New Wineskin: Chained Part 1_Why Do Christians Struggle So With Sin?

Do you as a professing Christian feel like a hypocrite?

Do you live with a sense of deep guilt and shame?

Are you bound to perverse passions?

Why Do Professing Christians Struggle So With Sin?

It might seem to some like I'm not staying the course here in terms of contrasting the Bible with the contemporary church, but if the individuals who make up the church are not spiritually well our chances of accomplishing anything in Christ will be greatly hindered. And so I have decided to spend several Blogs presenting spiritual tools that can help remove those things that hinder us and keep us chained to the past. For starters, there are two very important things we need to know:

As a Christian, there is definitely a way out of spiritual darkness and bondage.
You are not alone. A vast number of Christians suffer just the same as you do.

Many believe that once we come to Christ these awful effects of sin should disappear. Sometimes this is true, and sometimes it is not. When I personally got saved God instantly delivered me from the desire for Cigarettes and foul language. I didn't even have to try; they just vanished. However many other areas of my life had to go through deep spiritual renewal. I can gratefully say that the Holy Spirit has walked with me through every single one of these spiritually debilitating bondage's into a wonderful and lasting freedom in Christ.

Residual Sin is the Culprit

There is a place of victory over this type of past sin and it is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. This level of sin is what I call residual sin; leftovers from the old ungodly lifestyle. This ugly stuff must be stripped away at its roots if the Christian is to ever walk in faith and victory. The Holy Spirit wants to lead you out of the darkness of emotional bondage into the glorious light that Christ provides to all that surrender to His Lordship.

Normal Spiritual Maintenance

After this residual sin is stripped away will we still have sinful thoughts? The answer is yes! And we always will; this is normal. These sin suggestions are believed to be what Eph 6:16 calls the "fiery darts of the wicked." If we allow these sin suggestions to play out their fantasy, then we in fact will have sinned. The thought in and of itself is not the sin. It's what we do with the thought. If we do as 2 Cor 10:4-5 says and take these sin thoughts captive and cast them down making them obedient to Christ they will be ineffective. The devil wants us to believe that the thought is the sin. This is not true; it is only a sin suggestion (a fiery dart).
This is the "normal spiritual maintenance" each of us as Christians must deal with. However, there are several reasons why many professing Christians live in severe defeat and never get to this; "the maintenance phase" of their walk with the Lord. We will address the reasons for this inability to obtain a victory over these besetting sins and debilitating thoughts of guilt and shame. We will do so by addressing the following issues:

Did you get saved through the preaching of a soft gospel?
Do you find yourself, constantly wrestling with futile attempts at behavior modification?
Do you have a root of bitterness growing deep inside?
Have you canceled generational curses?
Have you severed ungodly soul ties?

The Soft Gospel

This week we will address issue #1.
A soft gospel is a stripped down version of the real thing. For example: a church, or a professing Christian says to you, "If you simply repeat these words audibly or quietly in your heart, after me, you will be saved;" and so you do. Does this mean you got saved? There is a real possibility that the answer is no. The problem with this "soft" approach to the gospel is that words only, in and of themselves, simply can not save you. Salvation is a deep issue of the heart.

Most of our churches preach a soft and popular gospel so that everyone will feel good, because that's what this generation is all about; "if it feels good, do it!" Perhaps you have responded to this kind of a gospel. Many churches are founded, and grow quickly because they are based on the preaching of a soft gospel.

The Bible is very clear on how to approach God for His free gift of salvation and it as follows:
“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38)." This is the most concise prescription for salvation in the entire Bible and the one that will most effectively lead a seeking soul to rich and meaningful salvation. Is this the gospel you received? Is this how you came to Christ? Let's look at it again:

Repent (preceded by a deep sorrow for sins and a desire to turn from them)
Be baptized (via immersion in water)
Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit

This is the Bible way to salvation. The "soft gospel" is a compromised, powerless gospel. It is an unstable and cheapens Christ sacrifice on the cross.You become the loser and not a winner in this scenario. A soft gospel leads to a questionable salvation at best and at worst, no salvation at all. Without a real salvation we cannot continue down the road of emotional wellness. Like all other Christ-less roads, it will lead to nowhere...
Some of the ways you can tell if you really made it through to salvation is to ask yourself these questions:

Do I have a genuine hunger for the written Word of God?
Do I have a passion for holiness no matter what the cost?
Do I have a desire to fully surrender my life, and rights, to the Lordship of Jesus Christ?

If you're not truly saved you probably find yourself hiding behind grace, mercy and God's forgiveness, all the while continuing in your uncontrollable godless thought-life, or lifestyle. Over time you may have learned how to look and talk like a Christian and fit in amidst the flock, but down deep within somehow you know, that as hard as you try, you are really not able to become who you say you are in Christ.This is what makes you feel like such a hypocrite. We must remember that Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light (leading us to a false salvation).

A Moment of Truth

This is where you must be painfully honest and ask yourself, "Am I like so many folks that sit in church; a passive spectator who perhaps shouts amen when the pastor crescendos with his voice, or when my soul gets emotionally titillated? Has there been a lasting change in my heart. Has the truth that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” ever truly reached my spirit? Am I saved or not? Could all this pain I'm experiencing be, at least to some extent, the result of the preaching a soft, compromised gospel?" You, and you alone, must decide ...

An Invitation

If all this seems to fit, why not simply follow the biblical prescription described in Acts 2:38 and receive a life altering salvation now! “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Seek out a true Christian and allow them the honor of helping you through to a full, genuine and overcoming salvation.