WHY CHRISTIANS CANNOT STOP SINNING
Unwilling to live by faith because of unbelief
OUR ABILITY TO STOP SINNING IS DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO OUR WILLINGNESS TO SIMPLY TAKE GOD AT HIS WORD. alan ballou
Faith is directly connected to believing the evidence, which is always God’s Word. People who do not believe the evidence of things not seen (Faith), cannot possibly live by that evidence.
Hebrews 11:1
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. NKJV
Hebrews chapter eleven tells us exactly what faith is, and that same chapter gives us many examples of how the saints of old lived by faith.
Faith is always the reason for our hope, combined with the evidence of things not seen. The evidence is always something that God has said will happen in the future (God’s Word).
For example, Noah believed God, when He told him about the coming flood which would destroy the people of the world (evidence of things not seen), and so he built the ark to save his family (substance of his hope, Hebrews 11:7).
In other words, God communicated to Noah what was going to happen in the future, and what he needed to do in order to save his family. Noah in turn built the ark in keeping with God’s instructions, because he believed that what God said was going to happen. By faith Noah built the ark.
In the same way, if we believed the Word of God (evidence of things not seen), we too would do certain things, which are in-line with our instructions also found in the Word of God, in order that we would receive what is promised (the reason for our hope).
For example, if we believed what Jesus said in Luke 6:47-49, then we would not only hear the Word of God, but we would also put it into practice.
Luke 6:47-49
47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49 But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” NKJV
Imagine if we really believed that passage of scripture in our hearts, then we could look back over our lives and see the times when everything was ruined because we were not hearing and practicing the Word of God.
1 John 2:29
29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him. NKJV
People who are born of God practice righteousness, or they do what is right. Those who are not born of God not not practice righteousness.
1 John 3:10
10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. NKJV
Another example of living by faith would be that if we believed God’s Word in Matthew 6:14-15, then we would forgive everyone, since those who do not forgive, will not be forgiven. In this way, faith in God will make us forgive, just as faith in God made Noah build a boat.
Matthew 6:14-15
14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. NKJV
The evidence is if we do not forgive, we will not be forgiven, and the substance of our hope is to be forgiven. I hope you are beginning to realize that obedience comes from faith, and that is what we are called to do (Romans 1:5-6).
Another example is if we believed God in Romans 12:1-2, then we would be doing what Romans 12:1-2 instructs us to do; offer our bodies to God, stop doing everything the people of this world are doing (and calling it the Christian version of whatever it is), and be transformed into a new person by renewing our minds.
Romans 12:1-2
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. NKJV
Look carefully at those verses to see what is expected of us, and what we will receive in return. We’re going to be transformed (changed, converted) into something different than what we were when we first came to the Lord, the likeness of Christ (Romans 8:29), and “then” we will have the ability to test and approve what God’s will is.
Why is doing the will of God important? Does anyone who does not do God’s will enter the Kingdom of Heaven according to Jesus Christ?
Matthew 7:21
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. NKJV
The last time I checked I could not find a preacher left in this country that mentions that we have to “do the will of God in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven,” but I found many who testify to the exact opposite. However, if by chance you too believe what Jesus said in Matthew 7:21 (above), then Romans 12:1-2 (above) is much like the message Noah received. Imagine that.
Can you imagine what people were saying about Noah? How silly it must have seemed to those who saw what he was doing, but had no idea that he was following God instructions to save his family?
Hebrews 11:7
7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. NKJV
I’m sure that the people who saw what Noah was doing before the flood thought he was crazy, but notice that Noah’s faith condemned the world.
The faith of the saints will condemn the world
Just as Noah’s faith condemned the world, so too will our faith if we continue in it, Lord willing (Colossians 1:21-23). Listen to how Jesus compares the response of the people by the events that they experienced.
Matthew 12:41-42
41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. NKJV
The people who repented because of the preaching of Jonah, will judge those who did not repent at the preaching of Jesus (verse 41 above), and the people who did not seek to hear the wisdom of Jesus will be judged by the actions of the queen of the South (verse 42 above).
People were expected to respond in a certain way based on the events. It is the same concerning the mighty works that Jesus performed.
Matthew 11:20-24
20 Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.” NKJV
Imagine that it will be more tolerable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for Capernaum. They will be judged more strictly because there was an expected response to the things that Jesus did during their day.
What is our expected response, and who will be our judges? Think about that.
Jesus cast out a mute demon and the person who was mute and could not speak, spoke, but the people there said that Jesus casts out demons by Beelzebub, which was not true. Because they spoke what was not true, notice in verse 19 below who would be their judges.
Luke 11:14-19
14 And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” 16 Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven. 17 But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. 18 If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. NKJV
Again, what is our expected response today, and who will be our judges? Think about that.
I don’t expect you to understand all of this right now, although I am praying that the Lord will open your understanding enough to be able to make a conscience decision to either accept or to reject the Word of God. Therefore, be sure that you do not reject the scriptures.
The righteous requirements of the Law will be met in the person who walks according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh.
Romans 8:3-4
3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. NKJV
We walk according to the Spirit by keeping our minds on the things above.
Romans 8:5-8
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. NKJV
If a sinful (uncircumcised) man keeps the righteous requirements of the Law by living according to the Spirit, his uncircumcision will be counted as circumcision, and if he fulfills the law through love (Romans 13:8-10, Galatians 5:13-15), then he will be the judge of those who do not fulfill the Law.
Romans 2:26-27
26 Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? 27 And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? NKJV
Therefore, in the end, when people look back on the events that have taken place today, will it be said “how silly it must seemed to the people of 2019 that the ones who would inherit eternal life were practicing walking in the Spirit by keeping our mind set on the things above (Romans 8:5-8, Galatians 5:16)?
How silly it must have been for the people of that day (2019) to practice taking every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5), and to stop conforming to the world around them (Romans 12:1-2, James 4:4)? Surely they thought that becoming God’s salve (Romans 6:18, 22), and learning the willingness to suffer (1 Peter 4:1-4) was ludicrous.
How silly it must have seemed to them that even though Christ died for their sins, they were to put to death whatever belonged to their earthly nature (Colossians 3:5-9, Galatians 5:24-25), and turn away from iniquity (2 Timothy 2:19).
It must have seemed far fetched to the people of 2019 that they needed to add to their faith goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love in order to make their calling and election sure, never stumble, and to receive an abundant entrance into the eternal kingdom of the Lord, but just like Noah and his family, a few made it (2 Peter 1:5-11).
If I were you, I would get a King James, or a New King James Bible and I would read it out loud out of the New Testament at least a couple of hours a day, and I would totally ignore any preacher who speaks against any verse in that Bible, and all who ignore any verse in that Bible.
If you have questions for me, ask. I’m Alan Ballou; a servant.
