Know the Helpful Truth About Faith and Sin

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Have you ever met someone who believes they no longer sin now that they have faith in Jesus?

I did once, years ago.

What is the truth about faith and sin?

John wrote…

Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in Him. Anyone who continues to live in Him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know Him or understand who He is.

1 John 3: 4–6

John was human, like you and me. He was wise and had the Holy Spirit within him, but I don’t believe he thought he was without sin.

Remember, he also wrote in this letter…

My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.

1 John 2:1

He wrote those words to fellow believers, saying that Jesus, the Righteous One, pleads for us when we sin.

So, what is the truth about faith and sin?

The truth is, we are all sinners, but being sinners does not give us an excuse to sin freely.

John wanted everyone to know that when we KNOW, LOVE, and TRUST God through Jesus, we want to KNOW His will and do what pleases Him. Not because we have to, but because we LOVE Him and want to do what pleases and glorifies Him.

The Life Application Bible Notes add…

“There is a difference between committing a sin and continuing to sin. Even the most faithful believers sometimes commit sins, but they do not cherish a particular sin or continually choose to commit it.”

We won’t love perfectly even though we want to, but by God’s grace and mercy, we can go to Him with repentant hearts, confident that He will forgive us in Jesus.

Repentance is not only confessing that what we did is wrong, but it’s telling God that with His help, we don’t want to do it again.

John continued with some very pointed words…

Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.

1 John 3:7–8

The truth about faith and sin is that it is an attitude of our hearts, attitudes that are known to us and to the Lord. So, we want our heart’s attitude to be one of SEEKing God and His Kingdom above everything else…

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.

Matthew 6:33

The LABible Notes add that there are three necessary steps to finding victory over prevailing sin:

1. Seek the power of the Holy Spirit and [truth of] God’s Word.
2. Make every effort to avoid tempting situations.
3. Ask a faith-filled friend to help hold you accountable and pray for you. (You don’t have to share specifics, just the sins. Some examples might be: angry rants, lustful thoughts, gossip, judging, and being unforgiving.)

This side of heaven, we are sinners. But that doesn’t mean it’s okay to readily give in to our sin. The truth about faith and sin is that with faith, we surrender our attitudes and actions to the Father. And we go to Him in prayer, asking Him to give us the wisdom and strength to become more like our sinless Savior, Jesus.

Let’s pray…

A Prayer to Know and Live the
Truth about Faith and Sin

Heavenly Father, thank you for revealing the truth about faith and sin. The enemy encourages us to make excuses and allow behaviors that Your Word declares sinful. When I consider the cultural changes that have developed during my lifetime, it saddens my heart.

You gave us Your commands to bless us and make our lives better. You have never wanted us to have to suffer the consequences of our selfish, sinful words and actions. Jesus added sinful attitudes to Your Commands, because they hurt our relationships and lead to sinful behaviors.

I thank you for the ways Jesus showed us Your perfect love. Thank you for how He lovingly spoke Your TRUTH. Thank you most of all for His sacrificial love that made it possible for us to be forgiven. And thank you for documenting it all in Your Word.

I want to TRUST and OBEY You perfectly, but I know that this side of heaven, my selfishness and pride will occasionally interfere with my love. Please prompt me through Your Spirit to repent quickly.

Please empower me through the Spirit to faithfully SEEK You and Your Kingdom. I want to grow in FAITH and KNOW, LOVE, and TRUST You with all that I am.

With Your help, I will sit quietly and prayerfully in Your Word each day. I will intentionally make every effort to avoid tempting situations. And I will spend time with friends who will encourage me and hold me accountable to Your TRUTH.

Please continue to work in me, molding me and making me more like Jesus. It’s in His name I pray. Amen.

This quote from John Piper states it well…

I know of no other way to triumph over sin long-term than to gain a distaste for it because of a superior satisfaction in God.

May we be so in love with the Great I AM that we make it our purpose to sin less and live each day showing Him that love!

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