There are some Christians that are believing the false doctrine of Sinless Perfection as a requirement to keep Salvation. This false doctrine states that a believer must attain a state of sinlessness after Salvation, otherwise losing Salvation. And when we do sin that every sin we commit must be repented (which they believe wrongly to mean ask forgiveness for in sorrow as if their sins were not all paid for on the cross by Christ).
If this were Biblical truth, and it is not, then are we not in the same circumstance as we were before receiving Christ? Where is the assurance of our Eternal Salvation in that belief? Some would say we cannot know if we are saved until the day of our judgement by God. Many Christian religious organizations teach this unbiblical belief. Is that Biblical truth though? No, it is not.
The book of John says otherwise:
“These things have I written unto you THAT BELIEVE on the name of the Son of God; THAT YE MAY KNOW that YE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE, and that ye may BELIEVE on the name of the Son of God.” (1 John 5:13 KJV)
Two things about this verse should be jumping out at you right now:
1. We CAN KNOW if we are saved ETERNALLY.
2. Salvation is through BELIEF on Christ alone.
Now this next point is not a personal opinion of mine, and so, do not shoot the messenger okay?
“And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you,that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
(1 John 1: 4-10 KJV)
John writes this so that our joy may be full. Because once you know the truth of your assurance of eternal Salvation, our joy should be full! We see in this passage of Scripture that if we believe we are without sin that we make Jesus to be a liar! I would say that is pretty serious. What a slap in the face for Christ who paid such a high price for our Salvation!
It reads that God is light because He does not lie and He is PERFECT in every way. God shed His light upon all people and those that BELIEVE the Gospel Of Grace are walking in the light of truth. We are to walk in that same light of perfection but it is not something we can accomplish perfectly as God through our own self righteous efforts; that is by our fleshly Adam Sin Nature.
Without believing and receiving the free gift of Salvation through the only atonement for sins by Christ crucified we have the shadow of darkness that we walk under.
If we say we walk in the light but we have unbelief toward how we are saved by the Gospel Of Grace through Christ’s atonement for sin, then the truth is not in us and we are still walking in darkness.
The truth here being the Holy Spirit of God. Once we receive the free gift of Salvation through Christ we have the Newly Created Spirit within us and were MADE HOLY, RIGHTEOUS and REDEEMED in our new spiritual selves. Salvation is never by our own efforts in self righteousness. Salvation is not by deeds nor religious activities nor by the false doctrine of sinless perfection. By this belief on Christ alone and acknowledging that we do commit sin, Jesus cleanses us of our sins as He paid for the penalty of our sins on the cross.
To this such a person would answer that, after Salvation, God now gives us the power to not sin and so we have to maintain a sinless perfection. I ask you if you believe this, “Are You Without Sin?” I mean have you never had an evil thought? Because an evil thought is enough to say you have not attained sinless perfection. But they would reply, “only willful sins done in the flesh” that we act upon matter. Is that really true though? No, it is not true because Jesus Himself tells us so.
“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
(Matthew 5:27-28 KJV)
The problem we all have since our physical birth is that we all have this disease within us Paul calls SIN in Romans and the word sin is used as a NOUN, not a verb; A Sin Bent Nature. I am telling you friends that we all have sin in our lives before and after Salvation. After Salvation should we strive to live Holy lives to the best of our ability? Yes! However, we must acknowledge the truth in this passage that we will fail many times and still sin. We have sin everyday friends. If you do not think you have sins then you are lying to yourself. Sinless perfection is NOT possible folks, and if you think it is, it is the Bible that says you are a liar, deceiving yourself. When the Bible talks about sinless perfection such as in 1 John 3:9, it speaks of the Newly Created Spirit within which we received at our moment of belief on Christ (Ephesians 1:13-14, 2 Cor. 5:17-21, Colossians 2), which is reborn as the Spirit of God. Until our resurrection of the body, at the Rapture Event when we receive new physical bodies without the Sin Nature, we are still in this sinful body which Paul calls a “…body of death”.
After our belief in the Gospel Of Grace, we still have the old “Adam” nature thoughts and beliefs in the MIND; wroing beliefs that is a sin bent which the Apostle Paul calls ‘ The Old Man’ and ‘The Flesh’. After Salvation, we have a NEWLY created Spirit which the Bible says cannot sin and will never sin. But our mind needs renewing by God’s truth (Romans 12).
This should put to rest the idea that we are to maintain a sinless perfection after we accept the FREE GIFT of Eternal Life, try as we should. The Apostle Paul taught the doctrine of The Two Natures In The MIND Of A Believer in Galatians 5 and Romans 7, yet so many miss it or ignore it and instead decide to believe pastors or religion organization churches instead of the Word Of God.
“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that YE CANNOT DO THE THINGS THAT YE WOULD.” (Galatians 5:17 KJV)
Notice it reads, ye would and not ye should. This is because our newly created Spirit always wants to do the right thing and never sin because our Spirit never sins. That is we WOULD. We strive to not sin as believers because that is what our New Spirit after Salvation wants. That is we SHOULD. This new Spirit is the new us now! And so Paul says that we should ‘walk by the Spirit’. This is how we avoid sinning more and we sin less. Perfectly without sin? NO. But we can avoid the lust of the flesh this way. As we renew wrong beliefs, we make better decisions in the MIND and that works outwardly into sinning less and doing good works because right believing in the MIND, leads to right living outwardly. Our new Spirit and the indwelling Holy Spirit is continuously renewing or minds with truth.
Because of the Adam nature in our mind (old thoughts and beliefs left over when our old Spirit of Man DIED with Christ on the cross : Colossians 2, Romans 6) fighting to sin, we will still fail and sin. This is exactly where the devil attacks. He does not attack our new Spirit because it is eternal and Holy. In fact, our new Spirit is the very righteousness of God, IN CHRIST (2 Cor. 5:17-21). So the devil attacks these old left over beliefs in our MIND, called the Flesh and excites them to tempt us to sin. The battle is in the mind but we are SEALED in Salvation in our Spirit; already complete and risen WITH CHRIST (Colossians 2).
The false doctrine of sinless perfection some are believing is wrong. Very wrong.
Paul also taught the doctrine of the Two Natures In The Mind Of A Believer in Romans 7 where we read,
“14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” (Romans 7: 14-20 KJV)
Reading Verse 17 and then again in verse 20 is the truth that so many Christians have not grasped. Paul is saying very clearly that inside our mind is the old Adam, flesh nature thoughts, beliefs and processes which always wants to sin. It is like a disease since our physical birth. And then there is the New Created Spirit we received at our conversion and belief of the Gospel Of Christ, The Gospel Of Grace that Paul taught. And that when we fail and sin, and believe me we ALL DO! (1 John 1:10), it is not the REAL US that does it. It is this disease we have called the SIN. The Newly Created Spirit within is PERFECT (1 John 3:9) and without sin. It is of the seed of the Spirit Of God and is perfectly Holy.
This is why the Apostle Paul tells us that our present body, with this Sin Nature, will never inherit the Kingdom of God.
“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.”
(1 Corinthians 15:50 KJV)
It is also the reason why we need a bodily resurrection in our future as Paul continues,
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
( 1 Corinthians 15: 51-57 KJV)
Heaven is a perfect place and there is no sin there. No one can enter Heaven with the Spirit of Man and a sin debt against God. But we cannot stop sinning perfectly! That is why we need Christ! Paul admonishes that regarding the doctrine of the Two Natures In The Mind Of A Believer in the last verse of Romans 7:
“O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”
(Romans 7:24-25 KJV)
Christ paid for all of our lifetime of sins in the flesh on the cross 100%.
“And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2 KJV)
Jesus Paid for ALL the sins of the whole world! Even the future sins we may commit were PAID IN FULL by Christ on that cross because -ALL- of our sins were future to the cross right? He did not give us a partial payment on our fleshly sin debt! Jesus cried out on the cross, IT IS FINISHED! Salvation is eternal and the word eternal means… well… ETERNAL and FOREVER!
We do not keep our Salvation intact by our own efforts. It is Christ alone that keeps us saved. Jesus tells us this very clearly:
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.” (John 10:27-20 KJV)
“Christ is become of NO EFFECT UNTO YOU, whosoever of you are justified BY THE LAW; ye are FALLEN FROM GRACE.” (Galatians 5:4 KJV)
In God’s sovereignty, He foreknew everything you and I would do in our life and the sins we would commit and yet He still decided to give every person the opportunity to accept Salvation as a FREE GIFT without self righteous works or deeds required. God still came in the flesh and died on that cross for us so that we would be forgiven and saved eternally. What a great gift! (Ephesians 2:8-9) And whosoever believes on Christ alone in faith, He gives them eternal life and keeps them saved forever.
“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” (Philippians 1:6 KJV)
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed. Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore. For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.” (Psalms 37:23-28 KJV)
The Grace of God is not a license to sin. There are still consequences for sinning in this life after the moment of our Salvation (steal/jail) and loss of rewards at the judgement seat of Christ for believers after the Rapture. The Loss of Salvation is not a consequence though.
We as believers have the Holy Spirit within to guide us into all truth. We should be reading the Word Of God to renew our minds (Romans 12, John 17). We should be striving to walk in the Spirit and not by the lusts of The Flesh (The Sin Nature).
“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16 KJV)
Focus on that.
