It's Not A Sin to Stop Sinning


Chapter 20            


     
    There are so many tangled webs of deceit weaved in mainstream Christianity today. Another problem is the matter of forgiveness. Many Christians, as well as those who seek God, are under the deception that they cannot stop sinning until after they are saved and have Jesus in their life for they do not have the ability to stop their sinful deeds until then. Let me give you an idea of what I mean:
  • Must a child molester stop molesting children before he can be saved? 
  • Must a rapist stop raping before he can be saved? 
  • Must an adulterer stop committing adultery before he can be saved? 
  • Must a drunkard stop drinking and getting drunk before he is saved?   
    The list can go on. Most people are told they do not have to stop these sinful acts but to come “just as they are.” God will forgive them and help them clean up their lives later. In other words, they are saved in their sins.

    Salvation in the majority of the church system is just:
  • Admit you are a sinner 
  • Confess those sins 
  • Have a willingness to turn from sin
    There is nothing about stopping the sins in repentance. Why? Because people are taught they cannot stop sinning until after salvation. They believe there is remission of sins before there is any repentance. God will somehow help them clean up their lives over a period of time after they are saved. In other words, they are waiting for God to change their evil desires! How dreadful. The need for repentance has been terminated. They think they are fighting this supposed “inbred sin” from Adam. I must ask, if a child molester is waiting for God to help him stop molesting children and he does not stop, who is to blame? Does God get the blame because the desire to molest children is still there? Or does one get to blame the “inbred sin” and blame it on their “nature” handed down from Adam? Furthermore, how can ministers send confusing and contradictory messages to their members? For instance, a minister will say that a saved person cannot continue to live in sin but tell them that the deeply ingrained sin they are having problems with may be difficult to remove or eliminate completely, but over a period of time God will help them overcome it, but in the meantime they are assured they remain saved.
    I remember during a sermon our pastor started by reading 1 Cor. 6:9-10

Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s Kingdom? Don’t be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortionists, will inherit God’s Kingdom.

    He then told the congregation, “I commit lust every day.” He said when he sees a beautiful woman he ends up with lust in his heart. He let the members know he is actually guilty of adultery. Thus, he was admitting to the congregation that he commits adultery every day! I could not believe what I was hearing! And he said it with a smile on his face. I remember turning to my friend and whispering, “How can he say that when it said these are the sins that will keep us from inheriting the kingdom?” What the pastor was doing was trying to relax the congregation. He went so far as to poke fun by chomping on his fingernails to demonstrate how one must feel if they commit one of these sins. He assured us it happens but not to worry, that even though we should commit any one of those sins, it does not mean we lose our salvation. It was not long after that our music minister was charged and jailed for molesting his child! Is it no wonder with this kind of teaching? Does anyone not pay attention to the, “Do not be deceived” part of the passage?

    It is not God’s responsibility to clean us up. People are led to believe that they must wait for divine guidance to miraculously get them to stop sinning. In the meantime, they live in willful rebellion, that is, until God does something! Does anyone remember that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Phil. 4:3)?

    PAUL A SINNER?

    In order to enforce this belief that they cannot stop sinning before and after salvation is by using the apostle Paul as their example from Romans chapter 7:7-25, which gives anyone the excuses to habitually sin because, after all, they are born with this “sin nature” and Paul had the same nature and the same struggle.

    In that chapter, Paul simply contrasts the pre-Christian condition of the sinner. A careful reading shows this is not about the struggles of a born-again believer at the time he writes this. If Paul was a wicked sinner, then we have a wicked sinner preaching the gospel!

  Multiple factors indicate this isn't Paul's current situation:
  1. Paul wrote five letters before the book of Romans. One of those five letters was to the Saints in Thessalonica which he says, "You and God are witnesses of how pure, honest, and blameless our conduct was among you who believe. (1 Thess. 2:10). Does this sound like the person in Romans 7:7-25? 
  2. It contradicts everything he taught up to that chapter (Romans 6).  
  3. In Romans 7:14 he says that he is "carnal" and "sold under sin." Is this the condition of Paul and every true born again believer? It should not be. (John 8:30-36; Romans 6:1-23; 8:1-13). 
  4. Paul says he is a wretched man (Romans 7:24). Is this the description of the man who said he was "made free from sin" (Romans 6:18)?   
    Sin is a moral issue. Paul says, “So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me” (Rom. 7:18). Sin "dwells" in sinners because choices are made within us. It is by consent. That commitment "dwells" in us because it is the stubborn set of the "will.” For example, if greed (a sin) "dwells" in me, it is because I choose the evil passion and hold on to it. What is in my heart will eventually manifest itself by my deeds, by what I do.  Trying to connect this passage to the idea of sin being inherited through Adam is entirely inaccurate.

    PAUL THE CHIEF OF SINNERS?

    The church system also has a habit of labeling Paul as the “chief of sinners” (taken from 1 Tim. 1:15) to prove that even this apostle could not help but be a sinner to the core. He is the most wretched sinner, and it should be no surprise to find ourselves under the same condition. Imagine what being the “chief of sinners” actually means. Are we to believe Paul was a wicked man doing wicked deeds and at the same time going out there preaching the gospel? What kind of gospel was he preaching? Furthermore, Paul says:

Awake to righteousness, and sin not. (I Cor. 15:34) Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity. (1 Tim. 2:19)

    If Paul is the wicked chief of sinners, how can he tell people not to sin and to depart from iniquity? This would make him the biggest hypocrite to ever preach the gospel!

    It is obvious that this is not Paul’s condition after salvation. He was the chief of sinners before his salvation. He could not get rid of the fact how he persecuted the church of God (1 Corinthians 15.9). He had people killed for their faith. People cannot use Paul as their example to continue in sin.

    GODLY SORROW VS WORLDLY SORROW

    For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter. (2 Cor. 7:9-11)

    “Godly sorrow” produces repentance leading to salvation proven by his deeds, whereas, “worldly sorrow” produces death. In other words, godly sorrow will be proven by our actions and worldly sorrow is just feeling sorry, but no change in conduct. Our example could be of Peter and Judas. When Peter denied Jesus, we find later that he had true repentance and did not give up being faithful. Judas was sorry; he had regret and remorse but went and hanged himself. He pretended to honor Christ for his own selfish purposes (Mark 14:44-45, Matthew 26:49).

    Tell me if this following scenario shows true repentance: 

A wife has full proof that her husband has been cheating on her
with another woman. When confronted with his infidelity he confesses,
begs, and pleads with her to forgive him. He tells her he never meant to
cheat on her, it just happened and he promises never to do it again. She
decides to show mercy and forgive him. However, the husband proceeds to
keep cheating on his wife time after time, and always begging and pleading
with her to forgive him.

     Does the husband show true repentance? Of course not, but this is the mindset of professing Christians. They are sorry and have a willingness to stop, but continue anyway. This is "worldly sorrow." Do you believe that God the Father is deceived by insincere repentance like this?

    The bible is clear that the sin must stop (in repentance) BEFORE pardon can be granted. Note the following:

Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. (Isa. 55:7) Now therefore, amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; the against you. (Jer. 26:13)

    The message of the bible assumes that man is fully capable of obeying God and doing what God has said to do, namely repent, to stop with the sinful living and seek His mercy. This message is clear through the whole bible.

    People will say they cannot stop sinning without Jesus. How do they explain the people of Nineveh when Jesus was not yet around? Note the following:

So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything;do not let them eat, or drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let everyone turn from his evil ay and from the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? Then God saw their works that they turned from their evil way; and God relented  from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them,  and He did not do it. (Jonah 3:5-10)

    Here is the preaching of repentance and the manner in which the mercy of God is dispensed to the people. They did not need some special grace (some call it Prevenient grace), to overpower them so they could repent. The prophet told them the consequences of their actions if they continued in sin, but gave them the way of escape through repentance.

    WAITING FOR GOD TO CLEAN UP YOUR LIFE?

    It's noteworthy that individuals struggling with addiction can overcome their dependence on drugs, drinkers can quit excessive drinking, and thieves can stop stealing without the involvement of Christ. However, some professing Christians believe they must passively wait for God to "cleanse their life," (help them to sin less) as if they have no free will to make responsible choices.

    Individuals grappling with drug and alcohol addiction, who initially claim they are powerless against these temptations, sometimes discover newfound determination to overcome what they once considered insurmountable. For instance, when a doctor informs a heavy drinker that continued alcohol consumption will lead to only a few months of life remaining, the drinker may suddenly find the strength to conquer his physical addiction.

    The sobering takeaway from this is that non-believers can demonstrate to Christians that, when they successfully resist their temptations, it not only affirms the possibility of abstaining from sinful choices but also underscores the potency of free will.  However, people who profess to be Christians excuse their sins by saying they have not yet been delivered from their “sinful nature.” They are constantly fighting this “mysterious other self,” waiting for God to deliver them, but of course, this will not happen until they die!

    When someone is told they can and should avoid sinning, false converts will say something like, “If we can stop sinning, why do we need Jesus?" Interesting that they would ask such a question when they do not believe they can stop sinning when they HAVE Jesus!

    The influence of God’s spirit draws us to Christ and conviction of sin, but God is not going clean up anyone. He wants us to do the cleaning by forsaking our sinful behavior. Some people may give up certain sins (while indulging in others) for selfish reasons. However, only those whose hearts are completely turned to Christ in repentance and faithfulness are abundantly pardoned from all the sins they ever committed, no matter how vile, and declared righteous in the eyes of God and will always remain righteous as long as they are faithfully following Christ. They will be righteous as he (Jesus) is righteous (Isa. 55:7; 1 John 3:7).

    “SINLESS-PERFECTION” –THE STRAW-MAN ARGUMENT

    The scriptures are filled with encouragement for us not to sin. But the blind mindset on the average person today who claims to be a Christian says, “I cannot help but sin everyday in thought, word, and deed.” Once you tell them it does not have to be that way, they snap back with, “Oh? So you do not sin? Are you perfect? Are you sinless? Are you claiming to be self-righteous?” In other words, you are accused of “sinless perfection.”

    It's truly disheartening that we reside in an era where goodness is often labeled as evil, and evil is praised as good. We're expected to accept that those who live virtuously are deemed self-righteous, while those who continually engage in unrighteous thoughts, words, and deeds are considered true believers! In essence, if you refrain from sinning, you're branded a hypocrite, but if you indulge in sin, you're perceived as righteous and faithful in God's eyes. It's profoundly misguided to think that obeying God is unattainable and morally objectionable!

    How ironic that people who cry “sinless perfection” are the very same people who are actually teaching the very thing they condemn! Their false assumption against those who believe we can live in obedience is that when a person is converted, he will never ever sin again! After trying to convince you of this false assumption, they then try to disprove the claim (which was never made in the first place). They will quote such passages as Heb. 12:6. They like the “chastise” passage, for this is their proof that one is a child of God. If you are not chastised, this proves you are not a child of God. They talk about sin, being saved in sin, stay in sin, and defend sin. They hope that you, the reader, will fall for their assumptions, and then try to convince you that you cannot be anything but a low down sinner for the rest of your life.

     Now, let us see who is really teaching sinless perfectionism. By pronouncing condemnation on us for something we never claimed or teach, they reprobate themselves. How? According to them:
  1. When you ‘accept’ Jesus, you are justified (forgiven).
  2. There was this magnificent transfer that took place, meaning Christ becomes your perfection because his obedience was transferred to you by faith. 
  3. Because of number 2, your past, present, AND future sins are all covered once and for all. 
  4. Because Jesus’ perfect obedience (righteousness) is imputed to you, God is now blind to your conduct since the blood of Christ makes it impossible for God to see you who sins.
  It is interesting that Christ’s righteousness (“his obedience imputed to you,” which the bible does not teach) was magically transferred to you once you trusted in him, as they teach. This means you are now sinless. How? Because all your past sins, even future sins you have not yet committed, are all forgiven. God does not see you, He sees Jesus, so they claim! Needless to say, there are a  couple  of problems for those accusing one of sinless perfection that they must face:

     Problem 1. If the above is true, there is no need for chastisement! Why even quote the Hebrew passage? Pray tell, how can you be chastised over sins that the blood was supposed to cover and God became morally blind to your present conduct along with your future conduct when you accepted His Son? If all your future sins are automatically forgiven, what purpose would there be in any type of correction since God does not see you anymore, just Jesus? Remember? How can they accuse those who encourage righteous living of “sinless perfection” since Christ is their substitute? Does their teaching not equate to sinless perfection?  

     These people teach that we cannot help but sin each day in thought, word, and deed. They even go so far to say that temptation is a sin to make sure we cannot squeeze out of sinning. What they are in fact telling us is that sinning is proof that we are saved and in the faith! How ludicrous!

     Did you know Jesus faced temptation? If temptation is a sin, then Jesus was a sinner as well. Also, note that if Jesus were God, then it would have been impossible for him to sin, because God cannot sin nor can God be tempted by evil. This would also mean that Jesus actually had no victory over sin for there really would have been no challenge for him to be obedient, which leaves Hebrews 4:15 meaningless along with his being tempted in the wilderness.

     This type of gospel is merely a sham designed to mislead the masses into thinking that quitting sin is unachievable. It appears that Jesus' words carry no weight when he instructs us to "Go and sin no more" (John 5:14; 8:11).

    Let us clear some things up. Those who believe we can live righteous lives as God commands have never said:     
  • That a Christian has never committed a sin throughout their entire life.
  • That a Christian lacks the capacity to sin.
  • And that once a person undergoes conversion, they will be compelled not to sin.
    The scriptural fact is that a person cannot have salvation without repentance, which is forsaking all sins. (2 Cor. 7:10-11)

    Scripture also says:
   
No one who abides in him [Jesus] keeps on sinning; no one  who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. (1 John 3:6)
   

    We can know who is a child of God and a child of the devil:

You can tell God's children from the devil's children, because those who belong to the devil refuse to do right or to love each other. (1 John 3:10)
   
    IF a child of God should give into temptation and act upon it (sin), God’s word tells us we have an Advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1). Notice it says “IF.” This means that sinning is not a foregone conclusion in John’s mind, nor was it with Jesus as well. Jesus says, “Go and sin no more” (John 5:14; 8:11). Paul says, “Awake to righteousness and sin not” (1 Cor. 15:34; Eph. 4:26).

   Problem 2. Nowhere is Jesus said to be our proxy. Where it concerns righteousness, we are told not to be deceived in this matter:

Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he [Jesus] is righteous. (1 John 3:7)


    There is no such proxy. There was no magical transfer of moral conduct that took place.

   The part of the gospel preached today is missing the element of repentance. Jesus preached to repent and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15) because unless one repents, he will perish (Luke 13:3).

    Some would go so far to say that repentance is not part of the gospel! Imagine going against the words of Jesus.  So what does repentance mean? Repentance is not an apology for being sinful or being born with a sinful nature as falsely taught. It is a “change of mindset and life-direction,” which is a total change in inclinations and desires, which translates into a total change of conduct when we believe the gospel Jesus preached and follow his example by obeying him. We bear the fruit of repentance (Matt. 3:8).

   To dismiss repentance as not part of the gospel is very serious, for it nullifies reconciliation with God, and thus no conversion and no forgiveness. This “good news” is that our sins can be forgiven, and be assured the promise to live a life of immortality in the kingdom to come. This should motivate us to love God with all our hearts, not because we have to, but because of His kindness and forbearance and patience, which leads us to repentance (Rom. 2:4). It has nothing to do with teaching “sinless perfectionism,” but only that we can obey God from the heart.

    It is possible to be righteous, set apart, holy, and blameless before God. Nevertheless, the charge of being “self-righteous” still echoes condemnation for those who encourage to do what is right.

    I imagine Job was self-righteous since he was blameless. Elizabeth and Zachariah were probably self-righteous hypocrites because they carefully observed all the LORD’s decrees blamelessly (Luke 1:6). Moses was said to be righteous along with Abel, Zacharias, Cornelius, and a host of many who was blameless before God. Nevertheless, according to the “I sin every day in thought, word, and deed” supporters, they must defend their sinful conduct and malign the character of righteous people.

    I always ask the sin supporters (for a lack of a better term), “What sin in your life do you find impossible to stop? What temptation is there that is impossible to avoid?” (1 Cor. 10:13) They can never answer the question. I have heard some people call things sin that are not sins! For instance, I had one person tell me that if he takes long showers, it is a sin! Therefore, if I take long showers, I am sinning! He was serious! Can you imagine you perish for all eternity because you took long showers? How ludicrous! The desperation of sin supporters do not know when to stop. I had someone write to me and say:

Yes, Paul was a sinner saved by grace. The sharp disagreement that he had with
Barnabas would qualify as dissension, which is sin. Do you have any evil desires? Do
you always do the good that you ought to do? Do you take care of orphans and widows?
Do you ever put anything before God? Do you ever cause discord? Are you ever envious?
 Do you ever overeat? Do you ever sin in your anger? Do you ever have malice in your heart?
   
    Do you see the desperation to support sin? Also, notice that whenever we hear, “Paul was a sinner saved by grace,” what sin supporters truly mean is that, “Paul was still a sinner though he was saved by grace.”

    People come up with the red herring about feeding the orphans or helping the homeless or not getting angry, etc.. The fact is, by their own definition, Jesus Himself would have been a sinner! When Jesus walked this earth, did He heal everyone? Did Jesus clothe every person who was naked? Did Jesus take care of all the orphans? Jesus got angry. Did he sin in his anger when he blasted the Scribes and Pharisees (Matt 23)? According to the standards of sin supporters, Even Jesus himself, if held to such standards, would have experienced a significant failure and been considered a sinner like many professing Christians who believe they continue to have sin in their lives, whether it's real or perceived.

    Also, Paul's disagreement with Barnabas was not a sin. It is amazing what people will do to justify their own sins by assuming Paul sinned here. He was not a daily sinner at all after conversion and taught against sin.

     Another argument from sin supporters is to cry, “Nobody is perfect, even Paul said he was not perfect.” They use Phil. 3:12 against him by quoting:

I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect.

    Paul was talking about being free from physical corruption. This can clearly be understood if one looks at the context (There’s that pesky word again). The verse right before it says, “If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead” (v.11). Like Paul, no one attains physical perfection until they get a glorified body.

    Sadly, it is unfortunate that sin supporters do not realize that it is not impossible to have moral perfection, for later Paul says, “Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, think this way” (v. 15).

    ALL SINS EQUAL?

    Sin is sin, but not all sin is of the same degree. It was the Stoic philosophers who held that all sins were equal but Jesus shows us that there is a difference, i.e., there are sins that are greater than others. Jesus said the one who handed him over has the “greater sin” (John 19:11). Even in the Hebrew scriptures, in Ezekiel 8, we see “great abominations,” to “greater abominations.”

    There definitely are sins that will not let the person inherit God’s kingdom in the age to come (see Mark 3:29; 1 Cor. 6:910; Eph, 5:5- 6; Gal 5:19-21; Jude 7; Rev. 21:8). However, if a person should have a lapse of unthankfulness, worry, or lack of humbleness, this does mean he or she is eternally damned should they, unfortunately, die before they repent. However, the continuing in such behavior can become habitual over time and will consume the person to the point that he becomes a slave to sin (by habit). This is not good. become habitual over time and will consume the person to the point that he becomes a slave to sin (by habit). This is not good.

    Sin supporters think this has to do with moral perfection. Paul is not giving excuses that he was not yet free from sin and therefore give the idea that it is impossible to reach moral perfection. Paul, as a converted man, said he lived with a good and pure conscience that was void of offense (Acts 23:1; Acts 24:16; 2 Tim. 1:3). Either he was delusional or telling the truth.

   Advocates for sin are so determined to justify sin that they will cite numerous scriptures in an attempt to demonstrate that we are constantly bound to sin throughout the day.There is no such thing as “righteous people” who are considered righteous when the scriptures are loaded with them. Even Jesus talks about “your righteousness,” and Paul as well (Matt. 5:20; 2 Cor. 9:10). Sin supporters are so obsessed with defending sin that as a last ditch effort they will throw in, “Our righteousness is as filthy rags.” They appeal to Isa. 64:6:

  But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

    Numerous individuals who engage in sinful behavior are also capable of performing virtuous deeds.  But what about the saints? What about those who have truly repented and are transformed; those who have forsaken their sins and walk in a loving relationship with God the Father and His Son Jesus? Would the Father actually turn to His Son and say, “You are such a mess! You are a disgusting stench in my nostrils!” Nevertheless, all sin supporters believe that no matter what good we do, even when we give our very best, our righteousness is nothing but stinking rags. Do you treat your children that way when they do their best to please you because they love you? How can a child of God really think they are loved when all the Father does is remind them that no matter what good they do, it is a stench in His nostrils? What motivation would there be to keep trying to please the Father?

    God is very well pleased and smiles on us when we walk in righteousness. We are told:

And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white. For the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints (Rev. 19:8)
   

    What is the “fine linen”? It is the righteousness of the saints. Notice they are not filthy rags.
   
    Those steeped in the original sin doctrine use the passage of Isa. 64:6 to support its teaching by uprooting the verse from its surrounding and historical context. There is a saying that, "a text taken out of context is a pretext."

    Isaiah simply summed up how far the covenant people had sunk into deep idolatry, worshipping other gods and who had the illusion of righteousness with their "holier than thou" attitude, even while burning incense on strange altars (Isa. 65:3-5). They had fallen into gross sins. Therefore, because of their apostasy, all their righteous deeds were considered as filthy rags. This has nothing to do with mankind in general. In fact, if we read the preceding verse (5), Isaiah teaches the exact opposite of the common interpretation of “filthy rags.”

 You meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness, who remembers You in Your ways. Behold, You were angry. When we keep sinning all the time, would we be saved?

    God does not consider genuine works of righteousness as filthy rags. God meets with those who walk in His ways.  

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