Sin is Not Your Master

I like being married to an accountant. Not only is she excessively cute and willing to be seen in public with me, but she is a whiz with keeping us financially in the black and wrestling that pesky income tax form every spring.

Left to my own devices, I might fall into the thinking our oldest son displayed when he was little. He was convinced life would not go on if we did not buy a certain video game. Although his mother told him we did not have the money to buy it, he came up with the solution:

“It’s OK, Mom. You can just write a check.”

Unfortunately, America is riddled with debt because way too many Americans have that same mindset.

“It’s OK. You can just use a credit card.”

Accountants—whether they are cute or not—know you have to work with the numbers in front of you. You cannot simply add amounts to your bank account or ledger just to fit what you want. You have to deal with the facts—the real numbers.

Too many Christians treat their lives like a six-year-old treats a bank account, never considering what’s really in their account. Christians too often add things to their account that just aren’t there—and ignore others that are.

• I can’t help it. This sin is just a habit in my life that will always be there.
• I know Jesus forgave me, but I can’t keep from sinning.
• I’m powerless to deal with this.

If you are a believer—a follower of Christ—those statements are false. When you come to Christ, the following is added to your account.

• Christ has removed the power of sin in your life.
• Sin is no longer your master.
• Christ places His Holy Spirit in your life to empower you to live in holiness and righteousness.

In dealing with these truths, Paul said:

“Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:11).

See that word “count?” Paul used the same Greek word a 1st-century accountant or businessperson would’ve used. To count is to deal with the facts in the ledger book—and in your life.

If those statements are true, then why do I still sin?

As Christians, we sin because we choose to sin. We fail to consider that Christ has given us a way out. He has fully empowered us to stand strong.

“God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Cor. 10:13).

Stand strong in Christ. Surrender your heart and desires to Him daily. Surround yourself with the things of Christ.

“Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness” (Rom. 6:13).

I gladly leave my finances in the capable hands of my wife. And I gladly leave my life in the capable hands of Jesus Christ.

Count on it.

For a printable version: click here.

This post supports the study “Victory Over Sin” in Bible Studies for Life.