Let’s Rethink: “You Can’t Resist Sin on Your Own”

In 1972 I was a high school sophomore struggling to keep my lusts under control. Back then a famous teacher (he’s still famous) was all the rage so I got a tape of his that had to do with controlling lust and I listened to it more than once. In that tape he said that we couldn’t control lust on our own but needed to “let God do it.”

And over the years I’ve heard many Christians say exactly the same thing: “you can’t resist lust (or any sin) on your own; you must let God do it.”

Well, as a young Christian I didn’t know what it would be for me to let God do it rather than resist lust myself, but I thought I would give it a try.

So what happened?

Nothing good.

I thought, okay, so I’m at the beach and I see a hot girl in a bikini, do I look away or not? Do I just stare as long as I want to and wait for God to mechanically turn my head? Or do I stare until I just get tired of looking or until she goes home? Do I keep looking and pray, “okay, God, You do it”? Well, within just a day or two I realized that that teacher’s advice failed the reality test (it didn’t seem to work for him either as he’s been married four times).

But, as I said, I keep hearing Christians say “you can’t do it on your own; you have to let God do it.” One women actually said, “I’m no longer going to try to not say mean things to my daughter, I’m going to let God do it.” Her kid’s going to make some counselor rich! Then she added, “I’m not like those arrogant Christians who think they can be good on their own.” Does that sound humble to you? That’s why I now ask Christians who say these kinds of things to explain exactly, precisely, how they “let God do it” when they are confronted with actual temptations and I have yet to hear anything coherent.

So, let me tell you what I’ve learned. If someone or something causes you to lust:

Look away!

Besides, isn’t God already working in the Christian? Phil. 2:12b-13: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” So from this passage we garner that God is already working in the Christian and we need to do our part. Similarly, in 1 Jn. 3:9 we read: “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.” This verse teaches that God already works in us to keep us from sin. I don’t need to stop and say “okay, now you do it, God.” Of course we can’t be godly without His help, but we already have His help.

The Bible also tells us to “resist the devil” (James 4:7), “make every effort” to be holy (Heb. 12:4), “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness” (1 Tim 6:11). And so on. Aren’t these, and a whole posse of other verses, verbs directed at us? Can you do these things? Of course! Why? Because God’s already doing it.

Some may be thinking, “yeah, but it doesn’t seem like I can do it because I sin so often.” I’ll talk about that next week.

1 Cor. 9:24-27: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

Amen.