Musings on Faith #10

Musings on Faith #10 Forgiven by God's Grace
I have heard some Christians say that now that they are saved they do not sin. This is not Scriptural, and is a dangerous state of mind which can result in all sorts of wrong-doing, because it leads to self-righteousness. 1^st John 1:8-10 makes this clear when it says "If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done. If we say we have not sinned, we make God a liar, and we do not accept God's teaching (New Century Version)." So, not only are those who say they no longer sin absolutely wrong, but John also tells us that they are calling God a liar! He is not talking about the unsaved in these verses, but those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. The verdict: Christians continue to sin. Yes, we have a new nature, but we also remain carnal. Even Paul acknowledged this about himself, several times, in his writings. For example, in Philippians 3:12 he says "I do not mean that I am already as God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal, but I continue trying to reach it and to make it mine (NCV)." In other words, Paul acknowledges imperfection, and thus sin.	(Continued) If Paul felt compelled to make such confessions, how can anyone say "I am saved. Therefore, I do not sin"? They cannot. We are all sinners, saved only by the grace of God. The answer is as John says: If we sin, as Christians, God is faithful, if we ask, to forgive us of all our sins. Why would John say this if we no longer sinned? Because Paul acknowledged imperfection in himself, do we therefore question his salvation? I think not! The difference is not that we do not sin as Christians, but that God is faithful, if we pray to Him and ask Him to forgive us, to do so. But beyond that, if we are Christians, we have the Holy Spirit within us, to guide us, and we have become the children of God, having love for Him, and a desire not to sin or to offend Him. We have a desire to please God, and to strive to be more like Christ, we have His Word to guide us, and we have prayer to seek the Lord's will. We are no longer lost in sin, but, being human, we still sometimes fail to heed the Spirit and therefore fall into sin. Then, glory of glory, He will forgive our sins, not by our merit, but by His grace "because we can trust God to do what is right". Yours in Christ, Tom Woodard
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