In 1Corinthians 13:12(NLT), the Apostle Paul said “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.” Paul is teaching us about valuing, positioning, and prioritizing heavenly things above the things of this earth. It’s an extremely important lesson, because most of us, including those of us that are saved, struggle to see the world for what it is. We fail to cling to God and His righteousness in the way He requires. We haven’t fully faced the reality that the things of this world are temporary. They will not last, but the things of God’s Kingdom will last forever. We need to open our eyes to this so that we will not waste our time and energy while we’re here, but instead we will make the most of this earth experience by seeking God with all that we are.
Many people are struggling in the faith and finding it challenging to release sinful behavior because they don’t understand the profound truth that Paul is revealing to us by the power of the Holy Spirit. When most of us look in the mirror, we might think we see ourselves clearly, but we don’t. We mostly see the flesh, so we are looking at an imperfect image of ourselves because quite frankly, we don’t know all there is to know about our spirit, soul, and body. There are situations and circumstances that arise in life, and we are often surprised by how we respond to them. We thought we would handle things one way, but when the rubber met the road, we responded completely different.
This is what Paul is talking about in Romans 7:14-15(NLT), when he said, “14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.” Most of us know right from wrong, and as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we know that there are things we did before we were saved that didn’t please God. We might stare at ourselves in the mirror and profess that we are free from those things, but when satan tempts us, we struggle to say ‘no’.
Looking in the mirror at ourselves, our eyes send messages to our brain about what our flesh looks like, but there’s infinitely more to us than that, and we just don’t know ourselves as well as we think. Sure, we have some familiarity about the reflection looking back at us, but this is only a tiny fraction of what God will reveal when our blessed Lord and Savior gathers us together with him. Then, we will see the fullness of our Christ-identity.
Even though our struggle with sin rears its ugly head, and we may not yet walk in the fullness of our Christ-identity, God wants and commands us to grow in Christ with each passing day. The Apostle Paul said in 1Corinthians 15:57(NLT), “But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” This victory that we have received in Christ must be walked out through our commitment and actions to live by his example. This means that you and I should be doing the things that God requires us to do to remain close to Him, things like reading His Word, praying often, seeking His forgiveness for our sins and repenting from them. When we don’t make remaining close to God a priority, we can lose our way and fall away from His path of righteousness.
When some people hear about the ugliness of sin and how it injures our relationship with God, they abdicate responsibility and try to rationalize that sin isn’t that bad. All we have to do is look at the devastating consequences that Adam and Eve faced after they sinned to see how God feels about it. They lost their holiness, were separated from the Holy Spirit, and were vanished from the Garden of Eden. They were cut off and in a world of trouble because they chose to listen and to bow to satan in sin, and by doing this they rejected God’s Word. This was catastrophic, but God sent Jesus Christ to handle our sin issue, and we should have gratitude in our hearts every day for what God has accomplished through Christ for us.
It was because of our sin that Jesus Christ gave his life as a sacrifice, and Colossians 3:3 tells us that when we accept his sacred and profound act of love, we die to our old ways and our lives are hidden in Christ in God. As believers that love God with all our hearts, we are not perfect, and we’re going to make mistakes, but we must recognize that as works-in-progress, we are being perfected each day. This means that every day, you and I must consciously choose God and His love. Every day we must express a desire to please Him and remain in His Will, and if we have faith, He will meet us at that place and help us be strong.
The struggle with sin ends at the point where we surrender fully to the Holy Spirit and have faith in his guidance and power. Our responsibility is to seek God continually when it comes to temptations and sinful actions. His Holy Spirit is within us, and John 16:13 tells us that the Spirit is leading and guiding us to all truth. That includes the truth of our deliverance and victory in Christ. Do you believe this? You should! Never stop praying and seeking God. Surrender to Him first thing every morning and pray that He will keep your feet from falling. Have faith that through Jesus Christ, you have the victory over sin and the more you renew your mind and heart to this, the clearer the reality of your victory will be. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“The Struggle with Sin”, written by Reverend Fran Mack. Edits by Kim Times and K. Stephens for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2023. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.