To fully understand what is meant by a radical and total abandonment of sin, take your Bible, open the book of Psalms, and read:

“He saved them from the hand of him who hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. The waters covered their adversaries; not one of them remained. Then they believed His words; they sang His praise. But they soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness and tested God in the desert. And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.” (Psalm 106:10–15)

Through the waters of baptism, just like Israel in the wilderness, God delivers you from original sin—the sin of Adam. He pulls you out of Satan’s grip and covers you with His shadow. Generally, when someone is newly baptized or newly converted, there is peace, joy, celebration. One wants to tell everyone they’ve given their life to Christ, that they are now a Christian. But does the Christian journey end with baptism? God leads every Christian—His Israel—toward a promised land, “a city to dwell in” (Psalm 107:7). And all Christians are on a journey to the New Jerusalem, the heavenly Jerusalem.

Along the way, although it is God’s will for all His creatures to be saved, some will walk in greed as they journey toward the Lord. “Lust” and “pride” divert many Christians from the paths that lead to the Kingdom. Are you among those who strayed from the path of holiness after baptism?

Even though Israel turned away from the Lord, God gave them what they asked for—but then sent wasting disease upon them (Psalm 106:15). This is what happens to many Christians—Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, Anglicans, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, Evangelicals, and so on. They received water baptism and sometimes even the baptism of the Holy Spirit. God gave them prosperity and spiritual gifts. They may prophesy, cast out demons, speak words of knowledge, work miracles, etc.—but their spiritual bodies are wasting away.

Do not be surprised if great men of God start their ministry well but end it in all sorts of scandals. Do not be surprised if your preacher preaches well—wonderfully well—but does the opposite of what he preaches. It is absolutely vital to pay attention to your walk with Christ. God wants your heart—your whole heart. He will not tolerate your iniquity indefinitely or without consequence. For there is a time for everything. That’s why the psalm goes on:

“They defiled themselves by their deeds, and played the harlot by their actions. Therefore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against His people, so that He abhorred His own inheritance.” (Psalm 106:39–40)

The Lord will withdraw the promise He made to you through baptism if you continue in the path of iniquity:

“Many times He delivered them, but they rebelled in their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity.” (Psalm 106:43)

Sin comes from the heart. It begins in the heart. It is a “counsel” (Psalm 106:43) that eventually plunges you into iniquity. And Jesus Himself said:

“Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.” (John 8:34–35)

Salvation, therefore, can be defined as the deliberate act of surrender—an abandonment to Christ by faith, to be led with Him by the Spirit to the work of the cross.

Let’s go back to history to understand what happened with Israel. The people of Israel were brought out of Egypt and received circumcision (baptism). Along the journey, many Israelites (Christians) wanted to return to Egypt (their former life). Others continued walking through the desert but did not obey God’s laws. This walk in sin extended Israel’s time in the wilderness. Through Moses and his servants, God destroyed a good portion of the people when He chose not to do it Himself.

Many who had experienced circumcision (baptism) never saw the promised land. They died in the wilderness because of their own fault. Even Moses saw the promised land only in spirit. Though we are not saved by the law or by our works, the rejection of the law plunges us into iniquity. And after a large portion of the people had perished, God instructed Joshua, Moses’ successor, to circumcise Israel again and commanded them to cross the Jordan on dry ground.

From Egypt to the conquest of Canaan, Israel experienced two circumcisions. If you have fallen into sin after baptism, it is imperative that you be born again. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. It is not by your own strength that you can radically and totally abandon sin. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit who delivers you radically and totally from sin.

When one receives baptism, they become like a newborn. You have a heart, but it beats like a baby’s heart. This heart is not yet strong. It needs spiritual nourishment just as your physical body needs food. When you stop feeding yourself spiritually, your spiritual death is being scheduled.

Are you in church but the service (or the Mass) seems too long? Is your Christian life just about going to church on Sundays? Do you barely even own a Bible or struggle to open it, read it, meditate on it day and night as God’s servant David recommends? Are you a Christian but still drawn to the world, its pleasures and vanities? Know that your body is perishing. Take control of yourself! Wake up! Abandon your wicked ways! Because your body is decaying.

God will give you food and drink, but this body will not last long enough to enjoy His divine promise. That is why some Christians die in unjustifiable circumstances—because they served two masters at once. Others, even ministers of God, meet shameful or tragic ends because they turned away from God at some point in their life through sin and never gave it up. Still others will live out their lives until the day appointed by God—but they will be toys for pagans and footballs for unclean spirits.

Instead of taking authority, they run from evil spirits—like a man running from death. If that is happening to you, you are already dead! Change your life! Separate yourself from sin! Separate yourself from the [physical/spiritual] toxic and unclean environment you’re immersed in or that you frequent. The separation must be radical and total…

This text is an excerpt from the book “How to Commune with God?” written by Jean-Paul Marie (Pastor Samuel Binyou).

We invite you to read the next article: “Zacchaeus’ Restitution”.

RADICAL ABANDONMENT. RADICAL ABANDONMENT. RADICAL ABANDONMENT. RADICAL ABANDONMENT.