Defeated by Sin

By Jeff Curtis

Along with the good news that Christians can overcome sin, the apostle John suggested that there is some bad news regarding sin. If we aren’t diligent, we can be defeated by sin. John implied that it is possible to lose the battle to sin and Satan. John spoke of “a sin leading to death” in 1John 5:16-17.

What is “A Sin Leading to Death?” What is “a sin leading to death?” John already said that “if we walk in the Light… the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1John 1:7) and that “if we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1John 1:9). Consequently, “a sin leading to death” (1John 5:16) can’t be any sin which we are willing to repent of and confess.

So, what is it then? It must be a specific sin (such as murder, adultery, or lying), but a state of the heart or mind that keeps a person from being willing or able to repent and confess their sins. Most likely it can be compared with what is described in other places in the New Testament as a hardened heart (Hebrews 3:12-13) or a seared conscience (1Timothy 4:2). An apostate condition can make it impossible for one to be renewed “again to repentance” (Hebrews 6:4-6). When a Christian falls away to that extent, he has sinned unto death – that is, he is doomed to eternal death in hell (unless he changes his attitude and repents).

Can a Christian Commit this Sin? We need to realize that a Christian can actually reach such a state. We can find ourselves in the condition of having a hardened heart and a seared conscience. What do they do, they have not overcome sin, but instead, have allowed sin to overcome them.

For the Christian, therefore, victory over sin is not inevitable. Unless, he is diligent in holding to the truth, obeying God’s commands, walking in the Light, and showing love to his brethren, he could fall away and find himself in the position of one who has committed “a sin leading to death.”

Maybe we could liken this process by which a person reaches such a point to when someone who decides to ride a bicycle down a hill. At first, the downward slope is easy, gentle, it wouldn’t be a problem to turn back at any time. Then, gradually, the slope becomes faster and faster. It becomes more difficult to stop and turn around. They realize that this is a dangerous downward slope and determine to turn around and go back up the hill for safety. Only to discover that when they try to turn around, they’re going too fast to stop and that it’s impossible to turn around. Even against their will, they continue to go downhill with the speed ever increasing until they fall to their doom.

Similarly, when we start sinning habitually, it may seem at first that it would be easy to stop. We sometimes hear people say, “I can quit anytime I want.” However, sin is addictive. The more one sins, the more they may desire to sin. They find themselves sinning more often, travelling downhill faster and faster. It may be at this point they will say, “This is too dangerous, I need to turn around.” But when they try, they discover they can’t. Their conscience is seared, their heart is hardened, and they find that it’s impossible to repent. They have sinned “a sin leading to death.” They have nor conquered sin; they have been conquered by sin.

Are you concerned that you may have sinned “a sin leading to death?” If you are concerned, then you have not sinned such a sin. You still need to repent and turn around while you can. Or else the road to hell will get steeper, the longer you delay, the harder it will be to repent. Make the changes you need to make today.

Meditate on this:

Psalm 98:1

Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.

Learning Humility

By Jeff Curtis

Humility is a quiet, elusive virtue. Its opposite, arrogance, is seldom self-proclaimed. The apostle Paul’s opponents wouldn’t likely have identified themselves as being among those who “have become arrogant.” Most people recognize what they judge to be humility or arrogance in other people; they are generally less successful at seeing the traits in themselves. The arrogance of Paul’s critics at Corinth resulted in their refusing to listen and learn from an apostle of Christ. They were similar to young man who thinks he knows more about love than his grandfather who has been married to the same woman for sixty-five years. Humility is the willingness to learn from those who have travelled the road before us.

Arrogance is a frame of mind that places excessive value on the worth of our own preferences and judgments. It is self-confidence gone amok. Arrogance is an outgrowth of the same pride that caused the first man and woman to defy God and say, in effect, “I know what You want, but I will do it my own way.” Humility, by contrast, is the willingness to question ourself and value others. Those who Christ to be Lord who holds humility as a virtue. In the fifth century, Augustine offered this judgment on how to gain truth; “The first way…is humility; the second way is humility, and the third way is humility, and as often as you ask, I would say this.”

To be humble is to assess ourself realistically, and that is not a small task. It doesn’t require us to engage in constant self-deprecation like that displayed by Uriah Heep in David Copperfield, who considered himself “the umblest person going.” True humility is Jesus’ washing the feet of His disciples. It’s a child in the arms of the Lord. It’s Paul, “condemned to death,” “a spectacle to the world” (1Corinthians 4:9). It’s Jeremiah, being uncomfortable and confused about being called to be a prophet, but unwavering in his determination to preach. It’s Job, suffering with pain and questions, but trusting still trusting in God. Humility is serving, trusting, and giving without fanfare. Paul’s critics preferred their own glorification over submission to God. With that ungodly mindset, they had fostered disorder and confusion in the church.

Meditate on these things:

Psalm 138:7-8

⁷ Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out

Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me.
⁸ The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; do not forsake the works of Your hands.