Victory

THOUGHTS ABOUT THE PASSAGE:

The strength for our conquering and our victory is drawn continually from Christ. The Bible teaches that whosoever is born of God does not practice sin. It is like the story of the little girl who said that when the devil came knocking with a temptation , she just sent Jesus to the door. (Who said that by George Sweeting, p. 435)

In the remaining verses in this chapter sin is set before us in two graphic illustrations: It is likened to an old king who is now defeated (vv. 12-14) and it is likened unto an old king who is now deposed (15-23). Three words in this chapter summarize the secret of making the principles of victory practical in our life. These words are “know,” “reckon,” and “yield.” Through Jesus Christ we have been delivered from the dominion of sin. In these verses we find both the moral and spiritual principles involved in this truth:

1. The moral principle - "Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin" (v. 13a). The words "know," "reckon" and "yield" summarize this principle of victory. We are not to permit our eyes to look with lust, our ears to listen to gossip or our tongues to give out untruth. As free moral agents we are responsible for the use to which we put our bodily members.

2. The spiritual principle - "Yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God" (v. 13b). It is not enough to make a resolution that the members of our body will not be yielded to sin. It is only as we give in to God that we have the victory. This is an act of the will based on the knowledge we have of what Christ has done for us. It is not an impulsive decision of the moment based on some emotional stirring we may have had.

Paul uses an illustration of master and slave to show how the believer does not depend on his own efforts for victory, but on the abundant supply of God’s grace. However, no person can expect victory who doesn’t really want victory. Furthermore, no person can expect victory who has a soft attitude toward sin (Jeremiah 29:13). The attitude that grace gives us license to sin makes deliverance from sin’s power impossible. As long as we have that attitude sin will remain our master.

APPLICATION:

On a scale of 1 to 10 how would I rate myself yielding my members unto God as instruments of righteousness?