The Scriptures and Sin # 3

The Scriptures and Sin # 3

6. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word fortifies against sin. The Holy Scriptures are given to us not only for the purpose of revealing our innate sinfulness, and the many, many ways in which we "come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23), but also to teach us how to obtain deliverance from sin, how to be kept from displeasing God. "Your word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against you" (Psalm 119:11). This is what each of us is required to do: "Receive, I pray you, the law from His mouth, and lay up His Words in your heart" (Job 22:22). It is particularly the commandments, the warnings, the exhortations, we need to make our own and to treasure; to memorize them, meditate upon them, pray over them, and put them into practice. The only effective way of keeping a plot of ground from being overgrown by weeds is to sow good seed therein: "Overcome evil with good" (Rom. 12:21). So the more Christ's Word dwells in us "richly," the less room will there be for the exercise of sin in our hearts and lives.

It is not sufficient merely to assent to the veracity of the Scriptures, they require to be received into the affections. It is unspeakably solemn to note that the Holy Spirit specifies as the ground of apostasy, "because the love of the truth they received not" (2 Thess. 2:10). "If it lie only in the tongue or in the mind, only to make it a matter of talk and speculation, it will soon be gone. The seed which lies on the surface, the fowls in the air will pick it up. Therefore hide it deeply; let it get from the ear into the mind, from the mind into the heart; let it soak in further and further. It is only the love of it - when it is dearer than our dearest lust, then it will stick to us" (Thomas Manton).

Nothing else will preserve from the infections of this world, deliver from the temptations of satan, and be so effective a preservative against sin, as the Word of God received into the affections, "The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide" (Psalm 37:31). As long as the truth is active within us, stirring the conscience, and is really loved by us, we shall be kept from falling. When Joseph was tempted by Potiphar's wife, he said, "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" (Gen.39:9). The Word was in his heart, and therefore had prevailing power over his lusts. The ineffable holiness, the mighty power of God, who is able both to save and to destroy. None of us knows when he may be tempted: therefore it is necessary to be prepared against it. "Who among you will give ear...and hear for the time to come" (Isa. 42:23). Yes, we are to anticipate the future and be fortified against it, by storing up the Word in our hearts for coming emergencies.

7. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word causes him to practice the opposite of sin. "Sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4). God says, "You shall," sin says "I will not"; God says "You shall not," sin says "I will." Thus, sin is rebellion against God, the determination to have my own way (Isa. 53:6). Therefore sin is a species of anarchy in the spiritual realm, and may be likened unto the waving of the red flag in the face of God. Now the opposite of sinning against God is submission to Him, as the opposite of lawlessness is subjection to the law. Thus, to practice the opposite of sin is to walk in the path of obedience. This is another chief reason why the Scriptures were given; to make known the path which is pleasing to God for us. They are profitable not only for reproof and correction, but also for "instruction in righteousness."

Here then, is another important rule by which we should frequently test ourselves. Are my thoughts being formed, my heart controlled, and my ways and works regulated by God's Word? This is what the Lord requires; "Be you doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." (Jas. 1:22).

Let both writer and reader honestly and diligently measure himself; as in the presence of God, by the seven things here enumerated. Has your study of the Bible made you more humble, or more proud - proud of the knowledge you have acquired? Has it raised you in the esteem of your fellow men, or has it led you to take a lower place before God? Has it produced in you a deeper abhorrence and loathing of self, or has it made you more complacent? Has it caused those you mingle with, or perhaps teach, to say, I wish I had your knowledge of the Bible; or does it cause you to pray, "Lord give me the faith, the grace, the holiness You have granted my friend, or teacher?" "Meditate upon these things; give yourself wholly to them; that your profiting may appear unto all" (1 Timothy 6:15).

~Arthur W. Pink~

(The End)