Can a Christian Sin?
June 18th, 2007 by Dan WaughCan a Christian Sin?
Last night the above question became a point of very heated discussion in one discussion group. It was maintained by one individual that a real Christian, someone who had been “baptized by Christ” could not sin anymore. If in fact you sinned at all since you were saved, according to this individual, you were not really saved at all. The text used to support this claim is 1 John 3:9. I’ll give it to you in the KJV and then the ESV.
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. KJV
No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. ESV
You can see why the KJV could lead someone to the erroneous conclusion that a Christian cannot sin at all. Why the difference in the ESV? The ESV does a better job of rendering the Greek verbs and giving them their proper nuance. The best translation of these phrases emphasize the ongoing nature of the sinful activity. John isn’t saying that a Christian can’t sin, but that a Christian can’t live a lifestyle characterized by sin - by habitual, unrepentant sin.
At other points in this short letter, John says that someone who claims to have fellowship with God can’t “walk in darkness”. Again, what John is emphasizing is a lifestyle or pattern of action. This interpretation is validated by looking at the whole of 1 John. In chapter 1 he writes, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1:8-10).
In chapter two he writes, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (2:2). From these verses it is obvious that John doesn’t want his readers to sin, but acknowledges that when they do, Jesus is their advocate with the Father. He nowhere suggests that if they sin they weren’t really Christians.
To summarize: sin is inconsistent with the Christian life, but not an impossibility. Christians can and do sin, and when they do, they should be quick to confess and repent, knowing they have an advocate with God, Jesus Christ the righteous. Since sin is incompatible with the Christian life, habitual patterns of sin are impossible for the true Christian – someone involved in habitual patterns of unrepentant sin should evaluate their claims to follow Christ.
Much more could be said, but I hope this suffices.
July 18th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
What’s more Dan, is that falling into the belief this man had is that it leaves no room for repentance, which a Christian is called to do in the same breath as his call not to sin. Not to mention that someone whose Christian walk lacks the necessity of repentance set in by the conviction of God’s Word, and the continual kneeling before the grace of God that repentance comes from, is not fully enabled to worship God because they lack both humility and a vision of God’s victory over sin in their own lives.
July 24th, 2007 at 9:44 am
It only takes a look at the life of David to see that Christians can and will fall into sin and at times it will be continual sin. David took a man’s wife and had an affair with her. She became pregnant and David had her husband murdered. It was not until David’s child was born that David repented of his sin. So, you can see David was in continual sin for some time and this was a man after the Lord’s own heart.
What is important is that, if we are truly saved, God will let us go for some time and then have the Holy Spirit lay a burden on our heart’s that will hopefully bring us to true repentance. This may take months or it may take years but what is important is that true heart-felt repentance takes place.
If you have turned to sin the Lord wants you to come back. All you have to do is fall on your face and acknowledge your sins and turn away from them and the Lord will welcome you back and heal your pain. Would you turn away from your child if he wronged you for years but is now begging your forgiveness and mercy? No!! Do you think God is less of a father than you?
July 31st, 2007 at 12:36 am
When John states the “those who are Born of God cannot sin” the word cannot in the greek means “are not able” to sin.
If one carefully and objectively looks at the true context of John’s proposition and explanation at the beginning of his letter, they will see that he is addressing the error of some who called themselves believers, but who held the eronious belief that there was no such thing as sin. These were those who were of the “Gnostic” philosophy who gathered with the saints in that local fellowship.
John first states that those who say that there is no such thing as sin are liers and truth is not in them - that they are in darkness. To these folks John is clarifying and lovingly correcting them so that they would have fullness of joy, and enter into the fellowship that he and others who tasted and touched the Lord knew and experienced. These were definately not true belivers and children of God. If they were he would not be inviting them to fellowship in the light with him because they would have already have been christians and experiancing the fellowship.
You see without acknowlegement of sin and repentence from it, there would be no salvation. Christ would not be necessary and the work of Christ would be of non effect in their lives. They would continue in darkness and unrighteousness, and would have no fellowship with the light.
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When John states that if one would “confess” their sins and Christ would cleanse them from all unrighteousness - he is adressing the unbeliver - one who is not yet “Born of God”
What John is saying is that by The word “confess” - that: if one were to agree and acknowledge their sinfulness and need for the Savior, then Christ would be faithful and justified to forgive their sins, and cleanse them from all unrighteousness.
In context and in conclusion, John’s proposition is that once one is truly cleansed from their sins and becomes a child of God (Born of God) and brcomes a New Creation, thet there would no longer be any unrighteousness in them. Thus “all those who are born of God are “not able” to be sinners anylonger, because the “Holy” Spirits seed would be in them. As a new creation, a child god, who is birthed by Gods beautiful promice and power are no longer the person they used to be - that is they are no longer Children of the Devil. If this is so (and it is) you can imagine the “fullness of Joy” that would bring to that once lost soul! If one who is Born of God is cleansed from “ALL” unrighteousness, what amount of unrighteousness and sin would be left???? NONE! Therefore all those Born of God are holy and blameless and without sin. Its God’s doing, not mans.
That’s the point. This is the Glorious Gospel worth dying for and for which the Apostle Paul suffered to preach and for which John (the last remaining apostle) was defending and prescribing.
Ther is no contradiction here at all. In Christ there is no condemnation, because there is no longer anything to condemn. This is the Love of God, and the legacy of believers.
John meant exactly what he said and said exactly what he meant.
Any other Gospel, teaching anything less than this is not a gospel at all, but a doctrine of demons meant to kill and sreal and deatroy the true faith that was paid for iby the Blood of the Lamb who taketh away the sins of the world.
The word “frogiveness” in the greek is a derivivative of the concept of “OFF”. It would be more precise to interpret any notion of “forgiveness” and being “offed from sin” I cannot belioeve that once the messiah takes away sin that he would have done such a shabby job that would it allow it to come back again!
Besides that - if God is indeed holy, and Light in which there is no darkness at all - how can they who are his children be anything less. It is an impossibility. Those that teach otherwise are ill informed and are just parroting and perpetuating the lie that was sold to the church long ago by the father if lies himself - satan.
This I say , knowing some would argue to the contrary. All that God the Father does is good, all that Christ did is finished, and all that the Spirit reveals is truth. God has set us free from sin. In fact Jesus himself put sin “to death” according to “Pauls Gospel”. If a believer seems them self as dead to sin and alive to Christ - what greater freedom of identity can there be?
This is not a freedom to do anything we wish and live a lifestyle of foolishness and self servitude, of immoral and unprincipaled behaviors. No, Never (as Paul would say. He was once the chief of sinner he proclaimed, but he had become a new man through Christ as a free gift.
Christians are not sinners saved by grace, but a Christian is one who once was a sinner, saved by grace, but are now become a saint.
The spiritual DNA of one who is birthed of God as a new creation is tremendous. It is Gods creative liberty to offer the most unbelievable gift, to thate who do not deserve or earn it.
This, my dear friends, is glorious. It is the kind of news that is great, worth celebrating and sharing to the world . It is a message wroth dying for -and living for.
Why choose to believe otherwise?
BTW - Mickey - King David was not Born of God - he was not a Christian. He was not a New Creation, nor was he a part of Christs Body like those of us in this age who are Born of God. You seeThe church did not begin to exist until after Christ was raised from the dead - and that was several thousand years after David lived.
It may come to a shock to you all, but Jesus’ disciples were not Christians either in the true sense of the word. They were not part of the Church during the time of Christs ministry on earth, Think about it ! because the church had not yet been birthed. That is not to say that they were not “saved” , but their relationship with God was one regulated by “kingdom” principals and not one of being posessed by the Spirit of God himself like a born of God person would have. Later on they were able to repent and have their sins washed away and be made white as snow.
Just my humble opinion.
August 1st, 2007 at 9:02 am
While there is much to agree with in David’s comments, there are a few points I think we should clarify.
First, and maybe most importantly is the statement that as New Creations we are not sinners anymore. Frankly, I just don’t find that in the Bible. As New Creations, we participate in the common ‘already but not yet’ tension. We have died to sin, yet we are called to put sin to death. We are clothed in righteousness, yet we’re called to put it on.
Luther famously stated that Christians are ’simul justus et peccator’ - simultaneously sinners and saints. We are saints, but we are in the process of becoming what we are. We are righteous, but we are in the process of becoming righteous - of putting on good and killing the bad.
Also, this letter was written to the church that was struggling against the ‘gnostic’ heretics and not the heretics directly. Therefore, the calls to confess our sins continue to apply to us. Just as the call to repentance is not only a one time event done in the past at the point of our conversion, so confession is not merely a ‘been there and done that’ kind of thing. We are to continually repent of sin in our life, confessing it to God and to each other (see James 5:16).
Finally, I think it is important to affirm that the church did exist before Pentecost. The church is the universal gather of God’s people through all ages. The word translated ‘church’ in the NT (ekklesia) also is used of Israel in the OT (in the Greek translation called the Septuagint). David was a Christian in the sense that he had also put his faith in the Christ, the Messiah as his only hope of salvation. All who were saved in the OT were saved by their faith in the promised deliver of God, a promise that was first introduced in Genesis 3:15. Moreover, I think is incredibly important to affirm that David and the Old Testament saints were reborn, new creations. Apart from the rebirth by the Spirit, no one can see the Kingdom of God (see John 3). The Kingdom of God has always been a spiritual kingdom (though at times manifest physically), so entrance has always been conditioned upon a new spiritual birth.
More food for thought.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:02 pm
Dan … I agree with what you have stated above. To say that John was not writing to Christians would fly in the face of what myriads of Bible scholars have said. Yes, of course John was writing to Christians.
The one thing I would like to add is this …
1 John 3:16 (ESV)
If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life…
The word “brother” here is speaking of Christian brothers and sisters. The Greek word is adelphon. I’m not a Greek expert, but I looked it up and confirmed it is indeed speaking of fellow Christians. So, after all the earlier verses in 1 John which speak of Christians not continuing in sin or not practicing sin, we get this verse which basically says “when your fellow Christians sin”.
And of course … don’t forget the verses in Romans 7 where Paul says “I do what I don’t want to do and don’t do what I want to do” and so on.
Go with God,
Donald B