How Not to Sin

Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin."  Exodus 20:20 (NASB, emphasis added)

This verse is in the account of the delivery of the Ten Commandments.  God has descended on the mountain in an awe- and fear-inspiring scene to give the words (v. 18).  The people saw this display of God's greatness and were afraid; they knew that if they even came close enough to God to hear Him speak, they would die (v. 19).  Because they truly saw God, His power and holiness, I think they became acutely aware of their createdness and fallenness.

Until we view God rightly, we cannot view sin (ourselves) rightly.  Until we get a glimpse of God's great glory and His majestic might, we will be content to continue in sin, even if it does come with the occasional conviction or feeling of guilt.  But in order to loathe our sin, we must fear God.  "...in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin," the Bible says.

The proper starting place for a life of holiness and obedience leading to victory over the power of sin is not, therefore, to try really hard.  But neither is it to do nothing, to "let go and let God," to use a popular cliche.  Sanctification does not come without effort and discipline on our part; we are enabled and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

The proper starting place, then, is that we get a true view of God.  Perhaps the best thing we can do is pray earnestly and diligently, asking God to show us more of who He is.  Ask Him to help you see His glory, His holiness, His purity, His righteousness, His mighty power, His justice, His dreadful terror, etc.  Ask Him to help you love Him truly, rightly, and deeply.  Then, of course, we must seek Him where He will be found: His word, the Bible.  Just as you would go through the process of getting to know someone here on earth, so it is with God.  Getting to know someone requires conversation, knowing and being known.  So have communion with God.  Talk to Him through prayer--honest, self-revelatory prayer and prayer asking Him to reveal Himself.  Then listen with your eyes as He speaks through the Bible (or, if you're an audio Bible kind of person, I guess you can listen like a normal person with your ears).

How I wish I would really grasp this truth.  I know, on the authority of the word of God, that if I would be done with my struggle of sin, I must first get a view of God.

P.S. Incidentally, by way of support and illustration, this same principle is found in Isaiah's call (Isaiah 6).