Why do you sin?

[Kidron]

This is one of those Thread questions that temps believers to try to sound "spiritual".
I'll not serve the flesh on behalf of this temptation...
But rather i'll try to be "exposed" so that you might in your heart also..
Im a minister, but im an honest one, and i dont play the role.
I am what i am, and the Grace of God has been better to me then most because i have to have extra help.
He provides it.
He's faithful, even when im not.

The reason people sin, the reason Christians sin, and the reason i do, is the same reason you do.
Because we like it.
We like the way it feels.
We like the way it gives the flesh that AHHHHHHHHHHHHH feeling of satisfaction.
Listen, if sin was not fun, if it was not extremely satisfying for the moment, then who would be doing it?
The fact is......Sin is extremely rewarding~gratifying to the flesh, and it feels great every time.....if it didnt you would not be confessing
the same sin to God every day, or every other day, or ...........you get the message.

What ive noticed is, that prior to my conversion many years ago, my sin was not as fulfilling or as tempting as it is now.
That is to say that sin became to me, more pleasurable after i was converted, then before i was converted.
Ive had to deal with a stronger urge to sin SINCE i was saved, then before i was saved
Ive committed some of my worst sins after i was saved, and i knew i was doing them before i did them.
They were not mistakes, ...many of my sins......they were carnal projects that sometimes i planned.

Ive also noticed i have seasons of time, where sin does not interest me very much, and then i'll have seasons of time where its as if
all i think about is my temptation.
And prayer and bible reading helps, yes, during these "intense" times.
Sometimes i resist and sometimes i fall.
Over the years, i fall less, and i resist more often ....
One thing ive learned is that sin is the power to captivate to lust which lives in the flesh nature DNA of us all, and its the SIN that commits the sin and this is not me......but its me who gives into its demands.
"Me" is the part that is born again, who has died with Christ, who is seated in heavenly places, and who has an internal war with this sin in me that wants to sin.
Paul had the same problem, and even said that it was not he who sinned but sin in him that did it.
He was not justifying his sinning, nor am i.
Im just being real., and God is big enough, and caring enough, and unconditionally loving enough to call me HIS SON.

I have no words to express my thanx to my God who is so good to me.
He's just so good.

And if you dont know God, and if you are wondering if he could love someone like you....
Well, he loved someone like me, and took me,.... so, i can promise you, he will take you.
Jesus died to prove God's love for you.
You take his Son, and he'll take you, and he'll never let you go.........ever.

And if you are away from him, and you dont feel him anymore..
If you are thinking that you cant have back that precious love you use to have for Jesus and God that you threw away..., then let me tell you....you can.
You CAN.
God never left you.......he is still right there, on your side, with arms open wide.
Come home.
Come...........home.
You'll be so glad you did.


be blessed..


K

 

[Danus]

Your answer to your question is too simplistic. We sin because we are sin. Sin, as you suggest, feels good, when we don't know the difference and are stuck in our own will to freely do so.

 

[Kidron]

Your answer to your question is too simplistic. We sin because we are sin. Sin, as you suggest, feels good, when we don't know the difference and are stuck in our own will to freely do so.

So you want a theological answer?
MY pleasure

-
Danus, I'll give you the theological answers in response, as it seems that you are a student of the word and would appreciate more light.
Danus, the simple answer is, the "new man" does not feel in the sense realm., as the new man is a born again spirit that has been "cut apart" from the "old man" or the "flesh" according to the "operation of God", ..(Colossians 2:13).....This Danus, is the unique "circumcision of the heart", (Romans 2:29) that occurs in the spirit of a person the instant they are born again which recreates them to be a "spiritual Jew"..(Romans 2:29) .
This process whereby the Holy Spirit surgically separates your new man from your old Adamic man, leaving you with 2 men in your nature, is one of the evidences that you are born again.
You can follow up this "duel nature" in more depth if you turn in your bible to (Romans 7:15-25) and read how Paul describes the process.... Tho,.If you dont want to study it then just go to (Romans 7:23) and read that one verse.

Now before i give you more light, i want to ask you a question...
Have you not noticed since you were born again that you have a inner struggle going on within your desires.???
Have you noticed you became more "sin sensitive"....in your conscience AFTER you were born again?.
READER, you not noticed that there is always present within you now, even during your most holy moment, that other "thing" that wants to fill your mind during prayer with all sorts of unclean images and ideas?
Have you ever been in the middle of a situation where you are praising God or listening to a sermon and right in the middle of it all sorts of wrongful desires are right there in your mind > at the same time?.....<
So, you can think about that as you read the word of Paul in those scriptures i posted....^^^^^

And also...
The new man, is a born again spirit.....a Spirit that is in complete union with God and Christ who is in you as you are "in Christ"..
It is disconnected and seperate from the mind of the flesh and the sensual carnal desires..... Whereas. the other "man" that is your old nature, is very unhappy that he's not being fed according to his constant lusts, will never leave you alone for long, and IT is the part of you that wants to sin, wants you to leave your faith behind, etc.
Danus, the adamic nature is the nature of Satan, or as Jesus said......"ye are of your father the DEVIL, and the lusts of your father you will do"..(John 8:44)
And that very nature of Satan is still abiding in your "old man"...

Let me here go a bit deeper about our position in Christ as perhaps you have not been instructed according to sound bible doctrine regarding this issue.
Danus.....God sees you, right now, if you are born again,..... as "dead" and "Sinless"..
Your Adamic nature was under the law, and when Christ removed it, by fulfilling it and dying for it, he removed from you the judgement and the guilt that before was against you.
You are now dead "in Christ" and the law is dead because of Christ's body which was use to atone for the law's requirements that demanded death as the payment for "sin"..
When Christ fulfilled the law and died a sinless death, the Law was annulled on the basis of Christ's finished work on the Cross, and the judgment due you for your sins was given to him instead.
He died, the law's requirements for judgment were fulfilled, and we are now free from what is called the "wrath of God"..(John 3:36).
The wrath of God is the punishment do for unforgiven sins....(Hell)
And from the moment you by faith trust Christ, "you are not under the law but under grace" (Romans 6:14)...."The law was given by Moses but GRACE and Truth came by Jesus Christ".(John 1:13).

Reader, in the realm of the Spirit, according to the legal workings of the Kingdom of God system, you are sinless, and dead to the law by the Body of Jesus" (Romans 7:4) and you are "delivered from the Law" (/Romans 7:6)
It has no more dominion over you to condemn you before God.
Now this ^^^^^^^^^^^ is the tricky part, because its literally true, however, you dont recognize that its your status because these things have happened inside you as related to the Spiritual realm, and your problem is, you are still alive in a body, in the flesh.
So, when you read that you are "dead", and "baptised with Christ" and "delivered from the Law", In (Romans 6:3 and 7:4,6) you dont feel this and you cant see it because all these things are God's perspective according to what he has done for you in your Spirit man based on the atonement".
This is why the bible tells you to "reckon yourself dead to sin".(Romans 6:11)...which means to esteem yourself dead.......which of course is a mental aspect or a faith aspect.
WE are literally to understand and believe that our old man is dead, and just as Christ died and rose again, we are risen "in Christ" a new man...exactly like he is.....sinless.
Well, its one thing to understand this doctrinally, but its an entirely different situation indeed when your bible tells you that your old man is dead yet your old man is raging in your mind trying to get you to sin every day..
Paul is the one who wrote that we are "dead, and risen with Christ", yet the next chapter he is talking about "the evil i would not do i do, and the good i would do i find no way to do it".........so, THAT is the problem a Christian faces every day..
Everyday, you wake up and the world, the flesh, and the devil, is waiting to pull you to their desires, while inside you is a new man who is battling to not go there.
Welcome to Christianity. !!
WE are indeed risen with Christ, dead to sin and the law, and seated with Jesus right now next to God, , however, your Flesh will have none of that and it will have what it wants and it wants you to SIN, because this is the meat of the flesh, its the diet of the old Adamic man., and he is hungry and getting more starved the longer you walk in the Spirit and dont fulfill the Lusts of the flesh that feed the old man.
Therein is the Battle.
Welcome to real Christianity..

There was a young preacher, who was on retreat and was sent to stay in the cabin with a minister who was nearly 90 years old.
One day, the old preacher and the young one were walking on the beach in the summer during this retreat and a very pretty young woman in a red thong and a tan and not much else on came walking by...The old preacher looked at her, smiled, and looked away, and the young preacher looked, looked some more, felt condemnation, and then looked away frowning......A few mins past and the young preacher said........you know, i just cant seem to ever totally control my desire to lust when i see something like that that looks so inviting......when will i no longer be so caught up in those kind of moments, coz im tired of the guilt............The old minister looked at him and smiled and said, well, im 89 and im still waiting for that day also.

So, there it is.....^^^
As long as we are in the flesh we will be troubled by the flesh, as that is what the flesh does.
Our job is to reckon ourselves dead to this situation, hold on to the grace of God, and do the work of God.
If we fall, then we just fall on the Grace of God, and when we have victory over the world , the flesh, and the devil, then we give glory to the one who delivered us from our temptations today.
And that is how we live it........one day at a time.......resisting in Victory as often as possible, or falling into Grace as little as we can.
Welcome to >real< Christianity.....the eternal struggle of the light that we have become vs the darkness that we are....all for the glory of God.
(and you can quote me).

or as Rich Mullins sang...
"If i stand let me stand on the promise that you will pull me though, and if i cant let me fall on the grace that first brought me to you...."

[video=youtube;-TgyCds3jDM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TgyCds3jDM[/video]

Be blessed,

K

 

[Danus]

So, there it is.....^^^
As long as we are in the flesh we will be troubled by the flesh, as that is what the flesh does.
Our job is to reckon ourselves dead to this situation, hold on to the grace of God, and do the work of God.
If we fall, then we just fall on the Grace of God, and when we have victory over the world , the flesh, and the devil, then we give glory to the one who delivered us from our temptations today.
And that is how we live it........one day at a time.......resisting in Victory as often as possible, or falling into Grace as little as we can.
Welcome to >real< Christianity.....the eternal struggle of the light that we have become vs the darkness that we are....all for the glory of God.
(and you can quote me).

Thanks Kidron, I think.

Some of your wording is a little odd, but I was able to follow your meaning a little better. This last bit I think sums up your thoughts pretty well.

Interesting your focus on real Christianity. By that I think you mean biblical Christianity. Why do we sin?

The bible tells us man is fallen in nature and that we have a sin nature; that is our nature. Those who are born again, are given a new nature, but still the old nature resides. Different theologies hold different doctrines on this subject, but I like your thought about falling into grace.

Where I get perplexed reading your thoughts is when then you mention the effort and work not to fall. This is almost as if to say you are describing being saved and then trying real hard to stay in the grace of God. ?? That does not make sense to me, but maybe I'm misinterpreting your meaning.

You used the phrase "dead in Christ"? Did you mean dead to sin and alive in Christ? Are you referencing Romans 6 in saying that? Elsewhere you reference a few words in Romans 6 to say "Dead to sin".

Sin can be seen in a few ways. Some see it as particular acts and or thoughts. The bible sure does describe sin in this way; very specific actions and thoughts . A more broad way to see sin, is to see it with it's definition to say "missing the mark", not perfect, flawed; which is everything God says we are. That's why I suggest we sin because we are sin. However, for those who are born again, converted, this "missing the mark" is not the same. They are still flawed, but they are no longer slaves to sin, rather slaves to salvation; some say righteousness.

IN any case, for the truly converted, then, continuing to live sinfully is not an option. Because our conversion results in a new nature, that should be dominating our old nature. Our desire is to no longer live in sin. Yes, we still sin, but instead of wallowing in it as we once did, we now hate it and wish to be delivered from it. This is ongoing to the time when we home with God.

So while we are represented as righteous by Christ on our behalf, the idea of “taking advantage†of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf by continuing to live sinfully is unthinkable.

If a person believes himself to be a Christian and still desires to live the old, sinful life, he has reason to doubt his salvation. We should all “examine ourselves to see whether we are in the faith; test ourselves. We need to ask if we realize that Christ Jesus is in us—unless, of course, we fail the test?†I'm sure you know where you can find this in Paul's writings.

The point is, conversion. That is a real change from one thing to another. It's not enough to just say we are Christians. Anyone can do that, wear a suit, go to church, carry a bible and say things that sound good. BIG DEAL. Who cares. we have a ton of people walking around doing that, and the irony is they will talk about the saved life to the saved.

If we are changed, converted, born again with a new nature, all this is self evident. It needs little explanation, and the bible only confirms what's known. How comforting that is. Wouldn't you agree?

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Why?

Because I'm afraid.

Afraid of what I will lose, or afraid of won't go my way if I don't do something to prevent that.

The things I do to take care of myself in this world look like this:

"...sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies..." (Galatians 5:19-20 NIV1984)

(Okay, haven't indulged the witchcraft and orgy parts yet, but you get the point.)


And here's some of the things I 'do' when I'm letting God take care of me:

"...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control...." (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV1984)

 

[Godisgreat]

Here's the line of argument that I've always gone down for this topic.

We, human beings, were created with the ability of free choice. This means we can choose between right and wrong, good and evil, righteousness and sinfulness. The temptation is always going to be there to commit evil, to sin.

When the Devil first convinced Eve to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, humanity discovered the pleasure that could be taken from sin. Before that, we had known only God's command and the obedience thereto, and had it not been for Satan's trick, we could have gone on indefinitely like this.

However, because we now knew the pleasure that can be taken from disobedience, we continued to sin. Many have chosen pleasure in the immediate future over pleasure in heaven; many more will do so.

We sin because we have the choice to do so. A lot of the time, we might not even know we're doing it, because we're not as familiar with the scriptures as we perhaps should be, or we've forgotten what was revealed to us, or we're doing it because we're angry at God for whatever reason, or so on. Human beings get pleasure out of sin.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Many have chosen pleasure in the immediate future over pleasure in heaven; many more will do so.

We sin because we have the choice to do so. A lot of the time, we might not even know we're doing it, because we're not as familiar with the scriptures as we perhaps should be, or we've forgotten what was revealed to us, or we're doing it because we're angry at God for whatever reason, or so on. Human beings get pleasure out of sin.

It's very gratifying to get our needs met when, and where, and how we want them met. Sin is the quick fix that does that, and which we think costs nothing.

 

[Adullam]

Why?

Because I'm afraid.

Afraid of what I will lose, or afraid of won't go my way if I don't do something to prevent that.

The things I do to take care of myself in this world look like this:

"...sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies..." (Galatians 5:19-20 NIV1984)

(Okay, haven't indulged the witchcraft and orgy parts yet, but you get the point.)


And here's some of the things I 'do' when I'm letting God take care of me:

"...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control...." (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV1984)

So true...fear of the unknown!!!! But as we learn to love God we become more used to leaving the things of the world behind and realize we don't need them. Then we can "run away with the Lord". Elope as it were. The love of God casts out any fears we have. So really we need to fall in love with God.

 

[Adullam]

A Christian who is alive in the Spirit need NEVER sin. Christ is sufficient. But unbelief causes us to doubt the sincerity of God...or even the power of God.... to see to His own creation. We think God is too far removed from us to understand our needs. Imagine that? How foolish we can be!

 

[Kidron]

Where I get perplexed reading your thoughts is when then you mention the effort and work not to fall. This is almost as if to say you are describing being saved and then trying real hard to stay in the grace of God. ?? That does not make sense to me, but maybe I'm misinterpreting your meaning.



Danus....Ive never met a Christian who didnt have to struggle against their sinful desires while walking in the Spirit.
Paul never said that you would not struggle against your sin nature while you walked in the Spirit, he only said you would not should not "fulfill those desires".
Thats the idea.
The desire to sin is present, this is a given, regarding a believer.



You used the phrase "dead in Christ"? Did you mean dead to sin and alive in Christ? Are you referencing Romans 6 in saying that? Elsewhere you reference a few words in Romans 6 to say "Dead to sin".



Remember where Paul said........"it is not i that LIVETH, but Christ that liveth in me"?
See it?
You are DEAD, in Christ.
This is why he tells you to "reckon yourself dead to sin"....as in the "yourself", = is the dead part.
You are dead, and your life is now IN Christ., and this happened when you were "baptised into Christ", which baptised YOU, into his Death".
This is why your bible says you are "raised up from the DEAD" in Romans 6:4.
See, you have become a Part of Jesus, "bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh"...Ephesians 5:30.....and that is why you are referred to as his "BODY"..
See it?
You have become "one" with Christ and God, John 17:11 and all that is left of you, is your dead body of sins that will be eventually redeemed and recreated to be EXACTLY like Jesus's.

Sin can be seen in a few ways...


Sin is Lust, is the best way to understand it.
Lust for anything that is outside the permission of God.
Can be sex outside of marriage, too much food, to much desiring of things money can buy, too much time spent relaxing, not taking care of your physical body,....It can be a desire to sound spiritual on Christian forums, or can be as simple as thinking you are better then someone else.
Sin is also the omission of HELP when you know to help someone in need..
There are lots of sins, and all are highlighted in our conscience by the Law.
But now that we are delivered from the law, and now that we are dead and our lives are hidden in Christ, there is now no more condemnation regarding what the Law causes us to understand about that part of us that loves to sin.

IN any case, for the truly converted, then, continuing to live sinfully is not an option. Because our conversion results in a new nature, that should be dominating our old nature. Our desire is to no longer live in sin. Yes, we still sin, but instead of wallowing in it as we once did, we now hate it and wish to be delivered from it. This is ongoing to the time when we home with God.

Look, if a believer really hated sin as you are implying, they would not ever do it.
The problem is, they hate the after the deed guilt, they hate the condemnation, they hate the way it feels after they sin and they know that God is disappointed...
They hate themselves for giving in to the same "besetting" sin over and over and over.
But the reason they did it, is because Sin feels great to the part of us that is supposed to be dead, that is unfortunately still pulling us towards transgression and away from God...
Or as the old hymn says........"prone to wonder, Lord i feel it, prone to leave the God i love"".

So while we are represented as righteous by Christ on our behalf, the idea of “taking advantage” of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf by continuing to live sinfully is unthinkable.

Danus, 95% of the sins you commit are willful sins, so you are not being completely at one with the fact of your behavior if you are implying that all your sins, are just "mistakes" that happened which you didnt expect.;)
Look here fella..
Is there a seat belt law in your city, state?
Is there a speed limit on your roads and highways.?
Do u ever not wear your seatbelt,?.......Do you never speed even one MPH above the legal limit KNOWINGLY?
Do you ever cuss?.......are you familiar with the "F" word?
Do you ever watch a cable TV program or rent a movie that you know is full of fornication, Profanity?
Have you lied even once in the last 10 years?
Do you ever waste time at work while you are being paid for the time?
So, dont kid me about'.."Its unthinkable to use the grace of God......blah, blah, blah."
I live in the real world.
Where are you from, ?????????

If a person believes himself to be a Christian and still desires to live the old, sinful life, he has reason to doubt his salvation.


Here is the reality........If you DONT have more desire to sin then you did before you were saved, you have a good reason to doubt your conversion..
See, before you were saved you didnt have the Holy Spirit inside you convicting you about your sins.......so u were not sensitive to it as much, if at all before you were saved..
You need to read Romans 7:16-24..... and let Paul bring you up to speed regarding how it really works when you are born again.





K

...........

 

[taikina]

sin is all like, totes wicked to the max, yo!

 

[Jethro Bodine]

...as we learn to love God we become more used to leaving the things of the world behind...

Peter says we don't do good (IOW, sin) because we have forgotten about the love of God that we ourselves have been given in the forgiveness of our sins:

"9 But if anyone does not have (goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, love) he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins." (2 Peter 1:9 NIV1984)

It seems the key to not sinning is remembering and deeply appreciating what God has done for us in forgiving our own sins and receiving us as sons and daughters. That is the love that changes a person into a new creation and causes them to abandon their sinful life of self protection and subdue the deeds of the flesh in the interest of serving others. A written set of do's and don'ts couldn't do that. But the love of God etched on our hearts by the Spirit of God can.

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.†(Matthew 19:26 NIV1984)

 

[Adullam]

Peter says we don't do good (IOW, sin) because we have forgotten about the love of God that we ourselves have been given in the forgiveness of our sins:

"9 But if anyone does not have (goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, love) he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins." (2 Peter 1:9 NIV1984)

It seems the key to not sinning is remembering and deeply appreciating what God has done for us in forgiving our own sins and receiving us as sons and daughters. That is the love that changes a person into a new creation and causes them to abandon their sinful life of self protection and subdue the deeds of the flesh in the interest of serving others. A written set of do's and don'ts couldn't do that. But the love of God etched on our hearts by the Spirit of God can.

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.†(Matthew 19:26 NIV1984)

Amen! There is a keeping power of God when we get really close to Him. Then it is easy to remain indefinitely with Him. But the cost is high!

 

[Danus]

Here is the reality........If you DONT have more desire to sin then you did before you were saved, you have a good reason to doubt your conversion..
See, before you were saved you didnt have the Holy Spirit inside you convicting you about your sins.......so u were not sensitive to it as much, if at all before you were saved..
You need to read Romans 7:16-24..... and let Paul bring you up to speed regarding how it really works when you are born again............

Thanks Kidron.

For the benefit of everyone who might read this, and for me to, let me make sure I understand you very clearly.

You are saying that saved, born again converted to Christ people have more desire to sin and live the sinful life than before they where saved. That correct?

 

[ColdBlooded]

Because at birth everyone is apparently cursed to do so.
And only if you stay true to the Bible may you walk the path of righteousness.

When I was younger I always thought sin was like the hiccups; You can't really fight it and they just show up and leave on their own accord.

So when I was younger I simply gave up fighting it. No use fighting something that can't be stopped right?

And that's when the revelation hit me that I was just fighting myself and what naturally happened. And that's when I fell.

You can't stop sin. Thinking aggressive thoughts about someone is a sin, jealousy is a sin, lying, even unknowingly, is a sin.

You can't escape sin, so of course you have to apologise and repent.

 

[Adullam]

Because at birth everyone is apparently cursed to do so.
And only if you stay true to the Bible may you walk the path of righteousness.

When I was younger I always thought sin was like the hiccups; You can't really fight it and they just show up and leave on their own accord.

So when I was younger I simply gave up fighting it. No use fighting something that can't be stopped right?

And that's when the revelation hit me that I was just fighting myself and what naturally happened. And that's when I fell.

You can't stop sin. Thinking aggressive thoughts about someone is a sin, jealousy is a sin, lying, even unknowingly, is a sin.

You can't escape sin, so of course you have to apologise and repent.

That is until you have a personal encounter with Christ.

 

[ColdBlooded]

That is until you have a personal encounter with Christ

I have no idea what that means or what that implies, but I assure you it doesn't.

Those sins that are committed in thought are impossible to avoid.

They are as concrete as any bodily function. As a matter of fact, thinking aggressive thoughts about enemies or desiring a female are chemical reactions in the brain are bodily functions.

Even if you don't desire to do so, you will do these things, I guarantee it.

 

[Danus]

Because at birth everyone is apparently cursed to do so.
And only if you stay true to the Bible may you walk the path of righteousness.

When I was younger I always thought sin was like the hiccups; You can't really fight it and they just show up and leave on their own accord.

So when I was younger I simply gave up fighting it. No use fighting something that can't be stopped right?

And that's when the revelation hit me that I was just fighting myself and what naturally happened. And that's when I fell.

You can't stop sin. Thinking aggressive thoughts about someone is a sin, jealousy is a sin, lying, even unknowingly, is a sin.

You can't escape sin, so of course you have to apologise and repent.

It says non-Christian by your name, but you pointed out a few things that even those calling themselves Christian would disagree on, which makes the subject of "sin" kind of comical, but also very telling.

Treads about sin always seem to become one of those "opinion" topics that some will say is only based on how people "view" and "interpret" the bible. However that's not the case, because the bible clearly describes sin; what it is and what it is not.

Why so many opinions then? Because some are saved from God and some are not. In any case your statement, "Because at birth everyone is apparently cursed to do so." is spot on to what the bible says of man. Man is born into a sin nature and sin is that which is absent of God. However, people view it differently, only Christianity views sin as a state of being.

In Judaism sin is the violation of any of the 613 commandments. Judaism teaches that sin is an act, and not a state of being, but agrees that man's inclination is to sin.

Islam views sin as as anything that goes against the commands of God (Allah). Islam teaches that sin is an act and not a state of being.

Buddhism and Hinduism do not recognize the idea behind sin, but believe in the principle of karma, whereby suffering is the inevitable consequence of greed, anger, and delusion (known as the Three poisons).

In the Bahali Faith, humans are considered naturally good (perfect), fundamentally spiritual beings. Human beings were created because of the Bahali god's immeasurable love. However, the Bahali teachings compare the human heart to a mirror, which, if turned away from the light of the sun (i.e. the Bahali god), is incapable of receiving the Bahali god's love. This last part is similar to Christianity in terms of turning away from God.

Christianity is unique in that it is the only "religion" that views sin as a state of being, where man is born into a sin nature. However, as a religion it's not fair to say Christians on whole actually believes this. Just look at what's been expressed in this OP so far.

Some people calling themselves Christian, view sin as a matter of perception; a very specific action, or thought, and in many ways see it the same as Islam or Judaism; just a violation against God, rather than a state of being. Others calling themselves Christian have a mixed view and might say we are born sinless and only sin when we come to the age of accountability. Still others, like this OP, will develop their own unique view and freely contradict their own statements to the point where it is unclear what they believe.

In any case, any Christian view of sin should harmonize with what the bible says, and the bible clearly says that sin is a state of being for man since the fall of man, which is described as original sin.

The bible describes Adam and Eve, not only disobeying God, but doing so in a manner that changed their very nature, and that of all mankind placing enmity between God and man. This single event damaged, and completely severed, the relationship of humanity to God. That relationship can only be restored through repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ and his death on the cross as a substitutional sacrifice for mankind's sin. Christ who is God offers this in Love for man who can not pay the price himself. This is where the church splits on many points regarding sin, the nature of man and the saving grace of God.

It's a pointless debate due to the nature of the saved and the unsaved. In any case if man is in a state of sin by nature, then he is also helpless due to his nature, just as a blind man is helpless to see despite any desire he may have to see, and therefore requires a greater intervention not of himself to change what he can not; unless of corse one wants to suggest a blind man is simply blind when his eyes are closed. If that where the case he could simply open his own eye at his own will, but that's not the case.

Again the bible says our nature is sin. In this way, sin is not just a conscious act, but a state of being, and in this way sin is part of who we are, and requires a new nature. So the answer to the question; Why Do We Sin, is very simple. Because we are sin.

This is an unacceptable answer to many who would rather A. believe they can choose at will to not be sin, or B. Believe by nature they are good, reasonably so.

Both of these lines of thinking belong to the unsaved (period) and the unsaved simply do not know the new nature and saving grace of Christ. They can not speak of what Christ has done for them because they have yet to experience it, and are either willfully trying to be like Christ, or could care less about Christ. Same people, same boat even though one group says they love Jesus, or are members of one of the other "religions" mentioned.

The saved would not say A or B. The saved understand they are sinners. The saved are convicted by the word because they have been chosen by God to be so, and have accepted the grace and mercy of Christ unconditionally. By this, the saved have been given a new nature, not a nature that allows them to NOT SIN, but that allows them to yield to the same Love, Grace and Mercy that converted them in the first place. The save know the difference, the unsaved do not, and in this way salvation is not anything that any man does unto himself, but is done unto him by God and God alone. Can we use scripture to prove this? Sure, but it still won't matter to those who are not destined to salvation. They will still see it as a perception alone.

Why do we sin? Because we are sin. Why are we saved? because we can't save ourself. Are we saved from sin? NO, we are saved from God because of our sin. Why? Because God chooses to do so. Why? Because God is love.

Although he may not agree totally on some of the non-essential matters of salvation I have mentioned, this is why Adullam responded with this.....

That is until you have a personal encounter with Christ.

 

[Jman96]

Because at birth everyone is apparently cursed to do so.
And only if you stay true to the Bible may you walk the path of righteousness.

When I was younger I always thought sin was like the hiccups; You can't really fight it and they just show up and leave on their own accord.

So when I was younger I simply gave up fighting it. No use fighting something that can't be stopped right?

And that's when the revelation hit me that I was just fighting myself and what naturally happened. And that's when I fell.

You can't stop sin. Thinking aggressive thoughts about someone is a sin, jealousy is a sin, lying, even unknowingly, is a sin.

You can't escape sin, so of course you have to apologise and repent.

I encourage you to, for escaping sin is possible. God did not create us to fall, he created us to grow strong and be able to spread the gospel.

Take a look at 1 Corinthians 10:12-13, if you do not have a bible I will post it.

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:12, 13 NIV)

Here Paul states that no temptation that we have is uncommon. Many people struggle with the same sin or temptation. Here in this verse it also says that God is faithful and will not let us be temped beyond what we can handle. This basically tells us that he knows we are strong enough to withstand any sinful nature that is aimed at us. But Paul goes even further into explanation here by telling us that Gos will even Provide a way out so that we can stand up under it. This is truly amazing, knowing that God will not ony protect us from what we can not bear, but with the sin we can bear he will even go further to make a way out. You may not see this way out all the time, but be assured God always provides one.

Let's also take a look at Hebrews 4:16, I will also post this verse.

Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16 NIV)

Here the writer also mentions how God can help us in our time of need. If you are wondering, this section, Hebrews 4:14-16 is also Talking about sin and temptation. For do know that there is always going to be a way out and God's grace is strong and loving.