"To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours."
- 1 Corinthians 1:2
The word saint in the English Bible comes from the Latin word sanctus which means simply "set apart." The Greek has the same meaning and is derived from the Greek word for holy. God Himself is "set apart" from His creation because of His absolute holiness (1 Samuel 2:2; Psalm 99:5, 9). God said about Israel that He had called them out of the nations to be His holy people (Deuteronomy 7:6; 14:2). This has the same meaning for the New Testament disciple of Jesus who is called out by the Spirit of God (John 6:44), saved by the grace of God (Ephesians 2:8-9) and set apart unto God (1 Peter 1:15-16). Paul said that God calls us to a holy calling (2 Timothy 1:9) which in context means for Paul the apostolic ministry but in reality, God calls us out of sin to be His holy people.
And yet within our look at Romans 7, one thing is clear: we must deal with the sin in our lives. God has called us to holiness. Paul begin his letter to the Corinthians who were no doubt sinning against God by pointing out that God had called them to be saints (1 Corinthians 1:2). God had not called them to be anything less than His set apart people who glorify Him in both the Church (1 Corinthians 3:16-17) and in their own temples, their bodies as well (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). His epistle to the Corinthians no doubt was written to correct their errors and not to give them comfort in their sins. He says in 1 Corinthians 15:34 for them to stop sinning! Sinning saints is simply incompatible!
In fact, in Paul's follow up epistle to the church in Corinth, he clearly addresses the sin issues. He says in 2 Corinthians 12:21, "I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier and have not repented of their impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced." He goes on in 2 Corinthians 13:7 to say these incredible words: "But we pray to God that you may not do wrong - not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed." He says in 2 Corinthians 13:9 that their restoration (or perfection in the NIV) is what he is praying for. Wow! Those are prayers few utter today.
We tend to never pray that we or others will not sin nor do we pray that we or others would be perfect. Yet this is what Paul prayed. He prayed that the saints would not sin and that they would be perfect. Possibly he had in mind Jesus' words in Matthew 5:48 or his own admonition in Romans 6:11-23 or 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 or 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24. I have never heard a prayer in church for A) people to stop sinning and B) people to be perfect. We simply tend to think that we are stuck in Romans 7 and we are "sinning saints."
The Bible And Stop Sinning
Does the Bible tell us to stop sinning? We know that the only one who can approach God's throne are those who are pure (Psalm 15:1-5) and thankfully we can because of the grace of God given to us in Christ Jesus (Hebrews 4:14-16). We are pure because of the blood of Jesus (Ephesians 1:7) and His blood sets us apart (Hebrews 10:10, 14). Yet the Bible continues to call the saints of God to abandon a life of sin.
Consider Jesus' words in John 8:10-11 where He told the woman caught in adultery to go and sin no more. What incredible words to say to this woman! I have often heard about Jesus' compassion toward this woman and while I agree with that, I also see Jesus calling her to repentance and holiness. He does not merely pat her hand and say "It's okay. I know your struggle. Go and be in peace." But Jesus tells her to go and sin no more.
In John 5 we find another story where Jesus heals a crippled man and He then tells him in John 5:14 to stop sinning or something worse might happen to him. We don't know what sin caused this man to be in his crippled condition but Jesus knew and Jesus tells him to sin no more lest something worse happen. How can this be? We would think that Jesus would apply Romans 7 to this man and say, "You can't stop sinning but try to even though you will fail." But Jesus does not.
Peter the Apostle said about the false teachers that they never stop sinning (2 Peter 2:14 NIV). The psalmist said that the children of Israel kept sinning after God's judgment (Psalm 78:32) - a true sign of rebellion against God. The children of Israel had been warned by God to not sin against Him and they were to fear Him and His wrath against sin (Exodus 20:20).
Jesus came to take away our sins (Matthew 1:21; Galatians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:14-18; 2:21-24), not to allow us to live in them. Paul said that our baptism is a picture of our new life in Christ Jesus in Romans 6:1-4. He applied baptism to the question of sinning since the grace of God abounds in Christ Jesus. Paul's answer: how can you sin now that you have been buried with Jesus in baptism? Jesus came not just to cleanse us from sins (1 John 1:7) but to free us from sin (Revelation 1:5).
The very nature of salvation gives us the hope of turning from sin. There is no doubt that God is merciful toward us and that He has provision for us in His Son to forgive us from our sins when we sin (1 John 1:9) but He also empowers us through His Spirit to be overcomers (Romans 8:13). As the Puritan John Owen stated: "God does not want to hurt your sin but kill it." Hebrews 10:26-27 warns against sinning after receiving the truth. Even the beloved John said that sinning was a sign of rebellion against God (1 John 3:6-9) and that John was writing to us so that we may not sin (1 John 2:1-2).
However, listening to some Bible teachers today you would think that the common struggle of man is simply to sin. Victory, overcoming, holiness, and purity are abandon for sinfulness. I once was counseling a woman when I made the comment that I don't wake up each day wanting to sin nor do I try to sin. She looked at me with shock and said, "I sin every day." I replied, "Then you are not Christ's because John said that continued sin proves we do not know Him."
Now there can be no doubt that I am so thankful for Jesus Christ and what He has done for me. His sacrifice alone opens the gates of heaven to me (Matthew 7:13-14). It is only by His blood, His grace, His atonement, His intercession that I am a child of God. Yet I equally see that His grace teaches me to say no to sin (Titus 2:11-12 NIV) and that He calls me to holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8).
How To Be Holy
How do we even begin to be a people of holiness? Is holiness simply out of our reach and despite the Bible's call to holiness, we will always be struggling with besetting sin?
1. Recognise Your Master - The Bible says that we are slaves to the one that we obey either to the flesh which reaps death (Galatians 6:7-8) or to the Spirit which reaps life (Romans 6:12-23). We are to recognise that our Master is the Lord Jesus Christ and not our flesh. By faith we should declare that our flesh will not ovecome us but that Jesus will be our Lord (1 John 2:3-6). If Jesus is not our master but our flesh is, we will die (Revelation 21:7-8). Jesus must be our Lord (Luke 6:46-49).
2. Renew our Minds - Paul told us to renew our minds in Romans 12:1-2. We are to renew them since they have been filled with the junk of the world. The Word of God will be our weapon to attack wicked thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:3-6) and the Word is our sword to destroy the works of Satan in our lives (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12). Often the battle against sin begins for me in my mind. If I can consider myself dead to sin (Romans 6:11) and realise that I am in Christ, safe and secure by being hidden in Him (Colossians 3:1-4) then no sin can touch me (Colossians 3:5-10). The battlefield for dominion in our lives often is the mind.
3. Realise Our Mandate - The Bible calls us to holiness. We need to take the commandments of God in His Word and meditate on them. God has not called us to sin but to holiness, to be His saints. His mandate for all disciples of Jesus is not to live in sin but to be Jesus' disciples (John 8:31-38). He wants us to take up our crosses daily (which speaks of daily death) and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23-25). Our mandate is not to waddle in our sins but to live in the Spirit (Romans 8:1-4) and to realise that we have the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57). Through Christ we are overcomers (Romans 8:37). Don't settle for sin but pray for victory! We are called to freedom and not chains (Galatians 5:13)!
11 comments:
This is a good article, though I wish you would clarify that the pursuit of holiness is the process of sanctification. People, such as openairpreacher and Jesse Morrell (both on YouTube), have taken this concept far beyond what it should be and have declared that unless we are "perfect" we do not have the eternal life given to us for repenting and believing the Gospel (John 3:16). The distinction between justification and sanctification is lost to some people it seems.
Perhaps you could have also included what John says in 1 John 3:9 as a means of clarifying what it means "to sin" and what it means to "practice sin":
"No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot (δύναται) sin, because he is born of God." (1 Jn. 3:9, NASB)
Which, of course, is recorded only two chapters post John words in 1 John 1:8:
"If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us." (1 Jn. 1:8, NASB)
Overall though, I enjoyed your article. While I do not agree that moral perfection (as taught by Wesley and generally all those who hold to MGT) is possible, there is no doubt that we are commanded to pursue holiness. This concept has gotten a bad reputation and the idea that, although true, "we sin everyday" has been taken way too far to justify the sins of the saints.
Good post! Having said that the title "Sinning Saints?" gives me pause. Norm Giesler said in effect "we can get to a place in our lives where dont have to sin, but we will never get to a place where we cant sin". Hence, the struggle.
Admittedly, I wonder if those that teach perectionism do not often re-define sin. When speaking of sin it is not always, pride, lust jealousy adultery etc. etc.. It is when God has dealt with us in prayer about doing something or not doing something and we pretend not to hear it or as Oswald Chambers said, blame it on the devil.. Sin can be something as speaking sharp to a spouse or critical of a brother.
Alas, for all the myriad of scripture to support a given idea or principle of perfectionism I have yet to meet or know of someone that does not sin. Honest question (not a strawman)...have any of you?
While Christians will not practice sin, honesty demands we admit they will and do sin.
Finally, that godly man Oswald Chambers (My Utmost for His Highest) points out: "We must reconcile ourselves to the fact of sin, otherwise it will catch us around the next corner"
Our zeal for right living must not come at the expense of truth ("let us do evil that good may come"). Indeed James says the "wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God".
Good thoughts Ryan and PM. The gospel is about the Saviour coming to save sinners (Luke 19:10) and not about us being clean enough to inherit the kingdom. Jesus makes us holy by His grace and through His Spirit and Word. By no means do I believe in sinless perfection but I do believe in the passionate pursuit of holiness and avoiding sin at all cost.
I was slightly concerned about the comments you gave to the woman you counseled.
I can't find anywhere in 1 Corinthians where Paul says anything to the effect of 'Those of you caught in sin are false converts and not really Christians'. In fact, in 6:19 he seems to appeal to the fact that they have the Holy Spirit in them as a reason to not commit sexual immorality.
I am someone who has struggled hugely with the issue of assurance. I too sin most days in some way or another, usually in simply my thoughts and attitudes - I don't deliberately intend to, it just happens.
To be told that that means I'm not actually a Christian and a false convert simply exacerbates the situation. I tend to find the more I doubt my salvation, the more I despair and become more likely to sin.
Sin should be confronted and dealt with sternly, but lets be careful with the whole 'Your not saved because you don't seem very holy' line (which I reckon originates more from Calvinism than the Bible). It has the potential to do much damage.
Roy, I enjoy reading your blog and always find it thought provoking. Would you be up for discussing a few questions via email?
I had trouble with the bible passages that mention perfection until I had a deeper definition of "sin". Simply put, sin is living life apart from God (Rom 14:23, Jon 16:9). The natural result of "sin" is..."sins", all the bad behaviors.
Working to give up our sins can keep us from giving up on ourselves and seeking God (Rom 9:31,32).
When the Axis forces surrendered at the end of World War II they didn't just surrender their tanks, guns and planes. They surrendered THEMSELVES and that automatically took care of all the rest of their things.
There is no such thing as partial surrender, but there is such a thing as on-again, off-again surrender. The bible is full of these kinds stories (David, Abraham, etc.,). The goal is for us to give up on ourselves and for an unbroken dependence upon God.
Actually Butters I would say that Paul does say that continued sinning is in fact against Christ in 1 Corinthians 5. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 5:5 he says that the Corinthians were to deliver the sinner over to Satan for his destruction that he might be saved but notice Paul does not say that he will be saved. Paul said that he had already judged the person based on their sins (1 Cor. 5:3).
Another example of this is found in Acts 13:10 where Paul judged Elymas on the spot for his sins. How can he do this? Because Elymas' acts were violating the word of God (Rev. 21:8).
If a person is living in continued sin, there will be no assurance (Hebrews 10:26-27) but only conviction.
I would be happy to discuss any other things by e-mail.
Roy,
I do appreciate that you affirm you wake up every day not wanting to sin. I confess that is always my goal, too. I hate to hear people almost casually talk about sin, in the sense that "everybody does it, so what's the big deal?".
I have always protested that God definitely has a different attitude about the two types of sin: sins of ignorance/omission and presumptuous "high-handed' sins. This is proven by how God dealt with each in the Old Testament. And I agree with you that a person who continues in sin and excuses it is not a true follower of Christ. A truly born-again person does not want to sin, mourns when he or she does, and confesses their sins against others to those people and God. We are told that our sacrifice of worship, praise, prayer and service are unacceptable if we have sinned against another and not made it right. Jesus said to be reconciled to anyone we have offended, so I take that literally. Now, it is not always convenient or possible to do this, but we are required to make an honest attempt.
Your council to that woman may be seen as harsh and judgmental, but if she was arrogantly defensive about her sin or conversely, flippant about it, then it does indeed bring up the concern that she may not be saved in the first place. I try not to be judgmental, but there are certain activities that any honest person knows is willfully sinful and can be avoided if one is sincere in their desire to pursue holiness.
I have a big problem with men who claim to be faithful Christians and yet cannot keep themselves off of porn sites. I'd like to know who holds the gun to their head and makes them purposely go to those kind of sites? I had a terrible adiction to porn for almost 30 years. I am still tempted to open those emails that seem to still find their way to me offering "fresh faces" and so on. But, by the grace of God I delete them and empty the trash bin in the same motion. I could go visit these sites, but that would be ON PURPOSE. I still have times that an image or thought is brought up by the most innoucuous things, that haunts me and arouses my passions, but I grieve over this and try to push those things out with prayer and thinking on good things.
Lest anyone accuse me of claiming perfection I will admit I am not even close. I still find myself treating people differently based on their looks, their styles, their cleanliness and so on. I still get upset and impatient far too easily. But, I know that as long as I am struggling against these things I will eventually overcome them and have more self control and the kindness that comes from a tender heart.
I don't believe any of us will ever be immune to temptation. But, temptation is a test, not a 'gimme' for Satan. Only by resisting temptation do we grow stronger against it, which means Satan will begin to tempt us in another area he thinks we're weak in once we've become strong in the first things. We are told to pray "Lead us not into temptation" but I think many need to pray that they won't be tempted to want to be tempted. To paraphrase James, it's very hard to resist something you haven't learned to love less than Jesus.
Whether we have true assurance depends entirely on us being honest with ourselves and with God. The attitude of our heart is what matters, not whether we consistently confess sins we are not sorry for.
I appreciate your high standards Roy!
Thanks Prodigal. I have been listening to John MacArthur's HARD TO BELIEVE on tape read by John and he clearly draws a line in the sand about what it means to be a true follower of Jesus and who is not. He points out over and over again that God hates sin and that He requires perfect righteousness to get to heaven which only comes in Christ but He demands repentance and obedience and not just lip service (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-25; 14:25-35; Romans 6:12-14; James 2:14-26). Jesus expected His disciples to obey Him as their Lord, Master, and Savior. How much more should we obey Him after all He has done for us in setting us free from sin, saving us from God's just wrath, and now intercedes for us?
Amen, Roy!
While I don't like all of MacArthur's theology, he definitely has an old Puritan view of sin. He is one fo the very few well known Calvinists, that I am aware of, who takes Mark Driscoll to task on his language and his views on several questionable things. I've lost a lot of respect for Piper as a result of his apparent tolerance for Driscoll's infidelity to godly speech and thought.
I agree with most of what you said, but I take issue with a couple things. It seems that you are promoting an instantaneous sanctification, and not a progressive sactification. I would ask one question: do you still sin? I know that you said you don't wake up with a desire to sin, but do you at all, even on accident? Philippians 2:12-13 says to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure". Notice its all in present tense, meaning that it is in progress.
I believe that your counsel with that woman is wrong in that she isn't a Christian, because if she weren't, she wouldn't care that she keeps sinning.
I agree that a Christian cannot lead a life of unrepented sin, such a life does indicate that a person is not saved. But just because a Christian sins, doesn't mean they aren't a Christian, it means they are still in progress. I know I still stumble, and need to repent, but I am also assured that my salvation is secure in Christ.
I would look forward to reading your response, if you could email me at resurgence_pt@yahoo.com . Thanks for you blog, I enjoy reading it.
Thanks Aaron for your post. I would hope that no true Christian seeks to sin willfully. Hebrews 10:26-27 condemns such a life and to live in continued sin will only lead to destruction (James 1:12-15). Of course, we do stumble because of our flesh (Galatians 5:16-17) but I don't wake up (as I stated) thinking "how can I sin today." Romans 8:9 tells us that those in the flesh can not please God. Period. James 5:19-20 tells us to warn sinning brothers to repent lest they die.
I do believe in both instantaneous and progressive sanctification.
BTW, even under the Law God provided a sacrifice for both willful and non-willful sins. There is no denying that all of have sinned (Romans 3:23) and we do sin (Proverbs 20:9; James 3:2) but the clear biblical record is for us to pursue perfection (Matthew 5:48; 2 Cor. 13:7-11; Philippians 3:7-11; 1 John 2:3-6; 3:6-9). We are perfect by faith in Christ and are secure by faith in Christ yet we must press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of us (Philippians 3:13-14).
Post a Comment