Jesus was a disciplined man. He was the true representation of God, and His life showed it. Not only did He have supernatural power, but He also lived a lifestyle that was dedicated to the cause of heaven. If there is anyone in history that should be recognized and talked about among us right now, it is Jesus. Why? Because He gave us the blueprint for overcoming the sin and wickedness of the flesh. He is the answer to freedom from sin and death. Jesus is the best example of how to cleanse our hearts so we can live a life free from sin.
How did Jesus overcome the sins of the flesh? The obvious answer is that He overcame sin by the death of the cross. By killing the flesh, He destroyed its power forever and overcame sin with it. Not only for Jesus but all of us as well. But I’m not talking about how Jesus overcame the sin of the flesh at His death and resurrection; I’m talking about how He overcame sin every day as He lived and walked on the earth.
Jesus was born of flesh and blood, yet He lived a life without sin. He lived in a corruptible body and had power over it every day. How did He do that? This accomplishment is by far the most remarkable living achievement by any human who ever existed. Until Jesus, it was never even considered possible. Many generations of God’s people tried to live without sin and miserably failed. The list includes the most significant examples of righteous men in the Bible, and yet no one could do it until Jesus did it. After Jesus came, He revealed that overcoming sin was possible. That’s good news for all believers. But if it’s possible to be free from sin now, why do people still fail? There is a gap between how Jesus lived His life and how we live ours. We need to close that gap. If you’re ready to be like Jesus, this teaching is for you.
How did He do it? Some might say He was the Son of God; therefore, He had an advantage because He was God. I agree, but I would also say that when we are born of God by the Spirit, we are sons and daughters of God, and therefore we have the same advantage that He had. The value of Jesus being God in the flesh was so that we have a blueprint to follow. All things are possible to the believer, and Jesus taught us that. His disciples, including Paul, were witnesses to this truth and have validated it by their testimonies.
So why doesn’t your belief work? Maybe it’s not your belief or lack thereof that hinders you. It’s most likely in the teachings that you follow. It’s what you’ve learned and how you apply them to your life. To be Jesus-like, you must live by the same teachings and beliefs He lived by. It would help if you were taught how Jesus did it and then put those teachings into practice in your life. Once you have the correct instructions established in your heart, all you need is the supernatural part, where God excels. The apostle Paul taught us that one person plants the seed, another person waters the seed, but it’s God who gives the increase. My point is that if you are taught the right things and continue them, God will increase you by His Spirit; that part will never fail. (I know because love never fails, and God is love. 1 Corinthians 13:8; 1 John 4:7-10)
Jesus was indeed the Son of God, but He was also the Son of man in a very earthly sense. He had flesh and blood and had to deal with temptation like any other person who lived on the earth. The difference was that Jesus made it through the world without yielding to sin because His life had value beyond Himself. He had huge reasons why He had to succeed and not fail. Still, Jesus dealt with the weakness of the flesh just like everyone else.
Hebrews 4:14–16 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God; let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then, with confidence, draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
We are encouraged to draw near to Jesus and learn the secrets that helped Him overcome the sins of the flesh. One of the secrets that stands out is found in a revisitation of David’s prophecy (Psalms 45:6-7) found in Hebrews 1:8-9 concerning the Son of God.
Hebrews 1:7–9 “He makes his angels winds, and His ministers a flame of fire.” 8 But of the Son, He says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore, God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”
In His endeavor to save the world, Jesus was determined to live by a certain life code. “Love righteousness and hate iniquity.” Just having this idea working in His heart was enough to keep Him living in truth every day, free from sin. It is said that the heart wants what the heart wants, so imagine having a heart that loves God above everything else. Overcoming sin would be much easier with a love that never fails in your heart.
Loving righteousness and hating wickedness is a matter of the heart. It’s the same heart that Jesus had on the earth. You can try to hate sin because it annoys you or hurts you in some way, but if you love unrighteousness, you will fail.
The real key to overcoming sin is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
As your love for God increases, you can turn your attention to putting the right habits in your life so that you can live free from sin. (I use the word habit in a way that speaks of doing the works of God by faith and from the heart.) When works of faith become habits in your life, you will have no problem living free from sin.
We are applying the right principles in your life.
After learning to love God with all of your heart, you must establish the right principles in your daily life. The difference between why Jesus succeeded and we don’t can be found in a few simple principles that He lived by every day. If these principles are missing from your life, now is the time to learn them and apply them to your life so you can be free from sin.
Remember: These principles are works of faith done by love. The Spirit of God gives you the ability to succeed. Without His help, you will be just another pharisee on the earth trying to act like Jesus. Let these principles go deep into the heart, and let love propel you to follow them.
How did Jesus overcome sin?
Jesus lived by six principles when He loved God with all of His heart, soul, mind, and strength.
He had a oneness with His Father. John 10:30; 17:11
He was in complete obedience to His Father. John 16:27
He believed everything His Father said and who He said He was, His Son. Matthew 3:16-17
He Dealt with His flesh in the wilderness. Matthew 4
He left the crowds to be alone and pray. Matthew 14:23; Luke 6:12; 9:28; Mark 9:4
He knew His purpose and distanced Himself from anything that would take Him away from it. John 14:31; Luke 4:43
I started this teaching by saying Jesus was a disciplined man. But it was more than that; He loved God. Because He loved God, He loved righteousness and hated sin. If love covers a multitude of sins, then Jesus was the ultimate example when He took on sinful flesh and blood. And because of love, He was never touched by it. God’s love for Him and His love for God covered and protected Him from sin, even though He was in the flesh. That’s a testimony that we can walk in right now.