Question about Sin

[SaintJK]

Hi Everyone,

I would like to get your thoughts/opinions on the subject of sin.

According to a recent discussion that I had with friends on the topic of sin we basically came to the conclusion that there are 2 types of sin. There is habitual sin, as is defined in 1 John 3: 4-9 (Amplified):

4 Everyone who commits (practices) sin is guilty of lawlessness; for [that is what] sin is, lawlessness (the breaking, violating of God's law by transgression or neglect--being unrestrained and unregulated by His commands and His will).

6 No one who abides in Him [who lives and remains [e]in communion with and in obedience to Him--deliberately, knowingly, and [f]habitually] commits (practices) sin. No one who [habitually] sins has either seen or known Him [recognized, perceived, or understood Him, or has had an experiential acquaintance with Him].

8 [But] he who commits sin [who practices evildoing] is of the devil [takes his character from the evil one], for the devil has sinned (violated the divine law) from the beginning. The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done].

9 No one born (begotten) of God [deliberately, knowingly, and [h]habitually] practices sin, for God's nature abides in him [His principle of life, the divine ######, remains permanently within him]; and he cannot practice sinning because he is born (begotten) of God.

And there is sin that we do every now and then when we fall or cannot resist temptation. When we sin in this way, we repent and carry on with our relationship with God.

In the conversation it was mentioned that habitual sin cuts us off from God, because the above verses clearly state that we cannot practice sinning and be acquainted with God.

I would like to get your opinion about this. Does it mean that if someone has any sort of “habit” sin, e.g. smoking, drinking etc. that you first have to stop sinning before you can have a relationship with God? So are all the smokers, drinkers, drug addicts etc. out there who claim to be Christian not actually Christians? What about God’s Grace, i.e. his power to help us overcome sin. How can we access His Grace if we cannot engage Him or have a relationship with Him in the first place because of sin?

Grace and Peace,
SaintJK

 

[Life2Christ]

I would like to get your opinion about this. Does it mean that if someone has any sort of “habit” sin, e.g. smoking, drinking etc. that you first have to stop sinning before you can have a relationship with God? So are all the smokers, drinkers, drug addicts etc. out there who claim to be Christian not actually Christians? What about God’s Grace, i.e. his power to help us overcome sin. How can we access His Grace if we cannot engage Him or have a relationship with Him in the first place because of sin?

Grace and Peace,
SaintJK

In a nutshell, if you truly desire God then you will desire not to sin (from your own free will). If you are habitually sinning, you can naturally assume that you are not desiring God. Everyone, even Satan, wants to get to heaven to avoid eternal damnation but not everyone desires God (for His own sake). When your heart cries out for God in your life, sin takes a back seat. (most of the time).

When you are a new creature in Christ and have no desire to sin, you know something is working.

 

[DrFrank]

Although your questions are excellent hopefully you realize that only Jesus can accurately answer your questions and that may not occur until the Judgment when He will make very PERSONAL AND INDIVIDUAL decisions about every one of us.Until that time,we only have the general instructions in the Bible that will apply to most.Here are a few passages that are relevant to your questions:

Galatians 5:19-21 (New King James Version)

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery,fornication,(sex outside a first marriage) uncleanness, lewdness,(homosexuality) 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders,(warfare) drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

John 5:14 (New King James Version)

14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”

Matthew 20:16 (New King James Version)

16 So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”

 

[Avniel]

God looks into our hearts. If lets say you have an anger problem and God has really been working on you the devil tempts you to cuss someone out and you fall. But every time you fall you get up and do even better or strive to, you even take the issue to alter. Eventually you will get better its the heart God is looking for.

 

[Johnnz]

In the conversation it was mentioned that habitual sin cuts us off from God, because the above verses clearly state that we cannot practice sinning and be acquainted with God.

I would like to get your opinion about this. Does it mean that if someone has any sort of “habit” sin, e.g. smoking, drinking etc. that you first have to stop sinning before you can have a relationship with God? So are all the smokers, drinkers, drug addicts etc. out there who claim to be Christian not actually Christians? What about God’s Grace, i.e. his power to help us overcome sin. How can we access His Grace if we cannot engage Him or have a relationship with Him in the first place because of sin?

Grace and Peace,
SaintJK

Firstly you can't be cut of from God. A person may not know intimacy with Him if they don't want to develop a relationship with him. but according to Col 1:20 our very bodies and everythinga orund us were made for and by Christ who holds them all together.

John was talking about two kinds of people, not two kinds of Christians. There are those who are following Christ who will live out of new desires. Others will continue living in their old ways.

Then, when as a Christian we sin, we can acknowledge that and get on with living. We were actually forgiven over 2000 years ago anyway. Its just recognising that when we 'become' a Christian and enter into what God through Jesus has made possible for us.

John
NZ

 

[EyesOnZion]

Woah. Let me first share a personal story. From the time I was young until I was nearly 30 years old, I was very judgmental. I didn't know it, and I certainly didn't consider myself judgmental, but I was. In school, we had always been taught to "step outside the issue", to "think outside the box", and to be analytical and critical. Now, this is probably sound advice when interacting with a piece of philosophical writing, but perhaps not so good when talking about analyzing people. It wasn't until my late 20s that I realized that every time I analyzed someone, I was looking at them not as people but as subjects of study. Frankly, I dehumanized them. It was a habitual sin that I didn't even know about (and had never been called out on) for my entire Christian life. I still believe I was saved. I can think of many such sins, and will probably run into many more.

Frankly, there are many habitual sins that Christians deal with. Some habitually grumble. Some habitually overeat. Some habitually drink or smoke. Some habitually dehumanize others. Some are habitually arrogant. All of us are habitually self-centered, at least at times. (I'm sure I think self-centeredly much more often than the average smoker smokes or drinker drinks). I really don't think habitual sins disqualify you from salvation.

Let me add, however, that the grammar in 1 John barely supports a "habitual sin" reading. What I mean by this is that it's possible to interpret 1 John's grammar as saying that, but if we were to apply "habitually" or "continually" to every verse that uses the same grammatical construction, we'd be in a world of hurt. Or at least we'd wreak havoc on our Bible translations.

That said, none of us should be content in wallowing in our sin. We should try and turn from our sin. But it seems like the sins you're considering 'habitual sins' are the ones the world would consider bad habits, not necessarily the sins Christians do the most (and not necessarily sins...the church is rather divided on drinking).

Still, most of us do wallow in one sin or another. Sin has a way of taking root in our life. From my own personal experience, it's quite rare that I encounter a sin in which I 'stumble once and that's it'. Much more often, sin takes root slowly, and I don't notice it until it's habitual enough that it's messed something up in my life. From my interactions with other Christians, I'd say the same is generally true of them as well. So I tend to think, both textually and experientially, that you might be making up a false dichotomy...or perhaps I'm misunderstanding you. If so, please clarify.

 

[Emmy]

Dear SaintJK. All sins are without love, everything we say, or do, and there is no love in it, it is SIN. Jesus gave us the two most important Commandments: 1) Love God with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our minds. 2) Love our neighbour as we love ourselves. Jesus pointed out that on these two Commandments hang All the Law, and the Prophets. Easy to remember, not easy to follow. God is LOVE, and God wants sons and daughters who let love lead them through life. ( selfless and no conditions asked or expected) A very good way is to start by treating all we know, or meet, as we would like to be treated: with kindness, consideration, forgivenes, helping hands, listening ears, and encouraging words. Once we seriously start doing this, we`ll find that our lives become more interesting and worthwhile. We will find that love and good manners are catching, people treat us the same. AND GOD will notice, and give us His Blessings. Jesus too, will give us His Love and Joy to share with each other. Every time we stumble, or even fail, God will forgive us as we forgive those who sin against us. We are on Earth to learn to love as God wants us to: God with our whole being, He is our loving Heavenly Father, and all others as we love ourselves. Once we truly do so, we will find how very catching real love is: and the strongest weapon we can have to overcome ALL SIN. I say this humbly and with love, Saint. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.

 

[Peripatetic]

I think there is some differentiation between habitual and "once in a while" sin. You are correct that habitual sin is an indication of distance from God. However, it is not correct to say that habitual sin means no relationship with God, nor is it correct to say that a relationship with God means no habitual sin. The truth is, we all struggle with habitual sin in some area. It might be greed, pride, gossip, anger, self-righteousness, or one of many other common states of sin. People tend to think of physical acts when considering habitual sin (substance abuse, sexual sin, etc.), but many habitual areas of sin are behaviors and ways of thinking. Worse yet, we are often more blind to these areas of habitual sin.

We need to lean on God a) to identify our areas of frequent sin, b) to be motivated to change (without feeling self-hate or condemnation), and c) to allow the Holy Spirit's sanctifying power to work in us to change our perspective and overcome our sinful ways.

 

[singpeace]

Dear Emmy. I just thank God so much for you. God bless you today and know you are loved.

 

[rrderit]

Such excellent questions SaintJK. Here are my thoughts to these questions.

It depends on what is your definition of the word Christian. I believe that the simplest definition of Christian is a follower of Christ; people who tries to follow the examples of Jesus. Did Jesus smoke, drink or get addicted to something when He was still here on earth? I believe that God can change a person, if that person chooses to be changed. We are given free will that even God respected. A lot of people who are addicted to smoking, drinking, sex, illegal drugs, etc. say they wanted to change by deep inside you chooses not to because they can't get over the sensation briefly brought by their addiction. A sinful man can be forgiven by God if he truly repents. Remember the story of the prodigal son? The prodigal son are us, sinful children of God, and the father is our Father in heaven.

To gain the grace of God we have to choose Him over our sinful ways...