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Discouraged by Your Sin? Here’s Hope.
Our persistent struggle with sin often leaves us wondering, Why am I still like this? How long will I battle the same temptations? Will I ever change? When we’re discouraged by such questions, it’s tempting to respond in several unhelpful ways.
We may turn to legalism, putting our hope in stricter rules and self-sufficient efforts to try harder and be better. This may buoy us into better behavior for a season, but it bypasses deeper heart issues and undermines the gospel.
We may fall into condemnation, so ashamed by our sin that we withdraw from Christ. Our confidence in his finished work erodes, and we dare not approach his throne—though he’s the only One able to help us.
Or, when our legalistic efforts have failed and we’re tired of feeling laden with guilt, we may concede to a spirit of resignation. Why bother fighting sin if we know we’ll keep failing?
Whether your failures tempt you toward legalism, condemnation, or resignation, here are three encouraging truths to remember.
Truth #1: The battle means you’re alive.
We battle for a reason. Our struggle against sin is evidence of the Spirit’s work in us. The apostle Paul writes, “The desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do” (Gal. 5:17).
If you’re in Christ and indwelled by his Spirit, you’ll continually experience the tension of opposing desires. The desires of the flesh and of the Spirit can’t peacefully coexist. The reason you feel conflict is because the Spirit has taken your heart of stone and given you a heart of flesh (Ezek. 36:26).
Those dead in sin don’t delight in God’s law. Those dead in sin can’t grieve over it. They might experience regret but not godly repentance. Only people alive in Christ have hearts that beat with love for God and a desire to obey him.
Those dead in sin don’t delight in God’s law. Those dead in sin can’t grieve over it.
If you belong to Christ, when you feel conviction, it’s not meant to lead you into condemnation—it’s meant to lead you closer to Christ. God loves you too much to let you remain comfortable in your sin, and he’s committed to your sanctification.
Truth #2: Jesus’s sacrifice really is enough.
When you feel condemned by your sin, remember the hope you have in Christ. Rejoice in what he has already done and accomplished for you.
Jesus fulfilled the law that we broke, and he credits us with his perfect righteousness. Because of his atoning death, all the sins we’ve already committed—and all the sins we will commit—have been paid for in full. “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1).
You might still be at war with sin, but you’re at peace with God. Satan accuses, but Jesus assures. Satan condemns, but Jesus brings comfort. Puritan Richard Sibbes writes, “If Christ be so merciful as not to break me, I will not break myself by despair, nor yield myself over to the roaring lion of Satan to break me in pieces.”
Your hope isn’t in trying harder, feeling sorrier, or giving up. Your hope is in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Nothing you do can separate you from his love. You can trust in his finished work. What good news.
Truth #3: By his grace, you can change.
When we feel trapped in patterns of sin, we’re tempted to believe the lie that we can’t change. But when Jesus saves us, he sets us free from sin’s reigning power (Gal. 5:1). He breaks the bonds of our slavery. Yes, we still battle sin, and yes, it can still entangle us. But it does not—and it cannot—rule over us.
You might still be at war with sin, but you’re at peace with God.
No matter how trapped you feel by greed or gossip or lust or bitterness, the truth remains: Jesus won your freedom. He smashed your chains. Even better, he sent you a Helper (John 14:16). Because the Spirit indwells you, you can resist sin and walk in repentance. You can exercise self-control as the Spirit bears fruit in you (Gal. 5:22–23). Your weakness is a reminder of your dependence on him. It’s because God is faithful that you’re able to overcome temptation (1 Cor. 10:13).
We’ll battle against sin and temptation for the rest of our lives. And that reality will feel overwhelming unless we keep our eyes fixed on Christ. By his grace, we can lay aside every weight and sin that clings so closely, for he is the founder and perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12:1–2).
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