 How do I know if I'm in sin? More to the point, how do I know if I'm living in sin? What does it mean to be living in sin? And can a Christian live in sin? When we talk about this issue of sin, obviously it's something that's so pervasive it is the reason why we literally need a Savior. But the question is, how much does sin affect us? Can we live in sin? Is it possible for a Christian to live in sin? And then even more to the point, what does that even mean? Well scripturally there is no phrase that says living in sin, at least not in the Greek. Now some translations might put it that way, but there is no Greek phrase that speaks about living in sin, but the concept is there. The question is though, is that something that applies to us? Now obviously a person can appear to be in sin, can appear to live in sin, a person can appear not to be a Christian. You think about Peter when he denied the Savior and then for a couple of days thereafter, he did not appear, at least by anyone else's metric, that he was an actual follower of Christ, but truth be told, he is. So sometimes things can appear one way and not be the case, but for us we want to know what does it actually mean to be in sin? Because if you're a Christian, do you want to be in sin or even more to the point, living in sin? In 1 John 3 4, here's a passage that brings up a little bit of concern for people and says that everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And then he says, you know that he 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, make sure that no one deceives 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 to destroy the works of the devil. Here it is verse 9. No one who is, and I've highlighted, born of God practices sin because his seed abides in him. And he cannot sin because he is born of God. What does that mean? And I think if we understood that passage, it would kind of give us some clarity to this whole issue, this whole question about sin. But it seems to say though that a person that is practicing sin cannot be saved. A person that's practicing sin is not saved. What does that mean to be practicing sin? And for the sake of what we're talking about, let's just conclude, let's just equate practicing sin to be the one that's living in sin. But the question is, what does that mean? What is John getting at by practicing sin? And I want to focus on that term practicing sin, as well as those who are born of God. So since we're going to equate practicing sin with living in sin, here's a few questions that we'd ask. How much sin determines if you are living in sin? How much sin? How often? How perverse, pervasive? How long? How protracted does the sin have to occur? In other words, if a person does something, and he's only doing it for one day, is that considered living in sin? If he does something and it lasts for a week, a month, a year? How long does it take for a person to be involved in the sin and that sin to be continual before we determine or we think that that person is living in sin? And before we get to the how often, let's think about the what sins, which sins, because that also is an issue. Which sins determine that we are living in sin? In other words, how much can a Christian fornicate and still be a Christian? Can a Christian fornicate? Well, obviously we've seen that happen. How much can a Christian steal and still be a Christian? How much can a Christian lie and still be a Christian? Or how much can a Christian not be completely forthright, telling the complete truth as completely honest as possible and still be a Christian? In other words, hiding some things. So how many lies can a Christian tell and still be a Christian? How much lust can a Christian have? Maybe lust of someone either of an opposite sex or sometimes the same sex? Or how much lust can a person have after money? How much covening can a Christian have and still not be in sin? How envious can a person be and not considered be in sin? How much anger can a Christian show towards a brother or even a non-brother, a non-Christian, and still be considered to not be living in sin? How much love or mercy can he withhold, either from other believers or from strangers? Here's one. How unforgiving can a person be? How long can a person be unforgiving? How unforgiving can a person be and considered to be in sin? Or what about this one? How offensive, how long can a person be offensive towards someone else, towards a brother or a non-believer? How offensive can a person be and that be considered living in sin? How much dissensions and disputes can a person cause? How egregious can they be? How selfish can a person be? That's a big one because we all have a tendency to be selfish. How selfish can a person be and for how long? How much can you want to promote yourself, your ideas, your own opinion, which the Bible says is sin? How much can you do so? How much of these things can we do? Now, we compare some of the more egregious things, the things that we think of that we see versus the things that some of us have all of these. Matter of fact, all of us have some of this in common. The issue is, though, oftentimes, we think of the big sins. If a person is an adult, someone's killed someone, someone has done something really harmful, someone has committed all these different crimes, we think of that person as someone who can't be saved, but the Bible still equates the other things such as lust, envy, lying, greed, those things, unforgiveness. We don't often consider those things if someone has that heart or those things, if that person is in sin. But biblically, the offense is still the same in God's eye. So we take those sins and ask the question, how often? In other words, maybe the person has been involved in this particular sin for a year or two years, but the sin doesn't happen very often. Sin happens what? Every two or three months. The sin happens every four months, every other week. How often can a person be involved or have a particular sin for that to be considered living in sin or practicing sin? And then how long does it have to go on? If a person does something, let's say a person had a week or two weeks of a bunch of sin, is that long enough to say the person is living in sin? What about three weeks? What about three months? What about four months? What if a person has been in a particular sin for a year versus a person who's had particular sin for a month? But the person who had that particular sin for a month committed it more often than the person who did for a year. And I'm intentionally drawing out these different scenarios because these are actual real-life scenarios that apply in our lives. Now, before we get to our scriptures, I have one more question to ask, and then we'll jump to the scriptures. The question is this, don't all believers have sin? Or should I put it this way? Since all believers do have sin, when you die at the date of your death, will there be a sin, at least one sin that that person still struggles with? Maybe not necessarily committing every day, but there's still going to be a person at their death going to have a sin. Or do we think that a person when they die, no matter how much they love the Lord, is that person going to be perfect and without sin? Well, we don't believe that, the person is going to have a sin. And let's just say it's sin A. Sin A, the person dies at age 80, age 90, age 100. How long has that person at their death or you, when you die, will you have had sin A in your life? Will sin A be a brand new sin? Not likely. It's likely that there's going to be a sin in your life when you die that has revisited you over and over again since you were 10, since you were 20, since you were 30. We're talking 80 years now, 70 years now of this same sin. And how many times have you practiced or done that particular sin in those 60, 70, 80 years of your life or your entire life? And would that classify or be categorized as practicing sin? See, the definitions matter, because if we're going to say that this person is practicing or living in sin, then does the same definition apply to me? Oftentimes, we'll say, no, not to me, but to the other person. And so as we think about this, let's go to our scriptures with this in mind. Can a Christian live in sin or practice it? Now, John says that that cannot be. And what is meant by practicing sin? There are some powerful passages and passages that offer dire warning to those that are practicing or engaging in sin constantly. Hebrews 10, 26 says something, but it also gives an answer to the question, I believe he says, for if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sin. Now, so what he's doing here in Hebrews is he's speaking to these Jews who are trying to reconcile the old atonement with this new atonement, the old atonement that required a yearly sacrifice plus these regular offerings for their sin versus the need for that being done away with in Christ. And so he's saying that if a person has this knowledge and then continues to live accordingly and in sin, then there is no sacrifice. Now, notice what he says though. He says, but a terrifying expectation which judgment, I'm sorry, of judgment and the fury of a fire, which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severe punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled on the foot the Son of God and has regarded as unclean the blood of the Covenant by which he was sanctified? So his point here is that there are those who intentionally have disregarded the blood of Christ, what he's done on the cross. So he's not really speaking about people who claim to be believers but living a certain way. And what does he say? If we drop down in verse 39, he lets us know that he's not necessarily speaking about the believer because he says, but we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to preserving the soul. And this point is really, really important, the faith that is preserving the soul. So what does that mean? Well, this issue of a believer having sin in his life is not a new issue. It's not an issue that is just here in the 21st century and 20th century. This has always been the case. Now, Paul is bringing up the fact that we are saved and saved completely. But he says, should we continue in this way? Should we continue in sin even though grace has come our way? So what should we say that? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be? How shall we who died to it to sin still live in it? And so is it possible? Well, I don't know that he's necessarily saying that it's possible, but don't do things that go against what we have died to. Because it goes on to say that there is no condemnation of those that are in Christ Jesus. So how could there be condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus? And then that person may struggle with the sin and then that person is now going to be condemned for his for his walk. Well, does that mean the person is no longer in Christ Jesus or never was? Well, it could be the person was never, never was in Christ. But he's speaking about people who are in Christ. Now, I don't want to, I don't want to spend too much time on on Romans six. Obviously, it's a worthwhile read. But I don't think that Paul is saying that if a person is walking in sin, that he's no longer saved. I think the point is that he's saying that you are saved. So do not fulfill, do not live the way that you used to fight that. In other words, sin no longer has mastery over, sin no longer reigns. Sin is no longer king in your life because that's the word that he uses. Not don't let sin reign in your, in your members. Sin has no power over you. And that's his point. We're going to come back to what Paul says in Romans seven to flesh out, to figure out what does it mean by practicing sin and who is the person that lives in sin and who is not. Now, in Galatians five, we're told not to fulfill the desires of flesh and to walk in the Spirit. And he goes over some things that are known by walking in the flesh. And he says, but if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now, the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, entities, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envy, and drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, which I forewarned you, just as I forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the question is this, how many of us as believers actually do those things? And what is meant by those who practice those things who are coming to it? We know this though. We're told, going back to 1 John, but instead of 1 John 3, 1 John 1, he says this, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins, and to what? Cleanse us from all unrighteous. If we say we have not sin, well, we do sin. We make him a liar and his words aren't in. So in other words, part of being saved is recognizing I'm a fallen person, that I'm a sinful person, and that that's just kind of my nature. My flesh's desire is to do what pleases the flesh. But if you confess your sins, the Bible says that he, not us, but he is faithful and righteous to want to forgive us, and to cleanse us. So the question is, is it possible for a Christian to live in sin? Again, we can appear to others that we are living in sin. We can appear to others that we are practicing sin. And sometimes you can even wonder yourself, am I really, am I, because your conscience is going to be bothered. If you are a believer, you have the Holy Spirit in you, and it's going to be bothered. It's going to be trouble if you do certain things. You can do something. As a matter of fact, you can do something over and over and over again, and still be a Christian and still yet be convicted of that sin. As a matter of fact, if you are a Christian, you'll be convicted of that sin. As a matter of fact, because all sin, yours and others will bother you. So the question is, how long, how often, how egregious or how insignificant of a sin can you do? How long, how often, how regular would it be for you to know that you are practicing sin, that you are living in sin? Well, Paul addresses this. And then I'm going to give you the extra good news, I should say, after we hear what Paul has to say about this, because Paul can relate. Paul, who calls himself a chief sinner. Now, obviously Paul is probably exaggerating a bit to indicate his humility, but Paul's not lying. Paul's not saying that he doesn't sin. As a matter of fact, Paul acknowledges that. Paul talks about his pride and his boastfulness, but even goes on to say that instead of boasting in me and anything else, I will boast in my weakness, in my firmness, and boast in Lord. But before we get there, in Romans 7, notice what Paul says. He says, For I know that the law is spiritual, this is verse 14, but I am a flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand, for I am not practicing what I would like to do. There's that word, I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing that I hate, which is sin. Paul's not lying. Paul is speaking up. And by the way, if someone were to say this was Paul prior to his conversion, no, this is present and active. This is what's happening right now. This is not the heiress tense. It's not a perfect tense. It's not him not speaking about what he did in the past. This is Paul speaking about his struggles that he's going through right now at this very moment. So going back to it, verse 16, but if I do the very thing, if I do, and this is point, oh, which is present active, if I do the very thing that I do not want to do, I agree with the law confessing that the law is good. So now no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. So Paul is stating that there is sin that does dwell in him, just like all of us. Paul in his earthly state did not have sin eradicated from him. He still had to deal with it. He still had to put the deeds of the flesh to death. He still had it was an ongoing struggle, like with everyone else. And we know it's a struggle because look what he says. He says verse 18, for I know that nothing good dwells in me. This is present active, guys, that is in my flesh, for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. He's saying the doing of good is not present in me. For the good that I want, that I want, I do not do. And here it is, but I practice the very evil I do not want to do. Now, here's the question. Was Paul in sin? Was Paul living in sin? Well, no one would say that. No one would conclude that Paul was living in sin, but was Paul practicing sin? Well, Paul just admitted that the things that I don't want to do that sin. I practice that. He says, for I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is in my flesh. For the willing is present in me, but the doing is not good. For the good that I want, I do not do. But I practice the very evil that I do not want. Well, what's the issue? And how do we know? How can we conclude that Paul is not guilty of what John is saying in 1 John 3? Well, he tells us the issue and how we know a person is not living in sin is internal. What do I mean? If you are what Paul is, that is your desires. Notice what he says, for I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is in my flesh, but the willing. And this word that's used here, which means the desire or the willy, phalo. That's what we have here. In this case, thalene is the infinitive, but the willing, the desire is present in me. In other words, Paul says, I don't want to do those things. I might do the things that I hate, but my desire, my will is something contrary to what my nature is. For the good that I want to do, and the word want, it's not like I would like to do this. No, this is the word, the same word for phalo, which means to desire. This is his desire. This is will. This is wish. There's a strong problem. There's a big problem, though, that is his will versus the flesh. That's an issue. It's an ongoing issue with everyone. He says, but I do not do, I do not do, but I practice the very evil I do not want. And the word phalo is there. So what is he practicing? What goes against his desire? So internally, and here's the problem, only you know. I can't look at you and determine that you are living in sin. It can appear that way. And then you can identify that by maybe some of the things that you say and so forth, whatever. But ultimately it's between that person and God. In this case, Paul says, I have this desire to not do the things that I'm practicing, that I'm continually doing. How often were these things that Paul says that he's practicing that he's doing? How often did he do those things? Well, we don't know because that's really not the issue. The issue is the heart. A person can struggle with something. In other words, a person has an addiction, let's say some sort of lust or some sort of drug addiction. How often can this person who's struggling with this alcohol addiction or this drug addiction and they really want to get passed, but it's a struggle. How long can we say that this person who's a Christian who's struggling with this drug use, how long can this person continue to struggle with this drug use before we say, ah, you're living in sin? Well, if his desire is contrary to what he's doing, we can't say that. As a matter of fact, we've seen people who were saved and were struggling with it. And the struggle diminished over time. There might have been someone that saw it at the time and thought that this person is living in sin, but God knows, they know, and eventually they come out of that. Now, why does this linger sometimes? We don't know. Maybe it's because God is using this struggle and as they're coming out to help someone else who's also struggling to be an example for them to come out. I have no idea. The Bible doesn't say, but what the Bible does speak about is their heart. And what we do know, what we can take comfort in is that all of us, and I said we need to focus on a particular word, let's go back to 1st John 3. It says, no one who is born of God. So we want to focus on that. Born of God practices, there's that word, practices sin. That can be confusing. Now, if we go back to 1st John a little further over, instead of chapter 3, go to chapter 5, notice what he says, whoever believes, the one that's believing that Jesus is the Christ, that person is, there's that word, born of God. And whoever loves the Father, loves the child born of God. Now, what we need to understand is that all of us that are believing, anyone who's a believer in Christ is born of God. And we know the one who's born of God is not going to be practicing sin. Their desire is going to be different. And here's the, here's the good part. Verse 4, he says, whatever is born, or whoever, the word that Hattipan, all those that are born, same word, born, act to fail, born of God, that person overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith. So a person who is a believer, the Bible tells us that person is overcoming the world. And we're told in the Old Testament that when this happens, he puts his spirit in us and we're born of God, then we are going to, eventually we are going to walk in his teachings. How accurately, how often, how perfectly, doesn't say, but eventually as we go, our walk begins to look more and more like Christ's walk and less and less like our former walk. So to answer the question, I know this was a lot, but it's very important because a lot of us struggle with this, all of us at some point in time. Am I in sin? Am I living in sin? How do I know the person is living in sin? Well, how you know a person is living in sin is their heart, their desire. And if their heart and desire is contrary to the sin, that indicates that person has been born of God and cannot live in sin. Though they might do some sin, though they might have occasions, irrespective of the frequency, irrespective of the egregious nature of it, sin is nullified by the faith in Christ and you having a new disposition towards that very same sin, so that eventually you will move away from that sin. So can a Christian live in sin? No, they cannot. Can they appear to be living in sin? They absolutely can. But what ultimately is going to happen to that Christian and the view of them living in sin? Eventually, there'll be such a big disparity that even the world will see that that Christian has overcome just as God promised, that person has overcome sin and the world and therefore is not living in sin. Amen.