Vol.1 No.3

Q. The lay leader of my church said that we will be sinning all our lives because it is impossible to overcome sin. Is this true?

A. I am perplexed by the number of church leaders, even pastors, who push the non-Biblical concept that saved Christians cannot have power to overcome sin.

No doubt it comes from the fact that it is impossible for us, of ourselves, to resist Satan’s temptations. But God would indeed be a powerless God if He could not give to us that victory. Let me give you just a few texts to answer the question.

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Cor. 10:13).

“Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.” (1 John 3:6).

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it: that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27).

“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).

“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 24).

There are many more such texts. I would have to ask your lay leader to show one text that clearly says God cannot or does not give His children victory over sin. I’ve had people say the same thing as your lay leader said to you but I’m still waiting for their evidence from God’s word.

But in case anyone reading this column fears that if he sins, his life is hopeless, let me turn you again to the One who will forgive us our sins, and to cleans us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).

Vol.7 No.3

Q. Does the passage in 1 John 16 really mean that a true Christian never sins? How can this be possible?

A. It is hard for us to understand this text because we see so few "real Christians," and we ourselves fall so short of God's ideal. But we must never make the mistake of using our human experience to influence our belief in Scripture. The Bible teaches that we can live without sin and it tells us how this can be done.

While “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), Jesus, who became like us "in all things" (Hebrews 2:17) never sinned. In sharing our sinful humanity, He experienced our sinful nature (Romans 5:17-21; 8:3), yet was victorious over temptation. He has promised to share that victory with us by uniting us with His divine nature (2 Peter 1:2-4).

The Bible promises us that there is no temptation given us that will be too much for us to bear through this union 0 Corinthians 10:13). This means it is possible to avoid every sin. When we surrender our lives to God's control and accept Christ's sacrifice in our behalf, the power of sin is broken in our lives. The secret is to stay surrendered to Christ on every point and in every decision.

Christians sever their union with Christ and must be restored to Him when they fall. This union can be broken by little sins as well as big sins. In that sense, sin can cause us to lose our Christian experience. However, 1 John 2:1 assures us that if we sin, we have an Advocate with the Father. And how does God treat sinners? First, through His love, He convicts them of their sinful condition. Then, as conviction is acknowledged He sends the gift of repentance. If repentance is accepted, the contrite heart may apply the healing merits of Christ's sacrifice and be restored to spiritual union once more. Failure to do this will leave us in an unconverted condition, out of harmony with God and heaven.

God has no desire to see our union with Christ broken-Through Calvary, He has demonstrated to what lengths He will go to re-establish fellowship with sinners. He will do everything in His power to restore us to Himself. Yet His greatest desire is for us to learn the secret of unbroken union.