Problem #1. ~ "
You do not understand that Sinless Perfectionism is a teaching in the Bible."
For when you say that you will not overcome sin in this life, it not only goes against living holy it goes against the Bible. For if a person is sober free or free from alcohol, they cannot say they are really free from their addiction unless they have overcome it. In other words, you cannot say you are walking holy if you are also stumbling into sin. It would destroy every verse in the Bible that talks about perfection and holiness for us believers. See my 50 points in Scripture on Sinless Perfectionism
here. For me, I see it as a declaration that you are going to sin at some unknown future date (as if it was a decree written in stone). You cannot stop sinning, so when you do sin, it is no big deal because that is a part of your nature. This is not what the Bible teaches. God's people are not a defeated people who are slaves to sin in this life (See 1 Peter 4:1-2, Galatians 5:24, Colossians 1:28, 1 Peter 1:16).
Problem #2. ~
You do not understand what repentance is.
You believe repentance is something different other than what the Bible says.
Repentance is actually confessing sin to the Lord (which is then followed by the proper fruits or deeds of repentance).
Read
Matthew 3:6 (and compare it with
Matthew 3:8). Also, in
Mark 1:4-5, it says John preached the "baptism of repentance" for the remission of sins (verse 4), and it then defines this "baptism of repentance" by saying they confessed their sins when they were baptized (verse 5). This is repentance.
As for the normal after effects of repentance: Well, John also said to for them to bring forth fruits worthy of repentance (
Matthew 3:8). This lines up with Acts that says we are to perform deeds befitting of repentance (
Acts 26:20).
In
Acts 8, Peter tells Simon to repent of his wickedness (his sin) and to pray to God so as to be forgiven because his heart is not right with God (
Acts 8:17-24).
Furthermore, Jesus defined repentance for us so you really cannot change it's meaning into what you like it to be.
Jesus said the Ninevites will rise up in Judgment against this generation because they repented at the preaching of Jonah (Matthew 12:41). If you were to turn to Jonah 3:6-10, you would see that the King of the Ninevites told the people to:
(a) Cry out to God (i.e. Admit their sinful condition in a Godly way or confess their sin) (repentance) and
(b) Turn away from their wicked ways (Forsake their sin) (i.e. the after effects of true repentance).
God noticed that they turned from their evil or wickedness and God had then turned away from bringing judgment or wrath He was going to bring upon them originally. This truth is confirmed elsewhere in the Bible. Proverbs 28:13 says he that confesses and forsakes sin shall have mercy. 1 John 1:9 says if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. 1 John 1:7 says if we walk in the light as he is in the light, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin (Which is another way of saying a person is forsaking their sin because they are walking uprightly or walking in the light - Also see 1 John 2:3-6).
Problem #3. ~
You do not understand what 1 John 1:8 is actually saying.
Then what is
1 John 1:8 saying?
What is relevant to understanding
1 John 1:8 is looking at it's immediate context.
1 John 1:10 says if we say we have not sinned.
1 John 1:10 moves it into a past declaration. There are people who said they have not sinned (past tense). This is clearly a gnostic belief. Most believers today hold to the idea that they have sinned at some point in their life (Regardless of whether they are an OSAS believer or a Conditional Salvationist).
1 John 1:8 is a present declaration of sin. It is saying if we say we have no sin when we do sin (present tense). This has to be the interpretative understanding of this verse because
1 John 2:4 says if we say we know Him and do not keep His commandments we are a liar and the truth is not in us. The OSAS's interpretation on
1 John 1:8 does not work because it conflicts with a normal reading on
1 John 2:3-4. You cannot always be in sin (breaking God's commands) as a part of
1 John 1:8 and yet also fulfill
1 John 2:3 that says we can have an assurance of knowing Him if we keep His commandments. Especially when
1 John 2:4 says we are a liar and the truth is not in us if we break his commandments. In other words, if the OSAS interpretation on
1 John 1:8 was true, then I would be damned if I do by obeying God's commands (
1 John 1:8) and yet I would be damned if I don't by not obeying God's commands (
1 John 2:4).
In fact, the New English Translation says this for
1 John 1:8,
"If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us." (
1 John 1:8 NET).
In other words, this verse is saying that if a person sins and says they do not bear the guilt of sin (in the sense that they will not have to face any wrath or Judgment from God over their sin) then they would be deceiving themselves and the truth would not be in them. This is exactly what the Eternal Security proposes. They are saying that they do not bear the guilt of any sin (destruction of their soul and body in hell fire) if they do sin because they believe their sins are paid for: Past, present, and future by Jesus. They are saying, they do not bear the guilt or the punishment of sin at the final Judgment because of their belief on Jesus. In short,
1 John 1:8 is a denial of the existence of sin on some level. “If we say we have no sin (in the sense that it does not exist) we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (
1 John 1:8). Christian Scientists think sin is an illusion and does not exist at all. So this verse would apply to them. Eternal Security Proponents and those who deny that “Sin Can Separate a Believer from God” deny the existence of sin partially. They believe sin exists physically but they do not believe sin exists for them on a spiritual level because Jesus paid for it all by their belief on Jesus. In fact, to see just how silly your argument actually is for
1 John 1:8, you would have to believe that you are sinning right now at this very moment in order for such a verse to be true because
1 John 1:8 is speaking in the present tense.
As for overcoming sin:
Well, 1 John 1:9 is just one of the methods of overcoming sin. It is not the sole method mentioned in the Bible of course.
I believe there are several methods to help you to overcome your sin by God's Word and with the help of Jesus.
- Remove yourself from sinful environments (if possible) and or get rid of things that cause you to sin. In Genesis: Joseph had literally ran away from the temptation of sexual sin.
- Pray to God so as not to be tempted. It is part of the Lord’s prayer for you to pray so as not to be tempted into sin. God will guide and protect you if you are serious in praying for this. In fact, fasting will help you with this, as well.
- Obey God’s righteous ways. The more you love God and love others and obey His Word and stay in His Word and pray, the more you will not even have a chance to sin or do the wrong thing. But the more you walk in God's Word by the Spirit you will not fulfill the lusts of flesh.
- When you are tempted, quote Scripture. When Jesus was tempted by the devil, He quoted Scripture to defeat the devil. So when some specific sin is bothering you, find all the verses you can that are victory verses over that particular sin. A good general verse is, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” You can say these verses to yourself silently under your breath (with nobody hearing).
- Ask for prayer from other God fearing Christians or Godly Christians to help you to overcome certain sins. The Scriptures say, bear ye one another's burdens and thus fulfill the Law of Christ. So seek true fellowship and ask for their help.
- Hide God’s Word in your heart. Memorize Scripture. David said he hid God’s Word within his heart so that he may not sin against the Lord.
- Confess of your sins (Which you already mentioned). 1 John 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.
I would also encourage you to check out Allan Ballou's videos here:
Alan Ballou's YouTube Page.
Alan Ballou's website is:
How to stop sinning | HowToStopSinning.com
Anyways, I hope this helps.
May you please be well.
With loving kindness to you in Christ,
Sincerely,
~ Jason.
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