Should A Believer Fight Against Sin Or “Let Go and Let God”?
Q: In Philippians 3:14, Paul speaks about pressing towards the goal, which implies that it is something we have to do. But in Philippians 2:13, he says that it is God who works in us, both to do and to both to will and to do for His good pleasure. How do these two verses apply to us when we struggle with a habitual sin? What is our part in fighting sin, and where do we have to let go and let God?
A: I think both are simultaneously true and don’t contradict each other. Even though God works in us and through us, He doesn’t work for us, in that sense that Hs work replaces our effort. God works in us so that we can put forth effort. It’s entirely appropriate for Paul to say, “I need to try my hardest,” and for Paul to say, “I believe that God is working in me.”
1 Corinthians 15:9-10 – For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
This passage of Scripture speaks to both of these ideas very powerfully. You would think that Paul just sat back and said, “Okay, Lord, do it by Your grace. Do it, Lord, it’s Your work. From beginning to end, it’s Your work; You do it. That’s all there is to it. Do Your work, Lord, by Your grace.” But that’s not the situation. Paul says, “But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all…”
In this passage Paul begins by saying, “Hey, it’s all God’s grace.” And then he says, “I worked harder than any of the other apostles,” which is an astounding thing for the Apostle Paul to say. So Paul says first that it’s the work of God’s grace, then he says he worked harder. And Paul would say, “Yes, that’s exactly what I did. I worked hard. And looking back, I could see that God’s grace is what enabled me.” That’s exactly how he ends the verse.
V10- But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
God does not give us His empowering grace to replace our work, but to enable our work for Him.
Practically, how do we apply this in fighting sin? Do everything you can to fight sin in your life. Set high boundaries. Set good boundaries. Make yourself accountable to other people. Carry out spiritual disciplines that will help you just keep focused, like fasting, prayer, and memorizing Scripture. These are all important tools to use in the battle against sin. Use all these tools in your arsenal. And while you do that, recognize that everything you’re able to do happens because God is graciously working in you and through you, although He doesn’t work instead of you.
This is how we demonstrate that we really are giving it to God, or “letting go and letting God.” There may be rare occasions when God tells us, “Don’t do anything; I’m just going to do it all.” If the Spirit prompts us or communicates that to us in some way or another, that’s what we should do in the moment. But while there may be rare occasions where that’s the case, most of the time that’s not going to be the situation. God says to each of us, “Hey, let’s work on this together. I’ll work in you, and you work it out.” That’s often how it works.