Before answering the above question what do the terms “sin and “believers in Christ” mean?
“Sin” is any thought, word, or action that is contrary to the character, standards or law of God. Romans 3:22b-23 says, “For there is no difference; v23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory {the character or standards} of God.” This points out that we all have sinned in varying ways. Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.” Also even our good deeds can be blotted by wrong motives or pride. Ecclesiastes 7:20 confirms this, “For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin” and so does Romans 3:10 “As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one.”” Consequently it is impossible to be completely free from sin and neither can we in our own strength please God as Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him (God v5).”
When a person understands that they have fallen short of God’s standards in thought, word and deed they repent (change their mind) about their sin. Then they realise that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1Corinthians 15:3-4). At that time He took the complete punishment for their sins. Then that person believes or trusts that He died for them as an individual. Acts 16:31 “So they (Paul and Silas v29) said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” The acrostic of faith is: Forsaking All I Trust Him”. Then by the power of the Holy Spirit they are born again or receive new life. John 3:5-7 “Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” v6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” v7 “Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.””
Such people then become a disciple, which means a Christ follower as seen in Acts 11:26 “And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” It must be added that a Christian is not someone who has decided to follow a particular set of religious beliefs or practices, and/or joined a church, prayed a particular prayer, or take part in certain religious rituals.
When someone trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, they, according to Ephesians 1:3 have a number of things happen to him/her: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing (or gift) in the heavenly places in Christ.” These spiritual blessings include the total forgiveness of (Acts 13:38; Ephesians 1:7) and cleansing from our sins (1John 1:7) and being reconciled to God (Romans 5:10; 2Corinthians 5:18). Also the believer receives eternal life, John 3:15 “That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life”, and becomes a new creation, 2Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Believers are also made children of God 1John 3:1-2a “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! … v2 Beloved, now we are children of God.” Nowhere in the Bible does God say that we are “the flesh” but as just mentioned God the father says that we are His children. Romans 7:18 confirms this, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells …”. So the flesh is like a big splinter in me that causes me a lot of pain and trouble. Nevertheless this illustration does not imply that we not responsible for giving into the flesh’s desires. The “flesh” does not like second place.
With the new relationship God gives a new and different desires that seek to obey and please Him rather than self as seen in 2Corinthians 5:9 “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.” See also Romans 8:5-6.
However, while we have been given eternal life there still is also the sinful nature in us, called the flesh, and while we live down here, the flesh will want sinful things. The apostle Paul speaks about this battle between the flesh and spirit in his own life: Romans 7:21-23 “I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. v22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. v23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”
The battles with temptations are won or lost according to how much we are obedient to God’s Word and subject to the control of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:16-17 “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. v17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” This is a constant battle and we can help ourselves by reading and obeying God’s Word, prayer and avoiding the places and things that tempt us into sin.
We can also help ourselves by praying regularly about certain things. There are a number of short prayers that are in the New Testament letters. For example that “The eyes of my understanding being enlightened” (Ephesians 1:18) or “to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man” or “that Christ may dwell in my hearts through faith” or “that I will be rooted and grounded in love” (Ephesians 3:17). Then you may have personal prayers like “Please fill me with your truth, love, joy and will” or “Help me to live an overcoming life” or “Give me a deep love for Yourself and Your things” etc. However well you are, or are not, doing, do regularly pray.
1John was written to believers in the Lord Jesus. The apostle John says in, 1John 1:8, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Here he speaks about “sin”, i.e. the sinful nature, which every believer will realise that they have. Also v10 says, “If we say that we have not sinned (i.e. sins committed in thought word or deed), we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” Therefore if a person says that they have no sinful nature they deceive themselves. Or if they say that they have not sinned they are saying that God has lied and the truth is not in them. So those who have trusted in Christ and have received new life still sin.
Although sin breaks our fellowship with God our Father it does not break our relationship with Him because our relationship is based entirely on Christ (e.g. Romans 5:1; 1John 1:7). Yet, just as family members need to get their fellowship restored, so God has made a remedy available for us to restore our fellowship with Him. 1John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” So when a believer becomes conscious that they have sinned they are to takes sides with God and by condemning that sin and confessing that sin to Him. At that moment God forgives us. We know that because God is faithful and so keeps His word. Secondly God is just to forgive us because Christ has died for all our sins. We might feel guilty about the sin that we have committed even after we have confessed it. Nevertheless, we must not let our feelings of guilt, over-ride what God says. God offers continual, ongoing grace (which is undeserved favour) whenever we agree with Him about our sin and confess it.
Does this marvellous grace mean that I can go on sinning and it does not matter? 1John 2:1 says, “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin.” So God does not want us to sin. One of the effects of receiving new life at the point of faith, is that our nature changes, and we cannot continue in sin. 1John 3:6 “Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.” The Greek word for “sins” means to sin routinely. This verse does not say that when a Christian sins a sin, that then he or she lose their salvation. Instead it says that when a person sins habitually, the conclusion is that he or she were never saved.
Romans 6:1-2 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? v2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” We need to keep short accounts with God and not to think that if we do not acknowledge our sins and confess it that God will forget them. Proverbs 28:13 says, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”
Although Christians can still sin after being saved, the heart change that salvation brings will bring a new attitude toward sin. Sin cannot continue as a lifestyle choice if they own that Jesus Christ is now their Lord. Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” For Jesus to be Lord means that His, better, will is to be done in our lives which means that we cannot carry on with a sinful lifestyle as well. Romans 12:2 says “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Transformation by the renewing of our mind is done by us regularly reading and believing the Bible, praying and attending a Bible believing Christian fellowship. These practices can change our thinking so that it becomes more conformed to the ways that God thinks, as He has revealed in the Bible. Then we can have the direct guidance of God in our lives. This adjustment of our moral and spiritual thoughts to the mind of God, is a continuous process which produces a change of behaviour.
Do Christians sin? Yes. However they do not wilfully continue in a sinful lifestyle. While God’s Word shows that, we will always “fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) there is also the power of God as seen in 2Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” May the believers’ faith be strengthened to lead more overcoming lives and may love for and likeness to the Lord be increased.