Can you be a Christian AND (insert sin here)

[James_Newman]

Well, we lost our thread into the wasteland of the mens only forum. But it is a good topic, what it means to be a Christian and yet to be a servant to sin. What ever sin you did before you were saved, you are certainly capable of doing after you are saved and more.

 

[Accountable]

Thank you James for reviving a good topic. And thank you for wording it the way you did! You're exactly right! Sin is sin! Now let's see where we go from here!

God Bless!:thumbs:

 

[Gwyneth]

What ever sin you did before you were saved, you are certainly capable of doing after you are saved and more.

That is certainly true, but I now feel convicted as soon as I sin, and go in prayer to God for mercy through Jesus` name. Before being saved, I was mostly unaware of sin and used to think there were degrees of sin,and that I wasn`t really a bad person - I am horrified, sometimes of things I think, say and do even now, knowing what it cost to save unworthy ones such as I.:tear:

 

[His Blood Spoke My Name]

Those sins that I committed before my Salvation experience I no longer do. The Spirit convicted me of those sins and reminds me when temptations arise.

 

[rbell]

Those sins that I committed before my Salvation experience I no longer do. The Spirit convicted me of those sins and reminds me when temptations arise.

...so following that line of thought...if you commit every sin possible before salvation, that means you will be completely sinless after being saved.

hmmmmm......

 

[DQuixote]

Thank you, Gwyneth. Right on target. I think lots of folks can identify with your post. Keep on keepin' on!

:thumbs:

 

[donnA]

Just a sin, a slip for which the person is sorrowful, repentant, as Gwyneth said. Or, someone who sins continuelly sees nothing wrong with it, has no sorrow over and does not intend on stopping.
I see a difference here.
A christian sins, but expereinces sorrow becasue of it, they are usually repentant, and desire to change.

 

[Accountable]

Just a sin, a slip for which the person is sorrowful, repentant, as Gwyneth said. Or, someone who sins continuelly sees nothing wrong with it, has no sorrow over and does not intend on stopping.
I see a difference here.
A christian sins, but expereinces sorrow becasue of it, they are usually repentant, and desire to change.

You added the word "usually", not always. This is closer to truth.

 

[Accountable]

Those sins that I committed before my Salvation experience I no longer do. The Spirit convicted me of those sins and reminds me when temptations arise.

Just out of interest, what sins are there to commit that you didn't commit before your salvation?

 

[rbell]

Those sins that I committed before my Salvation experience I no longer do. The Spirit convicted me of those sins and reminds me when temptations arise.

This just doesn't work.

Before I became a Christian, I had a terrible habit of cutting people down with my words.

I have done that, regrettably, a few times since accepting Christ.

Do I do it all the time? Nope. Do I want to do it? Nope. But I've done it.

Kinda blows the "you can't commit the sin again" theory out of the water. I've just described the same sin, pre-and post-Salvation.

 

[AresMan]

The difference, basically, is in the attitude towards sin. A Christian may do some of the same sins as a non-Christian, but the Christian has Holy Spirit conviction.

 

[Accountable]

This just doesn't work.

Before I became a Christian, I had a terrible habit of cutting people down with my words.

I have done that, regrettably, a few times since accepting Christ.

Do I do it all the time? Nope. Do I want to do it? Nope. But I've done it.

Kinda blows the "you can't commit the sin again" theory out of the water. I've just described the same sin, pre-and post-Salvation.

To many who post here and there, they might would say that because you have commited this sin since your salvation, you're not saved and you never were. I am so glad that God saved me on the merits of Jesus' finished work! God bless!

 

[Scarlett O.]

This just doesn't work.

Before I became a Christian, I had a terrible habit of cutting people down with my words.

I have done that, regrettably, a few times since accepting Christ.

Do I do it all the time? Nope. Do I want to do it? Nope. But I've done it.

Kinda blows the "you can't commit the sin again" theory out of the water. I've just described the same sin, pre-and post-Salvation.

Along those same lines, I was saved at the age of 8.

There were a whole lot of sins out there in big bad world that at age 8, I knew absolutely nothing about. Unfortunately, I discovered quite a slew of them.

But, because I was saved, the Holy Spirit convicted me and taught me as I grew older and experienced that big bad world. God provided a way of escape.

Did I always learn the lesson that the Holy Spirit was trying to teach me on the first go around? Did I always take that way of escape?

:BangHead: What do you think?

 

[Scarlett O.]

Those sins that I committed before my Salvation experience I no longer do. The Spirit convicted me of those sins and reminds me when temptations arise.

HBSMN,

I think I that I know what you are trying to say.....and then again, maybe I don't.

Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't you saying that God rescued you from the bondage of certain sins. I believe that happens everyday to people. People can be set free from all kinds of sins.

You aren't saying that Christians never sin again after their salvation experience, are you?

 

[Hope of Glory]

The difference, basically, is in the attitude towards sin. A Christian may do some of the same sins as a non-Christian, but the Christian has Holy Spirit conviction.

So, are you saying that a saved person can sin, but not commit lawlessness? (Which is a lifestyle of doing what is right in one's own eyes.)

 

[His Blood Spoke My Name]

HBSMN,

I think I that I know what you are trying to say.....and then again, maybe I don't.

Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't you saying that God rescued you from the bondage of certain sins. I believe that happens everyday to people. People can be set free from all kinds of sins.

You aren't saying that Christians never sin again after their salvation experience, are you?

Scarlett,

What I am saying is if one is convicted of a sin by the Holy Ghost when one places his or her trust in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, there is remission for those sins one is convicted of.

One who has been convicted of certain sins will not commit those same sins after conviction... else there was no true conviction.

The Spirit will remind that one that it is sin and that person will not commit it.

 

[TBLADY]

Here is an interesting thought. If we are forgiven of ALL our sins past, present and future, how does justice fit into our sins that we commit as a Christian?

I mean it would seem a "Christian" can do what he wants to do without much worry about being punished...yeah he will have rewards taken away and suffer natural consequences maybe , so what? What is that compared to spending eternity in Heaven where there will be no more sorrow, pain or anything bad.

Sure doesn't seem fair to the unbeliever who lived a moral, upstanding life...does it?

 

[His Blood Spoke My Name]

Many who think they are Christian and still advocate a 'liberty to sin' will find they never really knew Christ, nor He them.

 

[D28guy]

His Blood,

"What I am saying is if one is convicted of a sin by the Holy Ghost when one places his or her trust in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, there is remission for those sins one is convicted of."

Actually, we recieve the remission of ALL of our sins when we embrace Christ. Past, present, future, accidental, deliberate, etc. All of them.

"having predestinated us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure of His will, to the praise of the Glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiviness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He mad abound to us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself"

Notice that the forgiveness of our sins, all of them, is spoken of as something that it in the past tense. They have ALL been forgiven. ALL of them. There is not a hint of them being forgiven when we quickly "confess and repent". It is already an accomplished fact.

"...to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to Light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may recieve the forgiviness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me"

Again, the forgiviness of sins is spoken of as an something past tense. Something that we recieve when we embrace Christ and are born again through faith in Christ.

"We have turned, every one, to his own way, and the Lord has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all"

All of our sins, past present and future,...yours mine and every believer of all the ages...is here spoken of in the singular. All sins are described as being "laid upon Him" one time 2000 years ago.

I agree 100% that we as christians should be about the buisiness of "putting off the old man" and "putting on the new man" in our walk. But we are to lay sin and error aside because of what Christ has already done for us, and not so that another sin will *supposedly* be declared "forgiven" by Christ.

They were forgiven 2000 years ago on that cross when Christ said "It...IS...FINISHED".

What was finished? The forgiviness of all of our sins, because God at that time "laid upon Him the iniquity of us all".

God bless,

Mike

 

[D28guy]

TBLADY,

"
Here is an interesting thought. If we are forgiven of ALL our sins past, present and future, how does justice fit into our sins that we commit as a Christian?"

The justice is that "The wages of sin is death" for you and me. Our Lord stepped in and said "place them on me, and I will take their death for them."

There is the justice.

"I mean it would seem a "Christian" can do what he wants to do without much worry about being punished..."

1st, a christian will never engage in habitual sin and "get away" with it. There will be natural negative consequences as well as Gods discipline.

2ndly, a born again person recieves a different type of "want to" after they are born again. They will have the Holy Spirit alive in them inclining them towards consistant living and away from the stupid lifestyle choices they lived in before.

"...yeah he will have rewards taken away and suffer natural consequences maybe , so what?"

So what? I dont know about you, but I never enjoy the negative consequences that somethimes come upon my when I make poor choices. It sure makes me think twice the next time. Its called "growing in grace", "putting off the old man", and "putting on the new man".

"What is that compared to spending eternity in Heaven where there will be no more sorrow, pain or anything bad.

Sure doesn't seem fair to the unbeliever who lived a moral, upstanding life...does it?"

When all of the lost stand before God at that Great White Throne judgment seat, I dont think there will be any bragging of how "upright" they lived. All semblance of phony "goodness" will be stripped away at that point, and the lost will be morally naked and exposed before God.

Grace and peace,

Mike