God cleanses us of sin so that we become vessels of honor.


Step 1 – Recognizing and repenting of sin

Just as we admitted that we were sinners to be saved, we admit
our daily struggle with sin to God. 1 John 1:8,10 declares, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us … If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”

We all sin. Even after salvation, the sin nature remains. We have been delivered from the power of sin but not its presence. When we let our guard down or fall into old patterns, we find that sin
raises its ugly head, and we respond. This is not evidence of a lack of salvation but evidence that we are still human.

Instead of denying that we struggle with sin, we can deal with it as God tells us. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive
us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

When we ask God to reveal our sins to us, He will. Then we can confess each sin by name. It is more productive to recognize and
repent of each specific sin than it is to pray, “Lord, forgive me of all my sins”.

Developing the habit of keeping short accounts with God, confessing immediately when we are convicted, and dealing with our sins daily will help us believe that we are forgiven, as 1 John
1:9 says we are. Then we can move forward, aiming to live less sinfully.

Step 2 – Reckoning ourselves dead to sin

“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been
set free from sin” (Romans 6:6-7).

Since we are in Christ, we are no longer bound to sin. Sin’s control over us has been broken, and we do not have to obey it any longer. We can say no. We can choose to please God. Our old man (the dirty vessel) has been done away with; we have been given a new nature.

Step 3 – Practicing our new reality

“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should
obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God” (Romans
6:12-13). 

Sin is no longer the ruling force in our lives. We are now servants of Christ. Sin will only rule us if we let it by choosing to obey it. When we refuse to present our members to sin, we live in our
new reality.

We are now able to resist sin and reject it. We can use our bodies
and minds to serve God and please Him. When a sinful thought
enters our minds, we can rebuke it and say no.

If we realize we have fallen back into sinful patterns, we can
repeat these steps to regain victory and become vessels of honor
for God.

*All Scriptures are NIV

How have you experienced freedom from sin?

Do you have a strategy to keep short accounts with God?

Consider memorizing 1 John 1:9.