What Exactly is Sin and Is It Possible to Not Do It?

There seems to be a lot of confusion for the believer as to what sin is. There is one thing I would like to make sure is that we are all defining sin that same way. Unless we agree with God, Satan will beat us over the head with condemnation every day of our lives when a lot of it is not sin at all!

Under the old covenant, we adhered to a system of rules, and it was quite clear that if the rule was broken, sin had occurred.

Not so under the new covenant. Here ‘whatsoever is not of faith is sin’. What does this mean? The believer has the Holy Spirit in Him to be his ‘God conscience’. The Spirit inside us lets us know when we have erred. If we repent, no sin has occurred. That is why we are told that if we are angry, that if we repent and do no hold onto it, we have not sinned.

It is also the reason that one man can eat meat offered to idols and not be sinning, and yet another do the very same act and it is sin to him. One man can make one day a week a special day for God, the other can see every day that way. Both are right..... for them. But when we try to make it a rule, we are hiding backwards under the old covenant of self effort.

Another example of this misunderstanding of what sin is to us is lust. If a man sees an attractive shapely woman, chances are he is going to admire that woman’s beauty. He did not purposely follow her to get a better look. Has he sinned with that thought? No, not at all.

Now some will bring up Jesus’s comments about lust being the equivelnt of adultery. But that is not what He said. He said that if a man looked at a woman to lust after her in his heart, then he has sinned. Why? He purposely, with intent, did it.

That is why we are to,d that when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin. It is all about the thoughts and intents of our heart.

Another example. I am on the highway with my family and a teen driver purposely drives aggressively behind me five feet from my bumper. I get angry immediately. Have I sinned? Not yet. The Holy Spirit immediately deals with me. I can now either hold onto the anger or let it go. It I hold onto it, I am sinning. Why? I cannot disobey the correction of the Spirit and still walk in faith that I possess a new nature where sin has no grip on me. But if I admit my anger, and let it go, no sin has occurred. Why? I have not violated my conscience and my faith is intact.

As believers, Satan will try his best to get us under condemnation and make us feel like poor sinners all day long. It is miserable. It is also a lie. But the writer of Hebrews makes it clear that once cleansed, we are to have no more consciousness of sin. That is the path of freedom.

God is able to keep us from falling. We will all have to possibility of sinning as long as we are in these fleshly tents. BUT, can a man or woman walk in freedom all day every day the rest of their life without sinning? Of course!

When we first reckon ourselves to be dead to sin and alive to Him, we cannot do so if we are leaving the back door open for sin. This is because we are leaving the back door open for our old nature to crawl out of the grave.

Now, when we first do this, our faith is shaky. Our shield of faith is small. We are like toddlers taking our first steps. Can we slip? Of course. It does not mean it is a lie that God can keep us. Our faith just needs to grow. Like the toddler who falls, the parents congratulate him for the steps he took, stand him up and encourage him to take more. Amen?

As we enter our ‘good fight of faith’, and we face temptation joyfully, for we know we can walk through it and not fall, our faith grows! What is the goal? For us to be established in the faith. And when that happens, can we still fall? Yes. But do we fall? No.

So many freak out when we say on can walk twenty years without sinning. Why? If God is the one who keeps us from falling, and He does so as we hold up our shield of faith, how safe can we be? Totally safe! Totally kept by the power of God through faith!

Blessings,

Gids

timothyu said:

Putting our will before God's will. Simple.

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Agreed. Now, how do you stop? If it is simply a choice, someone should have told Paul so he would not have to struggled through Romans 7. If someone comes and slaps our left cheek, God’s will is that we offer him the right. He tells us to love for our enemies and those who despitefully use us.

My point is that just making not sinning a choice is ignoring the old nature we have all been born with. If this was the case there would have been no reason for Jesus to die. That was the old covenant. Do this. Don’t do that. Simple. The gospel of Nile, I call it. Just do it. But..... it doesn’t work.

We need new natures that can actually be caused to obey Him by the power of God, not by the power of simply choosing to not sin.

Blessings,

Gideon

Dave G. said:

In these bodies there is no way we are sinless in the flesh, not going to happen. And that's what Paul and all of us struggle with. In the spirit we are clean because of the Son and our accepting him. The Father looks at us in the spirit and sees His perfect son. On resurrection day our bodies get changed as well .

I'll let you guys do your own searches, I had surgery a couple of days ago and starting to fade for this day lol. It's all there in scripture though.

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Not trying to be disagreeable so I am going to agreeably disagree.

There are simple a plethora of verses that tell us God will keep us from falling, but until we can confess our chief sin, we will continue to set a terrible example for that world as to the Godcwho makes promises and keeps them.

And what is that sin which is the mother of sins? Unbelief.

Blessings, Gideon

Kenny'sID said:

The way that is worded is to say we can completely eradicate sin in our lives, yet you also say:



Do you not see how you are claiming 2, 100% opposite things there? You get on to me for calling you out, but what is anyone supposed to think when you say one thing, then claim you did not, then turn right around and say it again?

Please look that over carefully, you should at least be able to understand where I was coming from before. If not, I can make it no clearer than what you are reading right there.

And no, I don't like doing this at all, I would much rather have left things be, but...well, look for yourself as why I cannot.

Sheesh

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I am not sure how many times I will have to repeat this but it bares repeating, so hear goes, lol.

There is a huge difference between eradicating sin (what we try to do and cannot) and being kept by the power of God through faith (God doing it rather than us). One is done by our attempts in our old nature. One is done by His working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.

The two are not the same. Not even close. We do not overcome sin by choice, by effort, by our will power. If we think we can succeed with one sin, it is like squeezing a balloon. It will pop out in another place. In the example of the Pharisees, it popped out as religious pride. With man it is IMPOSSIBLE. This is trying to clean ourselves up from the outside in, working on our biggest sins, then our next biggest. The problem? We are sin generators in our old carnal nature. No wonder so many think it impossible, and almost heresy to hear than a man can walk free of sin.

But, what is impossible with man is possible with God, and that, even for the weakest among us. We have been destined to walk in victory over the world the flesh and the devil in this life.The entire New Testament is full of instructions as to how to possess our vessels in sanctification and honor. Wouldn’t it have been simpler for God to tell us you can never overcome sin, but try the best you can and I will cover the difference? Now that is a lot closer to false teaching.

If it were impossible to not fulfill the lusts of the flesh, than it is also impossible to abide in Him. And that throws our theology in major crisis mode. Of course it is possible, but first we must get rid of the sin generator.... our flesh. Yes, we still have fleshly bodies, but Paul is clear. We are no longer in the flesh and owe it.. what? Nothing. Glory to God! That, brother, is free indeed, when it is God who causes us to walk in victory. That is true rest for the weary soul tired of trying and losing the battles with temptation.

Far too many are arguing for sin and far too few are arguing that with God, all things are possible.
Unless we grab hold of the promises of God, and reckon ourselves dead to sin..... like truly dead.... we will have the weight of obedience on our shoulders, and we will fail, big time.

BUT, when we finally break before Him, tired of always failing Him, always giving into temptation again and again, to our amazement we discover what has been hidden from us as believers for the mos5 part since the early rain stopped in the book of Acts. We can actually put off that body of sin by faith and we can put on our new natures, natures we actually have possessed since the day we first accepted Christ, but natures we have never actually put on by faith so that we find protection when temptations fly.

Many wil resist the true initially. It will not stop our God He is already beginning to waken us from our religious slumber and we are going to learn the secret of overcoming. And what is it? Combining the blood of the Lamb with the word of OUR testimony about wha5 that blood has actually accomplished for us. Thank you Jesus!

Blessings,

Gideon

Lost4words said:

So difficult to turn away from sin. From lust. From dependent love. Fleshly love...

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This is the great difficulty of our waking up. Lust is not the problem. No sin is the issue. The flesh can do nothing if not sin.... a lot. What is the solution? To finally realize the real issue is our fleshly nature, what the Bible calls our ‘old man’.

God will let the sins that imprison us do so until His purpose is finally accomplished. And that purpose is that we HATE ourselves. Unless we do, we cannot be His disciples.

We cannot put it off by faith until we finally despise who we are and how we constantly bring shame to the name we say we love.

What a blessed day it is that we finally see that by surrendering us, with all our sins, and with whatever goodness we think we possess, and lay it on the alter before our God. Free will goes up there. Pride. Rebellion. Earthly mindedness. Us in charge. Our self absorption. It all brings dishonor to Him. Christ must live inside us and live the life we are called to through us, and glory to God, He WILL if we will but cry out to Him to open our eyes to show us how to truly walk pleasing to Him.

Suppose a man is an alcoholic and simply cannot give it up. He struggles mightily and succeeds. Is He any holier? Any more godly? No, he is simply an alcoholic who has determined not to drink. That is our idea of how to be holy, and it is ridiculous. Again, outside to inside.

Praise God, He wants to make us pure INSIDE (which He has already done) and then as we acknowledge this by faith, that purity starts to grow outward. I pray all who struggle with grievous sin see this. You are blessed, because you are closer to knowing the impossibility of doing it in your strength. It is much harder for those with no huge sins to see their great need but ALL need to walk in their new natures and ALL can, once they realize there is no other way to truly walk pleasing to Him.

Blessings to you, dear brother.

Gids

Kenny'sID said:

i never calmed that, as a matter of fact, I didn't even go into detail on how it was done at all.

I quoted 2 of your comments there, the first:



It states without sinning...period, nothing else was specified or mentioned.

Then from another thread:



Nor is anything specified there when it comes to "how to stop sinning" (on our on, or your way).

And you are still pushing that we cannot simply not sin as a viable means to stop sinning..



Can we, in any way, eradicate sin completely, can I please get a straight answer to that?

He will not "will" us to will or force us to do anything, we do his good pleasure because we choose to. He wills me to just try to stop sinning by all he did for me, just as I said awhile back. He loves us and we are happy to try to please him, yet you are stating you have something much better, and willing ourselves not to sin DOES NOT WORK when I know perfectly well it does. No, not completely but nothing will do that, the reason for Jesus.

Please understand, you are going to have people trying what you are telling them, dumping their will power way (stopping their own sin), and waiting for God to force, make it happen by messing with free will, or some other strange way that takes no effort on our part. And then when they find that doesn't work, they'll be more confused than ever.

He's working in us when we choose not to sin, God already did his part, yet you keep telling us you have another way that we MUST subscribe to, and that will eradicate sin from our lives completely when most of us have never even known someone who has reached that goal in the way you say it can be reached or any other way.

I have to assume you have.

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We can ABOLUTELY see sin eradicated in our lives, moment by moment. We do not ever arrive at a position where sin is not a possibility, as long as we are housed in these fleshly tents.

BUT, can a man be kept from falling for decades, till the day He meets Jesus face to face? Of course He can, and if any deny this, they are calling God a liar.

Can He keep us from falling or not?

Can our shield of faith quench all the fiery arrows of Satan or not?

Can He actually cause us to will AND to do of His good pleasure?

Has He promised to not allow us to be tempted above our ability to resist?

Has He delivered us from the power of darkness?

Is He the potter or are we?

All these promises are truth. Our good fight of faith is to arm ourselves with them abs BELIEVE them. And when we get established in the faith, such a one CAN sin, but he will NOT sin because he will have been established in the faith.

Brother, do not confuse perfection with freedom from sin. But can Jesus, the perfect one, live in us with us truly dead? You bet!

There are some who will resist this message, hoping to lump willful sin into the same pot as imperfections. They hope that by doing so, they can carve a safe place for willful sin to become acceptable. Their purpose in arguing FOR the impossibility of walking in true holiness is to make their willful sin not so bad.

I will mince no words. Willful sin will find one on the edge of eternal judgment and these will be the ones who have been religious but will hear the word ‘Depart from Me, ALL YE who commit iniquity.’

Why is the church in such a mess today? Men trying to make a fair show in the flesh, thinking that because their sins are small socially acceptable one, that this please God, The sad truth is, it makes Him sick. That is why He counseled the Laodecians as He did:

“I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; (faith) and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, putting on our new nature) and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. (tears of repentance) As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Revelation 3:18-19

Will we listen? I pray so.

Blessings,

Gideon

Kenny'sID said:

i never calmed that, as a matter of fact, I didn't even go into detail on how it was done at all.

I quoted 2 of your comments there, the first:



It states without sinning...period, nothing else was specified or mentioned.

Then from another thread:



Nor is anything specified there when it comes to "how to stop sinning" (on our on, or your way).

And you are still pushing that we cannot simply not sin as a viable means to stop sinning..



Can we, in any way, eradicate sin completely, can I please get a straight answer to that?

He will not "will" us to will or force us to do anything, we do his good pleasure because we choose to. He wills me to just try to stop sinning by all he did for me, just as I said awhile back. He loves us and we are happy to try to please him, yet you are stating you have something much better, and willing ourselves not to sin DOES NOT WORK when I know perfectly well it does. No, not completely but nothing will do that, the reason for Jesus.

Please understand, you are going to have people trying what you are telling them, dumping their will power way (stopping their own sin), and waiting for God to force, make it happen by messing with free will, or some other strange way that takes no effort on our part. And then when they find that doesn't work, they'll be more confused than ever.

He's working in us when we choose not to sin, God already did his part, yet you keep telling us you have another way that we MUST subscribe to, and that will eradicate sin from our lives completely when most of us have never even known someone who has reached that goal in the way you say it can be reached or any other way.

I have to assume you have.

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God already did His part? Then He could literally go to another planet and take a break? We need Him every second. He said that without Him ,we can do NOtHING. And sadly, up till now, we have pretty much proved that to be true.

It all God did was forgive us and that was it, all Ge really accomplished was to saved a lot of cows’ lives. We could be forgiven under the old covenant. It just had to be done yearly as opposed to once.

That is our misunderstanding of the new covenant Kenny. We need new hearts, new natures. We definitely need to be CAUSED to obey Him. And yet, like the Laodecians, we want to stare God in the face and tell Him we are trying our hardest and pleased with our results, and have need of nothing.

Thank God He will forgive us of our blindness if we finally come to the point of breaking before Him, admitting that all of our righteousness is but filthy rags. That is the character of the God we serve.

Blessings,

Gideon