Why won’t the root of sin be uprooted totally after pouring my heart to God and begging him to forgive? Why do I still get involved in that sin, because I hate myself for that?
From the moment we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as our savior, we become a new person. Romans 6:6 tells us, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” Our old man, or our old standing before God is gone. Speaking of Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Isn’t that remarkable? Through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are made the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD! What a position we have! 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a NEW CREATURE: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new.” We become new and have a new standing before God.
Although we are new creatures in Christ, we still have the old flesh. That has not been eradicated. We read in Galatians 5:17, “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would.” The flesh in us wars against the Spirit that indwells each believer. We read in verses 19-21, “Now THE WORKS OF THE FLESH are manifest, which are these: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties, envyings, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of which I forewarn you, even as I did forewarn you, that they who practise such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
However, we are not slaves to the sinful desires of the flesh. Galatians 5:16 says, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” When we live our lives in fellowship with and obedience to the Lord, we have the power to overcome the desires of the flesh and to do the will of the Lord. This doesn’t mean that the sinful desires are taken away, but it does mean that when we walk in the Spirit, we are able to resist the temptations of the flesh. We read in verse 17, “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” The flesh in all of us wants its way. It wants to live in selfish pleasure. The Spirit, Who is ALWAYS in contrast to the flesh, works to prevent the flesh from getting its way. Under the guidance of the Spirit, we find the strength so that we do not “do the thing ye would.”
We have these victorious words in Romans 6:12-14, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” Sin DOES NOT have to rule over us. As faithful believers, we should give ourselves over to the Lord to be used by Him. We must remember who we are. We are those who have been redeemed from the dead by the precious blood of the Lamb of God. We are those who have been adopted into God’s Holy family. We are those who have eternal life and we have it right now. We are forgiven sinners who have been privileged and empowered to be “instruments of righteousness unto God.”
As a believer on the Lord Jesus Christ, you are no longer a slave to sin, but a blessed servant of God, to live for Him and to honor Him with your life. If you sin, act upon 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Remember the words of, Romans 8:37, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” (398.6)