The Life of the Born Again Believer

If we were sinless then God lied when He said this to the church:

1 John 1:9
"9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

And this:

Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. 6For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises everyone He receives as a son.” 7Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"

It makes no sense for God to tell us not to sin if we could not sin after salvation. It also makes no sense that God would have to discipline His children if they never sinned.

Our Spirit is God's Spirit in us when we become born again. He made us into a new creation, that is the Spirit within us. However, we are trapped in this body of death that tempts us as well as the devil who whispers lies in our ears to tempt us.

We can resist our flesh and the temptations of the devil through the power of the Holy Spirit. At times we are weak, when we are the Lord disciplines and prods for us to return to obedience. A born again believer is never comfortable in their sin.

IF we ignore the Holy Spirit in us He will go silent and allow us the consequences of our bad choices. Our prayers will not be heard.

1 Thessalonians 5
"Live in peace with one another. 14 We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. 16 Rejoice always;
17 pray without ceasing;
18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit;
20 do not despise prophetic utterances.
21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;
22 abstain from every form of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass."

If a born again believer never sinned the commands to stop sinning, the commands to admonish one another and the commands to examine ourselves would mean nothing.

Sanctification is different from Salvation. After we are born again God begins His work in us to continually cleanse us from the sin that dwells in our corrupt body. It is a process all the way to the end of our lives.

2 Thessalonians 2
"But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth."

Romans 6:14
"14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace."

We do sin but we have no excuse because we can avail ourselves to Christ Who lives in us. No child of God lives a lifestyle of continual sin. No child of God enjoys their sin, they are convicted and eventually confess to be cleansed as we see in 1 John 1:9.

1 John 3:8-10 "…8 The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.…"

Another indication of a born again believer is how much they love the brethren.

1 John 3:13-14 "…13So do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you. 14We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death."