Can a Christian live the rest of their life without sinning?

[Utah]

Is it possible for a Christian (you!) to live the rest of your life without committing a single act of sin?

I live and drive in New Jersey. Ain't happening.

 

[Utah]

This is nothing but total nonsense and confusion. If you have truly been set free from sin, THEN YOU WILL NOT STILL BE SINNING EVERY DAY! Good Lord what nonsense! If you are still sinning then you have not truly been set free from sin, how hard is that concept for people to grasp? Oh my.

EVERY DAY makes a big difference. It keeps things real.

 

[LaurenTM]

Which of you convinces me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do you not believe me?

“You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”

 

[eternally-gratefull]

I live and drive in New Jersey. Ain't happening.

at least your honest. And I agree.. WHo can live anywhere on the east coast and not get road anger from time to time..

 

[Stunnedbygrace]

We often in our modern evangelical world look at sin as only the "biggie" sins and if we don't do them ( like adultery, stealing..etc ) - then we can live sin free.

The reality is that malice and slander and hypocrisy, and envy...etc - are just as much sin as living the homosexual lifestyle.

It's interesting that some that say others are lawless ( even though they don't know their life at all ) and say to walk in purity and righteousness are the very same ones that think it's perfectly natural and ok to slander others and exhibit malice towards them.

These are just like the ones living the so-called Christian homosexual lifestyle only they don't see themselves as the same as this group - but in reality - in God's eyes...they are doing the exact same thing.

This is not living a life that is sinless.

Yes. After the apostle says that we know murderers, etc., will not enter heaven, look at what he says next.
He says, but you who condemn them, why do you do the same things?
They weren't doing the things outwardly as those who they condemned were doing. They were actually doing these things in the very temple of God, weren't they...?!
So who will receive the greater condemnation?

 

[20]

The Christians of full age can live the rest of their life without sinning KJV 1John5;18,18. We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.;How he keepeth himself? He use have his senses exercised to discern both good and evil. KJV Hebrews5;14, 14. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. But the baby Christians can't live without sin They didn't have this kind of senses KJV 1Corinthians3;1-3,1.And I,bretheren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.2.I have fed you with milk, and not with meat; for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.3.For ye are yet carnal;for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?; As soon as possible they need to get out of it.

 

[Stunnedbygrace]

Addendum to post #21: As I said at the beginning, my question is only talking about known sins we commit voluntarily. If you add sins that we commit ignorantly and unknowingly then it would seemingly become impossible - and as many of you say, and I agree - that the person who says "I am 100 percent righteous and I don't sin" is only deceiving himself.

I always come to this: what is the difference between being counted righteous through faith and being made holy?

 

[Stunnedbygrace]

Forget not sinning for a life time. How about not sinning for a day? Does anyone think that is possible? You see, God's word says that all things are possible with God and so it seems that might just be possible. I am not saying that it has happened or will happen but that it is possible.

VVhat does it mean that there is a possibility to go a day without sin? It doesn't mean anything in terms of our salvation. If we go one day without sin it doesn't balance the days we have sinned. That would be like the concept of reincarnation, eventually reaching a balance of right and wrong. So while it holds no value in terms of our justification, what value would it hold?

All in all, why do we even want to sin less at all? VVhat gain is there in sinning less? Just maybe we've learned from God that love leads to a better life. A better experience. Sin is void of love, so to go a day without sin would mean you chose that day to love. To love others, God, and self. The question, I guess, is what significance is there in us sinning less or even not at all? VVe've been set free from sin, we are dead to it. Our victory over sin has what significance, if even sin doesn't condemn us before God on account of Jesus? Is it simply, to love?

There is great significance...!
But what is in our heart is of the greatest importance. WHY do we want to not sin?

 

[Stunnedbygrace]

Yes!

1 John 3:4-9
[SUP]4 [/SUP]Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. [SUP]5 [/SUP]You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. [SUP]6[/SUP]No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. [SUP]7 [/SUP]Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; [SUP]8 [/SUP]the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. [SUP]9 [/SUP]No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

We cannot sin when we abide in God!

Another way of saying this is that when we sin, we have stopped abiding in Him.

 

[Stunnedbygrace]

This is nothing but total nonsense and confusion. If you have truly been set free from sin, THEN YOU WILL NOT STILL BE SINNING EVERY DAY! Good Lord what nonsense! If you are still sinning then you have not truly been set free from sin, how hard is that concept for people to grasp? Oh my.

I think there is a misunderstanding over being freed/pardoned from the wages of sin and being freed from sinning...

 

[Chester]

Hello Chester. I was also wondering if there is someone out there who is living a life not commiting any sin for the rest of his life. Because I would love to meet him. I can only speak for myself and what the Bible tells. Roman 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. I'm a Christian. I make mistakes, I mess up and no matter how I try I will never become perfect in this world. But I hope someday I will in Heaven.

I believe that it is impossible for us to be like our God Jesus Christ who have not sinned and lived a perfect life here on earth.

But we can prevent sinning by reading the Scriptures, and through the help of the Holy Spirit who can live in us if we surrender our life to Jesus Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to enter in our life to lead and help us prevent from sinning.

However, we live in a world that is pure of evil. As long as we are here on earth, we will always struggle in temptation and sin. We always need the help of the Holy Spirit to fight against evil so we can live a life that is pleasing to God. God bless!

I don't think you will find a Christian who has not "sinned" for the last year, or even the last month. But, the point here is that it is possible to live above sin because we have the Holy Spirit living in us. Yes, we are likely to sin, and all of us do (sadly!), but when we do, it is our own fault that we take our own selfish way.

The point of my thread is to get Christians to see the victory available in Christ. I see too much of saying/thinking - Oh, all Christians sin, so it doesn't really matter - I can't really live victoriously anyway, OH, everybody does it . . . etc.

 

[Chester]

It is possible to abstain from sin for the rest of your life,being led of the Spirit,when you first receive the Spirit,for with God nothing is impossible.

But I doubt it will ever occur,and if it does it would be a rare case,for when people are saved,and receive the Spirit,being babes in Christ,they have a tendency to stumble at that time,for they are babes teetering trying to stand up,and fall down sometimes,but there is a lot of little things we do that is sin,but we do not take them that serious.

All sin can be forgiven,even if a person lives in sin for a year,it can still be forgiven.

If we were sinless then it would not be possible for us to sin,it would be impossible for us to sin,we would not have the capacity to sin,but the Bible says that if we sin after we are saved,we have an advocate with the Father,Jesus Christ,the righteous,so after we are saved,and led by the Spirit,if we desire to sin we can sin,so we cannot be sinless.

But that is us as a human,if we are led by the Spirit we can abstain from sin,and we will not sin,but we as a human are still not sinless,for in the flesh dwells no good thing,so we will always be sinners according to our human nature,but all we have to do is accept ignoring the human nature,and being led of the Spirit,and we can abstain from sin,for the Spirit makes it easier on us to be able to abstain from sin,for God will not allow us to be tempted above measure,and will cause us to escape the temptation,and the Spirit will keep our focus on doing right,and give us a desire to do right,which the world cannot have that power.

You brought up 3 good points,which seem to be about the 3 most common things a Christian will do,that is wrong.

Or, not witnessing to a person when the Holy Spirit prompts you to

Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Jas 4:13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
Jas 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
Jas 4:15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

Ecc 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

Luk 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

We do not always do what the Spirit wants us to do,for if we did,the saints would be busy as ants on this planet,laboring for the kingdom of God.

I would say the vast majority would violate this,at one time,or another.


Or, buying an extra fishing rod you don't need or won't use (and you clearly know the Spirit says - "don't buy it!)

Act 2:44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
Act 2:45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

Act 4:34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
Act 4:35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

1Ti 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
1Ti 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

We tend to like to buy something that is a personal item,instead of giving the money to someone in need,and has nothing to do with the kingdom of God.

I would say the vast majority violate this,at one time,or another.

Or, refusing to talk to Mr. "Snooty" at a party because you don't like his attitude
etc

Heb 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.

Rom 12:20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

Isa 65:5 Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.

A lot of people violate this also,but probably not the vast majority,and if so some of the time it will be mild.

It is doubtful that after a person is saved,they will live sinless for the rest of their life,without a pause every now and then to let the flesh have its way,but some people will not let it become a habit,and it will be in tiny things,like the 3 topics you mentioned,for not everybody ignores the Spirit in big things,and some people might not be aware sometimes what the Spirit wants,and some might purchase an inexpensive item,and might talk about someone but not in too bad of context.

But the 3 topics that you mentioned seem to be the 3 topics that most people will violate,at least one or the other,but I believe all 3.

I think pride would be a big one that might crop up on some Christians,for that is a temptation that would rear its ugly head a lot,why,because the world is based on selfishness,arrogance,and self exaltation,which not everybody feels comfortable doing on the same level,as in a big way,but it is still there.

Look how a lot of Christians go at it,retaliating against each other.

Look at youtube,where vegans are against people that eat meat,but the vegans are against the vegans,making videos not only about dogging out the meat eaters,but the vegans too,and the weightlifters are dogging out the other weightlifters,and whatever subject group,is dogging each other out,and dogging other people out,in the videos they make,and the Christians dogging other Christians,and other people,in their videos,all the while the people that post comments to those videos,are having a field day with each other,dogging each other out,calling each other names,for that is the nature of people to be above other people.

Ah, excellent post!

 

[Vdp]

IF we abide in Jesus we cannot sin. When we take our eyes off of Jesus is when we can sin. So, as long as we abide in Jesus we cannot sin.

 

[Chester]

IF we abide in Jesus we cannot sin. When we take our eyes off of Jesus is when we can sin. So, as long as we abide in Jesus we cannot sin.

I agree with you depending on how you interpret "abide in Jesus".

Every time we sin we do take our eyes off Jesus and thus in one sense we are not "abiding" in Him.
But at a deeper level if our faith is still in Jesus we are still "abiding" in him at the spirit level even if in the flesh we are sinning.

 

[Stunnedbygrace]

I agree with you depending on how you interpret "abide in Jesus".

Every time we sin we do take our eyes off Jesus and thus in one sense we are not "abiding" in Him.
But at a deeper level if our faith is still in Jesus we are still "abiding" in him at the spirit level even if in the flesh we are sinning.

We should work on this! It's very confusing, isn't it?
I believe it is impossible to sin outwardly without having first sinned inwardly. It is what comes from inside of us that defiles us.
If the inside of the cup is clean, the outside just will be as well.

When you say "take your eyes off Jesus", what do you mean?
GM by the way!

 

[Kosie]

Chester ABIDE IN not focus on. To focus on is still outside Jesus. Here is an idea you can think about for a while and then many verses will have a lot more meaning for you.
We follow the Spirit as he LEADS! but We are driven by the Spirit when HE REMAINETH IN US. And God says he and the Son will make their ABODE with the one who loves Him and He loves that one. When God (Father and Son) makes His abode in us we re HID IN HIM, and we will NEVER get OUT of Him. Here is the Scriptures as proof:

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Chester we will be hid there untill the day of the Lord then we shall appear WITH HIM.... Man the place to be is IN HIM! Today!

 

[Chester]

We should work on this! It's very confusing, isn't it?
I believe it is impossible to sin outwardly without having first sinned inwardly. It is what comes from inside of us that defiles us.
If the inside of the cup is clean, the outside just will be as well.

When you say "take your eyes off Jesus", what do you mean?
GM by the way!

I think it could be possible to sin outwardly without having sinned inwardly:

Example: A newly born again Christian may say a swear word the next day after his new birth, but it is simply our of habit, not because he is actually "angry" inside. Of course, you might say the swearing still comes from something internal that was not changed at his new birth - and that could be true - As you say - a lot of this depends on what we mean by our terms.

But I do agree that most of the time our outward actions will come directly from an internal issue
Example: I yell at my wife - it comes from an internal anger/bitterness toward her

I believe (I will approach this from the viewpoint of my understanding rather than just putting proof texts to what I say) that when a person is born again that their spirit is changed from the old nature/man to the new man/nature and that the Holy Spirit comes and lives in their spirit. For the Christian this never changes (the Spirit lives in them at their spirit level). Then as I live out of that spirit level reality I am "abiding" in Christ.

But, if I look at the appetites of my flesh, and follow them I may sin (probably will sin!). This would be what I meant by "take your eyes off Jesus". But the Spirit of God is still living in me and I am still a Christian.

 

[seed_time_harvest]

I always come to this: what is the difference between being counted righteous through faith and being made holy?

The person Is counted righteous through faith means that the person has believed GOD and has been saved(spirit made perfect)and truly holy positionally,after that their Is what we call progressive sanctification,Paul said that by the mercies of GOD that we should present our bodies a living sacrifice,holy,acceptable unto GOD which Is your reasonable service.

 

[Stunnedbygrace]

I think it could be possible to sin outwardly without having sinned inwardly:

Example: A newly born again Christian may say a swear word the next day after his new birth, but it is simply our of habit, not because he is actually "angry" inside. Of course, you might say the swearing still comes from something internal that was not changed at his new birth - and that could be true - As you say - a lot of this depends on what we mean by our terms.

But I do agree that most of the time our outward actions will come directly from an internal issue
Example: I yell at my wife - it comes from an internal anger/bitterness toward her

I believe (I will approach this from the viewpoint of my understanding rather than just putting proof texts to what I say) that when a person is born again that their spirit is changed from the old nature/man to the new man/nature and that the Holy Spirit comes and lives in their spirit. For the Christian this never changes (the Spirit lives in them at their spirit level). Then as I live out of that spirit level reality I am "abiding" in Christ.

But, if I look at the appetites of my flesh, and follow them I may sin (probably will sin!). This would be what I meant by "take your eyes off Jesus". But the Spirit of God is still living in me and I am still a Christian.

Hmm...you mean like...saying "chit" when you spill a glass of milk?
I can't see that is a sin. If nothing wrong was being done inwardly, then the outside just follows, doesn't it?
But if the inside was doing wrong (anger at or resentment toward someone or impatient anger) and that is how the words were said, like anger at someone else for spilling the milk, that would be sin inside that proceeds outward.
The sin is inside and then proceeds outward sometimes but it is sin even if it doesn't proceed outward for men to see.

It depends on what the heart is doing. That is why so many times when someone asks, is this or that a sin? - the answer is, it depends on what your heart was doing...

I guess I think that what you have described as outward sin but without inward sin is what I would describe as...not sin at all...

 

[seed_time_harvest]

Hmm...you mean like...saying "chit" when you spill a glass of milk?
I can't see that is a sin. If nothing wrong was being done inwardly, then the outside just follows, doesn't it?
But if the inside was doing wrong (anger at or resentment toward someone or impatient anger) and that is how the words were said, like anger at someone else for spilling the milk, that would be sin inside that proceeds outward.
The sin is inside and then proceeds outward sometimes but it is sin even if it doesn't proceed outward for men to see.

It depends on what the heart is doing. That is why so many times when someone asks, is this or that a sin? - the answer is, it depends on what your heart was doing...

I guess I think that what you have described as outward sin but without inward sin is what I would describe as...not sin at all...

It may not be a sin to you but what about your neighbor?