SIN is not merely a deed. Sin is a darkness of the soul. It is a lawlessness that found refuge in the human heart. Sin is the venom of the Serpent flowing through humanity pulsating rebellion against God and all that He is. No one escaped its venom. From the first child of Adam who murdered his own brother, to the most “innocent” of persons in our day, “all have sinned,” Jesus Christ being the only exception to that absolute truth.

  Jesus described SIN as the slave master that causes people to commit the acts of sin. John 8:32-36. This evil presence is what defiles a person. It is what separates them from God. Carnal religion seeks to control and restrain it. Jesus Christ takes it away! John 1:29.

  What gives sin such power? I believe sin to be the seed of rebellion (the lie) that Adam and Eve received into their heart and nature from the Serpent (Satan). It is as a single cell of cancer that never stops spreading. There is no cure until the whole is taken away. The power of sin is in its presence. Only where sin has no presence does it have no power.

  Consider these two examples: One man has wrestled with lusts for years. He has prayed, fasted, and taken every step possible to keep it subdued. There are many places he will not go, not because they are sinful places, but because the lusts within him so easily revives and begins to war in his thoughts and imaginations. So far this man has kept himself from fulfilling the unclean desires that are within. He has never committed an act of adultery or fornication and does not partake of pornography. This man has power over the unclean lusts that lie within him, but it is a constant battle that never ceases. In the best of times, the uncleanness seems to be dormant, but it is always ready to revive and roar.

  Another man does not struggle with such things. He faces the same tests of living in this world with all the opportunities for sinful acts that are common to men. He also does not commit adultery, fornication, or partake of pornography. In fact he never even contemplates such things. It is just not in his heart to desire or to do anything of that nature.

  I cannot help but have respect for the first man. He lives every day in a battle with lusts, but he keeps himself from fulfilling the act of the sinful thing. His determination and fortitude is to be admired. Yet with all the power he exercises over the sin, he is not free from it. If at any time he lets down his guard he will fall into its darkness and shame.

  You cannot rightfully claim that the second man has power over unclean lusts. In fact no one knows what course he would take if these things were actually in his heart. Would he be weak? Or would he be strong? He might fail on the first encounter. But this second man does not need strength to overcome uncleanness because it has no place in his heart. The truth is that no one needs power over sin if it has no presence within them.  Yes, as we are sent by the Holy Ghost, we are given …power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy…” Luke 10:19, but this is power over things that withstand the work of God, not things that are within our own heart and nature.

  As he walked upon earth, Jesus was …in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15. To be tempted means you are tested. It does NOT mean you are enticed by something. Jesus had no desire for sin, but he was tested in the same world we live in. The results of this testing revealed that although sin was all around him it had no presence in him at all. Jesus confirmed this, saying, Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. John 14:30.

  Christ did not come to give us power over sin. He came to take away our sin.I John 3:5. His blood washes the contamination of sin out of his people. I John 1:7. When Jesus said you shall find rest unto your souls Matthew 11:29, he was promising the end of the warfare and not the beginning of a lifelong struggle. As long as you seek power over something that is in your heart or nature, you are setting yourself up for a battle that will never end. Jesus never said he would give you power over sin. He said, If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. John 8:36. When Cornelius and those with him were filled with the Holy Ghost, God had already, in a moment of time, purified their hearts by faith. Acts 15:9. Through the blood of Christ, sin lost its presence in them, therefore it had no power at all!