Are Believers Still Sinners?

Q: What does the Bible say about believers being sinners?

The Bible teaches that believers are still sinners but are saved by grace, as seen in 1 John 1:8-10. The Bible clearly indicates that believers are still considered sinners even after they come to faith in Christ. In 1 John 1:8-10, John writes that if we claim to have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. This passage emphasizes that even true believers sin and need to acknowledge this reality. Believers are redeemed and justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, but they continue to battle with their sinful nature. This internal struggle is a common experience among all believers as they strive for holiness while grappling with their fleshly desires.

Q: How do we know that Christians still sin?

Scripture affirmatively states that Christians still sin, as seen in Romans 7:21 and Galatians 5:17. We know that Christians still sin because the Apostle Paul articulates the reality of this struggle. In Romans 7:21, Paul acknowledges a law that he finds within himself: when he desires to do good, evil is present. Additionally, in Galatians 5:17, he explains that the flesh wages war against the Spirit, indicating an ongoing conflict. This internal battle is reflective of the reality of living in a fallen world, where even the most faithful believers experience temptations and failings. Thus, the acknowledgment of sin is a crucial aspect of the Christian life.

Q: Why is it important for Christians to recognize their sinfulness?

Recognizing our sinfulness is essential for humility, ongoing repentance, and reliance on Christ's grace. It is vital for Christians to recognize their sinfulness to maintain a humble and honest relationship with God. Acknowledging our sins leads to genuine repentance and fosters growth in grace. Believers who deny their sin risk self-deception and may struggle with despair about their salvation. Instead, when Christians understand their ongoing need for grace and mercy, they can stand firmly on the promises of God. 1 John 1:9 reminds us that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us. This recognition not only affirms our reliance on the finished work of Christ but also encourages compassion toward others who struggle with sin.

Q: How does a believer deal with ongoing sin in their life?

Believers are called to confess their sins and rely on Christ's advocacy for forgiveness and strength. Believers deal with ongoing sin by actively engaging in repentance and seeking God's forgiveness. In 1 John 2:1, John writes that believers have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. This means that when believers sin, they can approach God in humility, confessing their sins, and finding forgiveness through Christ's atonement. The believer's ongoing struggle with sin involves striving against their sinful nature while resting in the assurance of Christ's grace. This reflects the essence of the Christian life—a constant battle against sin, paired with a deep reliance on the grace and mercy extended through Jesus.

I have a question, and this question
is the title of my message. I have a question. Are believers
still sinners? Are Christians still sinners? Do people who know God and love
God and who are saved by the grace of God, do they still sin? Now, if you want to follow in
the Bible while I answer this question, you turn to 1 John,
Chapter 2. 1 John, Chapter 2. Now, not long ago, I brought
a message on this program entitled, The Oneness of Believers. You remember that? The Oneness
of Believers. Some of you do. The text was taken from Ephesians,
Chapter 4, Verse 4 through 6, in which the apostle said, there's
one body, That is one church, one body of Christ. There's one
Holy Spirit who quickens, who regenerates, who calls, who comforts. There's one hope of your calling,
and that hope is to be made like Christ. That's the blessed hope,
to be made like Christ. There's one Lord, King of kings
and Lord of lords, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Redeemer. There's one faith. I hear people
talk about, he's not of the same faith as we are. There's just
one faith. That's the faith of God's elect.
That's the faith that Peter defined when he said, we believe that
thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. That's the
one faith. Christ said upon this rock, I'll
build my church. There's one baptism. We're all
baptized by one Spirit into the body of Christ. And he says there's
one God and one Father of us all, who is above all, who's
through all, and who's in you all. Oneness. Oneness. Well, besides this, all true
believers and children of God have other things in common.
They're very much alike. All believers are very much alike.
They may come from Timbuktu or Louisa, Kentucky, but they're
all alike to some extent. In that, first of all, all believers
have a sincere love for and confidence in the Word of God. Oh, yes,
they do. They reverence and love and enjoy
and believe God's Word, the Bible. is their only rule of faith and
practice, wherever you find them. They say, thus saith the Lord.
I believe this. God has spoken and I believe
what God says, all of them. And then secondly, they fear
and they reverence and they worship the living God. Where you find
believers, you'll find them worshiping God with somebody. Like David
said, I was glad, I was glad when they said to me, let's go
to the house of the Lord. Well, he said, I'd rather be
a doorkeeper in God's house than to live in the tents of the wicked. And believers do not forsake
the assembling of themselves together. If there's somebody
worshiping God in their area or vicinity, that's where they're
going to be because they fear God, they love God, they reverence
God, they worship God. And then they all believe and
love the Lord Jesus Christ. No, their faith's not perfect,
but it's in Him. Their faith's not perfect, but
it's perfectly in Him, in Him alone, not in anyone or anything
else. Like Peter said, to whom shall
we go? There's nowhere to go. No one
to whom we can go. To whom shall we go? Thou hast
the words of life. We're convinced you're the Son
of God. Every believer. I know that. And they all hate
sin. Believers hate sin. In themselves
or in anyone else. They just hate sin. They long
to be like Christ. Believers want their deeds and
words and conduct and conversation to glorify God. They want that.
They long to be a good witness of His grace and a good steward
of His grace. Every one of them. want to be
like Christ. They hate sin. They despise it. They don't love sin. But all
believers, also, every believer, I don't care where you find him
or her, every believer has an inward struggle with a sinful
nature, and every believer has a conflict with the flesh. That's
right. Paul said it best. Two scriptures. Paul declared this problem in
two different scriptures that are so better than I can ever
hope to put it. In Romans 7, verse 21, Paul said
this, I find a law, I find a rule. A law is a rule. I find a rule
that when I would do good, evil is present with me. Oh, I delight
in the law of God. That's what I said. Believers
love the law of God. They love holiness. They love
truth. They love purity. They love beauty. I delight in
the law of God after the inward man. But I see another law in
my members, in me, warring against the law of my mind, warring against
this love for holiness and love for truth. I find that when I
would do good, evil's present with me. And the things I would
do, I do them not. And the things I would not think,
do, or say, too often I do them. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this,
from the body of this death? And then in Galatians 5, 17,
he said it again. He said, For the flesh, that's
the old nature, the old man, born of flesh is flesh. The flesh
lusteth. woreth," is a better word, woreth
against the Spirit. What's the Spirit? Born of the
Spirit. That which is born of the flesh
is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. And
this flesh woreth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against
the flesh. They're enemies. These are contrary,
he said, one to the other. So you cannot do the things that
you would either way. You would be perfect, your spiritual
nature That law of mind in you that wants to be like Christ
said, I will be perfect. And that old nature says, I will
not be perfect. I will not. What are you saying,
preacher? What are you saying? I'm saying
this. The person who believes the gospel of Jesus Christ, really
believes it, and truly loves God, truly loves the Word and
believes God and worships God hates sin and longs to be holy,
I'm saying that person is still a sinner. He's a sinner saved, but he's
a sinner. He's a sinner redeemed by the
grace of God, but he's still a sinner. Now, men may despise
this statement, but it's true nonetheless. Religious people
may not be able to reconcile it. How can you reconcile such
a thing? I'm not trying to reconcile it. I'm just preaching what God
says and Preaching what I know and what you know It matters
not if men wish to soften this statement or clarify this statement
or tell me it's dangerous to make this statement or themselves
refuse to make the statement I'm still saying that the person
who believes the gospel of Christ is and is truly born of the Spirit
of God, is still a sinner." Yes, the true believer does sin. He
sins every day. In fact, John said, see the text
there? If you opened your Bible to I
John 1, look back at chapter 1, verse 8. If we say we have
no sin, if we say we have no sin, and this is written to believers,
We deceive ourselves. And the truth's not in us. In
other words, we're liars. If we say we have no sin, we're
liars. If we say, verse 10, if we say
we have not sinned, if you come to the end of the day and you
say, I've not sinned today, not in word, thought, or deed, well,
you make God a liar because God said you did. And His Word is
not in us. There's none that doeth good
and sinneth not. Now, as I said, the believer
does not love sin. He loves holiness. The believer
grieves over his sin. Do you not find that true? He
lives in a constant state of repentance. He's always repenting. He's always coming to Christ.
He's always weeping over his sins. He's always grieving over
his sin. He'd rather be perfect. He'd
like to be perfect. He'd like to be without sin.
But no believer will deny sin because he's not a liar. He'll
not deny his sin. He won't excuse it. He won't
blame it on somebody else. He won't justify his sin. He
knows it's his. David said, My sin is ever before
me. He didn't blame it on anybody
else. My sin. My sin. And that's the way the
believer is. He won't deny sin. He won't excuse
it. He won't justify it. He won't
blame it on somebody else. He knows it's his. And he knows
in his flesh dwells no good thing. He knows in the flesh no man
can please God. Yes, the believer is still a
sinner. And I'll tell you this. Now,
you listen to me. This is very important, what
I'm about to say. If we do not understand this
principle, if we don't understand and accept this fact that the
believer is not perfect, and he's perfect in Christ, perfect
in the holiness of Christ, thank God for that, but he's not, he's
complete in Christ, but he's not perfect in the flesh. And
he doesn't go a day without sin, and he doesn't go a day without
a conflict with sin. He's never without sin, sinful
thoughts and attitude. And I tell you, if
you don't understand that, if you don't face that, if you don't
admit it, one of two things is going to be the results. Now,
if you don't admit this, you're sitting out there, you say, well,
I'm a believer, I'm a child of God. But I don't understand what
you're saying. I just can't believe believers
sin." Well, if you don't admit that and you don't face it, you
don't understand it, one of two things. You're either gonna lie
to yourself and lie to others and lie to God in claiming to
be without sin. And if you claim to be without
sin, you're lying to yourself. The truth, you're deceiving yourself,
he said. If we say we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves. We're lying to ourselves. If
we say we have no sin, we're lying to other people. If we
say we have no sin, we make God a liar. Now, that's dangerous.
And the other alternative is this, or realizing you are a
sinner and not admitting that a believer sins, then you're
going to be driven to despair and depression and think you're
not saved. How can I be saved and think
like this? Because the rest of them think like that. How can
I be saved and say the things I say sometimes? Everybody who's saved says things
they ought not say. God knows you're a sinner. The
Bible says you're a sinner. Admit you're a sinner and seek
mercy. He says over there in I John
1, if we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive
us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. You understand
what I'm saying? If a believer does not get hold
of what I'm saying, if he does not understand that believers,
true believers, truly saved people, where are you going to put David,
Abraham, Lot, Solomon, Peter, Demas, all these men? They were all sinners, believers,
but believing sinners. And if you don't face this, you're
either gonna be a liar or you're gonna think you're not safe. You're
gonna throw up your hands and quit. But if you do, now watch
this, if you do have an understanding of this nature, this nature,
this flesh, this old man that's with us and gonna stay with us
till we put it in the grave, If you have a good understanding
of the mercy of God and of the love of God in Jesus Christ,
that Christ is our righteousness, that Christ is our acceptance,
that Christ is our holiness, that Christ is our sin offering,
that His blood does cleanse us. And when we fall, He lifts us.
When we sin, He forgives us. When we fail, He pardons us. God loves His children. Are your
children perfect? Well, when one of them does something
wrong, do you kick him out? Oh, no, preacher. Well, one of your children does
something he's not supposed to do. Is he no longer a son? You
take his name away from him. You're now John Jones. You're
not mine anymore. Well, no, preacher. Are you better
than God? If you know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more shall the Heavenly Father give good gifts to His
children? If your child asked bread, would you give him a stone?
Meat, would you give him a serpent? A scorpion? God's children are His children.
And if we understand the mercy and grace of God, we're going
to have some peace. Some peace. We'll have peace
with God. We'll have peace in here. And I'll tell you another
thing, we'll have a little compassion on other people, too. Well, preacher, how does a believer
sin? Does he go out and get drunk?
No. You know, the average person, when you mention sin, they think
of drunkenness, adultery, killing, lying, stealing, all these things. But let me ask you this. Is not
pride sin? Is not anger sin? Is not lust
sin? Because you don't do a thing
doesn't mean that it's not sin in you to think it is sin, Christ
said. Our Lord said, you've heard it
said by them of old time, thou shall not kill. I say unto you
to hate in your hearts to be guilty of murder already. Is not jealousy sin? Is not selfishness
sin? Is not covetousness sin? Is that not sin? Is not gossip,
laziness, exaggeration, Evil thoughts? Are these things not
sin? Well, of course they are. And
that's how a believer sins. He sins because of the imperfection
of his nature. Sin's not just an outward act
of evil. Sin's an attitude. Sin's a thought. The thought of foolishness is
sin. Sin is a desire. Sin is the lack of perfection. It's a lack of holiness. I tell
you, if a man or woman were to tell me today that he lives a
single day without a thought of sin, a word of sin, or a deed
of sin, I'd tell him he doesn't know God or himself or the Bible
or salvation or anything else. No way. No way. But I'll tell you this, the fact
that a believer is still a sinner, and he is, no question about
it, And the believer has a constant conflict with the old nature. That does not deprive him of
a saving interest in Christ. Our Lord came to save sinners.
He came to seek and to save the lost. He's called the friend
of sinners. Go through the New Testament.
Everywhere you see my Lord, you see a sinner. You see a sinner. If we say we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess
our sins, He's faithful. He is faithful. Faithful to His
Word, faithful to His promise, faithful to His covenant, faithful
to His Son, faithful to His people. He's faithful and He's just.
How can God forgive my sins, preacher? Because Christ paid
for them. because Christ's blood cleanses them, because Christ
is my substitute. He's faithful and He's just to
forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. There's no sin the blood can't
cover. There's no sin the blood can't
put away. But if we say we have no sin,
we make God a liar and His Word's not in us. Now watch this, my
little children, right on up to chapter 2. MY LITTLE CHILDREN. TO WHOM DO YOU SUPPOSE HE'S SPEAKING,
MY LITTLE CHILDREN? WELL, HE'S SPEAKING TO BELIEVERS,
MY LITTLE CHILDREN, BELIEVERS, SAME PEOPLE HE'S BEEN TALKING
TO BACK IN CHAPTER 1, MY LITTLE CHILDREN. THESE THINGS WRITE
I UNTO YOU, ALL THESE THINGS THAT I'VE SAID THAT YOU SIN NOT,
I ENCOURAGE YOU, WALK IN THE SPIRIT, Don't walk in the flesh. Strive against that old nature.
Strive against that old flesh. Strive against that old sin.
Mortify that flesh. Put down that lust and envy and
pride and anger and jealousy and all these things that he's
talked about. Put that down. Push it down. Mortify it. Press it down. It'll
be a constant battle. because it'll constantly come
up again because you're still in the flesh, you're still a
person. Mortify. I write unto you little children
that you sin not, but if any man sin, if you do, I
think that if ought to be when. I think it ought to be when.
My little children, God can't command you to sin. He commands
you not to. The disciple can't, the apostle
has to command us not to. That's what the Word commands
us not to. Don't sin. Fight it, mortify it, suppress
it, strive against it. But when a man sins, we have
an advocate. What is an advocate? It's a mediator. An advocate is a lawyer. An advocate
is one who pleads your case. who pleads your cause. We have
an advocate. We have a mediator. When we sin,
we've got somebody to go to the Father for us, and it's Jesus
Christ the righteous. Let's take those words one at
a time for a moment. This is good news. I'll tell
you, I couldn't wrap this message up without giving this good news,
because we'd all go out of here depressed, wouldn't we? My little
children, these things I write unto you that you sin not. But
when you sin, remember this, you have an advocate with the
Father, an advocate. We have a mediator. He's there
now. We have Him. He's there now. We have a great
high priest. We have a Savior. We have a justifier. We have a Savior right now. And
He's with the Father. He's at God's right hand. His
very presence is our acceptance. Do you know this? that from this
center whom Christ represents and that center whom Christ represents,
for us to be accepted of the Father, Christ doesn't have to
say anything. I hear people say He's pleading for us and praying
for us. The Bible does not say that.
It says He maketh intercession for us. He ever liveth to make
intercession for us. And all He has to do to make
intercession for us is to be where He is. because he's in
us and we're in him and God has accepted him and he's seated
on the right hand of the Father. When I sin, the Father doesn't
look at me. He doesn't look to me for perfection.
He looks to my representative. I'll tell you this, when you
go to court, the judge is not going to deal with you. He's
going to deal with your advocate. He's going to deal with your lawyer.
He won't ask you a thing. He'll ask your lawyer. And you
won't say anything either, Lord. And that's the way the believer,
the Father, thank God He doesn't deal with us. He deals with our
advocate. If any man sin, we have an advocate,
and He's with the Father. Who is it? It's Jesus. It's Jesus. Where do you find that word mentioned
first in the New Testament? Matthew 1, Thou shalt call His
name Jesus, Savior. He shall save His people from
their sins. That's the one that's my advocate,
my mediator. It's Jesus, the one who came
to save His people from sin. It's Jesus Christ. Who's the
Christ? Well, He's the anointed. He's
the anointed. He's the appointed one. He's
the approved. He's the Christ. He's the Messiah. He's the one God sent. He's my
mediator. And He's the righteous. I wouldn't
have any other mediator. I got to have one the Father
accepts. And the Father accepts him, he's
righteous, he's holy, he's without sin. You see that? He who knew no sin was made sin
for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
He is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
If any man sin, we have an advocate. who is with the Father, who is
none other than Jesus, Savior, Christ, Messiah, righteous, Jesus
Christ the righteous. Now watch this carefully. I want
you to read that. You know, sometimes we read the
Bible too hurriedly. We miss some great riches and
treasures. My little children, my little
children, these things I write unto you. that you sin not. But if any man sin, we have an
advocate. Did you hear that? What did it
say? Say it again. If any man sin,
we have an advocate. We have a mediator. Now, it does
not say if any man sin, he's lost. It doesn't say if any man
sin, he'll have to get resaved. It doesn't say, if any man sin,
he's forfeited his place in the kingdom. It doesn't say, if any
man sin, he no longer has a mediator. It says, if any man sin, he has
an advocate. My friends, a man who's not a
sinner doesn't need an advocate. A man who's not a sinner doesn't
need a mediator. Maybe that's the reason so many
people in my day are not coming to Christ, are not believing
on Christ. They're not looking to Christ.
They're trying to find salvation in a church or in a profession
or in a baptism. Maybe they're not sinners. But
this fellow's a sinner, and I need a mediator. It does not say,
if any man be holy, he has an advocate. What does a holy man
need with an advocate? It doesn't say, if any man be
perfect, he has an advocate. What does a perfect man need
with an advocate? It says, if any man sin, he has. If any man sin, we have a mediator. We have an advocate with the
Father who is Jesus Christ the righteous. And that's the man
who needs a mediator, the sinner. That's the man who needs a savior,
a sinner. I tell you, the gospel demands
honesty, and it's time for us to be honest before God. God doesn't show mercy to liars.
He doesn't. God is truth, and we'll meet
God in truth, or we'll meet God in judgment. All right, if you
want this message, it'd be yours for $2. I'll send you this message
and the one I brought last week on the righteousness of God.
And this one, is the believer still a sinner? Until next week,
God bless you, everyone.

Are Believers Still Sinners?

What does the Bible say about believers being sinners?

How do we know that Christians still sin?

Why is it important for Christians to recognize their sinfulness?

How does a believer deal with ongoing sin in their life?

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Are Believers Still Sinners?

What does the Bible say about believers being sinners?

How do we know that Christians still sin?

Why is it important for Christians to recognize their sinfulness?

How does a believer deal with ongoing sin in their life?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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