Would you be surprised to know that it seems a lot of believer's answer to this is hardly but a day? Recently a pastor at my church was asked this question and his response to the question, "Can a Christian not sin for a day, a week, a month, or a year?" was "I don't think so." Of course he left himself open for criticism and said if anyone wants to teach him better to just pull him to the side. He wasn't being definitive, but always keeps an open stance because he believes the Lord can show people stuff that he is missing.
Anyways, I find it peculiar is all. This seems to be a Christian stance on sinning, that we can hardly go a day or a week without sinning. Yet, I don't find this stance in the Bible. We don't get a warning from the apostle Paul or in any of epistles stating something like, "You're not perfect. You're going to keep sinning, but keep going." or, really any statement that you will sin, but rather if you do sin (we have an Advocate with the Father).
We are told to not use our liberty as an occasion or opportunity to entertain the flesh but to serve in righteousness. We are encouraged to reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive unto God, because as Christ died and rose, we did we (represented in baptism). You'll see the epistles stating who we are in Christ. Righteous loving people, zealous of good works. All of this speaks to walking in righteousness, even saying that sin doesn't have dominion over us because we are not under the law but grace.
Why is our response to this question hardly but a day when scripture states we've been set free? Why is it so hard for a Christian to believe a believer can go a long period of time without sinning or even a short period of time? Have we not died to sin? Did not this propensity get taken from us, where we have the choice to sin (having had the old man be crucified)?
To think that the leadership in the Church believe that we cannot go any period of time without sinning is baffling. What has happened to sanctification? Does God not chastise? Do we not have the fruit of the Holy Spirit? Did not Christ die to set us free, to make us who were once dead now alive in Him, having been born-again? Where is our liberty, to not sin, but to serve in the newness of the spirit? Aren't we supposed to awake to righteousness and sin not?
This isn't talking about sinless perfectionism, this is talking about the mindset of the Church in relation to sin. They still see themselves in chains, when God says that sin shall not have dominion over you. What is the reasoning for this?
