What does it mean to "practice" sin?

[Setyoufree]

First, what is sin?

1 John 3:4

"Sin is the transgression of the law"

What law?

1 John 1:23

And this is his commandment, That we should

1] believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ,

2] and love one another....

How is love defined?

Romans 13:9 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love (agape) is the fulfillment of the law.


So sin is,

1] unbelief in Christ & His righteousness

2] not loving our neighbor as ourselves

Let's read Paul:

Gal 5:19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Now, what does it mean to practice sin?

 

[Setyoufree]

Let's look at an example of what it means to practice sin using King David.

David's sins

2 Samuel 11:2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" 4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her.

David's first sin was adultery.

13 At David's invitation, he (Bathsheba's husband) ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master's servants; he did not go home. 14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15 In it he wrote, "Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die."

Now David sinned by deception and finally murder.

How did God reach King David in his sins?

2 Samuel 12:1 The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, "There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. 4 "Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him." 5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity." 7 Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! .... 13 Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You will not die."

 

[Setyoufree]

Did David sin on purpose?

Answer: Yes, it sure seems like he did.

He knew Bathsheba was a married woman, but David (using his power) sent for her and then had sex with her. Of course we aren't discussing Bathsheba here, but apparently she had issues also. It takes two to tango.

The question is this, did David practice sin?

The answer is no!

Did he sin purposefully, intentionally?

Absolutely!

Why?

He failed to submit his will to God's will. Therefore David's nature took over his mind and David did these terrible sins.

Again, is that practicing sin?

Again, no!!!

How do I know?

2 Samuel 12: 13 Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD."

King David repented!

Hence, no matter how bad we fall, there is forgiveness. Failing to acknowledge our sins before God's is practicing sin.

Refusing to repent of known sin, when the Spirit of God convicts us, is practicing sin. It's saying "I'm not a sinner and I don't need your righteousness."

 

[Steve Petersen]

Practicing sin is doing it repeatedly until you get it right.

 

[Setyoufree]

Practicing sin is doing it repeatedly until you get it right.

So as long as you are failing you are practicing sin?

Sorry, that's not what the NT states.....

 

[Setyoufree]

Practicing sin is doing it repeatedly until you get it right.

Then Paul had it wrong....

Turn to Romans 7:22 For in my inner man (converted mind) I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.

Here we have a converted man who is failing to live the life the law requires. What does he do with his failure?

24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord!

He acknowledges his failure! That's repentance. And then he gives thanks to Christ. Why?

Romans 8:1 There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

Just because someone is failing to live the good life doesn't mean he or she is "practicing sin". A besetting sin is not the same as condoning sin. A condoned sin is one you persistently and willfully fail to acknowledge before God. A besetting sin is one that gets the better of you time and time again, but not one you condone. The difference is repentance.

 

[Steve Petersen]

So as long as you are failing you are practicing sin?

Sorry, that's not what the NT states.....

You people have absolutely no sense of humor.

I was being facetious.

 

[Setyoufree]

I was being facetious.

I didn't catch that....

 

[InSpiritInTruth]

Practicing sin is doing it repeatedly until you get it right.

The firstborn nature of man doesn't need to practice sin to get it right, cause to him it comes naturally.

 

[Eliwho]

Then Paul had it wrong....

Turn to Romans 7:22 For in my inner man (converted mind) I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.

Here we have a converted man who is failing to live the life the law requires. What does he do with his failure?

24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord!

He acknowledges his failure! That's repentance. And then he gives thanks to Christ. Why?

Romans 8:1 There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

Just because someone is failing to live the good life doesn't mean he or she is "practicing sin". A besetting sin is not the same as condoning sin. A condoned sin is one you persistently and willfully fail to acknowledge before God. A besetting sin is one that gets the better of you time and time again, but not one you condone. The difference is repentance.

Good post

 

[Eliwho]

Practicing sin is doing it repeatedly until you get it right.

Perfecting the sin or the not doing it?

Wasn't sure, but thought you was clownin' some.