BEING A CHILD OF GOD
ARE WE STILL A SINNER?
Do Christians Sin?
What is sin?
Sin translates from the Hebrew word khata‘ and the Greek word hamartia. The most basic meaning of sin isn’t religious at all. Khata’ simply means “to fail,” or “miss the mark or goal.” What is the goal?
The
goal is to always do what is right, not in our eyes but the righteous
standard set by God. There are at least three ways to miss the mark, not
just miss the bullseye, but the entire target.
1.
1 John 3:4 - sin is the transgression of the law 2. Romans 14:23 -
whatever is not from faith is sin
3. James 4:17 - to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin
When we break man's law we're a criminal. When we break God's law we're a sinner. So let's say you violate a traffic law and you pay a fine
for transgressing the law. Does that make you a criminal? No, you
admitted your guilt and paid the penalty. When Christians sin they
repent and try to do better. Jesus pays the penalty for us.
Before
exploring whether or not Christians sin, let’s define a couple of
terms. Regardless of how tattered the word Christian has become
throughout history, the biblical definition of a “Christian” is one who
is a Christ-follower, a disciple of Jesus (Acts 11:26). A Christian is
NOT someone who has ascribed to a particular set of religious beliefs or
practices, joined a church, prayed a prayer, or participated in certain
sacraments or rituals. A Christian is a person who has responded to the
conviction of the Holy Spirit (John 6:44) by putting his or her whole
faith in the finished work of Christ for salvation (Ephesians 2:8–9;
John 3:15–18). Christians are those who have repented of their sin and
have made Jesus Lord of their lives (Romans 10:9–10; Acts 2:38). They
are born again by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:6–7).
“Sin”
is any thought, word, or action that is contrary to the character or
law of God. We all sin (Romans 3:23), and even what we consider good
deeds are often tainted by selfish motives or pride (Isaiah 64:6). Left
to ourselves, it is impossible to please God or to be completely free
from sin (Romans 3:10; Ecclesiastes 7:10).
When
we come to Christ by faith and trust Him to forgive and cleanse us of
all our sin, we begin the process of a new birth (John 3:3). That new birth
of the spirit results in a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). God gives
the repentant sinner a new heart that is now turned toward obeying and
pleasing Him rather than self (2 Corinthians 5:9; Romans 8:5–6). Whereas
we were formerly slaves to sin, we are now “slaves to righteousness”
(Romans 6:16). Sin’s control has been broken by the power of Jesus
(Romans 6:6; Titus 2:14)
However,
we still live in the flesh, and the flesh is prone to want what it
wants. In Romans 7:21–23, Paul admits the battle between flesh and
spirit in his own life: “So I find this law at work: Although I want to
do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in
God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the
law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within
me.” Each battle with temptation is won or lost based upon how fully we
are surrendered to the control of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16–17)
The
book of 1 John was written to Christians. The apostle says, “If we
claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in
us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us
our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8–9). It is
clear from this passage that even those who have begun the process of new birth and
redeemed by the blood of Jesus will still sin. Through thought,
attitude, or action, we will “grieve” (Ephesians 4:30) and “quench” (1
Thessalonians 5:19) the Holy Spirit at times. But this passage also
reassures us that God offers continual, ongoing grace whenever we agree
with Him about our sin and ask for His cleansing.
However,
other passages clarify the boundaries of this ocean of grace. First
John 3:6 says, “No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning. No one who
continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him.” Verse 9 says that
those who have been “born of God” will not continue to live sinfully.
The implication is that this is not a matter of trying harder. Rather,
it is the equivalent of saying, “A fish cannot remain on land for long
because its nature is to seek water.” A fish could flop onto the shore
and survive for a short time. But it was not made for land and cannot
continue there. When we obey God, our nature changes, and we
cannot continue in sin. Christ not only erases our past sin; He also
transforms our hearts so that we no longer desire to sin (Colossians
2:13–14).
Paul
asked, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace
may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we
live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1–2). Although Christians will still
sin after being saved, the heart change that the Holy Spirit brings will
result in a new attitude toward sin. Sin cannot continue being a
lifestyle choice if we have surrendered our lives to Jesus. That’s what
it means to say that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9; Colossians 2:6). We
have a new boss. We cannot be followers of Christ and followers of sin
at the same time. They are going in opposite directions (Luke 9:23;
14:33). Romans 12:2 instructs, “Be transformed by the renewing of your
mind.” Renewal can take some time, but it is a process that produces a
change of behavior.
When
a true child of God goes astray, our Father administers discipline to
bring him back into obedience. Hebrews 12:7–8 says, “It is for
discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For
what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left
without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are
illegitimate children and not sons.” If a professing Christian can
choose a lifestyle of sin without experiencing enough discipline to
bring him to repentance, then according to this Scripture, it is highly
unlikely that that person is a child of God.
Do
Christians sin? Yes. Do they willfully continue in sin? No. Scripture
indicates that, while we will always “fall short of the glory of God”
(Romans 3:23), we have the hope that the power of God is at work in us
to “make us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious
image” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NLT)
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