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A PROMISE OF VICTORY OVER SIN
IT is often made a ground of objection against the Gospel, that it is unfavourable to morality. But the very reverse of this is true; for the Gospel not only inculcates moral duties as strictly as the law itself, but suggests far stronger motives for the performance of them, and even provides strength whereby we shall be enabled to perform them. A great part of this epistle was written on purpose to establish the doctrine of justification by faith: and yet here is one whole chapter devoted entirely to the enforcing of universal holiness, and to the removing of all ground for the objection before referred to: and in the text an express declaration is given, as from God himself, that sin shall never regain its ascendency over the hearts of his people. We shall consider,
I. The promise here given us—
The promise is express, and relates to our deliverance from sin, of whatever kind it be—
[Sin of almost every kind has dominion over the unregenerate man. All persons indeed are not addicted to the same lusts; nor do they gratify any one lust in the same degree: but the seeds of all evil are in the hearts of men; and if any person abstain from any particular act of sin, it is rather because he is not strongly tempted to commit it, than because he has not a propensity to commit it; and it is universally found, that the sins, which are peculiar to our age, our constitution, our situation and circumstances in life, do habitually get the dominion over us. But God promises, that it shall not be so with his people; that they shall be delivered from this ignominious bondage; and be enabled to resist the solicitations of appetite and passion.
We must not however imagine that this promise extends to absolute perfection: for, however desirable the attainment of perfection might be in some points of view, it is not the lot of any in this world. Even the most eminent of God’s saints have failed, and that too, in those very points wherein their peculiar eminence consisted: Abraham, Moses, Job, and all others, have proved sufficiently, “that there is not a just man on earth that liveth and sinneth not:” and that, “if any say they have no sin, they deceive themselves, and the truth is not in them.” Nor does the Apostle mean that sin, even of a grosser kind, shall never, in any instance, be found in a child of God; for, as “in many things we all offend,” so, under the influence of strong temptation, we may act very unsuitably to our holy calling: Noah, Lot, David, Solomon, afford melancholy proofs of such weakness and depravity. But this is asserted in the text, and attested by the universal voice of Scripture, that no child of God shall ever give himself up to the wilful and habitual indulgence of any one sin whatever. No: every child of God will watch against sin in the heart, as well as in the act; and will pray and fight against it to the latest hour of his life — — — And the reason why he never can sin in the same wilful and habitual way that he did before, is, that he has the seed of God, or a living principle of grace, within him, that constantly impels him to hate and flee from all iniquity [Note: 1Jn_3:9.]; and, “because he is Christ’s, he cannot but daily crucify the flesh with its affections and lusts” — — —]
The limiting of this promise to believers leads us to shew,
II. Its connexion with our new-covenant state—
Believers are “no longer under the law but under grace”—
[Once they were, like others, under a covenant, which cursed them for disobedience, but afforded them no hope of pardon for past offences, nor any means of resisting sin in future: but now they have embraced that better covenant, the covenant of grace, wherein God offers them a full remission of all their former sins, and assures them that he himself will give them grace sufficient in every time of need. On this promise they rely, knowing by bitter experience that they have not in themselves a sufficiency even to think a good thought, and that God alone can give them either to will or to do any good thing.]
It is on this very account that God guarantees to them, if we may so speak, the attainment of universal holiness—
[By embracing God’s covenant, they become his children, members of his family, and heirs of his glory. Now God’s honour is concerned that his own children shall not be left in bondage to the devil — — — Besides, after having made them heirs of his glory, he never will leave them under the power of a corrupt nature; because that would incapacitate them for the fruition of his glory, even if they were admitted to a participation of it: an unholy nature would utterly unfit them for the services and enjoyments of heaven — — — But there is yet another reason why God fulfils this promise to them; God has made it a part of his covenant, that he will cleanse his people from all their filthiness and all their idols [Note: Eze_36:25-27.]; and pledged his word that he will not only forgive all their sins, but cleanse them from all unrighteousness [Note: 1Jn_1:9.] — — — Now this promise they rest upon, and plead as their only hope; and will God, who cannot lie, rescind it? No: he will fulfil it to them in the time and manner that he judges most conducive to his own glory.]
To improve this subject, let us observe that,
1. To lay bold on this covenant should be the first great object of our lives—
[Where else shall we find deliverance from the judgments denounced against us for our violations of the first covenant, or obtain strength for our obedience to God’s holy will? All efforts of our own will be utterly in vain; it is Christ alone that can effect either the one or the other of these things; and it is only by looking to him, and laying hold of his covenant, that we can obtain these blessings at his hands. But let us once obtain an interest in him, and all these things are ours; pardon, peace, holiness, glory, all are ours, the very instant we believe in him. What then can be put in competition with this? Verily all the things of time and sense sink into utter insignificance, when compared with this: and therefore let us regard this as the one thing needful, and make it the one object of our whole lives to be found in Christ, and to secure the blessings which he has purchased for us.]
2. None, however, can have any interest in the covenant of grace who do not experience deliverance from sin—
[Though no man is admitted into the covenant of grace on account of any holiness that there is in him, yet none are left unholy after that they have been admitted into it. “That very grace of God which bringeth us salvation, teaches us to deny every species and degree of ungodliness [Note: Tit_2:11-12.].” To fail in this would be to defeat a principal end of Christ’s death [Note: Tit_2:14.]. If there be any allowed sin in us, we deceive ourselves, and our religion is vain [Note: Jam_1:26.].]
3. But none have any reason to despair on account of the inveteracy of their lusts—
[Were it required of us to purify our hearts by any exertions of our own, we might well despair. But holiness is not only enjoined; it is promised; it is promised by Him, who is able also to perform. Let none then say, “My wound is incurable;” for with God all things are possible: and we, however weak in ourselves, shall be “able to do all things through Christ who strengthened] us.” If we were at this instant led captive by ten thousand lusts, no sin whatever should have dominion over us in future, provided only we took refuge in the covenant of grace — — —]
4. Nevertheless, this promise does not supersede the necessity of prayer and watchfulness on our part—
[God’s promises are free; “yet will he be inquired of by us before he will perform them.” Nor are we at liberty to run into temptation because he has promised to keep us; for that would be to tempt him: but, in the exercise of prayer and watchfulness, he will keep us. If Paul, that chosen vessel, was obliged to keep his body under, and to bring it into subjection, lest he himself should be a cast-away, surely the same care and diligence are necessary on our part. It is our comfort however, that, while we run, “we do not run as uncertainly;” and while “we fight, it is not as one who only beats the air [Note: 1Co_9:26.]:” for victory is secured for us, and God himself “will bruise Satan under our feet,” and preserve us blameless to his heavenly kingdom.]