Sinless perfection, the teaching that says Christians do not sin at all, is a heresy. Equally, the belief that says Christians can do nothing but sin and that sin is still the master over them
is also a heresy. The Christian who believes this has neglected to read
his/her Bible correctly. To believe such a thing implies that Jesus'
death, burial, and resurrection effected nothing in and for the
Christian. In other words, Jesus' work at Calvary was without power.
This is a gross misunderstanding of what Scripture teaches.
Sin resides in the heart of man. The heart is not the human muscle beating inside our chest. Rather, the heart refers to the core being of man. God says "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26; cf. 11:19). If God has given man a new heart—given him a new core—where does this false teaching come in that says a Christian has two natures? Only one man ever had two natures, and that was Christ Jesus, being both God and man. Men have only one nature. "Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17, emphasis mine). If man is a new creature and all things have become new, where is there place for the old men to reside, who the Bible clearly tells us was crucified with Christ?
Repeatedly throughout His ministry, Jesus told people to "sin no more" (John 5:14; 8:11). Why would Jesus tell them to do something they were apparently incapable of doing? To tell them this implies an ability not to sin (i.e., self-control). The apostle John said, "I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1 John 2:1, emphasis mine). Why would John say this if we are totally incapable of not sinning? The "if" makes no sense if the conclusion is that we have no control over whether or not we sin.
Paul told the Romans that "our old man was crucified with [Christ], in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin" (Romans 6:6), doing sin's bidding. The power and rule of sin has been broken in those who believe (Christians), for their old man was (past tense) crucified and put to death with Christ. Therefore, they are no longer enslaved to sin. Paul tells them to "consider yourselves to be dead to sin" (Romans 6:11). Christians must realize that the mastery of sin has been broken in their lives. He continues by saying, "do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts" (Romans 6:12). Why would Paul say these things if we are incapable of doing nothing but sinning? If I am to not let sin reign in my body, I must possess some form of self-control in order to prevent it from doing so. All these statements by Jesus, John, and Paul are ridiculously absurd if I do not possess the self-control to be able to do what they are telling me to do or not to do.
The Bible paints a drastically different picture than we are often led to believe. Paul tells us to "walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these [the desire of the flesh and the desire of the Spirit] are in opposition to one another [not warring against each other], so that you may not do the things that you would do [if you were not led by the Spirit]. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. ... Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit" (Galatians 5:16-18, 24-25, emphasis mine). I have just been told that if I walk in or by the Spirit, I will not gratify the desires of my flesh. If the Bible is inspired, this must be true. If it is true, I must reckon it to be so and renew my mind by living accordingly. Paul reminds us that "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit ... For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. ... For if you are living according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Romans 8:1, 5-9, 13, emphasis mine). Why contrast the two ways in which we can live if we are only able to live in perpetual sin, even after becoming a Christian?
With regard to Romans 8:1-13, the ESV Study Bible says, "The following verses then show that indwelling sin is overcome through the power of the indwelling Spirit, with ten references to the Spirit in vv. 4-11. The evidence that believers are in Christ is that the power of sin has been broken in their lives by the work of the Holy Spirit. ... By definition, Christians are not in the flesh, for all who believe in Christ are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. ... A conclusion is drawn from the previous verses. Since Christians live in the Spirit, they are no longer captive to the flesh and should no longer live according to the flesh. Those who give their lives over to the flesh will face eternal death, but those who slay the desires of the flesh through the power of the Spirit will enjoy eternal life. God and believers each have a role in sanctification: it must be by the Spirit and his power, but you put to death shows that one must take an active role in battling sinful habits."1 Christians are freed from the condemnation of sin. With regard to "But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him", in the margin of his translation William Tyndale had this written: "Christ's spirit is in all his, and the spirit is life because it consenteth unto the law. And the body that is dead because it consenteth to sin, will that spirit quicken at that last: give him lust to do the law, and will not suffer him to remain in sin." Stumble and fall into sin the Christian will, but to dive and remain in sin the Christian will not.
The apostle John makes this case: "Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. And you know that [Jesus] appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 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, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 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. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother" (1 John 3:4-10, emphasis mine). This passage really sharpens the point as to whether we have the ability to say no to sin or not. It emphasizes strikingly everything we have just looked at.
The "lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 John 2:16) are our personal lusts that ever tempt us to commit sin. James says that "each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death" (James 1:14-15, emphasis mine). Peter informs us to "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world" (1 Peter 5:8-9). Sin is never God's fault. In James 1:14-15, it is a person's evil desires that ensnare him. In 1 Peter 5:8-9, it is the devil who seeks to devour.
The fact that we are capable of resisting the temptations that lead to sin is evident in that "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13). When we are tempted by "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life", God's Spirit that dwells within us always provides a way of escape from such temptation in order that we do not sin (as the apostle John wrote in 1 John 2:1). "Even when Christians face morally confusing situations, they should never think that they have no options other than sinful ones. There will always be a morally right solution that does not require disobedience to any of God's moral laws."2
"Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him" (Colossians 3:9-10, emphasis mine). "Being renewed" is progressive sanctification. We are not made holy over night, but are compelled to strive for it. We will never achieve it in this life, but that does not mean that we do not aim for the bar. "But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth" (Ephesians 4:20-24, emphasis mine). Not only has it been done (as the previous passage revealed), but this passage informs us that we must do it. Scripture is replete with this dual responsibility. On one hand, these things have already been done. On the other, we must do them ourselves. God has done them and we must do them. For example: God has already sanctified us, yet we are told to sanctify ourselves.
"For these reasons we are constrained to regard Ephesians as furnishing no other conception of the new man or of the old man than that provided by Romans 6:6; Colossians 3:9, 10. The case is rather, that Ephesians 4:17-24 is corroboratory of the explicit emphasis of Romans 6:6 to the effect that the old man has been crucified and that this is one of the ways in which Paul announces the definitive cleavage with the world of sin, which union with Christ ensures. The old man is the unregenerate man; the new man is the regenerate man created in Christ unto good works. It is no more feasible to call the believer a new man and an old man, than it is to call him a regenerate man and an unregenerate. Neither is it warranted to speak of the believer as having in him the old man and the new man. This kind of terminology is without warrant and it is but another method of doing prejudice to the doctrine which Paul was so jealous to establish when he said, "Our old man has been crucified"."3
You see, it is possible to live a life of victory over sin. That is not to say that you will absolutely never sin whatsoever, which would be the teaching of sinless perfection. Sin's rule in and over your life has been broken. You are no longer a slave to do sin's bidding. You are not at sin's beck and call. When sin knocks on your door, you do not have to answer or open up to it. Christ's Spirit will not suffer a Christian to remain in habitual sin. The entire New Testament teaches us this. To believe otherwise is to be willingly ignorant of what Scripture has to say. We are not sinless Christians, we are sin-less Christians; i.e., as our sanctification progresses, we should be sinning less and less.
Sin resides in the heart of man. The heart is not the human muscle beating inside our chest. Rather, the heart refers to the core being of man. God says "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26; cf. 11:19). If God has given man a new heart—given him a new core—where does this false teaching come in that says a Christian has two natures? Only one man ever had two natures, and that was Christ Jesus, being both God and man. Men have only one nature. "Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17, emphasis mine). If man is a new creature and all things have become new, where is there place for the old men to reside, who the Bible clearly tells us was crucified with Christ?
Repeatedly throughout His ministry, Jesus told people to "sin no more" (John 5:14; 8:11). Why would Jesus tell them to do something they were apparently incapable of doing? To tell them this implies an ability not to sin (i.e., self-control). The apostle John said, "I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1 John 2:1, emphasis mine). Why would John say this if we are totally incapable of not sinning? The "if" makes no sense if the conclusion is that we have no control over whether or not we sin.
Paul told the Romans that "our old man was crucified with [Christ], in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin" (Romans 6:6), doing sin's bidding. The power and rule of sin has been broken in those who believe (Christians), for their old man was (past tense) crucified and put to death with Christ. Therefore, they are no longer enslaved to sin. Paul tells them to "consider yourselves to be dead to sin" (Romans 6:11). Christians must realize that the mastery of sin has been broken in their lives. He continues by saying, "do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts" (Romans 6:12). Why would Paul say these things if we are incapable of doing nothing but sinning? If I am to not let sin reign in my body, I must possess some form of self-control in order to prevent it from doing so. All these statements by Jesus, John, and Paul are ridiculously absurd if I do not possess the self-control to be able to do what they are telling me to do or not to do.
The Bible paints a drastically different picture than we are often led to believe. Paul tells us to "walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these [the desire of the flesh and the desire of the Spirit] are in opposition to one another [not warring against each other], so that you may not do the things that you would do [if you were not led by the Spirit]. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. ... Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit" (Galatians 5:16-18, 24-25, emphasis mine). I have just been told that if I walk in or by the Spirit, I will not gratify the desires of my flesh. If the Bible is inspired, this must be true. If it is true, I must reckon it to be so and renew my mind by living accordingly. Paul reminds us that "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit ... For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. ... For if you are living according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Romans 8:1, 5-9, 13, emphasis mine). Why contrast the two ways in which we can live if we are only able to live in perpetual sin, even after becoming a Christian?
With regard to Romans 8:1-13, the ESV Study Bible says, "The following verses then show that indwelling sin is overcome through the power of the indwelling Spirit, with ten references to the Spirit in vv. 4-11. The evidence that believers are in Christ is that the power of sin has been broken in their lives by the work of the Holy Spirit. ... By definition, Christians are not in the flesh, for all who believe in Christ are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. ... A conclusion is drawn from the previous verses. Since Christians live in the Spirit, they are no longer captive to the flesh and should no longer live according to the flesh. Those who give their lives over to the flesh will face eternal death, but those who slay the desires of the flesh through the power of the Spirit will enjoy eternal life. God and believers each have a role in sanctification: it must be by the Spirit and his power, but you put to death shows that one must take an active role in battling sinful habits."1 Christians are freed from the condemnation of sin. With regard to "But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him", in the margin of his translation William Tyndale had this written: "Christ's spirit is in all his, and the spirit is life because it consenteth unto the law. And the body that is dead because it consenteth to sin, will that spirit quicken at that last: give him lust to do the law, and will not suffer him to remain in sin." Stumble and fall into sin the Christian will, but to dive and remain in sin the Christian will not.
The apostle John makes this case: "Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. And you know that [Jesus] appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 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, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 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. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother" (1 John 3:4-10, emphasis mine). This passage really sharpens the point as to whether we have the ability to say no to sin or not. It emphasizes strikingly everything we have just looked at.
The "lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 John 2:16) are our personal lusts that ever tempt us to commit sin. James says that "each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death" (James 1:14-15, emphasis mine). Peter informs us to "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world" (1 Peter 5:8-9). Sin is never God's fault. In James 1:14-15, it is a person's evil desires that ensnare him. In 1 Peter 5:8-9, it is the devil who seeks to devour.
The fact that we are capable of resisting the temptations that lead to sin is evident in that "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13). When we are tempted by "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life", God's Spirit that dwells within us always provides a way of escape from such temptation in order that we do not sin (as the apostle John wrote in 1 John 2:1). "Even when Christians face morally confusing situations, they should never think that they have no options other than sinful ones. There will always be a morally right solution that does not require disobedience to any of God's moral laws."2
"Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him" (Colossians 3:9-10, emphasis mine). "Being renewed" is progressive sanctification. We are not made holy over night, but are compelled to strive for it. We will never achieve it in this life, but that does not mean that we do not aim for the bar. "But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth" (Ephesians 4:20-24, emphasis mine). Not only has it been done (as the previous passage revealed), but this passage informs us that we must do it. Scripture is replete with this dual responsibility. On one hand, these things have already been done. On the other, we must do them ourselves. God has done them and we must do them. For example: God has already sanctified us, yet we are told to sanctify ourselves.
"For these reasons we are constrained to regard Ephesians as furnishing no other conception of the new man or of the old man than that provided by Romans 6:6; Colossians 3:9, 10. The case is rather, that Ephesians 4:17-24 is corroboratory of the explicit emphasis of Romans 6:6 to the effect that the old man has been crucified and that this is one of the ways in which Paul announces the definitive cleavage with the world of sin, which union with Christ ensures. The old man is the unregenerate man; the new man is the regenerate man created in Christ unto good works. It is no more feasible to call the believer a new man and an old man, than it is to call him a regenerate man and an unregenerate. Neither is it warranted to speak of the believer as having in him the old man and the new man. This kind of terminology is without warrant and it is but another method of doing prejudice to the doctrine which Paul was so jealous to establish when he said, "Our old man has been crucified"."3
You see, it is possible to live a life of victory over sin. That is not to say that you will absolutely never sin whatsoever, which would be the teaching of sinless perfection. Sin's rule in and over your life has been broken. You are no longer a slave to do sin's bidding. You are not at sin's beck and call. When sin knocks on your door, you do not have to answer or open up to it. Christ's Spirit will not suffer a Christian to remain in habitual sin. The entire New Testament teaches us this. To believe otherwise is to be willingly ignorant of what Scripture has to say. We are not sinless Christians, we are sin-less Christians; i.e., as our sanctification progresses, we should be sinning less and less.
1The ESV Study Bible, p. 2170.
2Ibid., p. 2205.
3John Murray, Principles of Conduct: Aspects of Biblical Ethics, p. 218.
2Ibid., p. 2205.
3John Murray, Principles of Conduct: Aspects of Biblical Ethics, p. 218.