This document discusses spiritual warfare and overcoming sin. It argues that sin is not necessary or permanent, though currently widespread. True freedom from sin comes through Jesus' sacrificial death and our union with him. When we are "in Christ" through faith, we gain victory over sin, Satan, and death. The Holy Spirit transforms us into Christ's image and produces spiritual fruit as we behold Jesus. True surrender to God means yielding our entire lives to his control and desires. Spiritual victory is found by staying filled with the Spirit and walking in the Spirit through total faith and surrender.

1. Spiritual Warfare
Robert D. Patton
Missionary to Suriname
Baptist World Mission

2. Sin is not unavoidable
 Sin is a temporary aberration of the
universe. It is not permanent, although
we find it virtually everywhere
 Adam did not have sin in his life at first
 Jesus never sins
 So sin is not necessary, but at this time
it is overall

3. Furthermore we do not need
sin to experience grace
 More sin does not mean more grace.
God’s grace is adequate, but remember
that Paul asked “should we sin that
grace might abound? God forbid”
 But sin is rebellion against the holy God
of the universe, and deserves to be
punished
 Sin separates us from God

4. To overcome sin
 Simple regret is not adequate
 An offering is necessary, but one which
God Himself chooses
 That offering is the death of Jesus in
our place, which can undo the negative
effects of sin
 Remember – sin is also in our thought-
life and emotions

5. When we sin
 We become a slave to sin
 Our emotions and will are set against
God, and we become rebels
 Jesus death paid the penalty of our sin,
but also broke the power of sin in our
lives
 Sin makes us unclean inside and outside

6. Our spiritual growth begins at
the cross
 A holy life comes out of that position
 The cross is adequate for
 Salvation – cleansing and pardon
 Sanctification

7. Our spiritual life in Christ is the
key
 Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus hath made me free
from the law of sin and death
 My life in the Spirit can take the trials
and troubles of life to make me grow
 This would take away the ground given
to Satan if I respond correctly – victory
over sin, death and the devil

8. I am now in Christ
 By birth, I am in Adam, who fell into sin.
God does not say: Well, try again. Maybe
you will succeed where Adam failed
 By the new birth, I am in Christ, who was
victorious over sin and satan and death:
Rom 8:1 There is therefore no
condemnation to them which are in
Christ Jesus

9. Christ died to make me free
 He died to defeat sin –
 Now we must remain in our position in
Christ Jesus
 In our fleshly life, we come under
condemnation, but in the Spirit we have
life and peace

10. Those in the fleshly life
 They work in the flesh, think in the flesh,
and react emotionally in the flesh
 They can be
 A new believer
 A backslidden older believer
 A believer who has never grown proper
spiritually

11. Three things enter into my
freedom in Christ
 Substitution: Romans 5 Christ died for
my sins
 Identification: Romans 6 I am crucified
with Christ – identified in His death and
resurrection
 Union: Romans 7: We are dead to the
law and married to Christ

12. My power comes strictly from
Jesus Christ
 We cannot pay for our sins apart from
Christ
 We cannot become free from the power
of sin apart from Christ
 We cannot serve God acceptably apart
from Christ

13. Before salvation
 My spirit was “dead” – non-functional
 I could not respond to God
 But as I am now saved, God is busy changing
me, especially as I look on Jesus Christ: 2
Cor. 3: [18] But we all, with open face
beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,
are changed into the same image from glory
to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

14. Changed to resemble Christ
 Eventually I will be transformed truly into His
likeness: I Jn. 3:[1] Behold, what manner of
love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of God: therefore the
world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
[2] Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it
doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we
know that, when he shall appear, we shall be
like him; for we shall see him as he is

15. After salvation
 I am to think like Christ so that I can
understand the spiritual blessings I
have in Christ Phil. 2:[5] Let this mind
be in you, which was also in Christ
Jesus:
 Then I am free to do His will, which is
true freedom

16. As I show the fruit of the
Spirit…
 Love, joy peace – my emotions
 Patience, long-suffering, gentleness -
my life among others
 Faith, meekness and self-control - my
character

17. True freedom
 My thoughts will be free as I accept and
stay in the truth
 My conscience will be free as I realize
that I do not have to pay for my sins,
and that I have been cleansed by the
blood of Christ

18. Faith and love
 Faith makes everything possible
 But true love makes everything easier,
because I will to do His will. And this
love comes from God too.
 Then we will find the truth of I Jn. 5:3,
where we find that His commands are
not burdensome – He carries them…

19. As we look to Jesus
 We are transformed into His image
 Remember that we have everything we need
for our Christian life given to us – His nature,
which meets every need
 II Peter 1:[4] Whereby are given unto us
exceeding great and precious promises: that by
these ye might be partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is
in the world through lust.

20. Characteristics of true
surrender
 We no longer argue with and fight
against God
 We no longer hold out on God or
hold things back from Him
 We no longer work in our own power

21. God puts is into Christ
 Wwe are in Him through God’s power and
not our own. And Jesus Christ is not only
our wisdom and righteousness; He is also
our sanctification and our redemption I Cor.
1:[30] But of him are ye in Christ Jesus,
who of God is made unto us wisdom, and
righteousness, and sanctification, and
redemption:

22. The work of the Holy Spirit
 He puts Christ in our life to live there
 He brings forth the fruit of the Spirit
 We can change our outside, but we
cannot change our inside
 We make fruit for Him as well – but
only as we stay in Him

23. Thus in Christ we have
 Power for the Christian life
 Sanctification
 Fruit

24. What hold us back from this
victory?
 If we lack faith. Remember that
Jesus could not do many miracles in
Nazareth because of their lack of faith
 Remember that life comes out of
death. As we are one in His
death, then we are one in His
victorious life as well.

25. The cross
 Where we lose our old fleshly life
 Where we find our new spiritual
life in Christ Jesus

26. Take up the cross daily
 Keep our old life in the position of
death to sin
 We are separated from the
kingdom of darkness
 We are separated from our old
self-life

27. We are in Christ
 And He has all power and
authority
 We have all things in Him
 We are complete in Him
 Power for a good life
 Power for a holy life
 Power to serve God as is
appropriate

28. How can our power increase?
How can we do greater works?
 Our power is limited by our faith
 As our faith increases, so our
power increases too
 God wants to work through us –
and show His strength in our lives
 We must yield moment by
moment to His desires for us

29. A clean heart to do His will
 We must not try to hide things from God
(though that is really impossible) but
desire that He search our hearts
 We must want Jesus Christ to be
king of our whole lives

30. Total surrender is needed
 God shows Himself powerful in
our weakness
 He is glorified in this way – and
He will not give His glory to
another!

31. What about fighting spiritually
 Give yourself totally to the Lord
 We are 100% safe in Christ
 We are 100% in danger outside of Christ
 Then stand against the devil using
your spiritual armor
 Remember that you cannot win the
flesh in your own strength = Flesh
does not cast out flesh

32. Winning spiritually
 We need to be filled with the
Spirit and then walk in the Spirit
 Cast all our troubles and cares on
the Lord
 Seek His will for us at all times
 Thirst for the filling of the Spirit

33. Filling with the Spirit
 It is not us getting more of the
Spirit, but emptying ourselves of
self so that He can have all of us
 As we stay in this condition, we
will be attacked by the Evil One,
but we will be in a position of
victory