Community answers are sorted based on votes. The higher the vote, the further up an answer is.
Chris Button
There's no need for sanctification if we already reached the point where we are not sinning. As we grow in our Christian walk, we become more like Christ. As we become more like Christ, we sin less or at least realize our sin and repent more quickly. I read somewhere that the Apollo moon rockets were off course over 99% of the time. As they got closer, the course corrections became more minute. As a Christian, we head in the general direction of Christ but are off course most of the time. We repent and make course corrections to reach our destination. Another way of putting it is this. Next time you drive, pay attention to how many times you move your hands to stay in your lane. If you don't make course corrections, bad things happen. Unfortunately they sometimes involve other people (ie. The car next to you).
Ted Koester
Its as if you are asking for permission to sin. Absolutely not! WILL a Christian sin again, YES. "That is my flesh nature". However, with the grace of the Holy Spirit, that if truly a born again Christian, He is in and with you, you have the power to "sin no more". Through Grace, when we fail at our attempts, we earnestly REPENT, then with the forgiveness received, we take that forgiveness to the world and share it. Then sinning again become more and more foreign, and less and less of our focus! Thank You God for your Word, manifest as you Son, Who died for us so we may be forgiven and made right in your eyes! Ted Koester Cedar Creek Church on the Ridge. A born again believer in Christ, who struggles with the flesh daily, but is delivered by the moment by Christ Jesus!
Dr Kenneth Onyejekwe
In 1 John 6-10 and.We are told that if we have fellowship with God but walk in darkness we deceive ourselves,again if we say we have no sin we are liars. A Christian can sin but as recorded in 1john 2:1-3, we are told not to sin but if we sin we have an advocate in the father Jesus Christ the righteous who is the propitiation for our sins.
Dan Rivers
If a person has the indwelling Holy Spirit they do not want to sin... 1Jo 3:9 NLT - Those who have been born into God's family do not make a practice of sinning, because God's life is in them. So they CAN'T keep on sinning, because they are children of God. And even though we will "sin" because we are in the flesh, God does not hold it against us for we are not under the law (Rom 6:14) We have been forgiven of all and any sins we will ever commit. Rom 5:13 NLT - Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was NOT COUNTED AS SIN because there was not yet any law to break. We know that Abraham LIED, Sarah LIED, Jacob LIED and cheated Esau with the help of his mother Rebecca...Moses murdered an Egyptian and was not punished, Even though God had said... Gen 9:6 NIV - "Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind. Yet there is no mention anywhere that they had committed sins. In fact Abraham was enriched because of his lie to Abimelech. These people were NOT under the Law...they were under Grace...And when under Grace, what was considered "sin" under the Law, is not counted against you under Grace! All Glory and Praise to the Lord!
Judy Jentz
A Christian does not have the OK to sin just because Jesus died for forgiveness of all sins, past, present and future. As already mentioned, it is our human nature that causes us to sin. However, once you become born again and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, your heart should begin to follow new directions. The Book of James explains a lot of this. We can not be saved by our own works but a true faith in Jesus should and does produce good fruits. How can one say they have a faith in Jesus and just keep right on sinning, with no repentance. Even the devil and demons believe in God but they are not going to Heaven. Temptation leads to sin. I believe a true repentance makes a person stronger against that temptation. Temptation will always be there but it is obeying God that shows we have a fruitful faith, not a dead faith. If you love someone, you show that love with acts of kindness and such. The same goes with a faith and love for Jesus. In your heart you want to please Him. You do not have the desire to sin as you did before you were born again. Sure, we are all going to sin, mostly unintentionally. Jesus died for these sins. He knows our human nature of temptation. In the book of Revelation it says who is going to Hell. It clearly states the sins they are committing and one is sleeping with people of the same sex, adultery, murder, etc. Now, it is my belief that these people and those of any other sin who just keep on committing them without any repentance, even though they believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, are not going to have their names written in the Book of Life. You must have a change and repent. I don't mean to offend anyone here but this is clearly what the Bible says. It is God's Word and Truth. This does not make Him a vicious God. He is just and never changes. He did not have His Son die on the cross and suffer the anguish He did for nothing. If a person committed a murder, but he tells the judge what a nice guy he is and all the great things he has done for society, should that judge set him free? Of, course not. This is how God is. He is fair and just.
priva map
Thank you to all of you... you really helped me! I want to look like Christ and follow his teachings, but sometimes I fall and I feel guilty in my heart. I feel like I am not a true Christian because of sin. And when it happens, I just want to flee from God's presence and don't want to attend church... My repentance does not always come as quick as I wish and I don't have the courage to talk about Jesus who is Holy knowing that i keep sinning against him. That is why I asked this question... Thank you again, after having read what you wrote, I understand that I have to pray more and depend on the Holy Spirit to be like Jesus.
Emo Tenorio
God's Holy spirit will draw you to His kingdom, and the enemy's spirit of condemnation away, sin allows the clash of the two kingdoms within you. When you feel like running away stop, do a quick 180 degree turn and run toward Him humble with eyes and arms open. Get this He said I will never leave or foresake you (stand on get this simple fact, NEVER means NEVER). We sometimes are foolish and leave HIM for really dumb reasons. Turning around you'll see like a very good friend He's standing waiting where we left Him smiling. As time passes you'll do less foolish things as the time away from Him is not worth the moments of foolishness.
A Lamb
Yes. Every time we disobey God's law we sin. (1 John 3:4) Just driving my car to work causes me to sin these days. Also if we wilfully continue to sin then the Bible states that in the end there is no sacrifice left. (Heb 10:26) Therefore we need to make an effort to refrain from intentionally sinning and seeking forgiveness every time we sin. The Holy Spirit will convict us every time we do sin. Sanctification does not happen overnight but is a journey.
Jim Tumlinson
That is a yes and no answer to some affect. Living under the law is sin, Rom 7:7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. NIV This is the yes part, Rom 7:17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. NIV This is the no part 1 John 5:18 We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. NKJV 1 John 3:4-6 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. NKJV Rom 14:23 But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin. NIV The above verse is more than just eating, it is everything. The just shall live by faith. So the only way a born again Christian can sin is by going back under the law, thinking you can do good stuff to either gain righteousness or to maintain it. Read Galatians 3, they were bewitched. The same thing is happening today, too many people don't read their bible and just go with what they are told. Grace is what saves us and grace is what keeps us, not our good works. Titus 2:11-12 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, NIV As we can see it is grace that saves us and grace that teaches us to say no and live. Once we are born again we are the righteousness of God in Christ. So we can never become unrighteous since Gods righteousness remains forever. We must constantly fight against the urge to do good in order to gain or maintain right standing with God. He did it and He keeps on doing it. Christ died once for all and cannot be crucified again. Our focus needs to be off of sin and on our right standing with God. Just like Paul said in Romans, the things I don't want to do I do and the things I want to do I don't do it. If we focus on not sinning we will sin, go under the law. The law tells us what is sin. If we focus on our righteousness we will do right things because we have been empowered to do good and sin not. Just like the woman who was caught in adultery. Jesus said I don't condemn you go and sin no more. He said the same thing to us when we go born again. He said, "I don't condemn you so go and sin no more" and we don't sin because in I John it says we don't so either His word is true or God is a liar. Follow after the truth and grace and not what man says and you will experience the freedom that Jesus provided.
Brandon Hughes
Yes, a Christian sins every day! 1 John 1:8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. Romans 7:19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. But thanks be to God the Father for sending God the Son through God the Holy Spirit to deliver us from this body of death (Rom 7:24)
Gregory Tomlinson
Romans 6:12] Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. [13] Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. [14] For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. [15] What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. [16] Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? [17] But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. [18] Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. as you can see you are not the first to ask, we must die out daily to sin, if you have not received the baptism in the Holy Ghost seek help afterwards you will have the power to resist and overcome and the spirit will begin to change you through sanctification of your temple. He will give you the very desires of your heart: your desire will change to a Godly nature, You will still be tempted from time to time but do not be like Lots wife and look back at what you left behind with longing desire in your heart, but forward as God shapes and changes you into a vessel for Honor fit for the Master.
Lace Strother
God's word tells us that no sin is ''worse'' than another... Jesus was also the ONLY ''perfect'' being... that is WHY he died for us... because the wages of sin are death according to the Old testament, so only one who was/is COMPLETELY sinless could/can fulfill that law. To think that one has no sin... is to deny the need for Jesus' sacrifice. And if you deny Jesus dying on the cross gives us Salvation... giving us Eternal Life with our Heavenly Father instead of death in sin... you cannot call yourself a Christian... truthfully.
Renae Aaron
It is our fleshes nature to sin but once we have come to know Christ and the significance of His sacrifice, we are to draw closer to Him to resist the temptation to carry out the sins(desires) of the flesh. Hebrews - 23Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;) 18N sin willfully after thaow where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. 26For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins. 31It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 37/38 For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; but if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him. Focal verse for me is Hebrews 10:26 - If we sin willfully - there is no more sacrifice.
Alan Lye
What is a Christian? A person who believed and continues to believe in Jesus. When you believe in Jesus, you accept him as your Lord and Saviour. And the Holy Spirit will keep the Christian in check for sin - Joh 16:7 But I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send Him to you. Joh 16:8 And when that One comes, He will convict the world concerning sin, and concerning righteousness, and concerning judgment. Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. As believers, we must keep reminding ourselves that we have a relationship with God for salvation. Salvation is by knowing God in a relationship, not knowing something about God. If you remain in Christ, walk by the Spirit and have a relationship with God, you will be aware of sin. You would not like to sin and will ask God for forgiveness if it happens. From time to time - you will stumble but not fall. It is a daily battle. Otherwise Paul would not have agonised over it in Rom 7 so much. The victory is in Christ and walk by the Spirit.
W P
Grace leads us to turn away from destructive behaviour. With some sins that happens immediately. With other sins it is a process that occurs over time. Live with the Fear of the Lord. Allow His love and Grace to lead you gently into a right-living life.
James Kraft
The fact is we all do. It is not whether we can or not, it is that we do. First John 1:8 says, If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. First John 1:10 says, IF we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and the word is not in us. All sin is not the same. Adultry is worse than stealing a paper clip. Every one sins on a daily basis and should come to the Lord for cleansing. We all have some pride and self righteousness, we all have bad attitudes, we all get angry when we should not, many have a problem with over eating, many drink to much, many are gossips, many are busy bodies, many love money, many don't love their wives like they should. We are all defective. We were born in sin. Many judge others for their little sins not realizing that they have their own little sins. We all want to judge others to make ourselves look better at least in our own eyes. Pride is deceitful and goes before a fall. But grace is there when we sin. Where sin abounded grace much more abounded. Why we are to show grace to others because we are not perfect either. We are not to use grace as a license to sin, but most of us do not need a license as we all sin on a regular basis. Kind of humbling is it not. Since God loves us even when we sin, we should love others when they sin. All of our relationships are built on love. Since God loves us we are to love others. Even when they sin. But most of the time we would rather judge them because it makes us feel more righteous. Pride God will judge us on how we judge others. If we strain at a gnat and swallow a camel, God will judge us in like manner. It is better to show grace to others so God can show grace to us. Beware of the sin of the Pharisees.
Bruce Lyon
If a person who professes to be a christian is an habitual sinner then he and others must question whether he is indeed a follower of the anointed one Jesus. We are not to fellowship with someone who claim to be a christian but is habitually sinning.
Add your Answer
All answers are REVIEWED and MODERATED.
Please ensure your answer MEETS all our guidelines.
A good answer provides new insight and perspective. Here are guidelines to help facilitate a meaningful learning experience for everyone.
- Adhere to the eBible Statement of Faith.
- Your answer should be complete and stand-alone.
- Include supporting arguments, and scripture references if possible. Seek to answer the "why".
- Adhere to a proper tone and spirit of love and understanding.
- For more info see The Complete Guide to eBible