itself, and they seem like other persons. They are swayed at times by the mind
of the Spirit, and at times by the mind of the flesh (Romans 8:6), and so, being double -
minded, they are unstable in all their ways (James 1:8). It is a most unsatisfactory position in
which to be.

Apostle Paul describes the same state elsewhere in Romans Chapter Seven,Romans 7:18. For I
know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh [my human nature, my worldliness—my
sinful capacity]. For the willingness [to do good] is present in me, but the doing of good is not.

Brethren,its important to note that,THERE is a serious and very bothersome mistake, which is
made by many persons.That mistake is made in thinking that when they are converted, their
old sinful flesh is blotted out.Then, when they find that this is not so, when they find that the
same old flesh, with its inclinations, its besetments, and its enticements, is still there, they are
not prepared for it, and so become discouraged, and are ready to think that they never were
converted at all.

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As far as the Natural body is maintained, then the sinful flesh remains with us even after
conversion.And when it is decided and constantly maintained that the flesh of the converted
person is still sinful flesh, and only sinful flesh, he is so thoroughly convinced that in his flesh
dwells no good thing that he will never allow a shadow of confidence in the flesh. And this
being so, his sole dependence is upon something other than the flesh, even upon the Holy Spirit
of God; his source of strength and hope is altogether exclusive of the flesh, even in Jesus Christ
only. And being everlastingly watchful, suspicious, and thoroughly distrustful of the flesh, he
never can expect any good thing from that source, and so is prepared by the power of God to
beat back and crush down without mercy every impulse or suggestion that may arise from it
and so does not fail, does not become discouraged, but goes on from victory to victory and
from strength to strength.

Conversion, then, you see, does not put new flesh upon the old spirit; but a new Spirit within
the old flesh. It does not propose to bring new flesh to the old mind; but a new mind to the old
flesh. Deliverance and victory are not gained by having the human nature taken away; but by
receiving the divine nature to subdue and have dominion over the human, - not by the taking
away of the sinful flesh, but by the sending in of the sinless Spirit to conquer and condemn sin
in the flesh.- PTUK May 31, 1900, page 339.10

The Scripture does not say, Let this flesh be upon you, which was also upon Christ; but it does
say, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." Philippians 2:5.

The Scripture does not say, Be ye transformed by the renewing of your flesh; but it does say,
"Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2. We shall be translated by the
renewing of our flesh; but we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Having laid the foundation, We need to consider the following questions;

 Can a child of God live a sinless life in sinful flesh?

Let's find the answers of above questions from the Holy book and the pen of inspiration;

Romans 6:1. What shall we say [to all this]? Should we continue in sin and practice sin as a
habit so that [God's gift of] [1]grace may increase and overflow?

2. Certainly not! How can we, the very ones who died to sin, continue to live in it any longer?

6. We know that our old [3]self [our human nature without the Holy Spirit] was nailed to the
cross with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no
longer be slaves to sin.

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7. For the person who has died [with Christ] has been freed from [the power of] sin.

22. But now since you have been set free from sin and have become [willing] slaves to God, you
have your benefit, resulting in sanctification [being made holy and set apart for God's purpose],
and the outcome [of this] is eternal life.-Amplified Bible

When Paul wrote, “The very God of peace sanctify you wholly,” 1 Thessalonians 5:23, he did
not exhort his brethren to aim at a standard which it was impossible for them to reach; he did
not pray that they might have blessings which it was not the will of God to give. He knew that
all who would be fitted to meet Christ in peace must possess a pure and holy character. Read
1 Corinthians 9:25-27; 6:19, 20.{ CCh 51.5}

Let's hear from Christ himself according to the gospel of John;John 8:34. Jesus answered them,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

36. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Christ is ready to set us free from sin, but He does not force the will; and if by persistent
transgression the will itself is wholly bent on evil, and we do not desire to be set free, if we will
not accept His grace, what more can He do? We have destroyed ourselves by our determined
rejection of His love. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
“Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” 2 Corinthians 6:2; Hebrews 3:7, 8. {SC
34.2}

Christ came to to this world in human nature to condemn sin in flesh(Read Romans 8:3)He set
us an example to follow."But Christ has given us no assurance that to attain perfection of
character is an easy matter. A noble, all-round character is not inherited. It does not come to
us by accident. A noble character is earned by individual effort through the merits and grace
of Christ. God gives the talents, the powers of the mind; we form the character. It is formed
by hard, stern battles with self. Conflict after conflict must be waged against hereditary
tendencies. We shall have to criticize ourselves closely, and allow not one unfavorable trait to
remain uncorrected."-{ COL 33daily

Let no one say, I cannot remedy my defects of character. If you come to this decision, you will
certainly fail of obtaining everlasting life. The impossibility lies in your own will. If you will not,
then you can not overcome. The real difficulty arises from the corruption of an unsanctified
heart, and an unwillingness to submit to the control of God. {COL 331.2}

The Secret of Victory

 Dying daily
Our saviour says the following words according to Gospel of Doctor Luke;

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 Luke 9:23." And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross daily, and follow me."Else where Paul says;
1 Corinthians 15:31. I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die
daily.
It's prudent to note the following from the pen of inspiration,,
√The followers of Christ are not to trust to past experience, and fail to go on to
perfection.-{Upward look 275.5}
√You each need a new and living experience in the divine life in order to do the will of
God. No amount of past experience will suffice for the present nor strengthen us to
overcome the difficulties in our path. We must have new grace and fresh strength daily
in order to be victorious.{ 3T 541.1}
√We need to trust in Jesus daily, hourly. He has promised that as our day is, our strength
shall be. By His grace we may bear all the burdens of the present and perform its duties.
But many are weighed down by the anticipation of future troubles. They are constantly
seeking to bring tomorrow’s burdens into today. Thus a large share of all their trials are
imaginary. For these, Jesus has made no provision. He promises grace only for the day.
He bids us not to burden ourselves with the cares and troubles of tomorrow; for
“sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”{ 5T 200.2}
√To maintain the warmth and purity of Christian love requires a constant supply of the
grace of Christ.{5T 103.4}
 Renouncing of Self
We must learn how to renounce self and give ourselves completely to "Him that is
able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His
glory."Jude 24.We must learn now to depend every moment on Him who said,"
Withou Me you can do nothing "{John 15:5},and, " All power is given unto Me in
heaven and in earth." Matthew 28:18. Then,with Paul we can say, "I can do all things
through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13. That which is impossible
because of weakness of the flesh,God makes possible through Christ.Romans
8:3,4.With the apostle we can exclaim: "Now thanks be unto God,which always
causeth us to triumph in Christ." 2 Corinthians 2:14

Steps on how to overcome Sin

 Desire to Overcome-desire to stop sinning and gain victory in Christ.

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  Train your will power-Through the right exercise of the will, an entire change may be
made in your life. By yielding up your will to Christ, you ally yourself with the power that
is above all principalities and powers. You will have strength from above to hold you
steadfast, and thus through constant surrender to God you will be enabled to live the
new life, even the life of faith. {SC 48.1}
 Focus your Mind on Christ-If we would permit our minds to dwell more upon Christ and
the heavenly world, we should find a powerful stimulus and support in fighting the
battles of the Lord. Pride and love of the world will lose their power as we contemplate
the glories of that better land so soon to be our home. Beside the loveliness of Christ, all
earthly attractions will seem of little worth. {MYP 113.2}The words and the character of
Christ should be often the subject of our thoughts and of our conversation; and each
day some time should be especially devoted to prayerful meditation upon these
sacred themes. [MYP 114.1]
 Remove the temptation-to avoid confidence in flesh,we have to do away with Objects
which tempt us.If it's bad friends,cut them off.Is it clothes which do not glorify God and
instead expose our bodies,we ought to burn them.Remember Jacob in Genesis 35 telling
his wives to remove all strange gods?We have to also avoid any appearance of evil.
 Stay active-God gave us six days to labour, work was to bring joy in our lives (before the
fall of man).Even our saviour did not give the devil a chance to tempt him by been
idle.He spent his early years from age of 12 in his 'father's' workshop.

Conclusion

Friends, do we know that victory over sin is the only condition for us to receive the seal?Let's
consider the following;

Now is the time to prepare. The seal of God will never be placed upon the forehead of an
impure man or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of the ambitious, world-
loving man or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of men or women of false
tongues or deceitful hearts. All who receive the seal must be without spot before God—
candidates for heaven. Go forward, my brethren and sisters. I can only write briefly upon
these points at this time, merely calling your attention to the necessity of preparation. Search
the Scriptures for yourselves, that you may understand the fearful solemnity of the present
hour. 5T 216.2

Those that overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil, will be the favored ones who shall
receive the seal of the living God.—Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 445 (c. 1886).

The greatest miracle ever is to live a sinless life in body of flesh(sinful body)Why can't we
proclaim this promise as children of God?Where are you planning to spend your eternity? What

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if today was your last day on planet earth?Let's always be prepared for the imminent return of
Christ for we don't know when our probation closes!!

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