In the last post I mentioned Godly desires that produce Godly actions. Well, sometimes, we have desires that produce actions that aren't exactly Godly. Very much the opposite, in fact. We sin.
One of the big reasons people doubt whether or not they're saved is because they still have sin in their life. It's a huge problem, and it has kept many awake at night (myself included). Because, if we have been made new, have been given new hearts, new desires, a new will, than it should be reflected in our actions, right? We should be seeing good works, and not sin, right?
That is the main question we'll be answering, and we'll be doing it by looking at a lot of smaller questions.
If I truly am a Christian, why do I still struggle with sin?
Let's face it: Being a Christian doesn't mean you won't sin. Everyone struggles with sin, and that includes Christians. The Apostle Paul himself struggled with sin after salvation, as he tells us in Romans 7:13-25. We just aren't sinless, and will continue to be that way until we are united with Jesus in heaven. But if Christians still sin, then what's the real difference between a believing sinner and an unbelieving sinner? The unbeliever loves his sin and looks for ways to continue in it, the believer hates his sin and looks for ways to try to stop sinning. The life of an unbeliever is defined by giving in to sin, whereas the life of a believer is defined by fighting against sin, even if that fight is sometimes lost. Nowhere does the Bible say that you can lose or nullify your salvation by sinning. But the Bible does tell us time and time again that God can forgive us our sins (1 John 1:9).
I committed a HUGE sin! How can I still be a Christian?
Some denominations teach that there are "mortal" sins that can cause you to lose your salvation, such as murder or adultery. I deny such teaching, and so does the Bible (but that's another blog post). The truth is, no sin is too great for God to forgive. King David committed both murder and adultery in the Bathsheba incident (2 Samuel 11). But his relationship with God was not severed. Does that mean his sin was okay? Far from it! He was punished for what he did, and most importantly, he still needed to repent of his sin and ask God to forgive him.
No matter how large a sin you have committed, God still loves you and can forgive you. But you must still be repentant.
I have a sinful habit/addiction that I can't seem to break.
Let's get one thing straight: If you've been saved, it doesn't matter how large or how numerous your sins are. No power can separate you from the love of Christ (Romans 8:38-39), including your sins, which he can forgive you of. However, that doesn't mean that a sinful habit or addiction is 'okay.' It's still a horrible thing, and should be attacked vigorously. With God's help, even the most powerful addictions can be broken (Philippians 4:13). However, there are some habits or addictions that you may never be able to break. The key is that even though you may never break 100% free, you must keep fighting it. Keep hating your sin. Resist it with all you have. Keep asking for God's help. That is the difference between a saved addict and an unsaved addict: The unbeliever gives up and gives in to addiction, but the believer knows that God is helping him, so he keeps on fighting addiction, no matter how many times he may lose.
There are two important things to remember, and the first is this:
Jesus tells us that a tree is known by it's fruit (Matthew 7:16-20). A good tree bears good fruit, and a bad tree bears bad fruit. Paul tells us what good fruit looks like (Galatians 5:22-23). If you are not bearing any of these fruit, but instead continue willfully in sins, whether small or big, many or few, and do not repent of them, then the cold truth is this: You have not been saved.
The second thing to remember is this: for those of us that have been saved, God can forgive any number or size of sins. BUT: God's Grace IS NOT A LICENSE TO SIN.
Paul puts it this way in Romans 6:1-14:
"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace."So yes, God can and will forgive us of the sins we commit after we've been saved, but that doesn't mean we're free to do what we want. We should not walk in sins. On the contrary, we should walk "worthy of our calling" to "Make our election sure" (Ephesians 4:1; 2 Peter 1:10).
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him (Colossians 3:1-10. I recommend reading the whole chapter)
If you are saved, then no sin you commit can separate you form Christ. You cannot lose your salvation. However, you must continue to battle against sin. No temptation is too strong to resist (1 Corinthians 10:13). We must keep fighting, and praying for God's help. And when we do fall, as sometimes we will, then we must always ask God to forgive us. He can, and He will, no matter what. Then get back up and keep fighting!
But if you're not saved, then you are in dire straights. Whether your sins are little, big, many, or few, they are still sin, and you deserve death and hell as punishment. But that's not the end of the story. God can forgive your sins if only you repent and believe. No matter how horrible a life you've lead, there is hope for you. Repent, believe, and you will be saved!
As we reach the end of this series, you may be examining your life. You may still be uncertain as to whether or not you're saved. Well, if you still aren't sure, then there's no harm in re-dedicating your life to Christ, and there is no better time to do that, than right now.
I hope God has used this series in your life to bring Glory to Him. If you're still usure about some things, or have any questions about salvation or anything else, I am here and willing to listen to you and help you in any way I can. I urge you to take advantage of the comment, forum, or private contact features. God bless.
