Answering the questions of "Can" in Christianity

The Spotless Agenda: 006

Answering the questions of "Can" in Christianity

Many Christians have been asking, "Can the Christian commit sin?", "Can the Christian be poor?", "Can the Christian die?", "Can the Christian lose his or her salvation?", "Can the Christian experience brokenheart?" These and many other questions bother the minds of Christians, especially those who are beginning to gain ground in Christian spirituality. 

I will be addressing these and other questions using two approaches: the textual approach and the experiential approach. The textual approach will base on the text of Scripture itself and the experiential approach will base on the various experiences that Christians have as they obey God and do his word. 

Let's begin...

The first declaration I want to make is that no word of God is unreasonable.

Can the Christian commit sin?

 1John 3:9

"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." (KJV)

"No person who is a child of God should continue to sin. This is because God has given him a new life. He cannot continue to sin, because he is a child of God." (Easy English)

These are two different translations of 1John 3:9. When developing bible translation, scholars take note of context and verb tenses. Without taking note of context and verb tenses, a translation may be inaccurate. This is why we should be humble to refer to different bible translations when studying a biblical text and not jump into absolute or extreme opinions. 

That said, Can the Christian commit sin? 

The emphasis is not on "sin" but on "can". In other words, "Is the Christian able to commit sin?" "Is the Christian able to not commit sin?" "Is the Christian not able to commit sin?"

Romans 8:1-2, KJV

1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

"Free" 

The word "free" means "exempt". Just as a government can exempt an individual or organisation from tax, God has also exempted the Christian from sin. 

In my view, the exemption is from the nature of sin, the act of sin as well as the penalty of sin.

This is what I mean. The Law of the Spirit of life exempting you from the law of sin and death means that, because of the spiritual nature that you have worn over your flesh, you are now able to not commit an act that is sinful. The Spirit has made you free to choose to not commit an act that is sinful. 

Before you were born again, you used to commit sinful acts that you even did not want to do. You couldn't control it because sin was your nature and it ruled over you, dictating what you should do, even how you should do it. It also dictated what you should not do. You simply couldn't control yourself from commiting an act that is sinful. 

But you have worn the spiritual nature over the flesh, and this spiritual nature now makes you able to control committing an act that is sinful. You are able to not commit an act that is sinful when you yield to the Spirit intimately. 

But even if you commit an act that is sinful, you will not bear the eternal penalty of sin, because Christ has borne it all forever. An individual or organisation which does not pay tax will not be punished when the government has exempted them from tax. The Spirit has exempted you from the penalty of sin as well.

Therefore, is the Christian able to not commit sin? Yes, he is able to not commit sin (that is, choose not to do it). Is the Christian not able to commit sin? He is able to do it, and he might do it, if he is not spiritually disciplined. Will the Christian bear the eternal penalty of sin for committing an act of sin? No. Because Christ has borne the eternal penalty of sin for everyone who has faith in him forever.

The Christian who is not progressively yielding to the Spirit can commit sin. On this wise the Holy Spirit trains us to discipline our soul [mind, emotion] and our body so as to be perpetual in our spotlessness. We can say that the Christian is able to not commit sin, but we cannot conclude that the Christian is not able to commit sin, for if this were so, why would the Spirit admonish the church against fornication and adultery? 

Now on "sin"

Many theories have been devised to explain why even spiritually mature Christians commit sin. 

Among the explanations is that, the person is not truly Christian. Others claim that the act is not really a sin but merely a wrong, for the two are not the same. 

In fact, some people enjoy sex before marriage or sex outside marriage but they justify it, saying that it is not a sin but merely a wrong. They suppose that any wrong deed that the Christian does is merely a mistake. In short, "Christians do not sin, but rather, they do wrong", they say. 

My judgment is that you can decide that you will never commit a sinful act. If you train yourself to be spiritually disciplined, you will be able to refrain from any sinful act. But even if you fail at it, it is not recorded against you because the Lord, who is the Judge, has declared you to be free from condemnation. In Christ Jesus, God forgives sin on the basis of his faithfulness and justice, and not his mercy [1John 1:9]. He keeps his promise to everyone who believes in his Son, Jesus Christ. 

So 1John 3:9 is not saying that the Christian is not able to commit sin, but that the Christian is able to not commit sin. 

Do not suppose that eschewing fornication or adultery makes you any holier than your brother or sister who is struggling with it. For all you know, that brother or sister has also completely eschewed gossiping and slandering. Perhaps he or she is not as selfish as you are. 

You may have told a lie, insulted a brother or a sister, acted selfishly, spread a rumour which you have not proven to be true even though you have never fornicated or committed adultery. These are all acts of sin and all Christians are able to do them. In fact, some strong Christians have actually committed them. Grace with discipline sustains us all. 

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