Sin: Getting to the Root of our Problems
by Anne Richardson

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)

So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. (Galatians 5:16 New Living Bible)

SIN is a word that most people prefer not to hear or talk about anymore: But refusing to acknowledge it doesn’t change the truth. It may seem a huge understatement to say that one small three-letter word-SIN-is the root of every human problem, but God’s Word says that it is.

1John 5:17 states that all unrighteousness is sin; we know that sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2); and that apart from Him we can do absolutely nothing. (John 15:15)

If walking in the Spirit (Christlikeness) is God’s answer to victory over the power of sin (Galatians 5:16)-then it is obvious that walking after our own fleshly or selfish desires is the greatest impediment.

You may already be thinking, “HOW can I actually do this?!”

The power to live a holy, victorious life was given to believers on the Day of Pentecost. Jesus instructed the believers “not to leave Jerusalem until the Father sent them what he had promised.” (Acts 1:4-5) He went on to say, “Remember, I have told you about this before, John baptized in water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Ghost. When the Holy Ghost comes upon you, you shall receive power to be my witnesses.” (verse 7) One of the most powerful ways of showing Christ to the world is by how we live, how we speak, and how we act and respond -especially in difficult circumstances. By doing this we are bearing witness of His resurrection. We are telling the world that He is alive, and that His power resides within us. Relying on the Holy Ghost produces an inner peace and strength that the world cannot comprehend, but longs to have.

Paul said it this way in 2Corinthians 4:7, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”

Yes, our sinful nature is still present, but we are no longer controlled by it. Paul teaches this principle in Romans 8:9: “You are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living inside of you. [And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them are not Christians at all]. You have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you keep on following it, you will perish. But if through the power of the Holy Spirit you turn from it [or put it to death] along with its evil deeds, you will live.” (Romans 8:9 AMP)

Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. (Ephesians 3:20 NL)

The Process of Transformation

It is important to remember that there is a process involved here. Healing and transformation come as we put off our old (carnal) ways and allow ourselves to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, mankind ceased to be a perfect reflection of the image of God. Sin corrupts. Sin marrs the image of God in which we were created. (Genesis 1:26) God’s purpose in salvation is to transform our lives with Christ’s life, and this is His one powerful answer to an overcoming life!

If you are like me, then you are probably ready with another question. Exactly how does the Spirit of God bring about this transformation in our lives?

We find the answer in Romans 12:2, “Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Right away, the Apostle Paul removes any room for doubt and confusion by telling us what we are not to do. We are not to be fashioned or shaped by the environment we live in. The ways of this world are not the ways of God. The ways of this world may have wounded, disappointed or confused us, but the painful events of life do not have to shape and define who we are. In the same way that we are commanded not to develop friendships with, or conform ourselves to worldly systems of belief and behaviour, neither are we to allow our environment (our experiences) to have dominion power in our lives. Instead we must be “transformed by the renewing of our mind.” The word transformed used here is the Greek Word metamorphoo. The first part of the word, “meta”, implies change. The second part, “morphe”, means form. Paul is saying that we must be changed into another form. Now that is a challenging command! The good news is that the tense of the verb indicates this is a process; not something that happens instantaneously. A change of this dimension will obviously involve pain and struggle.

You may be familiar with the story of a man who comes across a cocoon in his back yard. Intrigued, he begins watching it, until one day he notices a small opening has appeared. For several hours he revisits the cocoon feeling frustrated as the butterfly struggles to force its body through the tiny hole. At one point it seems to the man that no progress is being made at all. Not understanding the process that is taking place- he gets a pair of scissors and snips off the restricting remains of the cocoon. The butterfly emerges easily- but the man immediately notices that its body is swollen and its wings shrivelled. He expects that at any moment the wings will enlarge and expand- but it doesn’t happen. Instead, he realizes that the butterfly will not be able to fly. In his haste - the man had failed to understand that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required to get through the tiny opening were God’s way of forcing fluid from the butterfly’s body into its wings.

This little story conveys an important spiritual truth. The pain in our lives is the very thing God uses to teach us- not to fly like the butterfly-but to run this race of life! Yes, this renewal is difficult for us at times, but anything of real value is going to cost us something. This process of transformation begins in our understanding, it then flows to our will and affections and finally expresses itself in our outward behaviour.

Understanding: The Holy Spirit who leads and guides us into all truth reveals God’s will to our human spirit. We then, through the understanding He gives us, comprehend the meaning of the spiritual truth or principle that God wishes us to apply in our lives.

Will: Next, this particular truth comes face to face with our volition or will. It is at this point the flesh and spirit war against one another, “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other.” (Galatians 5:17) And so, it is here where we must choose to repent and turn away from the dark area of our nature which has been revealed by the prompting of Gods Spirit.

Affections: The Bible says that as we “commit our works [actions] to the Lord, our thoughts are established.” (Proverbs 16:3) We do this by making a conscious decision to stop allowing our emotions to control our actions and instead allow our actions to be determined by the truth of God’s Word - by fact, not by feeling. When we choose to forsake our old mentalities, God steps in and gives us a supernatural heart change so that our thoughts are established by Truth! Old habits may die hard, but we mustn’t give up, even if we fail a few times!

Conversation: This refers to our entire manner of conduct-our thoughts, actions, responses and speech. The Spirit of God never forces control over us. We must yield ourselves in loving obedience until the peaceable fruit of righteousness is produced in our lives. When His nature is in control, our old ways (anger, doubt, frustration, bitterness etc.) are exchanged for the fruit of His Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, self-control, meekness, faith and goodness). God reaches deep into the soil of our heart and ministers by His Spirit to the root of our pain.

It is human nature to want to avoid the painful moments of life. We struggle against the restricting confinement of certain circumstances, longing to break free and move on to something better and more beautiful.

Remember, God makes “every thing beautiful in His time”(Ecclesiastes 3:11).

He wants us to realize that every struggle placed in His hands can be an instrument of growth and change. Even through our darkest storms and most intense struggles God works in our lives like water washing over the rocks on a beach. He smoothes away all of the rough edges and shapes us into someone who truly reflects the beauty of His glory.

“But we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (II Corinthians 3:18)

Drawing closer to the Lord and allowing Him to renew the ravaged areas of our heart will restore what sin has stolen from us. He desires to “bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of prison to them that are bound…to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. ” (Isaiah 61:1-3)

Sin wounds and disfigures, but the cross of Calvary heals and makes whole!