What happens when you sin after being saved
What happens when you sin after being saved? As Christians, when we sin, our first thought shouldn't be hell. Because Jesus came to save us from hell. Our first thought should be how to overcome and rise above sin.
Do you believe the power of Jesus and His word can heal you completely from sin? Here's what Apostle John had to say about it.
My dear children, I write this to you so that you WILL NOT sin. But IF anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One-1John 2:1
1 John 2:1
The reason why IF is emphasized here reveals the power of the gospel embodied within scriptures should be strong enough to prevent us from sinning.
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he CANNOT sin, because he is born of God.
1 John 5:18
Whoever abides in Him sins not. Whosoever sins hath not SEEN him, neither KNOWN Him. Little children, let no man deceive you. He that DOETH righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous.
1John 3:7
So God expects more from his children as we keep growing in the revelation knowledge of His word. Because to Know Him is to BECOME like Christ as He is formed in us.
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will LIVE.
Romans 8:13
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus: Who walk NOT after the flesh but after the Spirit.
Romans 8:1
What happens when you sin after being saved?
Contrary to popular belief, the word death written in scripture dwells more on separation from God than the physical death.
When God decreed that Adam would die if he ate the fruit, he didn’t die physically.
But something inside Him died. His spirit (immediate death) and his soul (progressive death)
You can read the Hearing God series and Salvation series for clarity
You may wonder, after the New-birth experience, why would Paul be declaring that if we live according to the flesh, we will die, but if we walk in the spirit, we will live?
But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death
James 1:14-15
While I am not refuting that God has forgiven me of my past sins, I realized that with an incomplete or false doctrine, I was regarding sin lightly and didn’t realize the damage it was doing to my soul. Even after my New-birth experience.
I understand that sin cannot harm my spirit because it is Christ, BUT my soul is prone to harm if I keep falling into the same sin over and over again.
And eventually, if I keep being careless with sin, my sinful nature CAN HARM my spirit. This is because the heart can grow hard overtime and sear our conscience-1Timothy 4:2, Hebrews 3:13
Read 1Corinthians 5:5 and Hebrews 6:6
When you sin, God forgives
First of all, we need to understand that God isn’t counting our sins. When God sent Jesus to die for us on the cross, he was forgiving us without our permission.
So we don't need to start rambling off each one because sin is deeper than just limiting it to our actions.
Although I personally repent and confess in my closet when the Holy Spirit nudges me about my errors, I am aware that God will forgive me.
We need to be aware that God isn’t ticking our sins off a checklist.
God judges our actions based on the nature producing such traits.
And it is that nature in our souls he wants to transform into Christlikeness.
So that when the ROOT is pure, the fruits (actions, words and lifestyle) will be pure too.- Proverbs 21:2, Matthew 12:34, Proverbs 4:23, Luke 6:45
So while some may preach that God has forgiven you of your past, present and future sins, that gospel is incomplete.
At the time I was listening to such doctrine, I realized it only made me give excuses for my shortcomings.
Rather than give me power over my sinful nature to overcome and eliminate them forever, it made me feel like there was nothing to be done and since perfection looked like an impossible feat, I would remain this way.
Imperfect and highly flawed.
I would only have to focus on doing 'good deeds,' but I couldn't become.
But what I wasn’t aware of was that I was cheating myself of sweet blooming fellowship that could be tainted by sin.
The true gospel teaches total deliverance from SIN
For a while I didn't understand I could be delivered from my shortcomings. I didn't feel I could be perfect like Christ
Until I learned that the cure to sin was found in my continuous obedience of God's voice (through the Holy-Spirit) and His word.
When my heart gave excuses for my sins, I didn't realize I was insulting the spirit of grace that it wasn't powerful enough to delete every trace of sin from my soul.
Unknown to me, anytime I refused to obey God, I was prolonging the time it could take for me to transform into Christ. Because His word says Jesus can do a thorough job of cleansing me of every evil nature.
Therefore He is also able to SAVE TO THE UTTERMOST those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
I was taking steps backward when I allowed myself to be overcome by temptations when I could have taken three steps forward if I’d overcome.
and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but HOLY and BLAMELESS.
Ephesians 5:27
This is why Jesus came to die for us. Not for us to live as imperfect creatures in denial of their flaws, but for us to see there is actually a way to Perfection in Christ Jesus.
That we can be like Jesus who was sinless and perfect and was tempted in all manner like we were.
God wasn’t deceiving us when he made Jesus live on earth.
Jesus suffered like a Man. He felt things like us. He cried, was tempted and felt pain like us too. Yet he was sinless.
We can be like that too. We will be perfect because Grace (divine ability) has been given to us to transform.
This is how God addresses our sins:
How much of Christ are you becoming within your soul?
Are you transforming?
Is your revelation knowledge of the gospel transforming you into Christ?
Has your obedience given you the strength to be like Jesus everyday?
What’s the point of your theology if it isn’t changing you from within and you’re still the same person you were two years ago?
Is your love becoming more like the 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love as you behold your King?
For every obedience, your soul takes one step closer (Life) to God and every disobedience puts you two steps behind (death) from transforming.
Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and PURIFY your hearts, you double-minded.
James 4:8
God knows that crying for forgiveness can’t solve the bad habits residing within. Because sin is deeper than that.
As we transform into Christ within, our nature is changing. But if that soul doesn’t transform, no matter how much you cry that you’re sorry for sinning, you will repeat the same thing over and over again.
True repentance is turning from the old ways into a new and living way.
But what about the sins you are ignorant about?
This is why Spiritual Growth is vital for every believer.
The more I grew, the more I saw flaws I didn’t see before.
That’s a sign of growth.
The light of God shows us our flaws, not because he wants us to feel bad, but to enable us see that transforming into Christlikeness is crucial for intimacy and chastisement is necessary for Sons.
A baby Christian would never see what they’re doing wrong. The more we remain spiritual babes, the more we would keep cheating ourselves and live in ignorance of the glorious destiny God has ordained for us.
But as we grow, we begin to see spots and blemishes that we need to get rid of.
How?
The more the light of God shines through, the more we see how much growth we must come into.
The more we transform and become like Christ, the less likely we will sin.
God's Grace is able to save us from Sin
Grace is God's divine energy, strong enough to raise us above sin as we obey God.
It also teaches us to resist and deny every ungodliness and temptation that may come our way-Titus 2:12
Through the revelation of the word, I am able to overcome. Anytime sin knocks at my door, I am reminded of the spiritual consequences of sin:
Should I forfeit my fellowship with God and slow down my destiny for this passing pleasure of sin?
Am I willing to compromise my transformation into Christlikeness just because someone insulted me and treated me less than I expected?
What about that TV series the Holy-Spirit within me is uncomfortable watching?
Is taking one step forward and ten steps backward worth it?
Nah, it’s not worth it. For there’s always a glory awaiting after overcoming a temptation.
This is what wisdom and understanding does for us. With God's grace, it builds us and enables us to live godly lives.
This is why Christianity is more than a religion. It is an intricate understanding of the depth of God's life.
Hence God must increase our understanding of Him.
For understanding saves us from the damage ignorance does to our souls.
While this approach has helped me, I still hugely rely on God’s grace and mercy.
Always remember that it is not by power or might but by His grace alone. Even after understanding the consequences of sin, we must realize that dependence on God is what saves us from sin, not any wisdom of ourselves.
Bloom with Love. Xx!