Good quote by Lloyd-Jones. Plan on hearing a bit more about this in a few weeks.
I do not know of a single scripture—and I speak advisedly—which tells me to take my sin, the particular thing that gets me down, to God in prayer and ask him to deliver me from it and then trust in faith that he will.
Now that teaching is also often put like this: you must say to a man who is constantly defeated by a particular sin, “I think your only hope is to take it to Christ and Christ will take it from you.” But what does Scripture say in to the man who finds himself constantly guilty of stealing, to a man who sees something he likes and takes it? What am I to tell such a man? Am I to say, “Take that sin to Christ and ask him to deliver you?” No, what the apostle Paul tells him is this: “Let him that stole, steal no more.” Just that. Stop doing it. And if it is fornication or adultery or lustful thoughts, again: Stop doing it, says Paul. He does not say, “Go and pray to Christ to deliver you.” No. You stop doing that, he says, as becomes children of God.
I wonder if he would have liked Newhart


What about asking for an increase of faith? Isn’t all sin a lack in our faith?
In Romans 1 paul seems to say obediance is from faith.
Good question.
An increase in Faith would be an appropriate prayer, but it is different than asking God to take a sin away. It is asking God to cause us to be obedient and walk in accordance with our new nature.
Basically disobedience and a lack of faith is unbelief. Lord, help my unbelief, acknowledges that certain things are true but we are not acting in light of them.
I am not sure if that makes clear the difference or not?
Andy, Where did you get the Lloyd-Jones quote – book, sermon? I’d be interested to get it. I had actually had the same thought with regards to the Bob Newhart sketch? Sometimes as Christians, because we know how deep sin goes in our hearts, we make repentance harder than it would be even for non-Christians. We sin and despair because of our depravity (failing of course to understand the benefits we have in Christ). In a certain way, non-believers don’t have the background to tie themselves up in theological knots. If there is a certain concrete sin in their life they want to get rid of, all they have is to say, ‘Well, I guess I have to just stop it.’
Matt,
Good thoughts.
That quote is from Sanctified Through the Truth, pg 54. It is a Paperback. I have been trying to see if it is in Great Doctrines of the Bible, but have not found it yet.
There is a similar quote on Page 248 of Darkness and Light, his commentary on Epheisians
Matt,
I just re-read your ending sentence. What a thought. The world will stop a behavior or sin for their health and their glory, but we as Christians act bond by sin and will not stop it for our Savior’s glory.