Multitudes believe the one thing the Holy Spirit cannot do is produce true genuine holiness in someone. They believe God knows this cannot be done, therefore He imputes Christ’s righteousness to sinners and declares them holy regardless of how sinful they may continue to be.
Many are totally convinced that the remedy of Calvary is not quite sufficient for the disease of sin, that God never intended His redeemed children be kept from sinning, only that they be spared the penalty! What a horribly distorted picture of God’s character that is.
What kind of salvation is it if we are left in bondage to sin? It is a crippled Savior who is not Lord, a weak Redeemer who does not rescue us from the power of sin, and a sickly Messiah who cannot command those He rescues!
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21). Now is some foolish person going to tell me my Lord through his powerful Holy Spirit isn’t able to keep me free from all sin on a day-to-day- basis?
Don’t limit God! Some will say, “Well, I believe God is able to keep me from some sin.” Some will go even further and say, “I believe God is able to keep me from most sin.” But Satan has so captured the minds and thinking of most Christians that only a very few will boldly say, “I know God is able to keep me from ALL sin!”
“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior be glory and majesty, dominion and power both now and forever” (Jude 24-25). That English word “falling” is a translation of the Greek word aptaistos (ap-TAH’-ee-stos) meaning “without sin!” If God can present you before the presence of His glory faultless, then it naturally follows He is able to keep you from ALL sin!
“What he has promised he is able also to perform” (Romans 4:21). When you say the Lord cannot keep a fully surrendered believer from all sin, you are then saying He is unable to perform what He has promised!!
Why is it so many Christians are appalled at the idea that our Lord can keep us from sinning? Is it their distorted interpretation of such texts as I John 1:8 and Romans 7 alone, or do they take pleasure in sin and knowingly refuse to abandon it? Or, is it that they are not surrendered sufficiently to really strive against every temptation that comes their way? (“Ho-hum, so I sinned. Big deal. Christ paid for it anyway”). God help us to understand.
Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12)
Donald Wiley