"Sinning religion is the belief that Christians cannot avoid sin, that in fact, every Christian sins' in thought, word, and deed' every day. This pessimism concerning the possibilities of the Christian life is very pervasive and widespread, among Lutherans, Reformed, and even some Arminians. Not all would express themselves as crassly or extremely, but they share one thing in common- a doubt concerning the adequacy of grace to save from sinning in the practical wear and tear of everyday life.
The sinning religion complex is rooted not only in an inadequate doctrine of grace, and a radically erroneous doctrine of the Atonement, but also in a faulty doctrine of sin. That the man out of grace is a mass of corruption is undeniable, but that he remains such as a Christian makes mockery of the saving power of Christ and insults the sanctifying efficacy of the Holy Spirit's influences. But this affront to the power of grace is due in part to (1) the hangover of Augustinism's attachment of sinfulness in the physical body, and (2) the notion that sin is to be defined by the letter of the law rather than by the spirit. Those who cannot see the moral difference between sins and mistakes, or between the disease of sin and its scars, or between a carnal disposition and human infirmities, will of course have no place for any true freedom from sin.
The conclusion is that for Christians to talk about continual or even frequent sinning is no credit to them, and certainly a dishonor to their Lord. Only one biblical advice is to be given to sinners: Stop it!
From Beacon Dictionary of Theology.
The sinning religion complex is rooted not only in an inadequate doctrine of grace, and a radically erroneous doctrine of the Atonement, but also in a faulty doctrine of sin. That the man out of grace is a mass of corruption is undeniable, but that he remains such as a Christian makes mockery of the saving power of Christ and insults the sanctifying efficacy of the Holy Spirit's influences. But this affront to the power of grace is due in part to (1) the hangover of Augustinism's attachment of sinfulness in the physical body, and (2) the notion that sin is to be defined by the letter of the law rather than by the spirit. Those who cannot see the moral difference between sins and mistakes, or between the disease of sin and its scars, or between a carnal disposition and human infirmities, will of course have no place for any true freedom from sin.
The conclusion is that for Christians to talk about continual or even frequent sinning is no credit to them, and certainly a dishonor to their Lord. Only one biblical advice is to be given to sinners: Stop it!
From Beacon Dictionary of Theology.
