Exposing the Root of all Sin

There is one truth about sexual addiction that has forever shaped Pure Life Ministries' approach to helping those battling with sexual sin. We’ve found that there is a hidden root within all of us, including many professing Christians, that fosters other sins. It’s called the self-life. Sexual addiction, anger, bitterness, jealousy, deceit, and many more sins are all just the fruit of a toxic mixture of pride and selfishness. In this series, we will expose why the self-life is at the center of all sin, reveal many of its common manifestations and show how dealing with this root God's way will lead to true and lasting freedom.

At the root of all sin is the self-life. Out of the self-life flows our attitudes, desires, thoughts, ambitions and actions. The Bible calls it "the flesh." It is the fallen part of us that Jesus died to give us victory over. The self-life is constantly striving to control us and to keep us under its dominion. Some of its manifestations are obviously sinful such as adultery, murder and rebellion. But others are not so obvious such as self-effort, self-determination, self-pity, and even self-love. In this video Pastor Steve Gallagher helps us understand that to gain real freedom from sin, we must uproot the self-life.

The sin of pride comes as naturally to humans as breathing. It is the attitude that comes out of the self-life, and it strengthens and fortifies the self-life. The self-life is at the root of all sin, so if someone truly wants freedom from sexual sin, then they must allow God to deal with their pride. In this episode, we look at what allows pride to flourish and grow in a person’s heart, how the cultural environment that we live in today, especially in America, encourages us to be proud, and what will happen if we let it go unchecked. We also discuss the value of resisting pride in own our hearts, even though it is a difficult battle.

Every single person, regardless of their age or personality type, is vulnerable to the sin of pride. So in these next four episodes, we’re going to look at some of the most common expressions of pride. In this episode we start with the type of pride found in those who want to be at the top and in the center. Joining us is Dustin Renz, pastor and founder of Make Way Ministries. Not only does he share what he has learned from his years of ministry experience, but also from his own personal battles with this kind of pride.

In this session of our series, Exposing the Root of All Sin, we take a look at what may be the most subtle form of pride: self-protective pride. It is subtle because this form of pride typically manifests itself in those who are more shy, quiet, sensitive and unassuming, but most of us tend to see those traits as signs of a naturally humble person. But while these individuals can appear outwardly humble, inwardly they may be full of prideful thoughts and attitudes and be completely preoccupied with themselves. Joining us today is Jessie Meldrum, who has spent years ministering to women around the country. She talks about this common, yet hidden form of pride, out of her years of experience and from her own testimony.

In this session we look at a form of pride that is found in both introverts and extroverts—perfectionism. In our American culture, we are taught from a young age to do our best. And even though there is nothing wrong with putting your whole heart into something, our human nature has a knack for taking things which were intended for good and corrupting them into something wicked. When perfectionism rules within a person, their best is never good enough. It tells them that they must do more, try harder and be better. This urge ties a heavy burden around the mind of the person as they obsess over their need to outdo others and avoid failure. So what is inherently prideful and sinful about this attitude? And what are the fruits of a life dominated by perfectionism? Biblical counselor Ken Larkin joins us to help to answer these questions.

In this next session, we focus on a very dangerous and very deceptive manifestation of pride: spiritual pride. This pride can tempt us to brag about own spiritual lives and those who exhibit it often see themselves as more spiritually mature than others, even bragging about accomplishments in their spiritual lives. But they are dangerously close to the spirit of the pharisees, of whom Jesus said, “They honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.” In this session Steve Gallagher, author of the book i: the root of sin EXPOSED, joins us to unpack how spiritual pride is just another way of promoting ourselves and our own goodness, rather than the righteousness and mercy of God.

In the previous six sessions we’ve been unveiling the truth that all sin can be traced back to the self-life and to the pride which it produces in our hearts. Now we want to look to the great Savior and Physician of our souls to find out what His remedy for this sickness is. In this video, we look into the wonder of poverty of spirit, brokenness, and surrender, and we discuss the indispensable roles they play in being healed and saved from the self-life.

At the end of the day, overcoming pride is essential to being able to overcome sin. But to just get rid of pride isn't enough. There must be something to take its place. That thing is humility, and without it there can be no true deliverance from sin, nor any true fellowship with God. God is irresistibly drawn to those who exhibit this characteristic and so, it is a heart attitude that we ought to be zealous in cultivating.

We’ve covered a lot of ground in this series. And in this episode, we want to end by helping you see that ultimately, it’s living in the flow of God’s love that will put the ax to the root of sin and selfishness in your life. Pride and selfishness cannot flourish in a heart that is overflowing with a desire to meet the needs of others. We’ll also take a step back, and look at our series as a whole, to remind us of the depth and complexity of the self-life.