"We're all sinners" is a common stance concerning the state of the human race. This is a lie. The scriptures (the Bible—I habitually call it "the scriptures") make a clear distinction between saints and sinners—sinners are not saints, and saints are not sinners.
The scriptures emphatically state, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). This is often misquoted, and sometimes deliberately, as a statement in the present tense, when it clearly says all have sinned. Yes, at least once, every single human being (aside from Christ Himself) has made the choice to sin. If it were otherwise it would remove the need for Jesus.
But the scriptures also make statements, just as emphatically, concerning the state of the believer who abides in Christ: "And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God."
Many people don't believe this passage, though I'm sure many have read over it. Some of the truths John stated when he wrote it seem staggering and absolute, but bear in mind that when he wrote this, he was writing to babes in Christ: "Little children, let no one deceive you." These truths that many Christians refuse to swallow today were delivered to fresh converts in the early church!
So what does this mean? It means that anyone who truly abides in the Lord Jesus Christ comes to stop transgressing against Him completely. No justification nor excuse for any sin. I have spoken to people at school about this and been denounced as arrogant or accused of elevating myself to the level of Christ (for the statement that I don't sin). Yet the truth doesn't go away, no matter how long you keep the book closed from your closed eyes, believer.
Some common counter-arguments; some points against them.
Many people counter this with such scriptures as 1 John 1:8: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." And 1 John 2:1: "My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."
Firstly, one can't try and "disprove" certain scriptures they don't like with other scriptures. Doing so testifies by his/her own actions that the Bible is self-contradictory (in his/her belief); in which case, why regard them at all? But these verses—all of them—were written for a reason.
To 1 John 1:8, I want to point something out about the way Jews wrote back then. In Canadian English, when we want to emphasize something in text or speech, we'll capitalize it, shout it, italicize it, or underline it, maybe. It was habit for the Jews to repeat that which they wanted emphasized—over, and over, and over. So John wrote that it's deceitful and dangerous to claim we have "no sin". Two verses later he makes a very similar statement: "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us" (1 John 1:10). He's repeating what he wants people to understand: that everyone hasunquestionably sinned, and saying otherwise is outright falsehood. Verse 10 illustrates better the message of both scriptures. The message is not about admitting continual sin, but that we, very humanly, are inclined to sin by the nature of our flesh—whether we yield to that temptation varies from person to person.
As for 1 John 2:1, the apostle even began by stating the purpose of his epistle: so that we would be exhorted, reminded not to sin, so that we may not sin. If we couldn't stop sinning, his writing to Christians would be pointless, wouldn't it? Notice as well that John says we have an Advocate with the Father if we sin. Not when. Sin among the brethren was frankly not expected to occur.
Believers who did sin, and a vital difference in two types of believers.
But sin did occur among early believers, nonetheless. See such examples like the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 5:1) among others, whom Paul urged to forsake sin (1 Corinthians 15:34). Even Peter fell in hypocrisy once after his conversion (Galatians 2:11-13). But Paul by no means left any church whose members sinned off the hook; he said quite plainly that anyone who practices the works of the flesh will certainly not inherit the Kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21). He never justified any sin. Nor should anyone else.
Remember how John said that if we sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous? Well, it is also said, very gravely, that "if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries" (Hebrews 10:26-27). This is the vital difference: some Christians may sin out of ignorance; maybe they are tricked or overcome, maybe they slip (i.e., not willfully or with the intent to sin), in which case, Jesus' advocacy comes into play: they go to Jesus, get forgiven and washed, and are taught by the Holy Spirit how to stop this sin. Those, however, who become hard-hearted to the truth and, in their insubordination, continue to satisfy the flesh unlawfully are in extreme danger—Christ will not pardon outright defiant sinners who have been exposed to, and tasted, the truth, and who neglect to fear God. Their end will be just.
So there remains not only no sacrifice for continual willful sin, but no excuse either. If you know you can stop sinning, you know you must stop sinning, and you know how to . . . what are you doing still sinning? If you don't know how to, then know this: the Holy Spirit's role is our teacher (John 16:13; 1 John 2:27), and He can teach you how. You must yield and listen to His instructions.
An analogy inspired by Paul Washer, and what the Lord taught me.
Consider pigs. Pigs like eating slop. It's, as widely known, their nature to like that kind of food. But if I put the nature of a human being into that pig, and it found itself eating slop, it would probably spit it out pretty fast, rub its tongue feverishly, and ask for a Coca-Cola to wash the taste out. Could it technically go back to eating slop after being endowed with the nature of a man? Physically, it's possible. But it would neither want to, nor could it actually continue doing so in any comfort or pleasure. This is rather like the relationship between the new believer and sin.
A true believer will, by his/her new nature (the "new man") not want to sin at all. This is one of the core characteristics of a Christian. Sin will so basically repulse the Christian that he/she will have no reason to sin. And if he/she does stumble into sin, they will be convicted and they will scramble out of it ASAP. It's like trying to force a pig with a human nature to continue eating slop. Physically he could, but no part of him will be inclined towards it at all. This is what proves the real follower of Jesus. If a real Christian sins at all, he/she will not continue in it, guaranteed. And it's fundamentally necessary that he/she hates the sin he has committed. It's the attitude, not always the actions, concerning sin that bear witness of the Christian's genuineness or lack thereof. The nature of the purified Christian is diametrically opposed to sin; you couldn't get him/her to actually like sin no matter how hard you tried. He/she is sealed by the Holy Spirit. He/she will only ever stumble in sin by accident.
Conclusion.
Anyone who abides in Jesus will overcome all sin. Anyone who believes in Jesus—believes His words—has the resources to stop sinning as well. Many get offended by the idea, but you should be delighted.
As it is written, "He who overcomes. . . ." - words of Jesus.
Overcomes what?
Take heed to yourself.
Be blessed in the name of Jesus Christ."
-by Jonah MacDonald