Heb 3:13 – But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

We are told by many preachers and teachers today that we should expect sin to be a normal, ever present part of a Christians life this side of heaven. That even though Christ delivered us from the power of sin, we are all still sinners and should not expect to really overcome as long as we reside in this body of flesh. It’s even baked into our well respected confessions and catechisms that we should expect to “sin in thought, word and deed” as part of our common daily experience. 

Probably the most commonly quoted verse in all of scripture is 1 Jn 4:8 – If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

The un-contexted twisting of that one verse has done more to ruin men and destroy the testimony of the Church than probably any other passage. When we ignore the exhortation of the Apostle Paul to “reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:11), and elevate our man made doctrines of a Christians continued sinfulness above that, we are guilty of “Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition” (Mark 7:13).

Sin should never be made light of, we should not expect it to be our constant companion as believers. Our attitude towards it should be one of utter abhorrence and hatred. We should resist, fight and strive against it as the mortal enemy and destroyer of the soul that it is and not allow it to take hold in our lives. Listen to the words of Charles Spurgeon on the subject of sin:

SIN is the greatest evil in the universe. It is the parent of all other ills. All manner of evils draw their bitterness from this fount of wormwood and gall. If a man had every possession mortal could desire, sin could turn every blessing into a curse; and, on the other hand, if a man had nothing for his inheritance but suffering, but stood clear from all sin, his afflictions, his losses, his deprivations might each one be a gain to him. We ought not to pray so much against sickness, or trial, or temptation, or even against death itself, as against sin. Satan himself cannot hurt us, except as he is armed with the poisoned arrows of sin. Lord, keep us from sin. “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” There is no evil like the evil of sin: deliver us from it, O Lord! (Charles Spurgeon – The deceitfulness of sin).

In Hebrews, we are admonished to NOT grow weary in striving against sin: For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest YE be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin (Heb 12:3-4).

In Romans 6 we are told that we “were” the servants of sin, but that all changed when we came to Christ: But God be thanked, that ye *were* the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness (Rom 6:17-18).

The Apostle Paul tells us that as a result of this freeing from sin and our becoming the servants of God, it produces the fruit of holiness in the believer and has the end promised reward of eternal life: But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life (Rom 6:22).

No where does he add the caveat: “But remember, you are still a sinner, so don’t expect much….” That’s men who add that with their own flawed doctrines and catechisms.

This is not to say that a Christian isn’t capable of sin, or that there is no mercy and forgiveness if we do stumble into it, but our attitude towards it is EVERYTHING. If we resign ourselves to “sinning in thought, word and deed” every day, then that is exactly what we will do because of the subtle license we will give ourselves to it. This is precisely why the Apostle Paul told us to consider ourselves dead to it, and freed from it. Let’s not identify ourselves with that which Christ has died to set us free from and let’s walk in newness of life. Let’s dispense with the notion that somehow we are exercising “proper humility” to continue labeling ourselves a sinner, when Christ died to set us free from that identity. Jesus does not lead us in the paths of sin, but in “paths of righteousness for His namesake”. We should never make light of that which Christ paid the ultimate price for to free us from.