Do we all continue to sin?

[steveo]

I am a believer! However, I find myself always questioning
myself. I continue to sin! Little things I guess, but I do.
When I really think about, I sin everyday. Is this normal?
Am I truly saved? I have made great changes, but I feel
like I am missing the mark.

[IMSAVED]

We all sin everyday.1John 1:8 "If we say that we have no sin,we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us".We will not be perfect until we get to Heaven.

[steveo]

I would like to clarify some of my sins. I understand the
10 commandments, but details is my issue. I work in a
prison and yes, I cuss like a sailor. I think my own kids
think their name is Jesus Christ as much as I say it! I drink
With friends and really enjoy the friendships. Are these true
sins? I really dont know.

[IMSAVED]

Maybe this will be helpful.

http://www.gotquestions.org/victory-over-sin.html

Question: "How can I overcome sin in my Christian life?"

Answer: The Bible presents several different resources to aid us in our effort to overcome sin. In this lifetime, we will never be perfectly victorious over sin (1 John 1:8), but that should still be our goal. With God’s help, and by following the principles of His Word, we can progressively overcome sin and become more and more like Christ.

The first resource the Bible mentions in our effort to overcome sin is the Holy Spirit. God has given us the Holy Spirit so we can be victorious in Christian living. God contrasts the deeds of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:16-25. In that passage we are called upon to walk in the Spirit. All believers already possess the Holy Spirit, but this passage tells us that we need to walk in the Spirit, yielding to His control. This means choosing to consistently follow the Holy Spirit's prompting in our lives rather than following the flesh.

The difference the Holy Spirit can make is demonstrated in the life of Peter, who, before being filled with the Holy Spirit, denied Jesus three times—and this after he had said he would follow Christ to the death. After being filled with the Spirit, he spoke openly and strongly to the Jews at Pentecost.

We walk in the Spirit as we try not to quench the Spirit's promptings (as spoken of in 1 Thessalonians 5:19) and seek instead to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18-21). How is one filled with the Holy Spirit? First of all, it is of God's choosing even as it was in the Old Testament. He selected individuals to accomplish a work that He wanted done and filled them with His Spirit (Genesis 41:38; Exodus 31:3; Numbers 24:2; 1 Samuel 10:10). There is evidence in Ephesians 5:18-21 and Colossians 3:16 that God chooses to fill those who are filling themselves with the Word of God. This leads us to the second resource.

The Word of God, the Bible, says that God has given us His Word to equip us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It teaches us how to live and what to believe, it reveals to us when we have chosen wrong paths, it helps us get back on the right path, and it helps us to stay on that path. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the Word of God is living and powerful, able to penetrate to our hearts to root out and overcome the deepest sins of heart and attitude. The psalmist talks about its life-changing power in-depth in Psalm 119. Joshua was told that the key to success in overcoming his enemies was not to forget this resource but instead to meditate on it day and night and obey it. This he did, even when what God commanded did not make sense militarily, and this was the key to his victory in his battles for the Promised Land.

The Bible is a resource that we too often treat lightly. We give token service to it by carrying our Bibles to church or reading a daily devotional or a chapter a day, but we fail to memorize it, meditate on it, or apply it to our lives; we fail to confess the sins it reveals or praise God for the gifts it reveals to us. When it comes to the Bible, we are often either anorexic or bulimic. We either take in just enough to keep us alive spiritually by eating from the Word (but never ingesting enough to be healthy, thriving Christians), or we come to feed often but never meditate on it long enough to get spiritual nutrition from it.

It is important, if you have not made a habit of daily studying and memorizing God's Word, that you begin to do so. Some find it helpful start a journal. Make it a habit not to leave the Word until you have written down something you have gained from it. Some record prayers to God, asking Him to help them change in the areas that He has spoken to them about. The Bible is the tool the Spirit uses in our lives (Ephesians 6:17), an essential and major part of the armor that God gives us to fight our spiritual battles (Ephesians 6:12-18).

A third crucial resource in our battle against sin is prayer. Again, it is a resource that Christians often give lip service to but make poor use of. We have prayer meetings, times of prayer, etc., but we do not use prayer in the same way as the early church (Acts 3:1; 4:31; 6:4; 13:1-3). Paul repeatedly mentions how he prayed for those he ministered to. God has given us wonderful promises concerning prayer (Matthew 7:7-11; Luke 18:1-8; John 6:23-27; 1 John 5:14-15), and Paul includes prayer in his passage on preparing for spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:18).

How important is prayer to overcoming sin in our lives? We have Christ's words to Peter in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before Peter's denial. As Jesus prays, Peter is sleeping. Jesus wakes him and says, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak” (Matthew 26:41). We, like Peter, want to do what is right but are not finding the strength. We need to follow God's admonition to keep seeking, keep knocking, keep asking—and He will give us the strength that we need (Matthew 7:7). Prayer is not a magic formula. Prayer is simply acknowledging our own limitations and God's inexhaustible power and turning to Him for that strength to do what He wants us to do, not what we want to do (1 John 5:14-15).

A fourth resource in our war to conquer sin is the church, the fellowship of other believers. When Jesus sent His disciples out, He sent them out two-by-two (Matthew 10:1). The missionaries in Acts did not go out one at a time, but in groups of two or more. Jesus commands us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together but to use that time for encouraging one another in love and good works (Hebrews 10:24). He tells us to confess our faults to one another (James 5:16). In the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, we are told that as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17). There is strength in numbers (Ecclesiastes 4:11-12).

Many Christians find that having an accountability partner can be a huge benefit in overcoming stubborn sins. Having another person who can talk with you, pray with you, encourage you, and even rebuke you is of great value. Temptation is common to us all (1 Corinthians 10:13). Having an accountability partner or an accountability group can give us the final dose of encouragement and motivation we need to overcome even the most stubborn of sins.

Sometimes victory over sin comes quickly. Other times, victory comes more slowly. God has promised that as we make use of His resources, He will progressively bring about change in our lives. We can persevere in our efforts to overcome sin because we know that He is faithful to His promises.

[Shannon9602]

Just because we are saved does not give us the license to sin. However, we are not perfect. Jesus is perfect. We will fall after we are saved. God does not test us. He gave us the free will. We are all sinners and temptation to sin will always be there. The only difference is repentence. We allowed the holy spirit to live in us to let us know what is right and wrong. While we have the holy spirit living in us, we repent and strive to be perfect. Don't expect that to be perfect over night. It may take some work and self control to stop cussing for example. And have a relationship with Jesus to help you overcome your sin.

[IMSAVED]

Just because we are saved does not give us the license to sin. However, we are not perfect. Jesus is perfect. We will fall after we are saved. God does not test us. He gave us the free will. We are all sinners and temptation to sin will always be there. The only difference is repentence. We allowed the holy spirit to live in us to let us know what is right and wrong. While we have the holy spirit living in us, we repent and strive to be perfect. Don't expect that to be perfect over night. It may take some work and self control to stop cussing for example. And have a relationship with Jesus to help you overcome your sin.

Yes,after I gave my life to Christ it took some time for me to want to sacrifice my life to Christ totally.I prayed to God that he is the potter and I am the clay.Please make me into the person that you want me to be.God is not done with me yet but I am walking a most closer walk with Him.

[steveo]

THANK YOU! You were very helpful.

[PickensSlim]

I am a believer! However, I find myself always questioning
myself. I continue to sin! Little things I guess, but I do.
When I really think about, I sin everyday. Is this normal?
Am I truly saved? I have made great changes, but I feel
like I am missing the mark.

I'm paraphrasing here.

Paul said that he didn't do the things that he wanted to do and did the things that he didn't want to do. Referring to his sin.

Also paraphrasing,

Be perfect and do not sin. When you do sin you have an advocate.

[savedbygracethrufaith]

Read Chapter s 7 & 8 of Romans and you will see that although we are a new creation we still have the old sinful flesh within us. Temptation to sin will be a constant battle throughout your life though.

Temptation to sin will come. You need a plan for handling that temptation when it does come. Mine is called the 3 c's. When temptation comes:

1. Call a timeout
2. Confess your desire to sin to God
3. Choose to yield to the Holy Spirit rather than the temptaion

If you simply resist the temptaion by your own power you will be less succssful than if you resist it through the Holy Spirit.

Disclaimer: The 3c's is not my original idea. Don't know where I got it from so I can't give proper credit. If you thunk it up, feel free to claim it!

[IMSAVED]

Read Chapter s 7 & 8 of Romans and you will see that although we are a new creation we still have the old sinful flesh within us. Temptation to sin will be a constant battle throughout your life though.

Temptation to sin will come. You need a plan for handling that temptation when it does come. Mine is called the 3 c's. When temptation comes:

1. Call a timeout
2. Confess your desire to sin to God
3. Choose to yield to the Holy Spirit rather than the temptaion

If you simply resist the temptaion by your own power you will be less succssful than if you resist it through the Holy Spirit.

Disclaimer: The 3c's is not my original idea. Don't know where I got it from so I can't give proper credit. If you thunk it up, feel free to claim it!

Yes,temptation is a big one.Satan loves it.Good post

[Genesis22]

It's safe to say that most Christians still sin sometimes after being saved. Paul wrote in the bible that after he was saved he still gave into temptation and did "the very thing he hated". Once you are saved, you are saved even from the sins you haven't done yet. Granted, that doesn't mean we should continue sinning after we're saved...it just means we won't go to hell or face God's anger if we do.

I wouldn't say that absolutely everyone does, because the bible says that there are some people who haven't sinned in the same likeness as Adam (meaning they haven't sinned on their own, but they still have original sin inside of them). That seems to be very rare and I don't know anyone who had never sinned on their own- but according to Paul's writing, it seems to be possible. We need to strive to be like that, but realize that we are still under God's grace even when we fail.

[IMSAVED]

It's safe to say that most Christians still sin sometimes after being saved. Paul wrote in the bible that after he was saved he still gave into temptation and did "the very thing he hated". Once you are saved, you are saved even from the sins you haven't done yet. Granted, that doesn't mean we should continue sinning after we're saved...it just means we won't go to hell or face God's anger if we do.

I wouldn't say that absolutely everyone does, because the bible says that there are some people who haven't sinned in the same likeness as Adam (meaning they haven't sinned on their own, but they still have original sin inside of them). That seems to be very rare and I don't know anyone who had never sinned on their own- but according to Paul's writing, it seems to be possible. We need to strive to be like that, but realize that we are still under God's grace even when we fail.

Are you saying that some people never sin?

[Genesis22]

I was referring to Romans 5:14. I may have understood it wrong though; please let me know if I did. Either way, everyone has sin in them before being saved.

Infants for example. They have sin in them, but not because they've ever done anything wrong on their own. It's because the whole human race is contaminated with sin. I don't know if that's the case for any adults or not, but that's what I thought that verse meant when it said that some people "didn't sin in the likeness of Adam".

[PeeDee]

You shouldn't take God's name in vain. Just remember when you do your calling God names that should help you stop As for the drinking with friends i would talk to some people who know more then more on bible study but doesn't God say no drunkards in heaven?? I don't drink but is it ok to?? What's a drunk once week once?? once a day?? I feel like you should make sure you aren't what God is referring to as a drunkard. Don't listen to me though i'm still verying confusion on salvation

[TaliaKirana]

I think it's okay to have the occasional glass of wine or beer, as long as you're not getting drunk. Alcohol is not condemned in the Bible, drunkenness is. Now, I personally choose not to drink alcohol... but I'm not bothered by those who do.

[IMSAVED]

I think it's okay to have the occasional glass of wine or beer, as long as you're not getting drunk. Alcohol is not condemned in the Bible, drunkenness is. Now, I personally choose not to drink alcohol... but I'm not bothered by those who do.

I agree.The Bible says that dunkenness is a sin not having a drink once in awhile.

You shouldn't take God's name in vain. Just remember when you do your calling God names that should help you stop As for the drinking with friends i would talk to some people who know more then more on bible study but doesn't God say no drunkards in heaven?? I don't drink but is it ok to?? What's a drunk once week once?? once a day?? I feel like you should make sure you aren't what God is referring to as a drunkard. Don't listen to me though i'm still verying confusion on salvation

We are not to use God's name in vain as a Christian.The use of bad language is a very bad habit.I used to do it years ago.I really had to stay focused on what I was saying. I asked God to help me with my bad language.Be a Godly example to your wife and your Children.We need to be the salt and light of this Earth as followers of Christ.Allow your wife and Children to see Christ through you and your actions.

[Hootmon]

It's safe to say that most Christians still sin sometimes after being saved. Paul wrote in the bible that after he was saved he still gave into temptation and did "the very thing he hated". Once you are saved, you are saved even from the sins you haven't done yet. Granted, that doesn't mean we should continue sinning after we're saved...it just means we won't go to hell or face God's anger if we do.

I wouldn't say that absolutely everyone does, because the bible says that there are some people who haven't sinned in the same likeness as Adam (meaning they haven't sinned on their own, but they still have original sin inside of them). That seems to be very rare and I don't know anyone who had never sinned on their own- but according to Paul's writing, it seems to be possible. We need to strive to be like that, but realize that we are still under God's grace even when we fail.

I think you may be confusing 'sin' with 'iniquity'.

Sin is an action. The word literally means 'missing the mark', like an archer shooting an arrow missing the bullseye. So the notion of having 'sins you havent done yet' is an error, IMO. Sinning requires some level of cooperation by the sinner.

Iniquity, however, is the tendency of 'the flesh' to take temptation and act on it, thereby resulting in sin. It has been part of 'human nature' since the Fall.

The incarnate Jesus was the only in-the-flesh human who had no iniquity. That was how He could be 'tempted like us in all ways' and still not sin. Its not something the rest of us can do, though some come closer than others.