Obtaining Victory Over Sin - NetBibleStudy.com

Victory Over Sin 15professional “excuse finders,” shifting through the rubble of the past, the pressures of thepresent, and the anxieties of the future, searching for a doorstep where the blame can beplaced.How contrary to the Scriptures! The Bible calls each individual a sinner. We arefully responsible for our choices. That’s a tough pill to swallow, but it is basic to ourhope that God can change us. After all, if we are responsible, we are in control of ourchoices. We can change! And we can choose to let God change us!Let’s consider the serious problem of homosexuality as an example. Our societyproclaims they are just “born that way” -- these desires begin at puberty. Okay, theyadmit, maybe there were factors in their home and environment that were conducive totheir thinking and behavior, but they are not responsible. And our culture bought theabnormal thinking that some are born homosexual. In other words – “they arepredestined to be that way” – God is to blame!Can one change to heterosexual feeling and behavior? Not if he blames hisenvironment or his genes for his actions. Listen to the words of one individual who hadlived the lifestyle of homosexuality, “For years I believed that I could never change because Iwas a homosexual by constitution, not by choice. I took no responsibility for my behavior. But asI began to read the Scriptures, I began to believe God could change me. The first step in thatdirection was when I took full responsibility for my homosexual behavior. No excuses; no alibis.”And there are countless others who could say the same thing today.Alcoholics are known for their ability to avoid responsibility for their behavior.The wife, the boss, their friends, or their neighborhood is to blame!However, the Bible teaches that each person is responsible. No one can make youpromiscuous, or give you an ulcer. These behavioral patterns are not caused bycircumstances, but rather by our response to circumstances. And even in those instanceswhere we are propelled by passions seemingly beyond our control, we still do thechoosing. Hence, we are accountable.The doorway to hope begins to open as we take responsibility for our sins,admitting our guilt. When we call something sin, there is the possibility of deliverance –for Christ came to call sinners to repentance.To call homosexuality a sickness, for example, does not raise the client’s hope.But to call homosexuality a sin, as the Bible does, is to offer home!When we assume responsibility for our sin we find that we are then a candidatefor God’s mercy and power. Assuming responsibility also restores our God givendignity. God did not create us as victims of our circumstances, or even as the slaves ofour genetic makeup. We can rise above our past and need not be pushed into any mold– whether it be one of environment or heredity.