Getting More from Our Discipleship Than Sin Management (Part 2): Habits to Facilitate Discipleship

This article is part two, building off an article from last week about the dangers that impede our discipleship, leading us to sin management rather than sin conquering. Reading that first writing prior to this one may be helpful.

Are we conquerors of sin or managers of sin? This is a question ruminating in my mind now for some weeks as I think about the process of discipleship. Mindsets like antinomianism, formalism, escapism, and pragmatism lead to sin management, which is where little confession, accountability, and carrying of burdens is given (see Galatians 6:1-2, Hebrews10:24-25; James 5:16) and instead sin is taken lightly and excused. It is sin management that gives little counsel or hope but simply says, "It's OK. We're all sinners. Just try better next time." We are all sinners battling the flesh (Romans 7:13-20), but to leave it there makes light of God’s truth and grace. Through His Word, the Lord offers greater hope, encouraging us with the truth that we’re no longer slaves to sin (Romans 6:6, 11-23) and that victory is possible (1 Corinthians 10:13). Therefore, our greater focus is not on managing sin, but conquering it and in his prescription of discipleship, theLord has provided a means for that to happen, which leads us to then ask,"How do we ensure our discipleship is oriented towards the Lord and leading individuals towards holiness?" There are many answers to that question from Scripture, but none of them should create shock. Allow me to point to six characteristics that I think emanate from healthy discipleship. However, instead of just pointing to those characteristics, let's take a moment to turn them into something actionable so that they become habits that help facilitate healthy discipleship.

Be Biblical

When seeking to grow not just in our faith but in Christlikeness, where do we begin? The process brings some uncertainty for people. We find assurance, though, when Peter writes,

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

~2 Peter 1:3-4

What hope is found in that verse! Through Peter, the Lord assures believers they are not left in their sins but rather can conquer them. The Lord has ensured that we are not without help, but through Him, we have all things pertaining to life and godliness. It begins with the Scriptures themselves, which reveal God’s will to overcome sin.

Therefore, we conquer sin by being biblical. If you are reading this article, then this concept likely does not show up unexpectedly, and neither does it surprise you to find it as the very first characteristic mentioned. Scripture drives all that we do. Through His Word, the Lord has revealed to us His perfect will, and so, following the Word aligns us with the Lord’s will. So, we begin our conquering of sin by being in the Word and allowing it to guide how discipleship takes place.

Be Practical

The Word of God is always sufficient because it is sourced from the Lord. Yet, the value of the Scriptures is not fully realized until the Scriptures are put into practice. Just as in a class on preaching, when instructors emphasize that the real value congregants find in preaching is the application of it to their lives, so also discipleship's impact is seen when there is a connection between God's truth and how it may be actively applied to daily living.

We are told that the Word of God is living and active, able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). By that nature, it is practical. It cuts and pierces, diagnosing the heart and providing the prescription for the ailment. For our discipleship to be characterized by the conquering of sin rather than its management, the Word must be brought forth to bear in one’s current situation. In discipleship, then, the Word needs to be given its appropriate place and authority, allowed to shine light on the darkest struggles of the human heart so that the Holy Spirit may use it to help us to turn from that sin infiltrating our lives.

Be Intentional

To be biblical and practical requires one to be intentional. Sometimes, we find ourselves in trouble because we live by the idea that happiness 'just happens.' Often, this comes with the attitude of 'just try harder next time,' assuming that we just didn't do our best, but next time, I'll do better. However, experience likely suggests to each of us that rarely is that case, and instead, there must be an intentionality to it. If you remember from the last article, this is an attitude of sin management in which we acknowledge the presence of sin but don’t actually turn from it. In the case of discipleship that conquers sin, we look to be intentionally biblical and intentionally practical.

Personally, I am convinced that intentionality is one of the distinctive of the Christian life. We don't merely exist, but rather theSpirit's work causes us to set our hearts and minds on the things above(Colossians 3:1-2) so that in each situation, our first action is to say, "How would I best please the Lord in this moment?"  or “What how would He have me respond right now?” This kind of intentionality causes us to seek out His Spirit and His truth, inclining us towards a disposition to put away sin rather than live in it.

Be Reflectional

One of the consequences of being intentional is that it causes us to be reflectional. When I say sin conquering discipleship needs to be reflectional, I am referring to the need for self-examination. If we want to be biblical and practical in our discipleship, then we have to be intentional. I take that further, though, to suggest that one of the characteristics of being intentional is to reflect on who we are, once again allowing the Word and the Spirit to reveal areas of genuine sin without allowing us to justify it, excuse it, or overlook it.

Perhaps one of the most detrimental sins to the Christian walk is the sin of self-deception. We see this sin expressed by James in1:22-25, described as the sinner who looks at himself in the mirror only to walk away and forget what he is like. If we are to conquer sin, then we have to know how we are sinning. To avoid the sin of self-deception, we must be willing to ask ourselves the hard questions (or be willing to allow others to ask us the hard questions). These questions may be imprecise, like “What are the three ways you detracted from God’s glory this week?” Or they may be specific, especially if someone is dealing with a specific sin area, in which we ask questions along the lines of, “In what ways did you lose your temper this week, both outwardly and inwardly?” or “How many times did you look at pornography this week?”

Be Relational

As we think about discipleship that conquers sin, to engage in discipleship that is biblical means to have discipleship that is relational. In his letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul points to the importance of relationships in the Christian community, telling them to bear one another's burdens and to confront sin in one another (Galatians 6:1-2). James draws out this relational aspect when he tells believers to confess their sins to one another (James 5:16). Though we may argue that our accountability is with God, one of God’s provisions for conquering sin is through our relationships with other believers. In His wisdom, the Lord calls us to join into the body of Christ as a means for ongoing growth towards holiness.

Discipleship that conquers sin, then, must be biblically relational. That means our time with one another is not mere friendship according to worldly standards. Instead, our relationships are more profound and more intimate . . . maybe we could call it a family. Apart from God, who knows us most of all? Who knows us at our best and at our worst and thus is able to speak biblical truth into our lives? Family. Being brothers and sisters in Christ, rather than just friends in Christ, has profound implications for God’s plan of discipleship. It’s only in the family that we can confront sin when we see it while lovingly walking alongside a person to help them overcome it, and thus stirring them up to good works (Hebrews 10:24-25).

Be Christological

One final characteristic of discipleship that conquers sin rather than manages it is to be Christological. Though sin is a horrendous offense to God and is not in keeping with His holiness, we must never forget that, as believers, our justification comes from Christ. The Gospel reminds us that we are all sinners, and yet, we are justified and sanctified by Christ’s work on the cross and his ultimate resurrection to the right hand of God.

We risk discouragement and hopelessness if our position inChrist is not remembered. Therefore, discipleship that conquers sin reminds believers that Christ's work has already conquered sin and that His gift of the Holy Spirit has been given so that we may walk that way in this lie. Though we may still wrestle with the flesh, there is no need to live in that sin. Discipleship should always point us back to Christ.

Our discipleship is only as good as it points a person towards the Christ who has conquered sin and compels us to live like Christ as though we have conquered sin. Through Him, we have victory over sin, and in that victory, we should live. Therefore, we don't want to find ourselves content to merely manage sin. Instead, we should seek after discipleship that points us toward Christ, helps us to look to the work of the Spirit, and, in doing so, enables us to conquer sin. Such a discipleship is one that is biblical, practical, intentional, reflectional, relational, and Christological.  

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