1 Peter 4:1-2—Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God
Hebrews 5:8—Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
James 1:2-4—My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Romans 6:6-11—Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
WARNINGS TO THOSE WHO DO NOT CEASE FROM SIN…
Romans 6:13—Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Ephesians 6:16—Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
1 John 2:1—My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
1 John 3:8-9—He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
PROMISES TO THOSE WHO OVERCOME SIN….
Titus 2:12—Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.
Revelation 2:7—He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Revelation 2:11—He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
Revelation 2:17—He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
Revelation 2:26—And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations.
Revelation 3:5—He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Revelation 3:12—Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
Revelation 3:21—To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Revelation 21:7—He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
MULIEBRAL VIEWPOINT 
Thank you for such an encouraging collection of scriptures. If we simply read the Bible from cover to cover with one question in mind, “Does God actually expect and require obedience to His commands?” the answer, found in virtually every chapter of the Bible, will be abundantly clear: YES! Can we obey every command? I believe the scriptures teach that we CAN and should grow to the point that we are able to do just that. 1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
So many deny even the possibility of ACTUALLY overcoming sin, and attribute all the above scriptures to a man-made idea that God will Ignore our sins as long as we just don’t “lead a sinful lifestyle.” (Whatever THAT means?…) That approach to the idea of overcoming sin reminds me of the fear of the Israelites that they could never, as grasshoppers, conquer the giants of Canaan. Is Satan more powerful than God? Is God demanding the impossible? (1 Corinthians 15:34 “Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.” 1 John 2:1 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And IF (not when) any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:”) If sin is a transgression of the law (1 Jn 3:4) which specific command is so grievous I could never hope to obey it? If we believe we can never actually reach a point that we are able to stop sinning, and that God doesn’t even Really Expect us to, what courage do we have to try? Jeremiah 23:14…they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness:..Jeremiah 23:17 They say still unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.” Isaiah 5:18. Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:
2 Peter 2:12-22 does mention a type of people that “cannot cease from sin,” but it says theirs is a reservation in the mist of darkness forever! Is God powerless to help us meet His standards? That reminds me of 2 Timothy 3:5 “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” We should not scorn the idea of truly overcoming sin, but hunger and thirst for righteousness, HATE evil and LOVE good (Psalms 34), and, as our Master did (Heb 5:7-8), beg God with strong crying and tears when necessary, to help us really, truly, overcome sin and perfect holiness so that we may see Him. (1 Cor 6:17-7:1, Heb 12:14, 1 Jn 3:1-8)
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Overwhelming thoughts of spiritual growth and dedication… Yes, cut the hypocrisy! Cut the doubt and lack of courage to try! What do I want to be when I am called home one day? Do I want to still be partly like Satan and partly like Jesus or do I want to be wholly like my Master?
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Great post! God hates sin and the pride that causes it. It is so very important that we confess our sins and stay usable for Him. We know that His Word tells us that He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. We know that our HOLY and ALL POWERFUL God can achieve anything that He desires without having to use us, but He delights in using us. We should delight ourselves in Him. I recently started blogging in hopes to encourage others in Christ. I want to invite you to check out my blogs and if interested to please follow me back. I believe that its important to support others as we are all trying to help build up His Kingdom:) Keep up your Great work for Him.
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1 John 1:9 is the key. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Yes, indeed we need forgiveness, but the CLEANSING must come too. If we get rid of the evil in our hearts that makes us want to sin, then we will stop sinning.
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