Expert: Dean Gade - 11/15/2011

Question
We all know even Christians are not perfect and have struggles. We also know that Sanctification should be occurring and a Christian has conduct. My question is when does sin become a serious problem in a Christians life? When does a christian become a lukewarm christian? And after receiving Christ in your life, can Christians backslide or sin enough to loose there salvation?

Answer
Josh,

You have brought up a question which the Christian Church in general has not been addressing for a long time; although there are some pastor/preachers who are getting back to the intense Bible study of the Reformation for answers.

Yes, we are not perfect in our actions, words and thinking even though we have the righteousness which Christ alone can give to man. Righteousness(Justification) has been given to us, once for all time, through faith in our Savior, His perfect obedience to the Law and His taking all our sins on His on Himself on the cross.  The penalty has been paid by Him.

But Sanctification (in the narrow sense) is another matter. I say "narrow sense" because in the "broad sense" of the term, Sanctification (being holy)includes Justification; ie. we have been made "holy" by the blood of Jesus.

Our theological explanation of this narrow sense of Sanctification only includes the life of a believer after He has accepted the gift of salvation... his works, his attitude toward God and his fellow man, etc.  We know that we are still far from perfect as far as our "flesh" in concerned.   With good reason! As Paul puts it:

Rom 7:14-25
14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature(flesh). For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do we this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God — through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. NIV

Gal 3:1-13
3 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? 4 Did you experience so many things in vain? - if it really is in vain. 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?  6 Thus Abraham "believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." 7 So you see that it is men of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed." 9 So then, those who are men of faith are blessed with Abraham who had faith.
10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be every one who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, and do them." 11 Now it is evident that no man is justified before God by the law; for "He who through faith is righteous shall live"; 12 but the law does not rest on faith, for "He who does them shall live by them." 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us
RSV


Gal 5:16-19
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law. RSV

Notice that Paul indicates that the law of God isn't of help in freeing us from this condition, which is common to all Christians while we still have an earthly body. There is always going to be this battle for us.  But, we are not to give up or even give in easily to temptations to sin. We are still winners in Christ even though we are not yet perfect.  We are being changed by God as we keep our eyes on Him:

2 Cor 3:17-18
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
RSV

Being led by the Spirit is far different than trying to be good "under the law". The 10 Commandments are good and they are holy, but they cannot make us good or holy.  Only Christ, living in us can do that.   

The following passage is the best summary of our new life.  I will point out in advance that it is NOT speaking about "eternal" life or death (even the last verse) because it is speaking about those who are still in their mortal bodies and not the immortal that we will all have before we see God face to face. It is speaking about our life which Christ came to  give us now, abundantly: Jn.10:10

Rom 8:1-17
8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, indeed it cannot; 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Any one who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although your bodies are dead because of sin, your spirits are alive because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit which dwells in you. 12 So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh -  13 for if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" 16 it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. RSV

Can a believer backslide into hell?  
All indications of the Bible are that there are some who follow the form of religion but never did trust God, the God who loves us and gave us salvation in His Son. They had no "faith" in Him but put their faith in their own goodness and holiness from the start.  And when they saw that their good works were not "good enough", they gave up without depending on God for all things.

I hope this helps.  It is a topic that needs a lot of study to bring us the peace that we seek. God is that peace and He has His peace to give to us out of His love.  

If you have further questions on this, please do write again.  My continued study also helps me to put more of my confidence in our loving Lord.

Dean