CAN A SAVED PERSON SIN?

by Ronnie Mutina

Last night, Thursday, 2/2/06, I had the opportunity and pleasure of asking questions for Mt. Olive MBC, in Bogalusa, La., on a Bible Trivia game, which they play every Thursday night at 6:30. I really enjoyed it. In one of my questions, I asked the question, "Can a saved person sin?" What a question, huh? This brought on a discussion between their new pastor, who was also playing the game, and one of the young people in his church. So, can a child of God sin? Let’s examine it in God’s Word. In the book of 1 John, chapter 3 verse 9, John said, "Whosever is born of God doth not commit sin: for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." When a man is saved, he becomes a battleground. In the book of Romans, chapter 2, Paul talks about the inward man and the outward man, but in Romans 7 he discusses how they fight each other, and how the law comes into play. In this battle, people judge the flesh. God looks at the spirit. Paul said in Romans 7:4 – "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God." We become one with Christ when we are saved. We, then, should start bringing fruit unto God. The fruit of a Christian is another Christian. Most of the time your outward body is the testimony that either leads people to Christ or turns them away. Why, you might ask. It is simply because the flesh shows the sin of this world if we allow it to. Let’s read some more. Verse 5 – 6 says, "For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." We are also told by Paul, in 2 Corinthians 5:17 – 18 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation." What is he saying? He said that through Jesus Christ we are reconciled (Brought back) to God, and that, through this, HE will give us the ministry of redemption. Now, how can we have a ministry of redemption if we can sin? God does not have anything to do with sin, other than forgiving us of it when we request it for salvation. This still doesn’t totally answer our question though. Can a saved man sin? Paul said, in Romans 7:8 – 13, Paul talked about how the law brings death unto sin. If we were to take the 10 commandments, most of us couldn’t get past the first one before it showed us we are sinners. This alone is enough to show us that we, all, need Jesus Christ. Romans 7:14 tells us, "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin." What is he saying? He is saying, God made the law for us to follow, but it applies to the spiritual man. The word carnal means, "pertaining to the flesh." Now we get into the battle of the inward and outward man. Verse 15 – 18 tells us, "For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not: but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not." He is saying, "Through my flesh, I am no good. I can’t rely on myself, because my flesh still desires to do that which I hate to do." Our flesh still desires to do the things of this world.

Take a smoker for instance; When their flesh desires the nicotine, they do what they can to find it, don’t they. That person knows that it’s not good for them and they wished they had never started it, but the addiction to it has them hooked. Now, I’m not picking on smokers at all, because we all have faults by the law. Even though a person who smokes may hate it, their flesh still craves it, and the flesh gives in. That’s what Paul is talking about here in these verses. Let’s read on further in Romans 7. Verses 19 – 25 says, "For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not that I do. Now if I do that I would (wish) not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in m. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God: but with the flesh the law of sin." Paul is saying, "If I allow my flesh to win, that is what I do. If I allow my spiritual man to be my guide and listen to God, then that is what I do. The one I follow is the one I say sick’em to the most."

To me this proves, without reasonable doubt that the inward man, that processes Christ, does not sin. That inward man is the guidance Christians should follow. However, the carnal or fleshly man always has a say so. We need to remember that when we give in to the carnal man, we will reap what we sow. Sin takes its toll on the flesh, but once Christ enters that man, the soul is safe forever from sin. Isn’t that great? Thank God for HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, who came from heaven to die in my place on a cross, so that I might accept the free gift of salvation HE offers to me. Amen! When our inward man is saved, we should ask God to guide us in every decision we make in this life. We should ask HIM to shine through us, and allow HIM to do so. A lady, not to long ago, while making her argument that it was okay, as a Christian, to drink alcohol as a beverage, "It is hard for me to live by a church covenant that says I can’t drink, when I look at other people, including preachers who are over weight from gluttony, some which smoke, and other people that do other things are not looked upon as doing wrong things, which is sin also. I couldn’t argue the fact that the few of us that are over weight from gluttony are in sin. Or flesh desires what we trained it to do. But, justifying what we do by what others or how others live their lives is not logical. We should all strive to allow that NEW CREATURE that CHRIST made us through HIS salvation shine through. He should be our guide, not people. Anyone can justify sin in their lives by whatever means they want too. However, if we see how God desires to shine through us, and we allow HIM to do so, then we bring honor and glory to HIM. Again, that’s what it is all about anyway. Wouldn’t you agree?