Breaking Free of Sin
When we come to Christ, most believers enter the kingdom dragging some baggage from their unsaved days. Bad attitudes like self-pity or uncontrolled anger and years of sinning anchor us to our old nature. As we grow, we want more and more to reflect Jesus’ nature, but we keep stumbling. Sometimes it’s a single sin we just can’t seem to get rid of.
Fortunately, Paul uses a concrete example to demonstrate how to break free of old sinful thoughts, attitudes and actions.
The Thief Principle
In Ephesians 4:17-32 Paul teaches general spiritual principles about living a godly life. But verse 28 is the apostle’s practical step-by-step example about how to walk on this path successfully.
Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need. (Ephesians 4:28 RSV)
Paul’s 3 Steps to Overcome Sin
Let’s break this principle down.
Stop Stealing: Stop the wrong action. Repent and turn away from the sin. This will always be the first step, but we never can be set truly free of our controlling sins until our hearts are changed.
Do Honest Work: Earn money honestly by getting a job and earning a steady paycheck.
Give to Those in Need: Be generous and repeatedly give some of your hard-earned money away to people who need help. For me, this third action is the real “flesh-burner.” This last step causes us to be truly changed inwardly, where it counts.
Sin is a Heart Problem
The Bible defines our flesh as our old sinful nature. A thief’s heart is selfish and greedy. He or she has decided they are entitled to take by force whatever they want. Their inner heart attitude is “Everyone owes me.” They often don’t care who they hurt. Many young thieves start by stealing first from their own parents.
I heard about one young father whose little boy was dying from a serious illness. His son needed expensive medical treatment to live. A professional fund-raiser raised every penny—and then stole all the money and skipped town, leaving the young parents devastated.
That’s how selfish and cold a thief’s heart can become.
Flesh Burners
What’s so brilliant about Paul’s “spiritual prescription” is the third step.
In the United States, Christians call like these actions “flesh burners.” It’s emotionally painful for someone with a thief’s heart to be generous and give away money. Especially money he worked hard for.
Selfishly, he wants to keep all his money for himself.
Yet in his new nature, he wants to please Jesus and bring glory to his Savior.
So the new believer’s decision to quit stealing and give generously to the poor allows the Holy Spirit to start working in his heart. During this time, the flesh is screaming. But that sin’s hold starts to weaken The more often they give generously to others the less it hurts.
Finally the old urge to steal is completely broken. That believer now mirrors the giving nature of Christ.
Paul’s principle works.
I know, because it worked for me.
My Personal Journey
One of my early struggles as a Christian was with pride. I was a “spotlight grabber” who needed everyone’s praise and admiration. When I got in an argument, it never occurred to me to doubt myself. My inflated ego couldn’t conceive of the idea that I might be wrong. At the same time, I was very insecure; I had a poor self-image
God started dealing with my arrogance as soon as I became a Christian. The Holy Spirit led me to do all the things a humble person would do. I can’t begin to describe how painful it was to go to someone I’d hurt and apologize. I got in a lot of practice. Today, apologizing is still mildly uncomfortable. I still don’t enjoy doing it. No one does. But I love the healing that occurs between me and the people I love.
The Holy Spirit also sidelined me from standing in the spotlight for 2 or 3 years. As a young Christian, I never got to share my testimony or even act in any college skits. Instead, I sat on the sidelines until God correctly judged that I no longer had to be the center of attention.
Now I’m comfortable either way.
At the same time, I started to understand God’s love for me personally.
One of the verses that the Holy Spirit used to heal my damaged self-image was Isaiah 43:4, which says:
4 Because you are precious in my eyes,
and honored, and I love you,
I give men in return for you,
peoples in exchange for your life.(Isaiah 43:4 RSV)
I am precious in God’s eyes and so are you, because He chooses to count us as precious. Some people collect beer bottles from all over the world. Others collect coins or stamps.
God collects sons and daughters. If you know Christ, He “collected” both of us. We will live with Him for all eternity.
Fellow believer, if God sees you as precious and valuable, then you are.
And that’s good news.
All my images are from Pixabay.com.
