Do Christians Sin?

        Do Christians Sin?  Is it possible that Christians, real ones, believe they will always sin?  Why is it if Christ died to take away our sins, that we still see young men women and children who claim to follow Christ, sinning in their everyday lives?  Are they hypocrites?  Or is there something much more to understanding the redemptive and infinite power of the One True God?          
        I hear from many different people a slew of many different ideas about religion, especially Christianity.  Perhaps it's confusing for one who does not know God to hear from a Christian standpoint because of the many different branches of Christianity.  They look at Christians as "they can't even agree with themselves!"  Little did they know that the Bible explains that not everyone who claims to know the Lord will be saved.
    How do we know that we ourselves aren't fooling ourselves into believing that we are saved?  The Bible explains in Jeremiah that: 


"The heart is decietful above all things, and desperately wicked.  Who can know it?"
Jeremiah 17:9 

Perhaps too many people are putting their trust in their hearts, instead of God.  They rely on the sincerety of their decision, instead of the promise given to them; when in fact, their hearts are deceiving them.  The book of James explains that: 

"thus also Faith by Itself, if it does not have works, is dead." James 2:17 

    But what is "works"?  How can we difine "good works"?  Isn't "doing something" relying upon ourselves?  The point of this message today is to describe the Christian life as it should be.  The difference between sinners and saved.  In order for us to evaluate what constitutes a Christian life, we should reflect upon the life of Christ.  Let's see how Christ lived.  

"Christ suffered for you.  He left you an example.  He expects you to follow in his steps.  You too, were chosen to suffer.  Scripture says "He didnt committ any sin. No lies ever came from his mouth." 1 Peter 2:21-22

    So suffering is included in "doing good".  Suffering doesn't mean just angish or physical pain.  Suffering comes in many forms.  Tho yes, Christ did suffer and die on the cross for you and I, this verse is explaining much more than that.  Christ also suffered inward suffering.  Not giving into the sins of the world, but deliberately refusing to sin, Christ suffered.   

    Jesus was a man.  God on Earth.  The representation of our Father in Heaven.  Even tho he had powers of great proportion, Jesus still faced many of the problems we face today.  How many times have we seen a good looking woman, or man, and thought "wow! look at THAT!" Christ never did.  He refused to.  How many times have we been greedy with our money?  Christ never did.  How many times have we taken care of ourselves over someone else?  Faced addiction?  Noticed or experienced sexual immorality?  Christ refused all of these temptations, for his entire life, multiple times, and on a daily basis.  Completing a task, that nobody on Earth has ever accomplished.  

    However, suffering by "not sinning deliberatley" does not produce salvation alone.  Faith that Christ has died for out sins completes the equation.  People that do "good works" can do so without believing in Christs redemptive power.  Nothing they, nor anyone can "do" will be credited to them without faith. 

    Does this mean a follower of Christ, a 'true' follower, will never sin again?  

Romans 3:9-12  "No one is right with God, no one at all.  No one understands.  No one trusts in God.  All of them have turned away.  They have all become worthless.  No one does anything good, no one at all. "  

   So nobody, not the Pope, not the President, nor the preacher or priest is "right with God", by simply obeying the law and doing what is right.  So what does make us right?  

"They are saved because of their faith.  We firmly believe that people are made right with Godbecause of their faith."  Romans 3:27-28
"We believe in the God who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.  So God will accept our faith and make us right with Himself."  Romans 4:23-24
"Through faith in Jesus we have recieved God's grace. In that grace we stand." Romans 5:12 

    That doesn't mean that our faith alone saves us.  Faith, produces "good character".  Good character, comes from strength.  Strength, comes from the ability to withstand something. For example, patience.  A person cannot simply be patient without some sort of trial.  If there was no trial, what is there to be patient for?  Patience is 'earned' by experiencing difficult events.  A traffic jam on the way to work.  A pay-check that didn't come on time.  Instead of bickering and becoming angry, one should practice patience.  Simply know that Gos is in control and would not allow this to harm you. 

    In order to learn patience, one must "suffer through" life's trials.  Christ suffered because "...He did not sin." Not just because he died for us, but because by "not sinning" He submitted to the Lord.  

    Now, "suffering" is considered in this world as a negative.  Nobody "wants" to suffer.  But our faith in Christ has dulled our senses to suffering.  A true follower of Christ believes that suffering produces strength.  Much like life's trials can produce patience.  Therefore, suffering is a GOOD thing!  

"And that is not all!  We are full of joy, even when we suffer.  We know that suffering produces strength. Strength produces character.  Character produces hope.  And hope will never let us down."  Romans 5: 3-5

    Christians are sinners.  But this doesn't mean "willingly enjoying sin".  We sin, we feel conciously wrong for the sinful thing we've done, we ask for forgiveness, and repent. We have a hope in God that He will be just to forgive us. And we won't just repent once, but for the rest of our lives. But why is our hope so strong when our felsh is so weak? 

"But here is how God has shown His love for us.  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  Romans 5: 8-9

    Not before we were sinners.  Not after we were sinners. But while we were sinners, Christ died for us.  

    Now, repentance has a place in faith.  One cannot have faith without feeling the "need to repent".  The law of what is right and what is wrong has been made known to us.  Many people claim to have "repented once".  But does that mean a "time" of repentance? Or a "life" of repentance?

    If you stole money from a person, and apologized, but did it again... were you 'really' sorry? One must have a "want" to never do it again.

    Faith in Christ doesn;t mean repentance once in your life.  Faith in Christ is "followed" by a lifetime of repentance.  A turning away from sin.  A concious disgust of sin.  A hatred for the things that God hates and a love for the things that God loves.  A deliberate hatred for sinful acts, even ones we still do (addictions).

    Faith in Christ is a growing in holiness.  A "desire" to live a sinless life, like Christ did.  If your faith has not made you stronger, grown stronger, or created a life change; a change of heart and mind, it is not a "growing faith".  We must "desire the desire" to live Godly lives.  Constant repentance.  
    A good example of this "desire" is found written in the book of Romans.  Paul explains his desire in length: 

"We know that the law is holy.  But I am not.  I have been sold to be a slave of sin.  I don't understand what I do.  Instead, I do what I hate to do. *(still committs sin, but not willingly. Paul hates his sinful actions.)  So I agree that the law is good. As it is, I am no longer the one who does these things. It is sin living inside of me that does them.
I know that there is nothing good in my sinful nature.  I want to do what is good, but cannot.  I don't do the good things I want to do.  I keep on doing the evil things I don't want to do.  I do what I don't want to do. But I am not the one doing it.  It is sin living inside of me." Romans 7: 14-20

    We see Paul, explaining that sin is manifest in everone.  Which is why scripture says "no one is good. not even one." But sin can only control the body, if the mind is focused on God. 


Romans 7: 21-23 "Here is the law I find working in me.  When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.  Deep inside me I find joy in God's law.  But I see another law working in the parts of my body.  It fights against the law of my mind.  It makes me a prisoner to sin. That law, controls the body." 
Romans 7:25 "...So in my mind I am a slave to God's law.  But in my sinful nature I am a slave to the law of sin." 

So sin is like a curse that imprisons us, then kills us.  Everyone in the world has it, except Christ Jesus.  So what hope do we have then?


Romans 7:25 "What a terrible failure I am!  Who will save me from this sin that brings death to my body? I give thanks to God. He will do it through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Praise and glory be to our Father in Heaven, the creater of this universe.  He who presented Christ on the cross to die for our wretched bodies; yours and mine.  Let us show Him our thanks by doing what is right in His sight, and "wanting' to do that which is right. Praise His name for freeing us from the slavery of sinful nature.