We were in small group last night and Micah asked a really good question based on a conversation he had earlier this week:
Is it possible for the believer to reach a place where he/she doesn’t sin anymore?
What a question!
I had to wrestle with it for a second.
But my mind went to 2 Peter 1:3 which says:
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence…[ESV]
Interesting. His divine power has granted to us ALL THINGS that pertain to life in godliness – hmmm.
We are fully equipped to be able to not find sin so tempting.
We also have a spirit that guides us to all truth [John 16:13].
What is even more interesting is a point that Micah brought up.
In Romans 7 when Paul says that ‘[he] does what [he] doesn’t want to, and doesn’t do what [he] does want to…’ [Romans 7:15] well, it almost gives the feeling that he isn’t in control. All he does is surrender. Either you surrender to the flesh, or you surrender to spirit…either way you have no real control as to what you do, or don’t do.
Which brings me to another point of contemplation.
If we are surrendering to the flesh, what does the bible say about it?
Well – not good things.
Did you know that the bible mentions the word ‘whore’ (or any variation of it) over 90+ times (from my last count)?
It even explains the word as something worse than a whore…more like a prostitute who pays their lovers [Ezekiel 16:30]. I don’t even know if we have a word that would explain this fully…maybe slut?
Do you want to know when it uses such words?
Well, I’ll tell ya, it is (most every time) when God is talking about His people forsaking him for idols, or not surrendering to Him completely…yeah. Surrendering to flesh and not spirit.
Want some examples? Cool – here we go:
In Ezekiel 16, the writer goes into detail about what God thinks of Israel. He starts by explaining that when He came upon them in their birth, that they were a baby kicking in it’s own blood – still attached to it’s mother by birth cord. Then goes into a beautiful picture of how God picked up His people and clothed them in beautiful garments when they were fully developed, and beautiful.
He adorned Her with gold and silver…gave her the very best. Then Israel trusted in Her own beauty and:
“But you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his. 16 You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines, and on them played the whore. The like has never been, nor ever shall be. 17 You also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men, and with them played the whore.” – Ezekiel 16:15-17 [ESV]
The chapter goes on to be even more lewd and use even more powerful language to show what Israel did. They were proud of their sin, building and living in vaulted chambers…whoring themselves out to anyone who passed by.
Hosea 2 also gives a really good description of this event, but doesn’t leave us with such a bad taste in our mouth. In Hosea 2:14 the writer writes about God coming back to her and forgiving her completely for what she’d done. And He says that He’ll even take the name of Baal off of her mouth. That she will remember Him and honor Him forever. He allows the whore not to play the whore anymore. [Read it for yourselves...it is an amazing, and beautiful illustration...] [Hosea 2:14-23]
That is what God thinks of us. We whore ourselves out after every little thing that comes by, when we surrender to flesh. Whether that be possessions or attitudes or people. We are so quick to turn our affections away from Christ. And God is pretty clear what He thinks of such things…
Now, don’t get me wrong, once we are in Christ – we are His, and always His. There is no changing that.
But why would we want to break the heart of the man who romanced us and brought us in while we were still wild whores, slutting ourselves out for anyone that came by, to the point where we paid our lovers?
So, to answer the question that Micah asked at the beginning of the night in a whole new light; Is it possible for the believer to reach a place where he/she doesn’t sin anymore?
Well, is it possible for a whore to stop whoring themselves out? Yes. It will be hard to die to that flesh, but it is possible.
We need to trust in, and be lead by the spirit, not by flesh. If we do that – the bible promises that we will be lead in a life of Godliness. We just gotta surrender to it. That’s all…it is as easy, and as hard, as that.
And please, know this – I am nowhere near a life of godliness like this…but it sure is something to strive for.
I need to stop ‘playing the whore’ – I need to treat my sin how God views it…as disgusting, defiling, and devastating.
Oh how often I make excuses for my sin. Father, purge this from me.
Amen. Amen…
