Ephesians 4:25-32 Overcoming Sin

Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one  of you  with his neighbor , for we are members of one another. be angry , and  yet  do not sin ; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

This passage refers to previous verses, "that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth." [Ephesians 4:22-24 NASB]

We are then given examples of what it looks like to put off the old self and put on the new.

• Tell the truth instead of lies.
• Let go of your anger
• Give instead of stealing
• Clean up your language
• Be kind to one another - don't be mean.

Again we face the problem of not being able to do this in our own power. Perhaps we can make it work for a while, but in the end Romans 7 comes in to play.

For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate...For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want...I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. [Romans 7:15-23]

In Romans 7, Paul is not lamenting his failure to live for God. In the full context, it is clear he is using a literary device to show the futility of trying to live according the Law. This applies to any set of rules we place upon ourselves that we try to live by. Simply, in the flesh, we cannot please God. 

But see how he ends his argument, "Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus...For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death...so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." [Romans 7:24-8:4]

So, there is freedom from the trap of sin, and it is found in Jesus. 

The principle is this: the more you try to overcome your sin, and live according to your moral code, the more you will fail because the very effort of trying is an act of the flesh. And the flesh cannot please God.

If you give up trying to overcome the flesh, and instead put your faith in the Spirit of Christ, then He will overcome sin for you. We are told in Galatians 5:16, "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh."

The church in Galatia was reverting to strict code of rules to maintain holiness. Paul wrote to them, "You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" [Galatians 3:1-3]

Sincere Christians want to see the righteous requirements of God in their lives. They want to overcome sin.

In order to overcome sin, stop trying to defeat it in the flesh. The Holy Spirit will overcome sin for you, if you have faith to let Him do it.

To live a life free from the bondage of sin, walk in the Spirit. Turn your mind toward God, be aware of His presence all day long (yes, you can do that), and rest in Him.

Instead of carrying out the desires of the flesh, He will produce fruit in your life. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." [Galatians 5:22-23]