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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
The apostle Paul answered a very similar question in Romans 6:1-2, "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it an...
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Kelli Trujillo
Supporter
As redeemed people who have been restored by the blood of Christ to sweet fellowship with our Heavenly Father, we should desire to please Him and to represent Him to others with a life that reflects Him. When Jesus was asked about what were the greatest commandments, He replied in Mark 12, 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[a] 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] There is no commandment greater than these.” In addition, as Jesus was preparing to go to the cross, some of His parting words to His disciples were these in John 14:15, If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Think of it this way: In our relationships with friends, relatives, a spouse, children, etc... we endeavor to conduct ourselves in a manner that is pleasing to, engaging with, honoring to, and respectful of them, and vice versa. Why would we not want to do the same in our relationship with God? Furthermore, continuing to go back to sin is a return to the pain, destruction, and dead lives that we lived prior to our conversion. 2 Peter 2 is a great chapter that addresses this subject, and these last verses say it all: 17 These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. 18 For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves[g] of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. 20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” There are many other verses that address this subject, such as Romans 6:1 and Matthew 7:24-27. The bottom line is this: We've been saved and set free from a life of sin and we are free to worship our Father in heaven with a clean heart. We should then desire to grow in our relationship with Him and to live in a such a way that He is pleased and that causes others to want the same kind of freedom that we enjoy in Christ.
James Kraft
Supporter
Once we have trusted Jesus as our savior He comes into our life. We are sealed until the day of the redemption of our bodyies. Our life then becomes His life and He begins to do the work in us that we could not do. At the same time God does allow us to be tempted to help us to resist the temptation. We should want to live for Him because He died for us to set us free from the old law of sin and death. It is really hard to fathom the love of God toward us that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Salvation is totally by grace through faith, not of works, lest any man should boast. We cannot boast in ourselves because all the good we do after we are saved is because of His work in us. When we do good we can only boast in the cross. When we do evil that is our own. But grace does abound even when we use it for license. Paul said he was still a sinner. If we could live a perfect life Jesus would have not needed to die for us. Paul said that even when we do good there is evil present with us. Salvation comes to us the minute we trust Jesus that His blood sacrifice for our sins is paid in full. From there on it is his work in us as He is the author and finisher of our faith. God requires ablsolute perfect righteousness for us to go to heaven, and we get that through the one who has joined His spirit to our spirit at salvation. If we never sinned after we got saved (which is impossible) we would soon quit trusting in Jesus sacrifice for our sins and start trusting in our own righteousness. We are saved by grace, kept by grace, and go to heaven by grace. If we are under the law for salvation then we are not saved at all. We are trusting in our selves to be righteous enough to go to heaven which is nothing more than our own pride. Until we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for our sins we will not love God and people the way we should. When you realize that both saved and unsaved people are sinners we start loving everybody. We realize that no one is going to be perfect in this life. As we grow in grace we learn to hate sin because we see what it does to us and others. But it cannot keep us from the love of God toward us. If we fall into great sin and stay there the Lord will chasten us, but never condemn us. I am almost 75 years old and know that when the Lord said He will never leave us or forsake us He meant it. That is why we love Him so much and try to follow Him. When I get to heaven am I going to tell God about all my good works here on earth, or am I going to say " Thank God that Jesus died for my sins and that is the only reason I have for being here".
Mike Copeman
Supporter
Salvation came through the love sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ redeeming us and expressing our Holy Father’s love for us (Colossians 12-23a). Undoubtedly Salvation is the result of unconditional love but Paul adds a caveat in v23: if we continue in faith. The statements of faith have been quoted regarding our position in the Lord Jesus Christ when we accept His love offering and become His temple. We are not condemned if we have an honest desire to live a life without sin but failing because of the cancelled sin which wars within (Romans 7:18-24)? The Lord Jesus Christ, our Emmanuel, was born as a man but without sin because of the virgin birth. He learned obedience to His Father’s will (John 8:29) as we must do. When we are born again we start from the same spiritual point as the Lord Jesus Christ and must learn obedience as He did: discipleship. We can fall into the delusion that we must live with sin but that was not the position that our Lord Jesus Christ accepted (John 14:30). We hear Christians confessing to sin, that the Blood of the Lord Jesus covers it; ‘it is how God made me, if He wants me to change He will change me’. It is not how God made us, God made us in His image (Genesis 1:26), Satan corrupted that image at Adam’s fall: that is why Colossians 1:13,14 is so important. The Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is precious and effective but we would do well to consider our Father’s standard for repentance (Psalm 51:16,17). The Covenant has changed but the standard of holiness is still the same (Hebrews 12:14). We abide in our Father’s Presence and all that we do (or not do), all that we think and say are done to His face. The ministry of the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 4:11-13) guides us and identifies sin in our lives: repentance and deliverance are an intrinsic and vital part of daily living. Separation is essential if we are to avoid making ourselves easy prey, being ensnared again with the sin that we have rejected. We see that Jesus was totally separated to His Father, taking His Father to the world in which He lived (John 8:12). Our separation to Him is also essential, as is how we guard ourselves from being contaminated by sin and its appeal (Ephesians 6:10-18). Cleland McAfee’s hymn, There is a place of quiet rest, plainly states our abiding place, Psalm 91 states where we need to abide and details the promises if we do, as does Isaiah 40:28-31. For those wishing to walk closely with the Lord John’s Gospel is essential reading: digest it, ask the Holy Spirit to disclose it to you. For this topic John 15 ministers to our need. Wait upon Him - our secret place - and He will teach you (John 15:26,27; 16:13-15). He will transform your mind (Romans 12:1,2) and speak truth into you and set you free (John 8:34-36). We can choose righteousness (2 Peter 1-12).
Tom howard
Supporter
Sin is a nature that is in all mankind. We have been born with it and when we are born again we do not lose it, it is put aside as the ruling power over us. This is the fight that Paul speaks about. A fight we are more than able to win! Paul tells us how;1 Cor. 9:27 “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” He does this by the Spirit. Everyone who has the new birth has passed from death to life, is no longer a habitual sinner; but has the power of the indwelling spirit to overcome the temptation of sin. Galatians 5:16 “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you 'shall not' fulfil the lust of the flesh.” With our new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) and the help of the Spirit we can do all things, even as Romans 8:37 says, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” It's right believing that keeps us in right relation. Do we really believe these scriptures? 1 Peter 2:21,22 "For even hereunto were you called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:" Jesus is our example! This is what Jesus suffered and died for. “…that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness.” To continue to say, "I am a sinner, so whats the use?" Is contrary to what God did for us and has for us. We chose how close a walk we have with God. The power to live it is there, but we have to be willing! So, what happened to our sin nature? Roman 6:6, “Knowing this, that our old man(sin nature) is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” I like the way Paul contrasted verse 20 and verse 22, in Romans 6. Verse 20, “For when you were the servants of sin, you were free from righteousness.” Conversely verse 22, “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God.” In other words, we are no longer under its dominion, for it to be master over us! We now can master it! “Henceforth” means after our conversion, we should not serve sin the rest of our life. Can we sin? Oh sure, but the scripture in 1 John 2:1 reads, "if anyone sins..." not "when anyone sins..." as it should be rare. It also is (a) not a conscious part of our “newness of life”, Romans 6:4 “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”Our new life in Christ is marked by a freedom from sin, and not a freedom to sin. It's also (b) not what is expected of us! Romans 6:13; "Neither yield you 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." Do not listen to those that say we cannot reach this goal, that it is a lost battle. 2 Peter 1:4 Tells us, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” Did he say, “Divine”? Remember 1 Peter 2:21, “…should follow his steps: Who did no sin,…” The enemy would have you believe otherwise.
joyce whaley
Supporter
Simplicity again Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound, God forbid (Romans 6:1) Christianity is a journey you don’t get it all at one glimpse. When a person first accepts Christ they will make blunders and mistakes. There are times when you are not even aware that you are in sin/error. However when we become men/woman and or gain ground/reach some level of maturity in your Christian walk with the Lord, or perhaps, really fall in love with the Lord Jesus you are not going to want or desire to deliberately sin. Fall in love with Jesus you will see. However if you do find yourself in sin, God is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Lastly constantly sinning can and will separate you from the Lord to where you cannot hear or sense his presence. I can compare the separation to going through a long tunnel for days and you do not see any light in sight. How do I know, I’ve gotten out of grace many a times.
Fred Swan
Supporter
Being saved or following Christ is a decision we make when drawn by the Holy Spirit that is followed by a lifestyle change. The lifestyle shows the validity of the original decision. Some original decisions can be faulty Mathew 7:21 through 23 or Mathew 13: 1 through 9. There must be a lifestyle change to show more Christ likeness each day in our process of being saved.
Dorcas Sitali
Supporter
We cannot go back to sinning because we have been set free from it, we are now free to a live a Godly life and as Paul wrote we are now dead to sin and sin no longer has dominion over us we are greater or above sin. Galatians 5:1 declares that it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. This freedom is freedom to live a Holy life loving God, living a life pleasing to God because before we came to him most of us wanted nothing to do with Him, but after salvation our eyes were open to who God is, what He has done for us and how much He loves us therefor we are not dogs or swines who return to dirty.
Bob Wier
Supporter
This is one of the topics often addressed in churches around the world that actually drives me crazy. The answer is simple and can be found in a very popular and well known scripture. 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." When we were sinners we were able to sin, not only guilt free, but with a great deal of enjoyment. Our sin nature, our flesh, revelled in sin. Like a pig in the mud, we rolled around in it with glee. Then we were born again, our sin nature nailed to the cross with our Lord. We were crucified with Him, buried with Him, and if crucified and buried, then resurrected with Him. We no longer have a sin nature. That being said, yes, we can sin. I can tell you from personal experience though, it is miserable. When we sin now, there is no joy. When you see someone backsliding, I can guarantee you, they are also living in misery. Sin opens a door that no born again child of God wants to go through. Seek the Lord, and resist the devil and he will flee. James 4:7
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