Back in 2010, I published my first book – The Root of the Problem: Why We Sin & How We Can Overcome. It is about how we as Christians can find the way of escape that God has promised will be present with every temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13) and take hold of the freedom from sin that Christ offers (John 8:34, 36).
In hopes of making this material available to a wider audience, I have decided to publish the material from the book here on this site. So over the next few months, I will publish a chapter from the book each Monday. I hope you’ll follow along with this study and spread the word to others.
To provide you with more of an introduction for the material, the preface of the book is below.
Preface
The book of Jeremiah contains a sad description of the people of Jerusalem. “‘Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; they did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them, they shall all be cast down,’ says the Lord” (Jeremiah 6:15).
The problem they had was that they no longer felt shame for their sin. I fear that many brethren are developing this inability to blush today. I am not talking about the bold-faced rebellion against God and glorification of wickedness (though that may exist with some, too). I am talking about the step that precedes this – the belief that sin is normal and to be expected among God’s people.
How often do brethren pray publicly that we (all the Christians in attendance) are weak and often sinning? How often do we hear Christians speak about one going a day, or even an hour, without sinning as being completely unrealistic? How often do you hear preachers say that they themselves often sin and regularly give in to temptation?
Just to be clear, I am not saying that we should ignore sin. If we are weak, we need to become stronger. If we sin, we must repent and seek God’s forgiveness. If we regularly give in to temptation, we need to grow and learn to resist.
But if these conditions exist, it is very important that we recognize them as being a problem. For Christians, sin is to be shameful, not accepted and expected. We sin when we make the choice to sin. There may be many factors that lead to our decision to sin (that is what this book is about), but it all comes down to our choice.
I would encourage you to stop thinking of sin as being normal for God’s people. Sin is normal for the world. Christians are to be different. God provides a way of escape for every temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13). If you want to find that way of escape, it is important to learn why you sin so you can then learn how to overcome. I hope the material presented in this book will help you to become a more Christ-like Christian.
Lessons
Below is the schedule of posts that will begin this coming Monday:
- August 4 – The Problem of Sin
- August 11 – “We Are Only Human” – Not a Reason. Just an Excuse
- August 18 – We Fail to See Sin for What It Is
- August 25 – Ignorance
- September 1 – Deception
- September 8 – Rebellion
- September 15 – Arrogance
- September 22 – Peer Pressure
- September 29 – Impatience
- October 6 – Materialism
- October 13 – Curiosity
- October 20 – Not Filling Our Lives with Good Things
- October 27 – Failure to Prioritize
- November 3 – Difficult Circumstances
- November 10 – We’ve Made It a Habit
- November 17 – Lack of Self-Control
- November 24 – Lack of Urgency
- December 1 – Lack of Love for Man
- December 8 – Lack of Love for God
- December 15 – No Fear of God
- December 22 – Conclusion
I invite you to follow along with this study as we seek to become better servants of righteousness (Romans 6:18).
