Many believe that Christianity teaches that you have a license to sin once you have become a Christian. But, the Bible is very clear that this is not the case.
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Romans 6:1-2 (KJV)
These two verses are ones I feel make it clear that we are not given a license to sin. Instead, we are to abstain from sin. This does not mean we will live a perfect, sinless life. We will fall and sin daily, but the sin should not the purposeful. We are not to do something just because we know God will forgive us when we ask it of Him.
What about where the Bible says we are to be sinless?
Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. 1 John 3:6
In English, it seems that if we sin we are not Christian. But, the problem is the English language and the lack of verb tenses. The sin mentioned in the above verse is that of continual sin - a life of sin. We are to not live a life of sin. We are to daily refrain from sin. If the verse above were saying one sin took away your salvation, then there is a great contradiction in 1 John:
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 1:8-10
These verses make it clear that we will not be perfect. To think that we are is actually a sin.
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Today I finished reading The Face of God by Bill Meyers. This book is very thought provoking. THe main characters are: a Christian trapped in a world of legalism and works, a young man raised in the church who doesn't know what to believe, a Jew by genetics but an atheist by faith, a "mainstream" Muslim, and a fanatical Muslim extremist. A key thought in the story is "thou hast left thy first love" (Revelations 2:4b). I think is the a huge problem in Christianity today. We are caught up in serving God without spending the time to fellowship with God. We are doing so much for Him and the world that we forget about Him. We lean on our own strength and understanding, and not His. I highly recommend this book to anyone who sees hypocrisy in the Church or is confused about the difference between Islam and Christianity.
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