Shall we continue in sin? Do we have to yield to the temptations of the Devil? Must we remain in a state of perpetual failure and defeat in our Christian experience? NO! Thank God, there is an experience of victory and conquering power through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Salvation from Sin

The apostle Paul posed this very question in Romans 6:1-2, “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid.” The largest percentage of the Christian world says that we MUST sin more or less every day. They minimize the sacrifice of Christ to the grace of forgiveness but fail to acknowledge and accept the grace of redemption that elevates fallen mankind from their sins to a state of victory through the power of the blood. “What the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:3).
Under the Law dispensation, people were incapable of living without sin—the moral violations that separate man from God. Jesus came to do that which the Law could not do. His very name speaks of the true plan of salvation, “For he shall save his people FROM their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

There is Deliverance

False teachers and movements reduce this glorious salvation plan to Christ saving his people IN their sins. The Devil and his messengers are propagators of false teaching to steal the real hope and joy of true salvation. Praise God, we can be saved from the very power of sin to walk in righteousness and holiness. The Scripture so clearly teaches a life of victory and deliverance from bondage. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The old habits, the addictions, the lusts, the bitterness, all the things that hold people captive in sin are broken through the power of God. Sin is destroyed and conquered that “henceforth we should not serve sin” (Romans 6:6). The Christian can and must live a victorious life over sin and its bondage. No matter how great the power of sin is, there is deliverance in salvation.

The Transformed Life

Paul acknowledged the past sin of converts in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. Some were fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, drunkards, etc. “Such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, by the Spirit of our God.” No sinner will inherit the kingdom of God. All have sinned, but lives are transformed by the provision of God. The power of the blood of Jesus is greater than the power of sin. How sad that so many professing Christians have not experienced true salvation. Salvation will radically transform the life and enable an individual to overcome all sin by the grace of God! The Word of God is not ambiguous: “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Sin Not

Sin is a result of the influence and power of the devil. Jesus came to this earth and died that He might “destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). Verse 6 states, “Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not….He that committeth sin is of the devil.” The apostle declares again in 1 John 5:18 “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not…and that wicked one toucheth him not.” May all the world hear and know that in this generation there is a life of freedom from sin and the power of Satan has been broken through Christ. “Sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14). What previously controlled and dictated behavior in sin under the law has been broken by the delivering power of grace.

God’s Grace Enables Sinless Living

While theologians can twist and work to excuse sin, the Word of God teaches a life of practical and real victory over sin. Jesus Himself told the woman in adultery, “Go, and sin no more” (John 8:11). He was not instructing her to do something she was incapable of but was giving her the hope and power to go and live without the bondage of those adulterous practices. Paul gave the same instruction in 1 Corinthians 15:34, “Awake to righteousness, and sin not.” Peter exhorts us in 1 Peter 2:21-22 to follow in the steps of Christ who “did no sin.” Truly, the grace of God that brought salvation teaches us, “that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:11-12). This is victorious living!

Full Salvation

Salvation is a wonderful experience wherein a sinner believes in Christ, repents from sin, and is forgiven and cleansed by the blood of Jesus. The vessel is then clean, but God wants to fill it up with His Holy Spirit. Jesus told His disciples to “tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). Similarly, Acts 1:8 states, “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” This is a key ingredient and provision for living a victorious life. The infilling of the Holy Spirit is an integral part of the full plan of salvation. The Holy Spirit gives power to the Christian to consistently say “no” to the Devil, “no” to the flesh, “no” to the world, and power to say “yes” to the Lord. The Holy Spirit comforts, teaches, guides, and gives power (John 14:26). The indwelling Holy Spirit will give strength in weakness and will fortify the flesh so that victory and holiness are maintained.

Promises for the Believer

The Word of God is full of promises that encourage the children of God as they face a dark world. Freedom from sin does not have to be a temporary condition, for the promise is given, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

We can take courage that, “Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world” (1 John 5:4-5). The life of a Christian is not one of defeat and it is not defined by failure; it is defined by victory and power and growth. We need not fear when Satan rages and roars, for even the devils are subject to us in the name of Jesus (Luke 10:17). When temptation is strong and it seems there is no way out, God has promised to “make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). At times the flesh is weak and the power of the enemy is strong. However, when we are equipped with the armor of God, we can rely on His power to do for us what we are not able to do for ourselves.

The children of Israel did not conquer Canaan by their own sword but by the right hand and arm of God (Psalm 44:3). God will fight for His children (Deuteronomy 20:4) and preserve them to the end. We can claim the promises of God and say with Paul: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). Be encouraged and seek for and live that life of victory in spite of circumstances and feelings, for “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

Jesus knew that the world was dark and that there were struggles within and without, but He, as the giver of peace and victory, encourages us still today: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). There is peace, victory, and power over all sin, and we can live daily victorious lives for “We are more than conquerors through him that loved us” (Romans 8:37).

“Lord help us never settle for defeat or failure, but let us be lifted up by the power of Jesus and by the Holy Spirit and lay claim to the wonderful, victorious living that is found only in You.
Amen.” ■