In His word, God has defined certain things as sin – fornication, idolatry, covetousness, strife, drunkenness, murder, lying, and more (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Timothy 1:9-10; Revelation 21:8; et al.). The Scriptures also present a very clear instruction with regard to sin: “Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning” (1 Corinthians 15:34).
It is to be expected that those in the world will ignore this instruction. Yet, sadly, many Christians seem to ignore this as well. They have believed the Calvinist’s lie that our flesh is inherently sinful and that we cannot help but sin. As we will see, the Scriptures present a different reality. Living in the flesh means it is possible for us to sin (1 John 1:10-2:1); but we are called to “be perfect, as [our] heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). With that in mind, let us consider three questions in this article.
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Often when people make New Year’s resolutions, they begin with the words start, stop, or improve (or synonyms of these words) – start exercising, stop smoking, improve spending habits, etc. As we grow and mature, it is good to improve in all areas of our lives; but it is particularly important to improve our spiritual lives. So as we begin a new year, I want to suggest some resolutions for all of us to consider as we seek to please the Lord.
