Besetting Sins

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus..." (Hebrews 12: 1,2 KJV)

This is an interesting verse! It is one of those verses, in the New Testament, where there is a singular use of a Greek word, a word that is used here and nowhere else. The phrase "the sin which doth so easily beset us (KJV)," is from a single Greek work. It is translated thusly in other English versions.

"the sin that so easily entangles" (NIV).

"that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us" (Amplified Bible).

"sin which clings so closely" (English Standard Version).

"the closely besetting sin" (Young's Literal Translation).

Of this singular Greek word, "euperistatos," Strong says it is interpreted to mean - "skilfully surrounding (Strong)

Of this word, W. E. Vine says -

"it is used in Hbr 12:1, and translated "which doth so easily beset," lit. signifies "standing well (i.e., easily) around" (eu, "well," peri, "around," statos, "standing," i.e., easily encompassing). It describes sin as having advantage in favor of its prevailing." (Vine)

It seems that Paul contrasts two things that surround the believer, the one who is running the marathon Christian race. First, he is surrounded by a "cloud of witnesses." Second, he is surrounded by what may be called "besetting sins." The first is desired, but the latter is not. We might think of these witnesses as the Christian runner's spiritual cheerleaders. Certainly the "besetting sins" are equated with "weights" and "hindrances" to running a successful and victorious race.

Oh how sin of all kinds, and failures, just seem to naturally "cling to" the Christian as he runs the Christian race! Like lint from "static cling"! And, oh how he wearies himself with the constant need of "laying aside" or "throwing off" those weights and besetting sins that slow him down and make the running all the more difficult!

Christians do not live "above" sin.

"For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not." (Ecclesiastes 7: 20 KJV)

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us...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: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (I John 1: 8-10-2:1, 2 KJV)

Jesus Christ is the only man to live above sin, being morally perfect, not having violated the least command of his Father. "He was," said the apostle, "in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4: 15 KJV)

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (II Corinthians 5: 21 KJV)

But, this is not true with the disciple of Christ. Though he has been pardoned of his sins, and though he has been given a new heart and nature that desires to do as the Lord pleases and commands, yet the victory is ever ongoing as to the actual overcoming of temptation and sin, and is not completed till Jesus comes, either in the death of the believer, or in his visible bodily return to earth.

"I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin." (Romans 7: 18-25 NIV)

The believer, unlike the unbeliever, has two natures or power principles at work within his pysche. The unbeliever is only "flesh," or totally under the sway and dominion of his spiritually depraved and corrupt nature, received from the first Adam. But, the believer, when he came to Christ, received from him a new nature, yea, the "divine nature." (II Peter 1: 4 KJV) The flesh, or old nature, that loves sin and spiritual rebellion, is not utterly destroyed, but is rather dethroned, it no longer sole ruling in the believer, for the new nature now rules, and wages constant warfare against the remaining "flesh." Even the holy apostles struggled with sin, and often failed to keep God's law completely. They did not "practice" sin as a "habit," but they did not live above it either.

Wicked thoughts often come "out of nowhere," for instance, and will suddenly "cling to" the inner thoughts of a Christian. What does he do? What should he do? Does he "entertain" those thoughts? Does he allow them to stay in his thoughts, or does he them "cast out" as a runner casts off weights and all things that cause him spiritual drag?

The struggle with sin is a war and it is not over till the Lord call the Christian home, till each Christian soldier has "finished his course." (See II Timothy 4:7 KJV) He will certainly have his "lost battles," but he will certainly, by the grace and power of the Lord Jesus Christ, surely win the war.

"Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning." (I John 3: 4-8 English Standard Version)

Those who have seen the Lord and his glory and perfect righteousness, do not come away from the experience singing their own praises and praising their own moral worth.

"Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." (Isaiah 6: 5 KJV)

"I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." (Job 42: 5, 6 KJV)

"And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men." (Luke 5: 3-10 KJV)

In each of the three examples above, the prophets and apostles who saw the Lord in his manifold perfections were made, at the same time, to see their own unworthiness and imperfections, their own spiritual corruption. The reason why some think they "live above sin" and are 100% pure in works, is because they have not seen the Lord and because they have lowered God's standard, or very narrowly defined what is "sin." If one lowers the moon low enough, the cow can jump over it.

Friends, in Jesus name, "lay aside" your "besetting sins." Ask the Lord for help to do so.