More Than Rules: Why Knowledge Alone Can’t Conquer Sin
Are you a rule follower? I am, and it’s a blessing and a curse :)
Something interesting caught my eye in the book of Colossians, chapter two, about rules. This seasoned play-by-the-rules girl spotted it right off.
In Paul’s letter, he makes this statement:
“These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.” (v23 NLT)
Paul’s words remind me of an old friend who came to the Lord later in life. Before accepting Jesus Christ as his Savior, he read the Bible cover to cover. Read all the books he could find about the Bible. My friend’s quest to be wise using strong devotion was robbing him of a relationship with the only One who could reveal the mysteries he desperately wanted to understand. Worldly wisdom is foolishness without the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:19).
Friend, we need more than rules on a page (or chiseled on a tablet) to live this life victoriously. God spent a lot of time in the OT showing the Israelites that they needed more than commandments; they needed a Savior, a perfect Lamb’s shed blood to cover their sins.
We can “know” all the rules. Scripture can fall easily from our lips, but if we don’t actually surrender our lives to Jesus, it’s impossible to conquer our flesh.
Hebrews 12:1 mentions besetting sins (KJV), the “sin that so easily entangles” (NIV), and “sin that just won’t let go” (CEV). The “sin that just won’t let go.” That’s the one that keeps us bound.
Just one verse down (Heb. 12:2), Paul gives us the foundation for freedom. After he tells us to strip off every weight that slows us down, he tells us how: “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.”
Paul also offers us some practical tools that help us leave behind those things weighing us down as we run the race God has set before us. These tools are a good place to begin:
- Set your sights on the realities of heaven – an eternal perspective. The here and now is not all there is.
- Having nothing to do with…
Colossians 3 offers a list of earthly habits and actions that we need to get rid of. “You used to do these things when your life was still part of the world.” (3:7) - Learn the valuable disciplines of renewing your mind (Romans 12:12) and taking your thoughts captive. (2 Cor. 10:5) (Krisine and I have podcast episodes that offer great how-to tips on these topics. You will find a few of those episodes linked below.)
We need the Holy Spirit to conquer bad habits, sinful desires, and that bad attitude that wants to creep up when we are in Walmart. Our hope is this: “we are more than conquerors” (Rom. 8:37) with Christ Jesus—the Initiator and Perfector of our faith.
Podcast links:
Can Taking My Thoughts Captive Really Help Me?
How to Keep Trusting God While You Wait
God’s Pruning Prepares Us for Restoration