Does God want us to "sin less" or to "stop sinning?"
Please use Scripture to justify your answer;
Thank you and may God's love shine upon you.
Also, how is sinning less any different than sinning a lot?
Are we to assume that it is okay to murder as long as one does it less?
Are we to assume that it is okay to abuse children as long as one does it less?
Are we to assume it is okay to drink and drive as long as one does it less?
Are we to assume it is okay to steal as one as one does it less?
Paul says, "sin shall not have dominion over you." (Romans 6:14).
How can these words be true if sin is ruling the Christian life?
very good questions
first of all, we have to know exactly what sin is; sin is causation/infliction of evil/harm to/on the neighbor/townsman/cohabitant, IOW, causation/infliction of spiritual, mental or physical deterioration in somebody's condition/health, such as distress, pain, (unfavorable) deviation, disorder, disease, disability, etc.
Romans 13:8-10 (NHEB) "Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not give false testimony," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandments there are, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You are to love your neighbor as yourself." Love does not harm a neighbor. Love therefore is the fulfillment of the law."
so the Holy Apostle says that the minimum requirement of each of the Holy Commandments is to not cause evil/harm to our neighbor/townsman/cohabitant (whoever he or she may be), and that all those commandments are given to us in order to understand that we humans should not cause evil/harm to anybody, neither spiritually, nor physically, nor in any way a person could
however, there are certain peculiarities that we should know, and especially the fact that spiritual unrighteousness/lawlessness/wickedness is the cause and even the source of all other iniquities and evils, IOW, there would be no physical, economic and intellectual/mental iniquity(-ies) if there was no spiritual, and the physical, economic and intellectual/mental iniquities cannot be existing/working if there is no spiritual unrighteousness/lawlessness/wickedness in the world, which means they will cease to be existing/working as soon as all the spiritual/religious iniquity is destroyed (i.e. they will kind of by themselves pass along with the destruction of all spiritual/religious unrighteousness/lawlessness/wickedness)
Daniel 7:1-28 "In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. Daniel spake and said, I saw in my
vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four
great beasts came up
from the sea(note: remember that the beast comes from the "sea" - Revelation 13:1), diverse one from another. The first was like a lion
(i.e. it was dignified), and had eagle's wings
(i.e. and had an impulse): I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it
(i.e. i beheld until it started to realize its impulse - note: this is the physical activity and iniquity). And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear
(i.e. it was affluent/consumptive), and it raised up itself on one side
(i.e. and acquisitive/voracious), and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh
(note: this is the economic(al) activity and iniquity). After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard
(i.e. it was mental), which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads
(i.e. which acted and thought with vigor); and dominion was given to it
(note: this is the intellectual/mental activity and iniquity). After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast
(i.e. the spiritual/religious iniquity), dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth
(i.e. great spiritual mastery): it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it
(i.e. it turned the things upside down and broke up them into smaller units in favor of its system, and seized the whole world): and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it
(i.e. and it turned out that it has been the cause/root and the source/core of all other iniquities and evils since the very beginning of the reign of evil); and it had ten horns
(i.e. it had at least ten chakras i.e. unclean/devilish spirits). I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn
(i.e. the sixth chakra stood out among the other chakras), before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots
(i.e. the first three chakras which primarily represent the sex(uality), and the other physical sensory activities, usually considered to be/marked for being the original sin in/by the system of (the) spiritual iniquity): and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man
(or: the two remaining chakras - eleventh and twelfth, which are the highest ones appearing as a result of the deeper and more systematic occult/idolatrous process (of self-realization/self-knowledge)), and a mouth speaking great things
(i.e. and a mind which prophesies satanic/unrighteous/guileful things). I beheld till the thrones were cast down
(i.e. the reign of the "fourth beast" continued until the moment when the full number of the true Saints came in), and the Ancient of days did sit
(i.e. and then the true God, the Heavenly Father, began to wake completely and permanently up from the state of incomplete wakefulness into which He had fallen since the seventh day), whose garment was white as snow
(i.e. whose glory was perfectly good), and the hair of his head like the pure wool
(i.e. and whose wisdom was full of perfect love for humans): his throne was like the fiery flame
(i.e. His Reign and Spirit was completely righteous), and his wheels as burning fire
(i.e. and Its four "winds" (were) all-saving). A fiery stream
(i.e. a Good Word/Movement) issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words
(i.e. of the false prophecies) which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts
(i.e. as for the physical, the economic and the mental/intellectual activities), they had their dominion taken away
(i.e. thus their satanic power had been removed, i.e. together with the removal of spiritual lawlessness/wickedness, the fourth "beast"): yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time
(i.e. for a certain time)..... I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. These great beasts
(i.e. those great iniquities), which are four, are four kings
(i.e. are also four natural activities), which shall arise out of the earth
(i.e. the physical, the economic, the mental/intellectual and the spiritual/religious one, respectively). But the saints of the most High
(i.e. the true Saints) shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast
(i.e. about the spiritual/religious iniquity), which was diverse from all the others
(i.e. which turned out to be the cause/root/source/core of all other iniquities and evils), exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron
(i.e. whose word(s) was(were) like that(those) of God), and his nails of brass
(i.e. and its power(s) of grace, but not of the true true God); which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet
(i.e. with its activity); And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes
(or: which leads to the highest two chakras), and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints
(i.e. with the true Saints), and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came
(i.e. began to wake completely and permanently up, including because of their faithfulness and prayer), and judgment was given to the saints of the most High
(i.e. to the true Saints); and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces
(i.e. and shall defile it and try to possess it by means of up to 33.3% of the Heavenly grace/bliss). And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings
(i.e. the chakras are devilish spirits) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them
(i.e. among them, i.e. the main process of spiritual lawlessness/wickedness - e.g. the process of yoga); and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart."
of course God doesn't want us to sin i.e. to cause evil/harm to our neighbor/townsman/cohabitant in any way, however, first of all, He doesn't want us to commit spiritual unrighteousness/lawlessness/wickedness
and there is definitely a significant difference between causing a great evil/harm and sinning negligibly i.e. without causing any great evil/harm to anybody, for example, it would be less bad and better if the rapist didn't rape any woman, even though he masturbated - btw, what is detrimental to the neighbor/townsman/cohabitant in one's masturbation, or, why must one's masturbation necessarily be detrimental to the neighbor/townsman/cohabitant especially if a person cannot abstain from it in case he or she is demon-possessed by a spirit of masturbation and cannot overcome the demon?! - Jesus and His true disciples (presented in the Bible) didn't dare to condemn such people precisely because of these questions, which is why St Paul advised followers/worshipers to have sex life rather than to commit spiritual or any other iniquity
1 Corinthians 7:1-7 "Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman
(i.e. for a man not to disturb/harass/rape a woman and not to have another man's wife). But because of immoralities
(i.e. for this reason what is better in this regard for), each man is to have his own wife, and
(for) each woman is to have her own husband. The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. But this I say by way of concession, not of command. Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am. However, each man has his own gift from God, one in this manner, and another in that."
Blessings
