You sin. So do I. Even after trusting in Christ we find ourselves sinning. We swear we will never do it again, then bam, there it is... again. Many folks promote the idea that this might mean you weren't
truly saved, when you were saved.
Functionally and psychologically this works exactly the same as the false doctrine of "works for Salvation." The only difference is in phrasing the words. The person who believes sin can make you lose your Salvation believes he
was saved, but lost it. The person who believes sin indicates you weren't
truly saved believes he
thought he was saved, but never was. Both are practically identical in denying security of the believer, and in magnifying the works of man while cheapening the work of Christ.
What is a person to do? Well, they can just give up. "I tried to be a Christian, but I guess I just can't do it." Or, they can lie to themselves (and others). "I don't sin." More often they find justification for themselves, while still condemning others. "I sin, but not really bad sins and not very often, and my life is characterized by sin, so my Salvation is good, but those people committing those other sins that I would never do, they are probably lost." These are all wrong. So, what is the right answer?
Trust Christ! You are saved by trusting in Jesus Christ, that he died for your sins on the cross, and that God is satisfied, and has chosen to justify sinful you through faith in him. Trusting in Christ
really, truly, eternally saves you.
What about verses like 1 John 3:9? Doesn't this say that someone who is
truly saved won't sin?
Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
1 John 3:9 (NKJV)
It does. And understanding this verse and others like it require us to make a distinction between the flesh and the spirit. Your flesh has not been born of God. But your spirit has. God's seed is in you spiritually, and it never sins. Ever. Not habitually. Not continually. Not even in isolated incidents. Your flesh is exactly the same as it was before you were saved, wicked and depraved. In fact, there isn't any hope for your flesh. This is why flesh and blood can not inherit the Kingdom of God. It must suffer the wages of sin - death. However, Spiritually you are born born of God, born from above, born again, a child of God, bearing His image through faith in Christ.
Have this dual nature creates a conflict between the wicked desires of the flesh and the holy desires of the Spirit. This is why we are commanded to walk after the Spirit and to bear fruit of the Spirit. The struggle is real for the believer. The unregenerate has no struggle. His nature is wicked both physically
and spiritually. The believer has a choice, and we can follow after the Spirit. In practice we fail occasionally and repeatedly, but the choice is always there. And through faith, we can make the right choices more and more.
So, should we just continue to sin, and not worry about it? Should we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God Forbid! But we should be honest about our sin. We shouldn't deny the reality of it or soften the severity of it. We should confess it and repent of it and trust Christ to forgive us of it.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
1 John 1:8–10 (NKJV)
The reality if Salvation is the work of God, we can not doubt our Salvation without doubting our Savior. Are you truly saved? I truly don't know. But I know that Jesus died for you, and if you trust in Him, you are His forever. Truly.
