Every Christian knows the frustration. We pray, we resolve, we white-knuckle our way through another week—only to fall into the same sin patterns again. The guilt crashes over us like a wave: If I were really a Christian, wouldn’t I have victory over this by now?

Well, let’s take heart. Even the Apostle Paul cried out, “I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing” (Romans 7:15). Our struggle with recurring sin doesn’t disqualify us from grace—it’s the very arena where grace does its transforming work. Here’s what biblical sanctification actually looks like when it meets Monday morning reality.

 

REMEMBER OUR UNION WITH CHRIST

Before we strategise about changing behaviour, let’s anchor ourselves in unchanging truth: we’re united to Christ. This isn’t positive thinking—it’s the bedrock reality that makes victory possible.

Our battle against sin is fought from victory, not for victory. Romans 6:11 puts it plainly: “Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” That word “consider” doesn’t mean “pretend” or “try to feel”—it means “count on the facts.” We died with Christ. We rose with Christ. Sin no longer has dominion over us, even when it feels overwhelming.

This changes everything about how we approach our struggle. Instead of fighting to earn God’s approval, we fight because we already have it. Instead of fearing another failure will cost us our salvation, we rest in the truth that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

Practically, we start each day by reminding ourselves of who we are in Christ before we think about what we need to do for Christ. When temptation whispers “you’re a failure,” gospel truth declares “you’re beloved.” When shame says “God must be disgusted with you,” our union with Christ responds “I am accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6).

 

DEPEND ON THE HOLY SPIRIT’S POWER

Here’s where many Christians go wrong: they hear “you’re united to Christ” and think “great, now I can try harder.” But Reformed theology teaches sanctification, like justification, is God’s work from start to finish. We’re not the heroes in our sanctification story—the Holy Spirit is.

Galatians 5:16 gives us the key: “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” Notice the order: walking by the Spirit comes first, victory over flesh follows. This isn’t about mustering more willpower; it’s about depending on divine power.

Paul learned this lesson through his own recurring struggle—that mysterious “thorn in the flesh.” God’s response wasn’t a strategy seminar but a promise: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). The Spirit’s power shows up most clearly not when we’re strong, but when we’re desperately aware of our need.

Before facing our known temptations, let’s pray for the Spirit’s strength. Not just a quick “help me, Lord” but earnest dependence: “Holy Spirit, I know I’m weak here. I’m banking everything on your power, not my resolve.” Then step forward in faith, knowing “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

 

USE THE ORDINARY MEANS OF GRACE

God could supernaturally zap every sinful desire from our hearts. Instead, He chooses to work through ordinary means: His Word, prayer, and corporate worship. Why? Because these means don’t just change behaviour—they transform hearts.

Scripture functions as both mirror and cleanser. It shows us sin we didn’t even recognise (Hebrews 4:12) while washing us with truth (Ephesians 5:26). Want to fight lust? Let’s memorise passages about the purity and beauty of Christ. Struggling with anger? Let’s hide verses about God’s patience and our identity as His beloved child in our hearts.

But let’s not turn Bible reading into another law to keep. The goal isn’t to earn points with God but to feed our souls on Christ. As Psalm 34:8 promises, “Taste and see that the Lord is good!” When we taste Christ’s goodness in Scripture, sin’s promises begin to taste like, well, sawdust.

Prayer isn’t just asking for help—it’s acknowledging our dependence and communing with the One who loves us most. Corporate worship reminds us we’re not fighting alone; we’re part of a community of fellow strugglers who’re being transformed by the same grace.

May we make these means as regular as meals. Our bodies need food every day; our souls needs the means of grace just as consistently.

 

APPLY JOHN OWEN’S FOUR-STEP STRATEGY TO MORTIFY SIN

The Puritan John Owen gave us perhaps the clearest method for killing sin. His approach isn’t about managing sin or finding balance—it’s about mortification, putting sin to death.

Step 1: Hate It—Aggravate Sin’s Guilt Through Gospel Meditation We don’t minimise our sin or make excuses for it. Instead, as Owen says, we see how our specific sin despises Christ’s sacrifice. That moment of impatience with your spouse? It says Christ’s patience toward you means nothing. That lustful look? It tramples on the blood that bought your purity. Ephesians 4:30 warns us our sin “grieves the Holy Spirit.” The same Spirit who sealed us for salvation is grieved when we return to what Christ died to free us from. This isn’t meant to crush us with guilt but to show us the true weight of what Christ bore for us.

Step 2: Starve It—Cut Off Sin’s Provisions Sin needs fuel to survive. Our job is to cut off the supply lines. James 4:7 doesn’t just say “resist the devil”—it says “flee.” Sometimes wisdom means running, not fighting.

If pornography is our struggle, let’s delete apps and install accountability software. If gossip is our weakness, let’s avoid conversations that tend toward criticism. If overspending tempts us, let’s refrain from browsing online stores when we’re bored. This isn’t legalism—it’s recognizing “the heart is deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9) and needs guardrails.

Step 3: Corner It—Identify and Block Occasions Sin rarely attacks randomly; it follows patterns. Let’s map ours. What time of day are we most vulnerable? What emotions precede our falls? What circumstances make sin look most appealing?

“Above all else, guard your heart,” Proverbs 4:23 commands us, “for everything you do flows from it.” Let’s create specific barriers between us and our typical failure points. Find an accountability partner who will ask hard questions. Set up systems that make sin difficult and holiness easier.

Step 4: Overwhelm It—Load Your Soul with Gospel Graces We can’t defeat sin with emptiness—instead we overwhelm it with better affections. As Owen put it, “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.” But we kill sin not with bare willpower but by feeding our souls on Christ until He becomes more attractive than any temptation.

When Romans 5:20 declares “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,” it’s not giving permission to sin—it’s announcing the superior power available to us. The Spirit who raised Christ from the dead lives in us (Romans 8:11). That’s more power than any temptation can match.

Let’s fill our minds with reminders of God’s patience (1 Timothy 1:16), His forgiveness (1 John 1:9), and His transforming power (2 Timothy 1:7). Let’s use Scripture, prayer, and fellowship not as religious duties but as means to feast on Christ.

 

PERSEVERE WITH GOSPEL HOPE

Sanctification is messy, slow, and often two steps forward, one step back. If we’re expecting linear progress, we’ll quickly be discouraged. If we’re looking for perfection in this life, we’ll only be crushed. But if we understand that “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion” (Philippians 1:6), we’ll find hope even in setbacks.

Our ongoing battle against sin isn’t evidence the gospel isn’t working—it’s proof that it is. Dead people don’t fight sin; only those alive in Christ struggle against what they once embraced. As John Newton put it, “I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be.”

We measure progress in months and years, not days and weeks. We celebrate small victories. We find encouragement when we catch ourselves in temptation earlier than before, or when we repent more quickly, or when the desire for holiness feels more real than the pull of sin itself.

“We know that when he appears we shall be like him,” 1 John 3:2 promises. Until then, “everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (v. 3). Our hope isn’t in our performance but in His promise.

 

VICTORY THROUGH UNION WITH CHRIST

The Reformed tradition offers no easy answers to the problem of recurring sin. But it offers something better, way better. The assurance that our struggle is held within the unshakeable reality of our union with Christ. We’re not fighting for acceptance—we’re fighting because we’ve been accepted. We’re not earning salvation—we’re working out the salvation that’s already ours.

Progressive sanctification isn’t about perfecting ourselves; it’s about the perfect Christ progressively transforming us. Some days the progress feels invisible. Other days we see glimpses of the person God is making us to be. Either way, the work continues, because the One who started it is faithful to complete it.

Our recurring sin isn’t the end of our story. By God’s grace, it’s the very place where His transforming power meets our deepest need. That’s what sanctification looks like in real life—not the absence of struggle, but the presence of a Saviour who fights the battle with us and for us. Until the day He calls us home.

 

BATTLING RECURRING SIN: RELATED FAQs

Is there a difference between temptation and sin? Yes, Reformed theology makes a crucial distinction that brings tremendous comfort to struggling believers. Temptation itself isn’t sin—even Christ was “tempted in every way, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). As Puritan Thomas Watson explained, “Temptation is Satan’s knock at the door; sin is opening the door and letting him in.” Feeling tempted actually demonstrates spiritual sensitivity, not spiritual failure.

• What role does church discipline play in battling personal sin patterns? Church discipline, properly applied, serves as a loving guardrail for believers caught in destructive sin cycles. Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile notes biblical discipline isn’t punishment but restoration—helping believers see sin’s seriousness while pointing them back to gospel hope. Matthew 18:15-17 provides the pattern: private confrontation first, then involving witnesses, and finally church involvement, all aimed at winning back a brother or sister.
• Should Christians expect to struggle more with certain sins than others based on their temperament? Our fallen nature expresses itself differently in different people, often related to temperament, background, and life experiences. Pastor Kevin DeYoung observes melancholic personalities might struggle more with despair, while sanguine types might battle pride or superficiality. However, this recognition never excuses sin but helps believers understand their particular weak points and apply appropriate gospel strategies.

How do parents address recurring sin in their children? Reformed parenting emphasises children are sinners who need a Saviour, not just better behavior modification. Pastor Paul Tripp advocates addressing the heart behind the behavior—showing children how their disobedience reflects deeper heart issues while pointing them to Christ’s forgiveness and transforming power. Discipline should be restorative, not merely punitive, helping children understand both the seriousness of sin and the sufficiency of grace.

• What’s the Reformed view on whether some sins are “worse” than others when it comes to spiritual damage? While Reformed theology teaches all sins deserve eternal condemnation equally, we recognise that sins have different temporal consequences and spiritual effects. John Piper notes some sins are more “spiritually deadening” than others—persistent pride or unrepentant sexual sin can harden the heart more than momentary anger. However, no sin is beyond the reach of Christ’s atoning blood, and the gospel offers equal hope for all sinners.
• How do we counsel believers who feel they’ve committed the “unpardonable sin”? If someone is concerned about having committed the unpardonable sin, they haven’t committed it. The unpardonable sin (blasphemy against the Holy Spirit) involves a hardened, permanent rejection of Christ that produces no concern or desire for forgiveness. As Martyn Lloyd-Jones explained, worry about this sin is actually evidence of the Spirit’s work in conviction. Pastors typically point such believers to passages like 1 Timothy 1:15 and the thief on the cross as evidence of God’s willingness to save even the worst sinners.

What is the relationship between mental health struggles and sin patterns? Contemporary Reformed pastors increasingly recognise the complex relationship between mental health and sin without collapsing one into the other. Pastor Jeremy Pierre emphasises that depression and anxiety are real human experiences that can both contribute to sin patterns and result from them, but they don’t excuse sin. The goal is compassionate care that addresses both the medical/psychological dimensions and the spiritual realities, always pointing ultimately to Christ as the source of healing for both soul and body.

 

BATTLING RECURRING SIN: OUR RELATED POSTS

• The Terror of Meeting God: What Isaiah 6 Reveals About Divine Holiness
• Can Repentance be Real If We Struggle With Habitual Sin?
• Am I Among God’s Elect? How Can I Be Sure?
• When God Gives Us A New Heart: How Grace Rewires Our Desires
• Why Can’t I Stop Sinning? The Christian’s Ongoing Struggle with Si