How To Gain Victory Over Sin – Additional Notes

Here are some additional notes that didn’t make it into the book, but may appear in a second edition. How To Gain Victory Over Sin was intended to draw attention to the most neglected, yet essential part of resisting temptation, but it isn’t the only important part. You should also spend time with other like-minded believers where you can share each other’s struggles and burdens, pray for, and encourage one another. Each member of the Body of Christ needs the others to grow.

Book location	Notes
Page 4 “He begins with our need for salvation…”	Our need can be seen in Romans 2:1-6, our inability to save ourselves in Romans 3:9-20, and God’s solution to our problem in Romans 3:21-26.
Page 6 “Only after salvation…”	Another clue that Paul is saved is in verse 17: “So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me.” It used to be Paul sinning, but it was no longer. This can only be said by the regenerate.
Page 7 “We all need…”	Some believers, by God’s grace, recognize from the beginning of salvation the futility of living in the flesh. They rely on the Holy Spirit right away. But this is not true of most believers. It wasn’t true of Paul.
Page 8 Footnote 13	Also remember Paul wanted to do good, and chapter 6 shows it is God’s will that we do good. So this victory is a practical one.
Page 9 Footnote 15	Some translations include an additional phrase in verse 1: “…who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.” This verse begins with the word “therefore,” which always looks back to what has already been said. Paul refers back to the last time he mentioned the Holy Spirit in Romans 7:6. The verses between there and here contain a parenthetical argument showing the insufficiency of the Law to restrain sin, and hence our need for the Spirit. Also, remember this condemnation is self-condemnation (as in 1 John 3:20). Paul had just spoken of his sense of wretchedness in conquering sin, not about God judging him for his sin. Walking in the Spirit has nothing to do with justifying us in God’s eyes. That only happens through faith in what Jesus has accomplished.
Page 10 “He condemned sin in the flesh”	I take this to mean Jesus condemned sin in His own physical body. He kept Himself from sin.
Page 10 “The Mosaic law… empowers sin…”	The Law empowers sin like food empowers cancer. Food is always good, but if you have cancer, those cancer cells feed off the same nutrients as your healthy cells… and the cancer cells eventually take over the healthy cells – never the other way around. The Law does not cause sin, just as food does not cause cancer, but it does empower it. That’s its purpose, so that sin might become “exceedly sinful” (Romans 7:13).
Page 10 “…this law of sin and death that is already in us…”	Justification does not remove the sin nature. Suppose you are a kleptomaniac – someone with the urge to steal things. You go to court because you got caught stealing. If the judge pardons you, you have been justified from the crime… but you still have the urge to steal. In the same way, you still have sinful desires even though you have been justified of your sins. The Holy Spirit was given to enable you to overcome those wrong desires.
Page 11 Footnote 23	As much as we would like, the Spirit usually does not remove the lusts of the flesh. But it is sufficient that He enables us to resist them.
Page 11 “…because the mind of your natural self is an incorrigible rebel against God…”	This will seem shocking to those not familiar with Romans. The flesh will revolt against this! I’m uncomfortable with this! But that is what the following scripture (Romans 8:7-8) says.
Page 12 Footnote 24	Romans 7:18 is the point I’m getting across: “For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing…” Also, in Romans 7:23, Paul writes: “I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members.” (Some translations say “carnally minded” in Romans 8:7. “Carnal” is the same word elsewhere translated “flesh”. Unfortunately, translating the word differently here tends to obscure the meaning.)
Page 12 Footnote 26	Be careful that you don’t view the Holy Spirit as a tool in your hands. The Holy Spirit is God. You don’t wield His power, you submit to Him.
Page 13 “While it’s certainly better…”	Resisting sin deals with the manifestations of the flesh, while sanctification deals with the flesh itself. Both are needed, but in terms of sanctification, we must place all our hope in God’s power.
Page 13 “…unless the root is dealt with, sin will keep coming back.”	James 1:14-15 says the lust (desire) of the flesh leads to sin, but sin when it has matured leads to death. This is why Paul says if you live by the flesh, you must die. It is the end result of this natural progression.
Page 13 “Just as…”	And both are appropriated through faith.
Page 13 “Your sanctification is God’s on-going work”	See Philippians 2:12-13 “…For it is God who works in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure.” Also, Colossians 1:29: “…according to His working…” Following Jesus is both easy (Matthew 11:28-30) and difficult… the difficulty lies entirely in the struggle with the flesh – putting it to death. But this the Holy Spirit equips us to do (Romans 8:13).
Page 13 “We’ll look…”	Another shocking paragraph. The “Don’t beat yourself up…” sentence is probably the most of all, but it is the logical conclusion when you consider God is the one who sanctifies us.
Page 13 “I’m not against works…”	We must learn to recognize the source of each of our works. Whatever we do, we need to ask ourselves: “Is this of the Spirit or the flesh?” If it is of the Spirit, then don’t quench or down-play it. But if it is of the flesh, it needs to be put to death by the Spirit.
Page 13 Footnote 27	Again, Paul not interrupting his topic with something totally out of the blue, i.e. the resurrection of our physical bodies. “Mortal bodies” means the bodies we are living in right now. Our resurrection bodies are immortal.
Page 14 “A chapter 6 believer…”	Some believers never even make it to chapter 6. They are the ones who presume on grace, and live like the world. Works of any kind are seen as unnecessary – even wrong. Yet, God saved us so that we could do the good works He has planned for us (Ephesians 2:8-10). Good works do not lead to salvation, but they do procede from it.
Page 14 “A chapter 7 believer…”	If you think lawkeeping is easy, read Matthew 5:17-43. The Law primarily deals with the heart, which is desperately wicked.
Page 14 “A chapter 8 believer…”	This believer is also enabled to live up to the Chapter 6 standard. Real victory happens for him. He realizes we are “more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37, compare with Romans 7:24-25).
Page 15 Footnote 35	You will always serve a master – either the flesh or the Spirit. If you are not submitted to the Holy Spirit, then you are in slavery to the flesh. You cannot make the flesh your slave or make your fleshly mind serve you.
Page 16 “If your focus is…”	Not that trying in general is bad. It is the law-focused variety that is bad for believers because we live by faith. But law-focused trying for non-believers can be good if it leads to conviction of sin and the realization that law-keeping is impossible. Romans 3:20 says, “…through the law comes the knowledge of sin.” This is not just the knowledge of what sin is, but the revealing of the sin that is in ourselves. The Law is an essential part of the gospel (Galatians 3:24, 2:19, Romans 7:7).
Page 16 Footnote 37	“Flesh” here is easily seen not to be our carnal desires but simply our natural power, will, ability, etc. The flesh is what I can do, as contrasted with what God can do.
Page 16 “…there’s a war…”	Remember Romans 7:23 (“I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind…”). Also, Galatians 5:17 says, “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire.” (This ties with the earlier note for page 12.)
Page 17 Footnote 38	The next verse is also important to remember: “Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don’t give up.” We do not reap what we sow right away. This principle works both ways. We think because we haven’t suffered any consequences of living in the flesh right away, we got away with it, but that is not so. Sowing to the flesh will eventually come back to bite us. And as is with nature, the harvest is always greater than what was sown. (Remember these three principles of sowing and reaping: you always reap of the same kind, there is a gap in time between sowing and reaping, and you reap more than you sow.)
Page 17 Footnote 39	It is easy to focus too much on grace or too much on the Law. The Bible must be understood as a whole, without focusing on pet doctrines. For example, Jesus said not the slightest part of the Law would pass away until the end. Paul said the Law has been abolished. Both are correct, for Paul was speaking of the Law in relation to living for God’s approval – for salvation. The Law is the standard, but it is not a means. Arguments arise when each party looks at only a portion of scripture instead of the whole. You must understand that no biblical doctrine conflicts with another, so don’t set one passage against another. Instead, study to understand it so that it all harmonizes together.
Page 17 Footnote 39	Also see Galatians 2:19, 5:18. The Mosaic Law applies to the flesh. When the flesh dies, the Law is no longer needed to control it.
Page 17 Footnote 40	The effort we expend in sanctification is focused not so much on keeping commands as on denying ourselves and crucifying the flesh through the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:12-13). Without this, we won’t be able to keep His commands. Sin is the outward manifestation of an inner problem. As long as we allow the mind of the flesh to operate, sin will result. To gain practical victory over sin, the fleshly nature needs to be addressed. Otherwise, we’re just attempting to cover up the symptoms. Sanctification involves active dependence upon the Spirit to become aware of the fleshly mindset behind the sins in our lives (like Psalm 139:23-24). It includes confession of those areas as they are revealed, and trust in God to not only forgive those things, but to sanctify us (1 John 1:9). It involves relying on the Spirit to be able to say “No!” to the flesh – to put the flesh to death. It involves the ‘reckoning’ of Romans 6:10-11, and the ‘presenting’ of our bodies as instruments of righteousness to God (Romans 6:13, 12:1). It involves relying on His power to obey. All of this requires some effort on our part, but it is the Holy Spirit who grants the success in these efforts. As such, keeping Jesus’ commands is the result of walking in the Spirit, not the means to walking in the Spirit.
Page 18 “It is the Spirit of Christ actually living through us…”	The Greek word for actor is ‘hypocrite’. Don’t act like Christ. Be real: Let Christ live through you by His Holy Spirit.
Page 19 “Fruit is the evidence…”	You cannot fake this fruit. No amount of self-effort will produce it. But you can produce counterfeits that might convince yourself or others.
Page 19 “We can’t do it on our own.”	Our dependence on the Spirit to live as Christians is sprinkled throughout the New Testament. Many of us (myself included) tend to gloss over the phrase “in the Spirit” or “by the Spirit” is superfluous in passages such as Ephesians 6:18, Colossians 1:8, Philippians 3:3, 1 Peter 4:6, and Romans 8:13. But we need to realize we can’t do it on our own. This takes mental discipline, which comes in the continual, conscious reliance on God’s power in us to live holy lives. There’s awareness that without Him we can do nothing, but with Him we can do all things. We must continually look to God to daily provide what is needed in us to live in the manner He desires. We never come to the point where we think we’ve matured enough to obey on our own. And we seek to avoid whatever hinders (grieves) this dependent relationship with God.
Page 20 Footnote 51	It is possible to think we have let go of the flesh when we haven’t really. Sometimes God lets us struggle on in our own strength until we truly give up on our flesh before He empowers us with the Holy Spirit. It is dishonest to intend to give credit to God for what you attempt in your own strength (Luke 18:11-12).
Page 22 “Romans 6 will no longer appear to be full of impossibilities.”	Romans 8:20 says the creation has been subjected to vanity. As a result of man’s fall into sin and the resulting curse (Genesis 3:17-19), we find our efforts in bettering and preserving ourselves continually frustrated, and ultimately unsuccessful, especially in regards to spiritual matters. (This ties with the condemnation of the Law in Romans 3:19 and the curse of the Law in Galatians 3:10.) But now we have received the “first-fruits of the Spirit” (verse 23). The Holy Spirit undoes the work of the curse, and our effort is no longer subject to frustration as we walk in the Spirit. It is now possible to successfully resist temptation. This benefit is only the beginning of what we will eventually receive, leading to the redemption of our bodies (verse 23).
Page 23 Footnote 58	A sacrifice is always of something good, not of evil. This sacrifice is not just the giving up of one or more sins, but the giving up of what you want to do to God.
Page 24 Step 1.c and 1.d	When I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:10). Outside of Christ, I can do nothing (John 15:4-5). In Christ, I can do all things (Philippians 4:13).
Page 24 Step 3	“You don’t have, because you don’t ask.” (James 4:2)
Page 24 “God always provides a way of escape from temptation.”	Jesus told us to ask our heavenly Father to “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13). Some translations say “evil one”, but “one” is not in the original language. We need God’s help to protect us, not only from the evil that can happen to us, but from the evil we can do.
Page 25 “…real fellowship with God…”	“the Spirit of truth … You know him, for he lives with you, and will be in you.” (John 14:17)
Page 26 Footnote 64	If you have been born again, there should be evidence of the Holy Spirit in you. What evidences do you see in your life? Do other people notice you are becoming more like Christ? (Don’t be self-deceived into thinking you are making progress if nobody can see it.) There should be spiritual fruit developing, progress towards Christ-likeness, an increasing grief and abhorance of personal sin, and increasing love, trust, and obedience for Jesus Christ. The world should have less of a hold on you, and there should be an increasing burden for the lost. There won’t be perfection, and you may have occasional setbacks, but there should not be stagnation. You should be able to perceive the Holy Spirit in you, just as you can perceive you are alive. One purpose of the Spirit is to testify that we are children of God (1 John 5:10, Romans 8:16, 1 Corinthians 6:19). The word for “know” in that last reference is eido, which means the knowledge of perception, not the knowledge of doctrine or learning. Eido means to see. You should be able to detect the Holy Spirit in you, not as a feeling, but through His work in your life. If you don’t have the Holy Spirit, but you think you should, are you truly saved? Were you ‘saved’ as a result of something you did (i.e. agreed with a doctrine, asked Jesus to come into your heart, etc.), or because of something God did in response to your faith? Are you born of God?
Page 46	Taking on Christ’s yoke and carrying His burden implies effort on our part. However, the thing about His yoke (as with any yoke) is that it makes the work we are to do easier. Many Christians act like the yoke or burden is the Law. But Peter basically ruled this out in Acts 15:10. I understand His yoke to be the Holy Spirit, who helps us in our weakness, and the burden to be the work God has for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).
Page 71 Footnote 147	The things these people did was not how they came to be Spirit-led. It was the result of being Spirit-led.

If you get a chance, I recommend some other books that may be more helpful to you in your walk with Jesus and struggle with the flesh:

Absolute Surrender by Andrew Murray

The Calvary Road and/or We Would See Jesus by Roy Hession

The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

– Luke 11:13

Andrew Bernhardt's Home Page

How To Gain Victory Over Sin – Additional Notes

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