Years ago an old writer set forth what he called "the five devilisms" from which we must be saved. Let me enlarge upon these.
1. The GUILT of sin. The removal of the guilt of sin necessitated the Son of God to take the place of sinners and answer the demands of divine justice. The law of God required death for sin, and so Christ came and satisfied the law, dying in the place and stead of His people. "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit" (1 Peter 3:18).
2. The FILTH of sin. This calls for an application of the blood of Christ to the sinner. "If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). "What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. O precious is the flow, that washes white as snow; no other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus."
3. The LOVE of sin. The natural man has a strange attraction and affection for that which would be his destroyer. "Sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death" (James 1:15). That which causes a man to cease to love sin is a faith-sight of the crucified Savior dying to put away sin. Such a view will make a man love the Redeemer and hate His sin. "They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn" (Zechariah 12:10).
4. The DOMINION of sin. By almighty grace, the Spirit quickens a sinner, and the Lord of glory establishes His throne in the heart. It is, therefore, written, "Sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace" (Romans 6:14). "As sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 5:21).
5. The PRACTICE of sin. Will a true believer ever stop sinning in this life? The obvious answer is no. "There is not a just man upon the earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not" (Ecclesiastes 7:20). Though a man is justified by grace through the righteous obedience of Christ, the sin nature will always be a source of grief throughout this pilgrim journey. However, the life of God, implanted in the soul, makes us hate sin, seek to be done with it in this life, and look forward to that day in glory when there shall be no more sin, only righteousness.