Saved People Still Sin (not as much, hopefully)

Some people think it is somehow disparaging of the cross of Christ to admit that Christ-followers still sin. In their desire to magnify the greatness of the Lord’s salvation, they give the impression that if a person receives Christ, their struggles with sin will come to an end. It’s true that the Holy Spirit changes our attitude toward sin and we experience a new power to overcome temptation, but the truth is that we DO NOT stop sinning all together.

Jesus’ sacrifice was completely sufficient to pay the penalty of our sin. However, His sacrifice was never intended to obliterate the sin nature in us; at least not on this side of Heaven. Admitting that I still sin is not a poor reflection upon Jesus’ sacrifice. It is an indication of how much I need Him every day. Here are four Christ-followers of the highest caliber who all attest to the fact that after receiving Christ, they still sinned.

1. The writer of Hebrews was addressing Christians when he said that sin still “so easily entangles us”. (Hebrews 12:1). Our sin nature continues to struggle against the Holy Spirit. The Bible affirms this when it says, “the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.” (Galatians 5:17)

2. Peter saw the risen Lord with his own eyes and was used by God to share the gospel with multitudes on the Day of Pentecost. In spite of also witnessing many of the Lord’s miracles, he still struggled with prejudice. “Before certain men came from James, he [Peter] used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group.” (Galatians 2:12–13). He also wrote, “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.” (1 Peter 2:11).

1. Paul had a powerful testimony of being confronted by the living Christ while on a mission to imprison and kill Christ-followers. Everything changed as Paul realized Jesus was the Messiah. Paul became one of the greatest missionaries that have ever lived. He also wrote much of the New Testament. Yet, he still experienced sin’s enticement in his life. He admitted, “I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:18–19).
2. John did not want Christians to sin, but he knew that it happened. In fact, He informed them that when they sinned, Jesus would speak to His Father in their defense. He wrote, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” (1 John 2:1).  

Each Christ-follower is to mature in his relationship with the Lord. I will sin less, but I’ll never completely get rid of all sin while in this life. When I sin, I can’t blame the Lord’s sacrifice for being defective or insufficient. No, it’s a realization that just as I needed Jesus for salvation, I still need Him every day.

I’m not trying to make an excuse to continue to sin. As Christians, we are to fight against it. But I know that temptations, especially addictions, are hard to overcome. We need other brothers or sisters to help us. “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1).

The message of the gospel isn’t “look at how sinless I have become”. The message of the gospel is “look at how sinless Jesus was; that’s why His sacrifice totally paid the penalty for your sin”. You can find new life in Him.

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