The word “Saved” is a very significant word among evangelical believers. But what does this word mean? The word saved implies that we are in GRAVE danger until we are SAVED. The question is “Saved from what?” For if saved, we were saved from something very dangerous – even deadly – SIN. However, many profess to be “Saved” with no reference to sin whatsoever:
- Some say “I am saved because I professed my faith, was baptized and joined the church.”
- Others say “I just kept praying until a good feeling came over me, and I was saved.”
- Some say, “I decided to turn over a new life” and got saved.
- Still some say “I just decided I would join the church with my friends and I got saved.”
- One man said, “I was saved years ago and joined the church but experienced “no change at all.” “Did you repent when you got saved?” “No, I just got saved – I never heard of repentance.”
Note that in all these common testimonies there is no mention of sin at all. That raises the question, “Were any of these persons saved? Are there millions of “so called” saved persons, who are not saved at all because they were not saved from their sins, and being saved from our sins is exactly what it means to be saved.
That raises the all-important question, What is the true Christian’s relation to sin? Many Christians are troubled by the words in 1 John 3:9, “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” As translated this would mean a Saved or Christian person never commits one sin at all. Yet not even Paul confessed to live a “sinless life,” (Phil. 3:13-14) and 1 John 3:9 does not teach such, when we correctly translate from the Greek. The words, “does not commit” is present tense or what is called linear tense, which means “Whosoever is born of God does not continue to practice sin, for his seed continues to remain in him, and he cannot continue in the habit of sin because he is born of God.”
In 1 John 2:1 God commands that we “sin not,” but then says if you commit an act of sin (not a practice of) you have an advocate with God the Father. “It’s one thing to have occasional sin in your life. It’s another thing for sin to have dominion over you. Sin does not rule over the life of a genuine Christian. Those who are born of God cannot continue in the habit and practice of sin, because the seed of God lives in them. What is this seed of God? John uses the Greek word sperma, as in the sperm seed that creates life. In other words, the seed of God creates a new life, a new and distinctive nature within the Christian – a nature that does not desire sin, but desires God’s righteousness and holiness. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). So a Christian may commit an act of sin, but “Sin shall not have dominion over him” (Romans 6:14).
When you come to Christ, you receive Him not only as Savior, but also as Lord. You call someone “Lord” only if you serve and obey Him (Luke 6:46; Romans 10:9-10).
Does that mean that a genuine Christian never sins? No. A genuine Christian will not pursue sin, bask in sin, or luxuriate in it. A genuine Christian, even though experiencing temptation as a normal part of life, will nevertheless look upon sin as a horror and a betrayal of the One who was nailed to the cross by sin.
Some folks call themselves Christians, but they wallow in sin like a pig wallows in the mud. “Ah, look at that wonderful mud puddle,” they say to themselves, pondering their sin.
Yet there are others, genuine Christians, who are more like sheep than pigs. A sheep may, on occasion, fall into a mud puddle. But sheep do not wallow in mud. If they fall in, they get up as fast as they can and are not satisfied until they have cleaned all the mud off their fleecy white wool… These two kinds of people are as different as a pig is from a sheep.”[1]
Can a Christian sin and get by with it? Not at all. If he sins, God chastens him. If God does not chasten him, that shows he is not a true believer. “God loves us as His children. All good and loving parents discipline their children, and God, our loving heavenly Father, is no exception… The book of Hebrews tells us, “For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?” (Hebrews 12:6-8). “But if you be without chastening you are illegitimate and not sons.”
IF YOU ARE LIVING A LIFESTYLE OF SIN AND NOT EXPERIENCING THE CHASTENING HAND OF GOD, YOU SHOULD ASK YOURSELF WHETHER YOU ARE TRULY A CHILD OF GOD. And if you are now experiencing the chastening love of your heavenly Father, then I urge you to respond to that love, receive the benefit of that chastening, and renew your commitment to serve Him as your Lord and Savior.”[2]
If a true believer keeps on sinning, even after being chastened, he can commit “the sin unto death.”[3] This sin is so serious that we are commanded not even to pray for such a person. 1 John 5:16-17, “ There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.”
IF YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN AND COMMIT WILLFUL SIN, YOU WILL EXPERIENCE SEVERAL FORMS OF LOVING DISCIPLINE FROM YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER:
David lost “the joy of God’s salvation” and the ability to witness to the lost (Psalm 51:12-13). Are you experiencing the joy of your salvation or has sin bled the joy out of your life?
- David also lost the “peace of God” (Psalm 32)
- And physical and spiritual vitality. “When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. ” (Psalm 32:3-4)
- Most of all, David lost his family. “Sometimes, when people fall into grievous sins and will not return, God must use a heavier and more grievous rod of chastening. He did this with King David when he committed the heinous, … sins of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Bathsheba’s husband. Three of David’s children died because of that sin. Does that mean that when a parent loses a child, it is proof of some sin in that parent’s life? Of course not. Tragedy comes into our lives for many reasons, and those reasons may not have anything to do with sin. But we should examine ourselves and make sure we are not engaging in any grievous sin that might invite the hand of God’s most severe discipline in our lives.”[4]
- Sin often brings loss of prosperity. Haggai 1:6,9, “You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.”
- Sin brings great loss to the church. “… If you want to see what Jesus thinks of the Church, read the first few chapters of Revelation. There He warns that the sin of certain members of the church will cause the light or “lampstand” of that church to be removed.”[5]
- Sin can cause great loss to an entire nation. We see this principle at work in Joshua 7, where Achan sinned at Ai. This man of Israel had stolen bars of gold and silver, along with garments and other goods, which had been condemned by God, and he had hidden them in his tent. He thought no one would ever discover his secret sin. But when the soldiers of Israel went out to conquer the city, they were overwhelmed by a much smaller force. Israel had been undermined by Achan’s sin, and hundreds died as a result.”[6]
- Sin can bring a loss of life. Even the sin of a child of God can literally bring about premature death in this world. Ex: Members of the Church at Corinth died because they partook of the Lord’s Supper unworthily. “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep (have died) (1 Cor. 11:30). Ananias and Sapphira died suddenly at the altar of the church when they lied about their giving (Acts 5:5,10). Vance Haver: “If people were killed in churches today for lying, the churches would have to have a morgue in the basement.”
Hebrews 12 suggests that a person who does not submit to his Father’s will will not live (Heb. 12:9). In other words, God first “spanks” his rebellious children, and if they do not yield to His will, He may remove them from the world lest their disobedience lead others astray and bring further disgrace to His Name.
Illus: I once had a relatively young guy on my staff, highly gifted and hard worker, in our very important Media Outreach. Suddenly he mysteriously died for no reason as far as I knew. Later, I learned that he was living in adultery and died in the very act of relations with a harlot. Had this great sin been known, it would have done great harm to our outreach to the world. His consecrated wife was shocked, but did not seem surprised at his death. Throughout the Bible we hear God’s warning, “You have sinned against the Lord and be sure your sin will find you out (Numbers 32:23).
[1] D. James Kennedy, Solving Bible Mysteries, Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000, pp. 16-17.
[2] Ibid. pp. 17-18.
[3] The “sin unto death” is not mere disobedience but a disobedience which brings dishonor to the holiness of God and the sacred offices He had ordained. Nadab and Abihu, 2 sons of Aaron the Priest, died because they presumed in taking the office of priest and entering the holy of Holies (Lev. 10:1-7). Achan was stoned because he disobeyed the orders of God at Jericho (Josh. 6-7). Uzzah touched the Ark and God killed him (2 Samuel 6). As we’ve already stated Ananias and Sapphira both died for lying about their offering, (Acts 5) and some believers in Corinth died because of the way they acted at the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:3)). Ananias and Sapphira “lied to the Holy Spirit” (Acts 5:4).
[4] Ibid. pp. 20-21.
[5] Ibid. p. 21
[6] Ibid. p. 21