Believers and Sin (2)
How are Christians to deal with sin in our lives?
The Law of sin and death condemns but the Law of Christ brings life. If you actually are a born again believer then you are saved permanently, but simply need to wear the armor of God and conquer sin as you live out the sanctification process.
Do Christians keep the Law?
Jesus kept the Law on our behalf. When we git saved, God gave us Christ's righteousness. The perfect life He lived is attributed to us. We are clothed in His righteousness. We now have the righteous nature. We get this new nature by being born again... and the indwelling Holy Spirit enables to walk in holiness by God's power, (hating & avoiding sin; but can't totally get rid of it, tho we can conquer much of it thru sanctification). We have a new nature so we can not sin and have victory over any sin. See info @20:35 -24:10 mark (youtube).
⭐There is a difference between one who claims to be saved and one who actually is saved.
Those who are false converts, who came to Christ for some other reason, will eventually reveal themselves and will also eventually usually stop calling themselves a Christian.
Commentary on Hebrews 10:
"For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries." (Hebrews 10:26-27)
Here is possibly the clearest and most concise scriptural definition of apostasy-receiving knowledge of the truth, that is, the gospel, but willfully remaining in sin. An apostate has seen and heard the truth—he knows it well—but he willfully rejects it.
Apostasy has two major characteristics: knowledge of the truth of the gospel and willful rejection of it.
A believer may sometimes lapse into sin and stray from intimacy with the Lord and with His people. It is best to keep short sin accounts so the Lord doesnt escalate it to discipline or takes the believer from here (to heaven). If he is a believer and alive, he will come back to Jesus. He will be too much under conviction to stay away permanently, and God will doscipline him to bring him back to the right path, if nit he will simply take him to Heaven. If one is falling unto sin... In the meanwhile, he will be robbed of joy and peace and of many other blessings, and lose out on things he wouldve received if not in sin. Theres a problem until he deals with the sin(s) and seeks forgiveness and fellowship restoration with God.
See Romans 7
We cannot always determine who is apostate and who is backsliding, and we should not try. We are not able to distinguish between a disobedient carnal believer and an apostate unbeliever. That is the Lord’s business. But there is a difference between the two, a very great difference. A person’s concern should be first of all that he himself is a true believer (2 Cor. 13:5) and then that he is a faithful believer. There are many calls to self-examination in the New Testament.
We are to grow in sanctification, kill and conquer sin, and become more & more Christlike - as Scripture teaches.
Sanctification, concern for willful sin in a Believers life...
What happens when a Christian sins
Keep SHORT Sin accounts
Thru the new nature God causes us to love Righteousness and hate sin. He has given us this nature, and in it we have the power to conquer our sins after salvation.
We still have a sinful nature our flesh within us which is at war with the Spirit, our new nature, as it says in Galatians. The Christian life and our sanctification isn’t a passive one, it’s a synergistic work. (Luke 9:23, and 14:25-33.)
God loves those who are his children, even if you sin.
Christ is our great High Priest and makes Intercession for us to the Father, as our Savior, our Righteousness. So if we do find we have sinned, we can go to the Father through Jesus name and receive forgiveness. Jesus already saved us and paid our sin debt on the cross, for all the sins of our entire life. But as we live out our life in Christ we still mess up. It is why Jesus told Peter that though the body is clean, the feet need to be washed. It causes us to make sure to keep SHORT accounts of any sin. If you mess up or realize you had fell into sin, pray right then and there to God. And turn from (strive to not) doing it again. It doesnt mean you will lose your salvation if you mess up and sin, but when we sin our fellowship with God is broken, God wont hear our prayers until we deal with the/those sin(s). So it's best to do it right then, so its dealt with before we ignore it and before he chastises and disciplines us.
This is one reason we are to be in the Bible daily, and in prayer daily. So we can stay near to God, and become more and more like Christ, following Him and having Him as the one walking us through this life, holding our hand and leading the way.
Read Romans 7, 8 & 9
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Related topics
Believers and Sin (deeper study) pt2
More studies
If you need helps about self examination &/or on Assurance these will help
*This 10 commandments study can also help in regards to God's character, perfection and a believers walk in holiness
Other Resources
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Footnotes
Cr some info from The MacArthur New Testament
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