August 24, 2023
Before answering this question, let’s think about some basic ideas of right and wrong. In every country, ideas about right and wrong become laws that guide how people behave. Laws ban certain actions to protect citizens and keep peace and order. If laws are broken, a penalty must be paid. For example, the penalty for breaking traffic laws often involves paying money. The penalty for breaking other laws might be more serious, such as imprisonment or even the death penalty.
Every rational person knows they can obey the law once they understand it. Can you imagine anyone telling a police officer or judge that they are unable to obey the law against speeding? Even our most corrupt judges would never accept that excuse. Does anyone believe that a pedophile cannot refrain from raping children? We all know a pedophile is capable of resisting this evil act, which is why there is a law against it. The idea that one is unable to obey the law applies to every law you can think of. We are capable of obeying the law. Everyone knows this, but only a few admit it. It is not just Christians who can obey the law, but all mature citizens. I optimistically believe that nearly everyone would agree with this last paragraph.
Now, let us consider the laws of God. As you may know, most of our federal and state laws are based on the Ten Commandments of God as outlined in the Bible. For example, the Bible contains laws against murder, theft, and perjury. Likewise, our state and federal laws also prohibit murder, theft, and perjury. These laws exist because every rational person recognizes that all of us are capable of obeying them. They are necessary for maintaining an orderly, safe, and peaceful society. If we do not follow these laws, a penalty must be paid. The penalty acts as a deterrent to breaking the law (sinning).
When it comes to the spiritual and religious realm, what once seemed obvious now appears very strange and confusing. How so? Many Christians believe that no Christian can consistently obey the laws of God, which in some cases are the same as the laws of our land. These people say that everyone, including Christians, sins (breaks the law) in thought, word, and deed every day. Are we supposed to believe that we can follow the laws of the land but can’t keep the laws of God? These laws of the land and God are identical in some cases and very similar in all cases. How can anyone make sense of this false dichotomy?
These same Christians argue that we are all guilty and blameworthy for breaking laws we are inherently unable to follow. What once made sense no longer does. If we cannot obey any law, then that law is unjust. In fact, it can never truly be a law if we are incapable of obeying it. It cannot genuinely be binding on us because of our inability to comply. Laws only regulate behavior that is within our control, since obedience is voluntary. Anything we do involuntarily is not a violation of any law of God or man. Isn’t this obviously true?
Furthermore, these same Christians believe that non-Christians are incapable of obeying any of God’s laws. To be consistent and accurate, this means they should also believe that a non-Christian cannot obey the laws of the land—some of which are identical to God’s laws—not just the law of God. I have never heard anyone argue that point, but it must be true. Few Christians actually consider the implications of their Biblical beliefs and ideas. If they did, they would never hold the absurd idea that non-Christians can’t obey God. Both Christians and non-Christians are capable of obeying the laws of the nation and God. Humanity is not unable but unwilling to obey the law—that is why we are blameworthy.
Can you imagine a judge sending a criminal to jail if they believed the criminal was unable to obey the law they are accused of breaking? We all know this idea of inability is false. Many religious people are brainwashed into believing something that makes no sense whatsoever. It makes no sense in heaven or on earth to think that any person is unable to obey the law. Nonetheless, many Christians believe this false idea of inability is accurate. We are now ready to address the question of this article.
The very idea that a Christian can live without sinning habitually is an abomination to many who call themselves Christians. The idea that Christians can and should be free from the power and dominion of sin is offensive to them. But they have no problem whatsoever believing that every Christian continues to be a sinner (law breaker). In other words, they assume that all Christians will sin (break the law) daily until the day they die. Even so, they believe they are going to heaven even if they never stop sinning for any length of time during their life on earth. Without relying heavily on Christian terminology and Bible verses, let me address these ideas using reason, common sense, and a bit of logic.
A men’s Bible study I attended highlighted this topic one day when two of the more committed members had a conversation right after the morning study. One Christian man asked the other if he was planning to sin (break laws) that day. He responded that he expected to sin that day, tomorrow, and every day after that. They both agreed that sin (law-breaking) was almost inevitable, as if it were involuntary. With that conclusion, they parted ways after sharing such insightful, God-honoring encouragement. Fantastic stuff.
Have you ever noticed that most Christians are more offended by a holy Christian than by one who boasts of his or her moral failures? If some poor soul claims to walk in holiness and the fear of the LORD, other Christians are likely to think that person is deceived, a stupid fool, or an arrogant liar. Why is that the case? Because we have all been taught that Christians are not perfect, just forgiven. Our instruction has solidified the idea in our minds that even Christians sin (break laws) every day in thought, word, and deed. For anyone to suggest otherwise is offensive to them because they are not living up to the light they have.
Consequently, many believe that the only real difference between a Christian and a non-Christian is that a genuine Christian attends church regularly. Therefore, non-Christians don’t attend church regularly. However, both professing Christians and non-Christians can live very sinful and unrighteous lives, but the Christian is thought to go to heaven while the non-Christian goes to hell. Even though that doesn’t make any sense at all, Christians are taught to believe it. With repeated teaching, this idea becomes ingrained in the minds of many who call themselves Christian. That sums up what Christianity means to many people today. If it seems shallow, that’s because it is.
“Form over substance” is the depth of our Christian understanding and, unfortunately, our Christian experience. The forms and rituals of Christianity (like attending church or reading the Bible) are thought to be substance, and the substance of Christianity (holiness and righteousness) is thought to be fanaticism.
If I believed that Christians were condemned to sin in thought, word, and deed every day, I would reject the Christian Bible and the God of the Word outright. What good is a religion that can’t bring lasting, fundamental change to our lives? How valuable is a religious belief that leaves its followers trapped in sin and bondage? Is this the gospel of Jesus Christ? May it never be. Before I got right with God many years ago, a few sins defined my life. I was a slave to those sins. By God’s grace and the power of truth, I haven’t committed those sins in decades. I needed salvation from sin, not while in sin. If I had not stopped these sins, my life would have been cursed instead of blessed.
We all know that certain behaviors are wrong (sinful and unlawful), yet we do them anyway and then feel guilty about it. Our conscience reminds us of our moral failures. We long for salvation from the bondage of sin (law breaking), not a salvation that leaves us still a slave to sin. What good is that kind of salvation? Deep down in our souls, we all want to feel clean because we are cleansed. We don’t want to feel clean just because we believed a lie that offers only temporary relief.
The very idea that a Christian can’t live without habitually breaking the law (sinning) is obscene. Of course, a Christian can live without sin (law-breaking). The Christian has the ability to refrain from sinning (law-breaking). The very idea that a non-Christian can’t live without sinning is equally obscene. Of course, a non-Christian can live without sin (law-breaking). No one is ever forced to sin (break laws), and that is why our immoral deeds are sinful and offensive to God. For something to be unlawful and wicked, it must be voluntary, not forced or involuntary. It must be a wrong choice when the right choice was possible.
What, then, is the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian? Is it really church attendance? Obviously not. Many churchgoers are just as wicked as the worst sinners we know. The difference should lie in how and why both the Christian and the non-Christian live their lives. A true Christian is a holy person who lives righteously, for the right reasons or pure motives. The non-Christian remains unholy, not living righteously, for all the wrong reasons or impure motives. A genuine Christian has stopped practicing sin and now pursues righteousness. Through God’s truth and grace, this change shows when a person gets right with God. This gift of salvation is available to everyone.
Christians can live without sin. But do they?
That first question has been answered: Christians can live without sin. They have the ability not to sin. They have the ability to obey the law. The next question is, “Do Christians live without sin?” Far too many Christians live in sin (breaking God’s law) and are bothered very little by it. They are capable of living free from sin, but choose not to. They are unwilling to be holy, not unable. That truth makes sin exceedingly sinful.
Do real Christians sin? Yes, they do. But their sin is the exception, not the rule, in their lives. And when a genuine Christian does sin, they repent of it. They seek God’s forgiveness and make things right with the person they have sinned against, if needed. Clearly, a true Christian is someone who lives a righteous and holy life because of their love for God and their neighbor. If a Christian isn’t that, then salvation is just an empty idea. A true Christian lives a righteous and holy life, and sin is an occasional exception. The deceived Christian believes that sin is the rule, not the exception, in their life. In this, they are precisely like the unsaved non-Christian. We know a tree by its fruit.
Claiming that a Christian can’t stop sinning (lawbreaking) is like claiming that a pedophile, rapist, murderer, adulterer, or thief can’t stop raping, murdering, stealing, or committing adultery. Only someone brainwashed by religious indoctrination could believe such a blatant lie. Everyone knows—including the adulterer, pedophile, rapist, murderer, and thief—that people choose to break the law. None of them were ever forced to do so. Everyone understands they could have made a better choice. They could have chosen to obey the law and not sin. If this isn’t clear to you, I suggest you think more about this subject. Let the truth cleanse your mind of religious brainwashing.
So far, I haven’t mentioned any specific church doctrines to explain the confusion within the Christian community. Most Christians are taught that all of us are born sinners. We are born with a sinful nature that compels us to sin. We can’t do good; we can only do evil. We only do wrong (sin). Yet, they inconsistently believe we are responsible for committing sins (lawbreaking) when we have no voluntary control over the matter. Our sinful nature compels us to sin (break laws). If that were true, sin wouldn’t be sinful because it would be involuntary.
If we are truly born with a sinful nature that compels or causes us to sin, then there is no sin. If we lack free choice, we cannot violate moral law or feel guilt. No rational person believes they are guilty for not doing the impossible. No reasonable person thinks they are blameworthy for doing what they are naturally unable to stop doing. Sin, as we all know, is the violation of the law, which occurs only when keeping the law is possible.
Obviously, everyone is capable of obeying both the laws of the land and God’s laws. Everyone can live without sinning (breaking the law), but few actually follow the moral law. It’s not that we are unable; rather, we are unwilling to keep the law. Our selfishness is the reason we do not follow the moral law or obey the laws of the land. We love our own gratification more than anything or anyone else. That is the essence of sin (law-breaking).
In part two of this article, I will provide Biblical evidence for my statements.
