What Is Sin and How to Overcome It

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1 John 3:4, Sin is the transgression of the Torah. For a list and discussion the use of the word sin in the Testimony of Yeshua along with all of its synonyms, see The Companion Bible (appendix 128).

Why must we overcome sin?The Scriptures teach us to be overcomers (Rom 12:21; 1 John 2:13–14; 5:4). We must overcome the world, the flesh and the devil (Jas 3:15). Yeshua admonished each of the seven Messianic assemblies to be overcomers (Rev 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21; see also Matt 24:13). For those who overcome, there will be great rewards—a spiritual inheritance; they will be sons of Elohim (Rev 21:7).

Sin

The Greek word for overcome is nikao (Strong’s G3528) meaning “to conquer, to get the victory, prevail.” Nikao is where the word nike comes from.

What is Sin?

  • Sin is the anything that violates the Torah-instructions or laws of Elohim (1 John 3:4).
  • Sin is unrighteousness (1 John 5:17; YHVH’s Torah commands define what righteousness is, Ps 119:172).
  • Sin is not believing in Yeshua, who is the Torah-Word of Elohim incarnate (John 3:18; 16:9).
  • Sin is failing to do (or not to do) that we which we should be do (or not do)—i.e., a sin of omission (Jas 4:17).
  • Sin is putting me-first (my desires, impulses), not YHVH first (his will) in our lives. It is humanism. It is following the lie of the devil: man can have it his way regardless of what YHVH’s Word says, and not suffer any consequences for it. This is the big lie from the serpent in the Garden.
  • Sin is a direct challenge to YHVH’s authority in our lives. It is arrogance and self exaltation against YHVH’s will. It involves lack of belief in his Word. It is putting his will above his Word.

How to do we overcome sin? 

  • Know the biblical definition of sin.

  • Know what Scripture defines as sin and what is not sin.
  • Become born again or spiritually regenerated by the Holy Spirit of Elohim.
  • Call upon the power of the Holy Spirit for help and then learn to walk in the Spirit.
  • Get the Word of YHVH in you. Renew or wash your mind with the Word. This gives the Spirit of Elohim a pad from which to launch its missiles against sin in your life.
  • Utilize the power of prayer and spiritual warfare.
  • Redirect your attention off the sin and onto prayer to YHVH.
  • There is great benefit in being with other overcoming believers on a regular basis who will reinforce good habits, and hold each other accountable, who will challenge you to keep overcoming and reaching for higher standards.
  • Make no provision for the flesh. Get away from corrupting influences including people (Rom 13:14).
  • Be accountable to trusted and mature spiritual authority.
  • Understand that we are a tripartite being: we have a mind, will and emotions, called the soul (1 Thess 5:23). Like a board meeting, we receive input from all three. The will must make the choice which way to follow. The will must be directed by our spirit man, which must be submitted to the will or Spirit of YHVH.
  • Don’t replay old tapes of you or others sinning for your vicarious gratification (Prov 23:7).
  • To be victorious over sin the saint must actively pursue two courses of action at the same time. He must “feed” his spirit man and starve his sin nature. This is done through prayer, Bible study, abiding in the Word of Elohim, and fellowshipping with other like-minded believers.

How do we starve the sin nature in us?

  • Exercise self control; learn to control the impulses to sin.
  • Take every thought captive to the mind, spirit, Word of YHVH-Yeshua (2 Cor 10:5).
  • Flee temptation (2 Tim 2:22; Prov 4:14–15).
  • Make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof (Rom 13:14).
  • Do not love the things of this world (1 John 2:15).
  • Learn what sin is and then hate sin or evil.
  • Remember what the consequences for sinning is and use this as an impetus or de-incentive not to sin.

How to do we “feed” the spirit in us?

  • Study the Scripture. Feed the spirit man inside of you. Renew or wash you mind with the Word of YHVH. Hide the Word in your heart. (Ps 119:11; Jas 1:21; Prov 6:20–22).
  • Stay in constant communication with YHVH through prayer.
  • Meditate or ruminate on YHVH’s Word.
  • Fellowship with like-minded believers.
  • Learn to love righteousness—the things of YHVH. (Phil 4:8)
  • Learn the fear of YHVH, which is to hate evil (Prov 8:13).
  • Replace bad habits or sinful patterns with good habits or righteous patterns. Replace what not to do with what to do (Gal 5:16; Eph 4:22–24).
  • Recount your testimony to yourself and to others of past victories over sin (Rev 12:11).

Power to Overcome Sin

  • Reckoning: To help in overcoming sin, we must reckon ourselves dead to sin, and alive to Yeshua as a new creation of his spirit. (Read Rom 6 and 8; 6:7,11; Eph 4:24.) This reality must be our mindset, our spiritual identity. That identity must permeate everything we do in life.
  • Identification: We must reprogram our minds to think of ourselves no longer as sinners, but righteous. We must accept the fact that we are new creation in Yeshua, and accept our new identity by faith based on what the Word of Elohim tells us (Rom 6:2,11; Gal 2:20; 2 Cor 5:17).
  • Love: An abiding and dynamic love for Elohim and His commands constrains us to not violate His law of love by sinning either against Him or man. The overcomer has a desire to please Elohim (Rom. 8:8) which involves hating sin and loving righteousness. Must obey Elohim out of love, not fear (2 Tim 1:7; Rom. 8:15).
  • Revelation: Obey Elohim and don’t yield to sin because we’re motivated by the revelation of the fact that our sin body is dead in Messiah and that we’re a new creation in Him—we’re born of the Spirit and alive to righteousness and are no longer under the power of sin because of and through the life of Messiah in us (Gal. 2:20; 2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 6:1-22).
  • Quickening: Our mortal (sin-bent) bodies are quickened (made alive) by the Holy Spirit dwelling in us—that is, by the direct power of Elohim’s Spirit in us motivates, energizes and strengthens us to overcome sin and to live righteously according to the Spirit/heart/will of Elohim (Rom. 8:11, 26; Eph. 2:1-5; Col. 2:13). Another way to state this is that Elohim has given us His grace or divine enablement to overcome sin (Rom. 6:14).
  • Hope of Eternal Rewards: The hope of eternal rewards as heirs of Elohim and joint-heirs with Messiah motivates us not to sin. The more faithful and obedient to Him we are the greater will be our reward in the kingdom of Elohim. This should be a strong motivation for us to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh (Rom. 8:16-17,20,23-25). The hope or earnest expectation (Rom. 8:19,20,24) of being joint-heirs with Messiah (8:17) and the glorification of our bodies (17) gives us the impetus to overcome the present struggles of this life.
  • Your Will: Bring your will to bear on sin. Will not to sin, but to obey Elohim. “Let not” in Romans 6:12-13 directly relates to the volitional or choice-making capacity of the human soul. Furthermore, the will relates to the other points listed in this study in that it can drive or impose the realities of them into the other areas of our soul (i.e. the mind/intellect and emotion) and into our body with its weakness and penchants toward sin. “Yielding your members” as expressed in verses 13,16,19 is another expression relating to the will of man in this regard.

Be an Overcomer!

  • To him who overcomes sin, YHVH will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of Elohim. (Rev 2:7)
  • To him who overcomes sin, YHVH will give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written (Rev 2:17).
  • To him that overcometh will Yeshua grant to sit with him in his throne, even as he also overcame, and is set down with his Father in his throne (Rev 3:21).

 

 

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