We Battle Against The Flesh

Do you still sin after you have been born again? The second part of that question is, do you ever have a wrong attitude, or selfish action?

We all sin even after being born again. One sin is no bigger than another sin, even though the consequences of some sins are larger than others.

The only part of us that is sinless is Christ in us. Our flesh still sins. When we know that we sin from time to time, then we must know that we are capable of all sins, even though in our spirit we hate sin, our flesh is weak.

Matthew 26:41 "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

The slightest sin keeps an unsaved person out of heaven. It is only through trusting Christ that we can enter into the rest through God's grace, His blood covers the sin of the born again believer while at the same time the Holy Spirit continually works in our heart cleansing us to walk in holiness. That process of cleansing is going on everyday until we go home to be with our Lord.

If we ask if an adulterer can get into heaven, we have to also ask if anyone who has an adulterous thought can get into heaven. How about a liar, even the smallest lie could keep us from getting into heaven. Then there is the murderer, someone who just hates a person, according to Christ, has committed murder in their heart. A thief, who merely takes a piece of gum without asking, is a thief, the size of the article is not relevant, it is the condition of the heart that matters, can these people get into heaven? Sin is in the heart before it becomes an action. If we are saying we know someone cannot get into heaven because they have committed adultery, then those who have even entertained an adulterous thought for more than a moment, will not inherit heaven.

Matthew 5:28 "but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

James 2:10-20
"10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.
11 For He who said, "DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY," also said, "DO NOT COMMIT MURDER." Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty.
13 For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment"

No one is free of sinful thoughts, everyone has broken all ten commandments in their heart even after they are born again. If you believe we no longer sin after we have become born again, take inventory of your daily life for one month. Document everything, the tiniest infraction against God is considered sin. The loss of temper, the anger at not getting what we want, the hurtful word said in frustration, are all sins that would have kept us out of heaven before we were born again, but now are under the blood.

Anyone who says they don't sin after they were born again is lying against God. He said this; in 1 John 1:8 " If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." These words were written to believers who were saved.

We are not sinless, but we sin less. As God continues to work on us, convicting us of sin as it comes up, disciplining us when we fail and blessing us with cleansing as we confess, we grow in holiness. Some are more stubborn than others, some are grow faster than others, everyone is at a different place. I am just glad that God knows all of it.

It is my assignment and the assignment of every believer to tell the truth, and leave the rest to God to sort out. Call a sin a sin, tell the believer they must confess it and forsake it to see the blessing of God and tell the non-believer that all their sin will take them to hell. We must also at times, challenge a believer to check with God to see if they were ever born again because their fruit looks rotten.

Galatians 5:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

Notice that the fruits are spiritual character conditions and not works! Fruit will produce works, but one might not be saved and still have good works, while not having the fruit of the Spirit.

Hebrews 12:6 "FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES."

Matthew 13:25-30
"25 But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away.
26 But when the [b]wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also.
27 The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? [c]How then does it have tares?’
28 And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves *said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’
29 But he *said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them.
30 Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”