Can you continue to knowingly sin and remain a Christian?

[Jethro Bodine]

Yes, in word and deed (1 John 3:7, Romans 5:19, Matthew 5:6).

Friend, you are not 100% sinless.

The righteousness you have is the absence of sin guilt you have in the eyes of God because of God's forgiveness, which is always there through your faith to forgive your transgressions.

And you have the righteousness of the Holy Spirit in you slowly working it's way through the whole batch of dough slowly making you in practice what God has already declared you to be.

 

[justbyfaith]

You are mess of contradiction. Out one side of your mouth righteousness means perfection, then out the other side of your mouth it's consistency. The latter is correct. Forget this 100% perfection crap. Just prepare to respond to your next temptation to obey the flesh in the perfect way of the Spirit. If you don't, learn from it and try again next time. Stop trying to maintain this 4.0 GPA that you think you have to have to be saved when Christ returns! You lost that chance a long time ago! The moment you committed your first sin after receiving Christ in salvation.

Receiving the perfect righteousness of God does not mean you are now perfectly sinless in behavior. It means you have been absolved of all sin guilt in the eyes of God and are, therefore, righteous in his sight that way. Your behavior will catch up with what God has declared you to be as you mature in the faith and learn, more and more, how to walk in the righteousness that has been seeded in you via the Holy Spirit.

Yes, I am righteous by faith, whether or not I have a practical righteousness.

However, the fact that I am righteous by faith works itself out in a practical righteousness (sanctification in my life).

I don't have to be wholly sanctified in order to obtain salvation. I am justified by faith alone; not by my obedience, works, law-keeping, or personal merit.

But I am blessed in my conscience to be sanctified wholly. It is a blessing to my conscience to have this as a second benefit over and above my salvation.

 

[justbyfaith]

Friend, you are not 100% sinless.

1Co 4:3, But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.
1Co 4:4, For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

We are justified only through faith in the blood of Jesus and not by the works of the law.

If we have faith, then we bear the fruit of the Spirit; against which there is no law.

Therefore we become law-abiding citizens of the kingdom when we consistently bear the fruit of the Spirit.

So, there is a practical outworking of having been justified by faith.

As long as you keep talking out this side of your mouth you'll be fine.

Lose this 'I must be 100% perfect in behavior in order to be saved when Jesus comes back' junk that's coming out the other side of your mouth.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

1Co 4:3, But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.
1Co 4:4, For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.

Yes, "I judge not mine own self".
That means you.

 

[justbyfaith]

Lose this 'I must be 100% perfect in behavior in order to be saved when Jesus comes back' junk that's coming out the other side of your mouth.

That doctrine isn't coming out of any "side of my mouth".

 

[Jethro Bodine]

But I am blessed in my conscience to be sanctified wholly. It is a blessing to my conscience to have this as a second benefit over and above my salvation.

You're judging yourself.

The Lord is the one who passes such judgement, not you. Is that not what Paul said in the very passage you use to stop people from saying you're not 100% sinless?

 

[justbyfaith]

Yes, "I judge not mine own self".
That means you.

You're judging yourself.

The Lord is the one who passes such judgement, not you. Is that not what Paul said in the very passage you use to stop people from saying you're not 100% sinless?

I judge not mine own self...

And I know nothing by myself (as concerning there being sin in my life)...yet I am not justified by this but He who judges me is the Lord.

I believe that I walk in the light as He is in the light.

Therefore, if or when I sin, He is going to pinpoint that sin in my life and make me aware of it.

Therefore if He is not making me aware of sin it is because I am not committing sin in my life.

The fact that I walk in the light as He is in the light means that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses me from all sin.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Can an alcoholic continue to drink and call himself sober?

If he has a moment of weakness does that mean he's an alcoholic? No, of course not.

If he goes back to a lifestyle of drinking, that is when he can not call himself a sober, ex-alcoholic.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

I judge not mine own self...

But you are.

If me saying you're not 100% sinless is me judging you, then you saying you are is too. It is the Lord who judges. You quoted the passage yourself.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Therefore, if or when I sin, He is going to pinpoint that sin in my life and make me aware of it.

Of course he will.
Sometimes it takes time to see the next level of righteous living God is working in us.
It took King David a whole year to be confronted by the Lord the he had sinned.

So stop trying to keep a scorecard of 100% sinlessness. Just determine to respond perfectly, as God is perfect, to the next temptation to sin that comes along. And if you fail, learn from it and be determined to respond perfectly as God is perfect next time you are tempted.

Perfection is not a scorecard of successes. It's a way of responding to the trials and temptations of this life:

43You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’r and ‘Hate your enemy.’ 44But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,s 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even tax collectors do the same? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even Gentiles do the same?

48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:43-47

 

[justbyfaith]

Just because he has a moment of weakness does that mean he's an alcoholic? No, of course not.

If he goes back to a lifestyle of drinking that is when he can not call himself a sober, ex-alcoholic.

Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin (John 8:34)...

 

[justbyfaith]

But you are.

If me saying you're not 100% sinless is me judging you, then you saying you are is too. It is the Lord who judges. You quoted the passage yourself.

I'm saying that I know nothing by myself...I know of no sin in my life at the current moment...but I am not justified by this, but He who judges me is the Lord.

I am walking in the light as He is in the light...therefore if I sin, the Lord's light will shine on that and I will see that I have sinned.

But the fact that I am walking in the light as He is in the light means that the blood of Jesus cleanses me from all sin.

So, if the light is shining on me and I don't see any sin, it is because there isn't any.

 

[justbyfaith]

Of course he will.
Sometimes it takes time to see the next level of righteous living God is working in us.
It took King David a whole year to be confronted by the Lord the he had sinned.

So stop trying to keep a scorecard of 100% sinlessness. Just determine to respond perfectly, as God is perfect, to the next temptation to sin that comes along. And if you fail, learn from it and be determined to respond perfectly as God is perfect next time you are tempted.

David knew that he had sinned from the first moment that he committed it. I believe it is Psalms 38, or some other Psalm, that declares how he was wasting away in his sin for that he didn't confess it immediately.

It took Nathan's rebuke for him to come clean; but he knew that he had done wrong from the first moment that he committed adultery with Uriah's wife. It was clearly a violation of one of the commandments of the LORD.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin (John 8:34)...

Don't you realize, then, that you are also a slave to sin and will not inherit the kingdom?

If that's how you want to understand sinning then you have no choice but to conclude that you will not inherit the kingdom (slaves don't inherit the kingdom), or, that you were not going to inherit the kingdom of God until you arrived at this (supposed) state of 100% sinlessness. Which one do you want to go with?

 

[justbyfaith]

So stop trying to keep a scorecard of 100% sinlessness.

I don't do that. I just seek to walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit on a moment-by-moment basis.

I am not under the law (Romans 6:14) am dead to the law (Romans 7:4, Galatians 2:19) and am delivered from the law (Romans 7:6) because I am led of the Spirit (Galatians 5:18).

Where the law does not apply, there is no transgression (Romans 4:15).

Sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4).

Therefore, in being led of the Spirit, I cannot sin (1 John 3:9).

 

[justbyfaith]

Don't you realize, then, that you are also a slave to sin and will not inherit the kingdom?

See post #576 (https://christianforums.net/threads...sin-and-remain-a-christian.97836/post-1785591).

 

[Jethro Bodine]

See post #576 (https://christianforums.net/threads...sin-and-remain-a-christian.97836/post-1785591).

No, I don't have the time to revisit posts. Just give a short answer to what I brought up.

 

[justbyfaith]

No, I don't have the time to revisit posts. Just give a short answer to what I brought up.

I don't do that. I just seek to walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit on a moment-by-moment basis.

I am not under the law (Romans 6:14) am dead to the law (Romans 7:4, Galatians 2:19) and am delivered from the law (Romans 7:6) because I am led of the Spirit (Galatians 5:18).

Where the law does not apply, there is no transgression (Romans 4:15).

Sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4).

Therefore, in being led of the Spirit, I cannot sin (1 John 3:9).

 

[justbyfaith]

No, I don't have the time to revisit posts. Just give a short answer to what I brought up.

I don't see why you couldn't. I even gave you a link to click on.