Living the Never Again

    After hearing a moving sermon on sexual purity (which you can see here https://vimeo.com/393455560), I began to wonder how many times we say, “Never again.” How many times have we been confronted by our porn problem, anger issues, love of gossip, greed, lust, or myriad of other sins? The scenario is familiar. In a cavalier moment of strength we swear, “Never again. I’m done. The filters are going on the computer. I am going to conquer my tempter. I will even cut my tongue out to keep from gossiping!” Then as the space between the declaration and the temptation widens, our resolve weigns, and we fall. Again. In an attempt to help you live the never again, I want to turn your attention to something greater than your resolve - the Word of God and power of a redeemed heart. Colossians 3:1-17 will show you how to begin living the never again. 

   

Set your mind on Christ 

    Living the never again begins with your mind. In verse 2 Paul says, “set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” You and I associate the mind with the seat of thought, reason and intellect. So we deduce that living this verse means we just go about thinking of heaven and Jesus. If we just think about heaven and Jesus, we won’t have time or mental space to think about sin. But as Melich points out, mind here is more than thoughts, it involves values and loves. 

    Setting your mind on Christ means that, as Christians, our deepest love is found in the things of God. Consequently we value what God values. This is more than thought redirection, setting your mind on Christ is the daily prayer that God sanctifies our heart, causing us to love what He loves and value what He values. 

    If you struggle with greed, you must begin valuing what God values. What is the highest value for the greedy person? Money, and more of it. What is of highest value for God? His glory. So, conquer greed by using your money to glorify God rather than gratify yourself. Give to your church. Secretly bless another belvier and her family. Give a hundred dollar bill to a homeless person and say, “God loves you. He wants you to have this more than He wants me to.” Your values have changed, and the thing which controlled you is now bringing glory to God. 

Slay the sins in your life

    Living in the never again will not just happen. You know this, how many “last times” have you experienced? It requires more than resolve and internet filters. We must allow the Spirit to put our sinful desires to death, and breathe life into our once dead hearts. This passage provides two lists of sins overwhelmingly destructive in the lives of believers. Things such as sexaul immorality, impurity, passion (v. 5), anger, malice, obscene talk (v. 8), seem next to impossible to conquer for many followers of Christ. That is because we approach overcoming these sins with resolve, when these sins can only be overcome by death. Not your death, but the death of your flesh-driven desires. 

    The Scripture says of these sins, “put to death therefore what is earthly in you,” (v. 5) and “put them all away” (v. 8). The Puritans called this process mortification. Described by William Perkins as “the power of sin continually weakened, consumed, and diminished.”John Owen speaking of mortification says, “”All other ways of mortification are vain, all helps leave us helpless; it must be done by the Spirit.” 

Mortification, without doubt, is a work of the Spirit. So, why does the verse at hand make it seem like the task lies with the believer? Why are we told to put to death what is earthly in us? Because like all other sanctifying acts, the believer is called to be active in the process, not a passive bystander. You can put these sins to death, not from your own power, but through the power of the Spirit which dwells in you. This slaying of sin, living the never again, is a moment by moment decision of refusing to participate in earthly, sin driven, activities. As you make these decisions, the thrill of serving Christ will gradually become sweeter than falling prey to the world. Dagger after dagger, driven home by the thrust of Spirit driven choices, will eventually slay the sin which has overpowered you in life. 

Surround yourself with accountability and support

    Verse 9 says, “do not lie to one another.” Those commenting on this verse debate whether Paul is addressing a problem present in Colosse, or making a general statement to believers. Remembering that all of God’s Word is for all of God’s people, it is best to apply this command to every person naming Christ as his Savior. Could it be that the biggest lie we tell is the facade that all is perfect in life. Christains, we are called to be open about sin and struggle. These verses call us to “put on” love and compassion, that we are called into one body (v. 15) Being part of the body of Christ requires us to extend grace to each other as Christ has extended grace to us. We are a living example of His work, which includes justification and sanctification. 

    If you really want to live the never again, someone must be aware of your sin struggle. This person honestly brings truth into your life, as well as the prayer support needed to overcome the sin which you can not overcome on your own. I meet weekly with two other men. We know each other’s struggles, the very ugly parts of life. We weekly pray for each other, and celebrate the victories Christ brings in life. I can not live the never again without these brothers in Christ. 

One last thing…

    Sin is a serious struggle. It is not a pesky bad habit. Sin possess destructive power the enemy will unleash in your life at any moment. My fear is this post will seem too quippy, or just another piece of spiritual self help. Like everyone reading this, I have struggled with my own sin and struggled to find the power to live life in the never again. My prayer is that as you find the victory Chrsit died for, set your mind on Him, let Him put sin to death by the Spirit and surround yourself with loving brothers and sister who will struggle with you.