“⁹ Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, ¹⁰ Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the Kingdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

There are Believers out there that know this Scripture all too well.  They truly love the Lord but they are bound by sin (alcohol, pornography, homosexuality, SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS).  They hate their sin just as much as others hate their sin but they cannot stop.  We will often find them in various programs at the church seeking counsel to overcome this “addiction” and because of this they are accepted into the fold.

On the other hand, there are those who struggle with the same problems alone.  We often sit by them weekly at church, having no idea of the spiritual battles they face on a daily basis.

These Believers I speak of, our Brothers and Sisters in Christ, are held captive by satan and being told by well meaning church folk to “just say no”.  “Repent” from their wicked ways.  Hear me when I say this, amen – we MUST repent. Without repentance, there is no forgiveness. However, forgiveness is not deliverance and what these people need is deliverance. I’m not speaking of those who claim Christianity merely as a title, creed or dogma and don’t want to forsake their sin as in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, those people are not saved irrespective of their claims.  I’m speaking of those who truly love the Lord, have repented but are still bound.

“¹⁹ For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

²⁰ Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me.

²¹ I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

²² For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

²³ But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

²⁴ O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Romans 7:19-24

When we all come to that O wretched man moment, it is not a matter of just saying no – if that were so, the Cross of Christ was in vain.  It is not a matter of repentance – we repent often, we stumble often…WHO shall deliver me from the body of this death?

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:18-19

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, Who He is and what He did on Calvary’s Cross to BREAK the power of sin in the Believer’s life will set the captives free.  Sin does not have dominion over us, we are under Grace not law (Romans 6:14).  The same Gospel of Jesus Christ and that paid the penalty of sin for sinners, also broke the power of sin for the Saints.  It is the Gospel that the church needs, not 12 steps, 40 days of purpose, religious ceremonies, traditions, feasts, festivals and every other wind of doctrine that comes down the pike.

They, those who are bound, need to know the power of God to deliver them.  They need to look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of their faith, and SEE the Salvation of the Lord in their life…not some humanistic philosophy from the vanities of man’s mind with a twist of Scripture as the bait to deceive the very elect.

“For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2

When the well meaning Christians direct God’s Children who are being held captive by sin to other methods for deliverance from sin the captives will remain bound by the law of sin and death.  The Holy Spirit is not commissioned to free us, no matter our “good intentions”, from the law of sin and death when we are looking to man made methods to overcome sin.  When the Gospel is preached to the captives and their faith is directed to the Person and the work of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit isolates our sin nature enabling us to submit to God and resist the devil (James 4:7). This IS the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus…denying our self efforts and submitting ourselves to the Lord.

Friends, it is not a matter of “just saying no” to sin…it is a matter of submitting to God. We are unable to willingly submit to God unless our faith is in Jesus Christ, Who He is and what He did to break the power of sin in the Believer’s life. When our sin nature is on the throne in our heart, we do not have the power to submit to God. It is stronger than our free will and can ONLY be isolated by the power of the Holy Spirit when our faith is in Jesus Christ and His finished work…not philosophies or humanistic psychology.

Have you preached to them deliverance?  It is the Power of God to us who are saved.

“But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:23-24

-Donna Clark Warren