It's Time To Depart From Iniquity
February 2023 |
“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal,
The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
—II Timothy 2:19
EVERY BELIEVER’S RIGHT AND RESPONSIBILITY
The apostle Paul gives two great truths in the above Scripture. The first truth establishes that God knows every believer intimately and personally. This indicates that He is always aware of our needs and is concerned for our well-being. He knows all our faults as well as our assets. Our God is a personal God.
But this article chooses to focus on the second great truth that Paul says is applicable to every believer. That is, every believer who names the name of Christ has both the right and the responsibility to depart from iniquity.
To depart means “to turn away from.” Iniquity indicates any form of wickedness. So every believer who has called upon Jesus Christ is to turn away from every form of wickedness that might exist in his life.
To accomplish this command, we must comprehend the truth that we have been equipped to do so and that there is a need for a constant equipping by the Spirit that will enable us to complete the task. It’s time to depart from iniquity.
LAY ASIDE THE FORMER LIFESTYLES
The life that each person led prior to being saved was dominated by the world, the flesh, and the devil. These influences, both internal and external, joined together to produce thought processes and actions that stand foreign to the nature and character of God. As a result of the fall, all men operate in rebellion against God. Sin automatically pits itself against that which is holy and right. Sin works to disguise the fleshly influences of selfishness and will provide us with excuses for actions that hurt others or actions offensive to God. This is the way of the world, and it preaches to us through its social media, movies, books, and society in general. The world continually attempts to establish a life that is not responsible to the God of the Bible.
Satan also wants to rule and reign in the heart and life of every human being. He corrupts the individual through any means possible. Finally, inside of every human being is the source of sin—the sin nature. The sin nature works into the mind and heart all manner of evil design and desire. It was once common for us to respond favorably to the world, the flesh, or the devil. But now that we are born again, we are called upon to lay aside our former lifestyle. It’s time to depart from iniquity!
UNDERSTAND HOW THE DOMINION OF SIN WAS DEFEATED
To depart from iniquity, we must first understand what Christ’s death on Calvary has accomplished for us. Christ’s death on the cross not only paid the penalty for my sin, but it also broke the power of sin’s dominion. When I came to Christ, I was baptized into Him, and the full benefits of the cross were afforded to me. To be sanctified means to be set apart. To be sanctified means to be holy. God totally defeated the lordship of sin over me at Calvary. He gave me victory over sin in my union with Christ. I am sanctified! Therefore, sin shall not have dominion over me. This would include the influences of indwelling sin—the draw of the world, as well as the powers of darkness that assimilate against me. Christ’s death on Calvary defeated them all. I must understand and believe this. The power of sin over me has been defeated. Now it is my responsibility to apply the truth of Christ’s victory to my present need. It’s time to depart from iniquity.
APPLY THE TRUTH TO THOSE THINGS NEEDING TO BE CHANGED
If I understand the work of Calvary properly, and I fully grasp the value of the cross—what Christ accomplished for me there—then I can begin to apply these truths to every aspect of my life. All believers will have to deal with the continual presence of sin. While we have been set free from the penalty of sin and have been freed from the power of sin, we still exist with the very presence of sin.
There are sinful influences that still impact our hearts and minds. These influences vary from believer to believer. Some sinful influences are eliminated at the initial salvation experience. Others are dealt with over time as we continually grow in grace and the knowledge of the Lord. The tendencies that we have toward iniquity, wrongdoing, wrong thinking, and wrong actions must be laid aside. We are to depart from all manner of iniquity!
Even after being born-again, Spirit-filled, and knowledgeable of the Scriptures, we must comprehend that in ourselves we are incapable of yielding spiritual obedience. We may be zealous as well as strong-willed. But these attributes are not stronger than the strength of our sinful tendencies. We, by faith, are to accept what Christ did for us at Calvary as solely sufficient to defeat whatever tendency or sin we may experience.
By placing our faith securely in Christ and Him crucified, we enable the power of the Holy Spirit to work on our behalf. The Holy Spirit can do for us what we can never do for ourselves. As each new issue is made obvious to us, we are to commit the elimination of that sinful tendency to the truth of what Christ did for us on Calvary. We must depend upon the Holy Spirit to totally eliminate any impact or hold that a particular sin (or sins) may have on us.
As we trust exclusively in Christ, we will find ourselves freed from sinful tendencies. We progressively learn how to walk in the sanctification and freedom that is ours the moment we are saved. Based on these truths, it’s time to depart from iniquity!
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