Was Jesus the only person who never sinned?

ChristianForCats said:

Yes, she probably was controlled by the Holy Spirit. But how do you explain the word "filled" instead of an obvious phrase like "controlled by" in that verse?

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I guess similar to the way filled with Spirit is used in Ephesians 5:18. "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." I believe the comparison here is to either be "controlled by wine" or "controlled by the Spirit." Whatever you give yourself over to controls you; either some form of sin or the Holy Spirit. I'm not dogmatic on this, but it is just the way I understand the Christian life and the role of the Holy Spirit. We can be indwelt by the Holy Spirit, i.e. filled with the Spirit, but not be controlled by Him if we choose to sin.

ChristianForCats said:

Using this logic, Adam and Eve did not sin either because Abel was their son. So I would count Abel out of it.

John was a special case. He called himself the "witness" in his Gospel book.

John 1:4 "There was a man sent from God. His name was John. 5 He came as a witness to testify concerning the light, so that through him all might believe. 6 He himself was not the light; he only came as a witness to the light."

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It is written that no man will be held accountable for the sins of another. (Deut 24:16, 2 Kings 14:6)
Abel, like Enoch, could surely have walked without offending God.

He cannot sin

He is compelled not to.

It is of grievous injury to his soul that he do so.

His felicity is dependent upon.

His allegiance to God come under scrutiny if he acts contrarily to the Holy One's desires.


That's how I interpret it.

ChristianForCats said:

They don't count because all sins are through Adam.

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Death is through Adam, not sin.
"For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead." (1 Cor 15:22)
"Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come." (Rom 5:14)

ChristianForCats said:

Not ignorant - a fetus is unable to know sin. Ignorance is a choice.

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No, ignorance is not a choice. A baby is born ignorant. That is not its choice.

Refusal to learn is stupidity. That's a choice.

Aussie Pete said:

"Whatever is not of faith is sin". Transgression was not imputed to people prior to the Law but that does not mean that they did not sin. If they are descended from Adam, they inherit the sin nature.

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Hi, Pete...
Welcome aboard.
You may be on to something there, but Enoch's life illustrated faith, as did Elijah's and Abel's.

For sure there are people who are amazingly close to God. But even the elite (Elijah having a meltdown, David's adultery and murder) can sin and fail. John the Baptist had a problem with doubt. He questioned if Jesus was really the Messiah. There is none who is righteous inherently. Except the Lord Jesus.

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Thanks be to God for making the reborn "like God", in the sense of purity, love, and compassion.
When He returns, "we shall be like Him". (1 John 3:2)

RDKirk said:

No, ignorance is not a choice. A baby is born ignorant. That is not its choice.

Refusal to learn is stupidity. That's a choice.

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A baby is born innocent not ignorant.

RDKirk said:

If you regard sin as nothing more than a finite list of "thou shalt nots," you might think so.
Or, if you know the will of God for every step of your life as Jesus did, and you perfectly execute it, as Jesus did.

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As Jesus did command us to "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matt 5:48), it would behoove us to comply...eh?
Thank God for the means of rebirth from incorruptible seed.

bmjackson said:

A baby is born innocent not ignorant.

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There is nothing in scripture to indicate that a baby is innocent. Rather, it says:

Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. -- Psalm 51

But scripture does say that God takes what a person knows of Him into consideration in His judgment:

And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left -- Jonah 4

Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains." -- John 9

But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. -- Luke 12

But negatively:

Ever since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—God’s eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, because they are understood through the things God has made. So men are without excuse. -- Romans 2

If a baby is gathered to heaven, it's not because it's innocent, but because has the acceptable excuse of absolute ignorance.

CharismaticLady said:

My question is, did John the Baptist sin since he was born of God in the womb. And if Enoch sinned, why would God take him. To me that means Enoch didn't sin.

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They were definitely sinners.

CharismaticLady said:

Do you believe it is necessary that we be born again? And what does that mean to you regarding sin?

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it is... but it is important to establish we have no ability to make ourselves born again. Certainly as born again believers we carry the righteousness of Christ but how does that affect an unborn baby? So there are some limits to our role in becoming "born again" but at the same time, we are not passive vessels that get arbitrarily filled. Scripture presents a tension, and tension is good to keep a balance of both doing and receiving.

ignorant
adjective
ig·no·rant | \ ˈig-n(ə-)rənt

\
Definition of ignorant
1a : destitute of knowledge or education an ignorant society also : lacking knowledge or comprehension of the thing specified parents ignorant of modern mathematics
b : resulting from or showing lack of knowledge or intelligence ignorant errors
2 : unaware, uninformed

(Websters)

Ignorant comes from the verb ignore. So there is some measure of responsibility there. The information is there, but he person ignores it. It cannot apply to a baby. Adam was also created innocent.

That verse you use is oft misapplied. It meant that David's mother was in sin when he was conceived.

CharismaticLady said:

Yes, Jesus did not sin. What I'm asking is about the other two guys.

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Okay, pardon.

The other two? Yes, sin they knew.
But those who repent get an imputed sinlessness.
Doesn't mean sin nature is gone,
just that confession lived strong touches the heart of God.

bmjackson said:

ignorant
adjective
ig·no·rant | \ ˈig-n(ə-)rənt

\
Definition of ignorant
1a : destitute of knowledge or education an ignorant society also : lacking knowledge or comprehension of the thing specified parents ignorant of modern mathematics
b : resulting from or showing lack of knowledge or intelligence ignorant errors
2 : unaware, uninformed

(Websters)

Ignorant comes from the verb ignore. So there is some measure of responsibility there. The information is there, but he person ignores it. It cannot apply to a baby. Adam was also created innocent.

That verse you use is oft misapplied. It meant that David's mother was in sin when he was conceived.

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You presented a valid definition of the word...

...and then you proceeded to invent your own invalid definition of that word.

ignore (v.)
1610s, "not to know, to be ignorant of," from French ignorer "be unaware of" (14c.), or directly from Latin ignorare "not to know, be unacquainted"

CharismaticLady said:

Yes, every one of us has sinned. BUT when one is born again, what does that mean to you? Are we sinners, or children of God?

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Physically sinners, Spiritually forgiven.
The body does not change.....death remains our wages.

If you were walking hand in hand with God and glanced away
with a stray thought....you have sinned and deserve death.
People tend to think of sin as a mistake they made, last month.

1 Thessalonians 5
17 Pray without ceasing,

Ephesians 6
18 Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

Romans 12
12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Willie T said:

Probably not, since I don't think I can count the number of online forum Christians who are always telling me they do not sin.

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Indeed, they should say that "not sinning" is their intention.

Isaiah 43
25 “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake,
and I will not remember your sins.

As for the claim that Mary was sinless:
This is simply not true.

Luke 2:22-24 states that after the birth of Jesus, Mary undertook purification rituals to make herself clean. She did this in accordance with Old Testament law (Lev 12:2-8). The law stated that purification after birth took 40 days after having a boy (80 days for a girl). At the end of the 40 days (or 80), (Lev 12:6-7) said that a woman must do this: "And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, FOR A SIN OFFERING, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest: (7) Who shall offer it before the Lord, AND MAKE ATONEMENT FOR HER; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This is the law for her that hath born a male or a female" (caps emphasis mine).

Mary performed this ritual, with her sacrifice being "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons" (Lk 2:24) (God allowed this for those who were poor: Lev 12:8). If Mary was born without sin, why did she undergo this purification ritual to be made clean, and for her atonement?

Source:
Was Mary (the mother of Jesus) sinless?
(Please take note that I may not agree with everything this author or website teaches or promotes; I am merely in agreement with what they have written here).

Now, does that mean believers today should continue in sin?
Paul says shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound? Paul's answer to this question is "God forbid." (Romans 6:1-2).

This means one cannot continue in sin so that grace may abound.
So while we all have sinned as a part of our old life, we are told not to continue in sin so that grace may abound. Yet, some folks think that they can do that very thing (Which is contrary to what Paul taught). For Paul says if any man does not agree with the words of Jesus Christ and the doctrine according to godliness, he is proud and he knows nothing (1 Timothy 6:3-4).

Bible Highlighter said:

Oh, may the Lord come for us quickly.

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Sorry, you have to wait a few more years!
God's true remnant will be going into places of refuge
while God pours out His wrath upon all unbelievers
(including non-faithful BACs who insist on
practicing lawlessness instead of practicing righteousness)!
When God's wrath is finished, then Jesus' true Bride will be raptured.
They are called the remnant.

Redwingfan9 said:

Jesus did not have the stain of sin on him, which is why he had to be born of a virgin. John the Baptist and Enoch both had the stain of Adam on them, as they were fathered by other men.

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A British lady doctor told me in no uncertain terms ...
babies receive the DNA of both parents!