Lesson 76. Love Conquers Sin

Human beings were designed and born into this world to be free. Freedom gives us the ability to make decisions and follow the path we have chosen. The right to choose means either consenting to take the side of good and make it the meaning and purpose of life, or consenting to take the side of evil, live in it, and teach it to others. But if I have no freedom, I will follow the course dictated to me by the one who has deprived me of the right to choose. In that case, I become a slave to that power and carry out the desires and will of the person who possesses me.

Freedom in goodness gives me the right to choose any good path, offering various opportunities to do good. An endless horizon of good deeds that I am able to perform opens before me. I can freely plan and carry out projects for the happiness of others. I have the right, without fear of punishment, to think about whose life I can make even more beautiful and interesting, and how best to fill the minds of those near me with joy so that they may find my presence even more pleasant. Love for the people around me shares many suggestions about how I can make their lives better, more beautiful, and more interesting without violating anyone’s freedom of choice. I can only offer my good ideas and give others the opportunity to accept or reject them. My love respects the freedom of choice of everyone who enters my heart as a friend. Such a person is assured of kind treatment from me.

Sin introduced its own changes into the laws of love. It takes possession of my will and begins dictating how my life should be governed. The power of sin changes my mind and begins to control my desires, convincing me that sin is inevitable and that it is better not to resist it.

Sin has an originator named Satan, through whom our first parents fell. Now this sorrowful inheritance of wickedness is passed down from generation to generation. Sin is very destructive by nature. It mercilessly attacks the human mind and will, making a person its slave. Satan cannot force people to sin, but he has the power to send his temptations and enticements. Within every person is a center that offers its services and way of life, called “the flesh.” This center arose as a result of the fall and is passed by birth to everyone who enters this world. Satan has access to our “flesh.” He can place his thoughts within it and suggest that a person put them into practice. If I accept the enemy’s suggestions and begin to carry them out, temptation breaks down every barrier of freedom of choice and enslaves my will, bringing it under its power. The weakened will is then no longer able to resist the power of sin. Having become dependent, it begins to fulfill the desires of its flesh.

As a result of sin, the entire world lost its freedom and chose the path to destruction.

But God has a plan of deliverance from the power of evil. He sent His Son into the world so that through Him He might reveal to humanity the way of salvation from the power of sin. Wicked people killed the Son with their own hands. Yet the plan of redemption was contained in Christ’s death. Dying in agony upon the cross, Jesus took upon Himself the guilt of all humanity and drank this cup to the very bottom. All our iniquities were laid upon Him, and He bore them Himself in order to free us from their power. Christ’s death pronounced the final sentence upon sin and its originator. A complete victory was won, and Jesus became the Savior from the power of sin and the Victor in the struggle against the forces of evil. He offers this victory of His to fallen humanity, desiring to save people from slavery to harmful habits and the lusts of the flesh. And Christ truly sets us free.

I will share an example from my life that revealed a great deal to me. In the late 1990s, I was addicted to milk chocolate. The problem was not the chocolate itself, but the nature of my attachment to it. I knew no moderation. I liked this product very much. I could eat it at any time, as many as ten times a day, enjoying the taste and increasing the amount. God sent me light concerning health reform and helped me understand that I was destroying my health through my lack of self-control. I decided to give up this habit, but I could not. I exerted all my willpower and could go for weeks without eating it, but then I would relapse and, as though possessed, surrender to my craving, eating chocolate without restraint. Whenever I was having tea as a guest in someone’s home, I constantly struggled with temptation if I saw chocolate treats. I understood that this was not normal. I made every effort and promised not to live this way, but I did not resist temptation for long. My mind would disconnect from reality; I would go and buy another chocolate bar and eat it. Then the pangs of conscience would begin. I think many people may find this amusing to read, but I had a problem that was destroying me. I could not pray normally because I knew that I was a hypocrite who had betrayed God’s trust, broken my promises, and deserved death. I asked believing friends for help, but no one understood my struggle. They told me simply not to eat chocolate, and that was all. But I kept falling. This condition deprived me of peace and kept me from finding joy in my life with God. I lived under a sense of God’s curse, which Satan impressed upon my mind, and I believed that this was truly my condition.

But one day God sent me light showing that my struggle against sin was doomed to fail. Only Christ within me could win this victory. I knelt down, acknowledged my helplessness, and asked Jesus to set me free. And He answered. While I was still praying, I suddenly understood that His power had broken the dominion of this sin in my life. I rose from my knees joyful and free. But I did not know what would happen next or how I would behave when confronted with temptation. I was pleasantly surprised that when I had an opportunity to taste chocolate, I was now able to choose what to do. I chose to refuse it. What joy it was to realize that I was no longer dependent on my habit! Jesus had truly made me free, and His power within me gave me the ability to resist temptation. I understood how this works. Later, this understanding helped me resist evil and gain victory in other trials. Whenever a sin was exposed in my life, I immediately brought it to Jesus and asked Him to cleanse me. He did so then, and He continues to do so to this day.

However, although I received freedom from the addiction, I did not break with the habit of eating chocolate. Whenever someone offered it to me, I could choose whether or not to eat it, and I felt free. But over time, I noticed that the addiction was beginning to return, and I became afraid. I then made the decision never to eat this product again for the rest of my life. Yet, recognizing the weakness of my will, I asked Jesus to give me strength in this decision and to help me. He answered. From that moment until today, I have not eaten chocolate. Now it does not tempt me at all. I do not even understand how I could have eaten it. But I do not claim that other people must not eat it. Everyone has his own understanding of this matter. I have simply shared my sorrowful experience and Christ’s victories within me.

In Jesus, I found complete freedom from the power of wickedness and from every other sinful addiction. At the same time, I understand that I am a sinner in great need of a Savior. What joy it is to live in freedom and praise God!

The love of God accomplishes this victory in each of us. It destroys within my mind every power that is foreign to it and gives me the opportunity to make a free choice.

Love conquers sin, and it does so with ease and joy.

1. Please read Romans 3:21–23; Genesis 3:15; John 8:34–36; Jeremiah 29:12–13; Psalm 91:14–15; Matthew 1:21, 23; Galatians 2:19–20; and Revelation 21:7 in the light of our lesson.

2. Did you receive any new insights while studying this subject? If so, what were they?

3. Have you experienced a similar deliverance from the power of sin?

4. Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Would it have been easier to establish a new religion?

5. What prevents a person from becoming free? See Romans 7:24.

6. How can we help those who have not been set free from their sins and do not know how to become free?

7. What is sinful addiction?