Make War With Sin

War movies have always interested me, especially the 2014 film Fury, which follows a tank crew during the battles of World War 2. In fascinating ways it shows the hardships this tank crew faces together, it also shows their bond. You may think it is a story about war, it is a story about resolve, set within the backdrop of war.

Not long into the movie one of the crew’s gunners is shot and killed. Enter Norman Ellison. A young Army typist who is drafted as the replacement assistant driver and bow gunner for the crew.

When Norman is introduced, the crew is covered in dirt and grime. Their eyes are sunken in. They have the 1,000-yard stare. They embody the harsh realities of war Norman has yet to face. In his clean-looking, pressed and spotless uniform, Norman carries his typewriter and looks out of place. A boy among battled hardened men.

In one particular instance, after his first firefight, Norman declares:

“I'm trained to type 60 words a minute, not machine gun dead bodies. I'm trying my best. Maybe you've never been scared, but I'm so… scared I can't breathe. I got three hours in a tank. three. How many do you got!?”

Can you see the dissonance between tender Norman and this hardened battle crew? The story continues and follows Norman’s journey of growing into what he must become, and what we must become, a warrior.

The Fight Against Sin

Many of us approach our sin like Norman approached war, with misguided perceptions about what it will look like. We often think it will be a one time fight, rather than a all out war each day.

Fighting sin is not a clean, decisive blow, and then it never gets back up to attack us. It is daily hand-to-hand combat over a period of time. Do not be alarmed when your sin doesn’t go down on the first punch.

• For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. - Ephesians 6:12

• For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. - Romans 8:13

Do you see the language in both of these verses? Paul uses the words wrestle and put to death when talking about our battle with sin. Is this how you view the battle?

In Ed Wleche’s Addiction: A Banquet in the Grave, he refers to this warfare mentality against sin:

There is a mean streak to authentic self-control. . . . Self-control is not for the timid. When we want to grow in it, not only do we nurture an exuberance for Jesus Christ, we also demand of ourselves a hatred for sin. . . . The only possible attitude toward out-of-control desire is a declaration of all-out war. There is something about war that sharpens the senses. . . . You hear a twig snap or the rustling of leaves and you are in attack mode. Someone coughs and you are ready to pull the trigger. Even after days of little or no sleep, war keeps us vigilant.

As I consider my own life, the thought hits. Am I often too passive in fighting my sin? Yes, I pray about it. Yes, I try to confess. But on the whole, am I simply reacting to it? Sin punches me, then I tend to the wound. Do I ever punch it back? Or am I simply Norman, bringing my typewriter to a gunfight?

The Transition

In the movie Fury, Norman evolves during his time at war. The greatest influence in his life is the commander of the tank crew, who helps him adapt and understand what it takes to survive in wartime. It is not pretty. It is not clean. It is gritty.

This is what we need, a wise mentor who has understood the battles of sin. Who comes alongside, puts their arm around us, and shows us the skills and mentality needed to fight our evil tendencies.

There are two that have been helpful for me, Paul and Jesus. I would commend you, write down Romans 8:13 (Paul) and read Luke 4:1-13 (Jesus). Meditate on these scriptures and in so doing, Paul and Jesus will disciple you. They will show you what it means to take the fight against your sin seriously. These two scriptures have completely changed my fight with sin from a reactive fight to a proactive fight.

Another lesson from Fury, find a crew (friends) to help you in the fight. Find mentors. Their wisdom and experience can provide the tools and mindset needed to persevere."

Personal Application

Does any of this describe your war with sin? Paul calls us to put to death the deeds of our flesh. That is not a clean process. It takes understanding, repentance, and action.

What sin is in you these days? Selfishness? Laziness? Sexual immorality? Greed? Covetousness? Pride? What could it look like for you to take these far more seriously than you do? To live into what Paul is saying, not to be reactive, but proactive in your killing of these sins of the heart?

I was driving home the other day when I could feel the tension of what I wanted to do and what my wife needed help with. I wanted to be selfish. I had a choice in my 15-minute car ride home. Would I be reactive to this war against my soul? Or would I make war against this sin?

The next 15 minutes were full of prayerful wrestling with my pride and selfishness. “God, help me. I want to be all that I should be. I want to be a man of love. I want to be a man of patience. I do not feel patient, nor grace right now. I want to be selfish. Help me. Help me. Help me.” I called to mind Jesus’ words “Do to others as you would want done to you” and considered how he sacrificed for me on the cross and how I am to live that way towards my wife.

By grace-driven effort, I was a different man when I got home than I would have been had I simply hoped I was patient when I got home. Why? 1) Because I’ve failed enough times in the past to know I either make war with sin when it rises up, or it will own me. 2) I did not let it punch me, without punching it back with prayer, scripture, and meditation.

“This is too violent”

I can sense people saying this, about this article and even about the movie illustration. Perhaps it is, but war is violent. We would be far more loving, gentle, patient, grace-filled, self-controlled people if we were more violent with fighting our sins. Our marriages would be more sweet. Our relationships would be full of more love.

Most of us would not be accused of taking the fight against our sins too seriously, but too lightly.

You may start out like Norman in the fight against your sins, but through grace, and through discipleship with Jesus as He walks with you and sharpens you over time, you will grow into the warrior Norman grew into.

The biblical call for all of us is to take our sins more seriously, so I urge you: punch it back.

Grace Driven Effort

Be honest, there will be times when your war with sin is marked more by failure than victory. Never forget that what drives our effort in the war against sin is not simply our will power, pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. Rather, we are moved and motivated into effort by God’s love for us.

Hebrews 4:15–16

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Christ, the one who has perfectly battled sin, understands the fight. If you need help and power to get back up again, look no further than his loving-kindness towards you. You are loved. You are forgiven. Stand up again with confidence in your nearness to God and fight. We fight our sin not to earn God’s love, but because of God’s love for us.

Fighting sin is not about perfection but persistence,

Josh.

Need extra resources on fighting sin? Here’s a sermon I gave at my church a few months ago on the topic: How To Fight Sin.