Overcoming Sin

In Romans chapter seven Paul gives an account of his struggle with sin. He wrote, "I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.'' (Romans 7:21-25)

This passage describes the war that every Christian has raging within him: a war between selfish desires and the Holy Spirit that lives within his spirit. In my next few posts in this blog, I will give a some hints on how to win the war against sin.

Fruit of the Spirit

The fruit of the spirit is evidence that a person is filled with the Holy Spirit.

Being filled with the Spirit means to be controlled by Him. In other words, a person who is filled with the Spirit of God will obey God and His Word. He will live a sanctified and pure life.

In Galatians 5:22,23, the Apostle Paul lists the fruit of the Holy Spirit. He wrote, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.''

Here is the divine test that we can use to judge if a person is walking in the Spirit or not. This is the divine test that we can use to judge if we are walking in the Spirit or not. A person who is Spirit filled must demonstrate these characteristics because they are Spirit given.

The closer a person is to God and the more mature as a Christian he becomes, the easier it will be to detect the Spirit's fruit within his life. By this we should judge our Christian walk. It is our day to day lives that show how close to God we are.

Spiritual Gifts of Ministry

There has been such an overemphasis in the last few years on the miraculous spiritual gifts that other aspects of the Holy Spirit's work have been ignored. Miraculous spiritual gifts are not for today. However, the Holy Spirit does give Christians gifts of ministry.

Consider the Apostle Paul's teaching in Romans 12:5-8. He wrote, “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering; or he that teacheth, on teaching; or he that exhorteth, on exhortation; he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.''

These gifts are not miraculous gifts. When Paul mentions the gift of prophecy in this chapter, he is referring to proclaiming the truth not telling the future.

There are several important facts that we need to understand about these gifts of ministry. First, every Christian has some gift of ministry. The Apostle Peter wrote about the same type of gifts as Paul discusses in Romans 12. In 1 Peter 4:10,11, Peter wrote, “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to Whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.''

Peter is not writing of miraculous gifts. There is nothing in the context that would support that. He is speaking about using gifts of ministry to support and help one another within the local community of believers.

Notice, Peter states that every Christian has one of these gifts of ministry. Every Christian has a part to play in serving God. It is not the job of clergy to do all the work of the Church. Every member has a part to play.

This is what Paul taught in Ephesians 4:11,12. Paul wrote, “And He gave some, apostles; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.''

According to the Apostle Paul, the leaders in a Church are to prepare God's people for the work. The leaders in a congregation are not to do all the work. They are to train, teach and encourage the membership to do the work.

Christian friend, God has given you a special capacity, a gift of ministry, to be used in His service. You will find joy and peace as you faithfully use God's gift to help others.