Expert: Cooper P. Abrams III - 5/2/2010

Question
Hello. I was curious about why some (if not all) christians still sin after they are saved. I know that I do and I sometimes wonder if maybe I'm a false convert. How can we overcome sin?

Answer
Hi Owen,
   Thanks for your question.  All Christians will sin because we all have the old nature we were born with that has a bent toward sin.  1 John 1:8-10  addresses the fact that believers will sin, but God tells us to confess our sins and the Lord will cleanser us from the sin as we repent of it and turn away.    Also 1 Corinthian 10:13 tells us that "There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it."(1 Corinthians 10:13)
    I have a message that addresses this on my web site http://bible-truth.org/Sermons.html
Following is a message that will help:

THE ENEMY WITHIN

Romans 8:1-7
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Introduction: There are two forces which we have to deal with in this life: Satan and the what the Bible calls the Flesh. Years ago there was a black comedian name Flip Wilson. He often would make the statement about something he did wrong, saying "The devil made me do it." The devil does tempt us and appeals to our carnal natures, but he does not make us sin. Often he is not the source of our temptation but we are tempted by our sinful natures that we are born with.

1. Satan's attack comes from without. Comes in the area of false teaching and false churches. He uses often uses others to attack us to disillusion us, cause doubts, play on our weaknesses, and to use those who call themselves Christians, but who are carnal to place stumbling blocks in our way. Satan's temptations come to both the lost sinner and the child of God.

He tempts the sinner:

He tries to keep the sinner from having his sins forgiven and trusting Christ, and receiving eternal life.

To the believer:

To keep them from living for Christ. Keep them in sin. He accuses them, brings up past sins, our failures in our Christian lives. He plagues on our thoughts always appealing to our carnal nature that we were born with.

2. The other source of trouble is referred to as the flesh and comes from within us.. It comes from our sinful nature or carnal nature each person is born with.

I. WHAT IS THE TRUE NATURE OF MAN?

A. Some falsely conclude that man is a god in embryo. Others say man is basically good, but his environment causes him to wrong things. We live in an age that everyone tries to blame someone or something else for our problems. Men today rarely accept their failures and sins and being responsible for them. They conclude they are not to blame because they did not have a good childhood, or they were born to some ethnic group, and a thousand other reasons.
Others say though man is bad, all men have a spark of good in them, all we need do into change man's environment, educate him and fan the spark. The late Norman Vince Peal was the one who made that false idea popular. Robert Schuller of the Crystal Cathedral cares that false message to thousands who are deceived and believe his lies.

B. The way to determine what is good, or righteous is to ask the only source of truth who is God. IT is God who created us and He is the only source of truth. He made this earth and He tells us plainly what is good and what is bad.

C. What does God say through His Word the Bible? The Bible says man is born a sinner.


Romans 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned"

Romans 5:18-19 "Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. "


Thus God says man, every man woman boy girl are born into this world sinners. As the descendent of Adam who sinned against God and plunged the whole of mankind into sin. The sin nature came from Adam.

David makes the point clearly:


Psalm 51:5, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me."

David is not talking about the act of reproduction, but the fact he was born a sinner. His mother and father were sinners and the passed their sinful nature to him their offspring. Jesus said a bad tree does not produce good fruit. An apple tree cannot produce oranges. All life produces what it is. The sin nature came from Adam. When Adam sinned the whole human race was plunged into sin.
D. Man (lost or saved) is tempted or led into sin from his human nature which seeks "to gratify its self." James 1:13-15


1. The Bible calls the source of temptation LUST. Means desire. It is man's desire to seek after that which will destroy him.
2. There are steps that lead to sin.


(a) Man's desires entices him. (It is not sin)
(b) Then the person yields to the desire, or seeks to satisfy the lust. (It is sin)

(c) The end result is death. Rom. 6:23, "The wages of sin is death"


3. The lost man, or unbeliever, is in their sins and under the penalty of them.

Because his sins have not been for given, he has only one nature and that is to sin.
He cannot please God, because he has denied Christ. His sins are not for given and he does not have the new nature.


Romans 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:"

E. The saved man:

1. He receives a new nature: Acts 1:5 (Baptized by the Holy Spirit). This gives the believer the power to overcome any sin in his life and begins the indwelling of the very presence of Christ in the Holy Spirit.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Acts 1:5 "For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."

1 Cor. 3:16, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"

1 Cor. 6:19 "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"

Acts 10:47, "Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?"


2. Eph. 5:18, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit." Baptism is a one time act. Filling is can be multiple.

3. 1 Cor. 2:10-14 "But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:10-14)

Two things are clear:


(1) The saved man receives the Spirit of God, which is the new nature. He then can perceive spirit things.

(2) Lost man does not have the ability to understand spiritual things of God.


F. The saved man is a new creature in Christ:

2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man {be} in Christ, {he is} a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

CONCLUSION:

1. Satan is not the only source of temptation and sin in a person's life.

2. A man has a sinful nature he receives at birth. It is the Adamic nature is inherits.

3. Sinful man can not please God being in his sin.

4. Christ can to save sinners. John 3:16

5. Once saved a born again Christian has a new nature. (2 Cor. 5:17)

6. The believer is indwelled by the Holy Spirit. This new nature is at war with the old nature. See Romans 7

7. The believer can overcome sin in his life. (1 Cor. 10:13)

I hope this helps.  If you have further questions or comments please write.
Cooper Abrams
Romans 12:1-2