Christians and sin

Okay I know that as Christians still in the flesh we will struggle with sin. But my question today is can we as Christians know something is a sin, admit that it is wrong and yet continue to do it and say that we are still right with God? The Apostle John doesn't think so. 1 John 3:6 "No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him." When John says "keeps on sinning" he is talking about knowing something is sin, yet still doing it with no struggle or fight. John even takes it a step further and says that "Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil (3:8)." Again "whoever makes a practice of sinning" are those who know something is sin, yet keeps on doing it with no remorse or guilt. Then John says this; "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 (3:9). We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him (5:18). John says that if we are truly born again then we will take sin seriously and repent and grow in our sanctification.

What about Paul? What does he say regarding Christians and sin? Well he says the same thing 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 any longer?" When Paul says "go on sinning" he is saying the same thing that John says in 1 John 3:6. John says "keeps on sinning" and Paul says "go on sinning". Again they are both talking about knowing something is sin, yet still doing it with no regard to the fact that they are sinning against a Holy and Righteous God. Paul says that as Christians we have died to sin; how can we "live in it" any longer. Paul knows that Christians are in the flesh and will struggle with sin but he also knows that there is a big difference in "struggling" and "living in it". 

"Well that is John and Paul, but what does Jesus say about Christians and sin?" Well I am glad you asked.  In John 8 Jesus saves a woman from being stoned to death for committing adultery. Many people know that story but forget the end. John 8:10-11, "Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” Here we see the amazing grace of Jesus. Jesus does not condemn her to death but instead shows her grace and mercy. In this grace and mercy Jesus commands something from the woman. He commands obedience. He tells her to "go and sin no more". Notice something else here. In the next section Jesus says "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”(John 8:12) Jesus says that if you are his, if you are a Christian and you "follow him" then you will not "walk in darkness". Jesus doesn't say you will not struggle with sin. No, he says you will not walk in it.

In Matthew chapter 7 we see some of the scariest words in scripture. Jesus is teaching and he says; “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness." Who enters the Kingdom of God? Those who do the will of the Father. Many people everyday go around and think they are doing great things for God and somehow those great things cancel out or void their sin. They focus on all these good things so they can avoid looking at the very sin that is in their life. But Jesus says those things are not good enough. Those good deeds will not pay the debt for your sin. Jesus says "depart from me, you workers of lawlessness." Workers of lawlessness are those that continue to walk in their sin with no intentions of repenting. Nothing can cancel our debt. But Christ did pay for it on the cross and if Christ paid for it how can you go back to it. Repent today and walk in the Light of Jesus.