Question: How come Christians say they are holy and yet they keep sinning? (Some even sin more than us who are not Christians?)
Bible Reading: 1 John 1:5-10
Text: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8)
This is again an important question. I have to say how impressed I am at the quality of questions you have all been asking. But this one is particularly important because sometimes one of the greatest obstacles to people thinking Christianity is for real, is the hypocrisy of some Christians. It’s not just the ones we get in the media (and the media love to report the bad news about Christians !), but also what we see for ourselves.
I was a pastor for six years in the beautiful Highland village of Brora. It may have been beautiful, but it too was full of sinners! One time a man came up to me and said “I won’t come to your church, because it’s full of hypocrites” …Perhaps I should not have replied the way I did. “You’re right, but you should come along. You would fit right in!”. I did apologise and asked him, “Do you know any who are not?” And it’s funny but every time I asked that question I got the same answer – “Yes, there’s Rossie and Angus, and Big Margaret and Wee Margaret and Big Donald and Sanders and….” These were Christians who of course were still sinners, but they lived a life that was consistent and in keeping with their testimony.
A real Christian will not claim to be holier than thou! In fact, the more you grow as a Christian the more you are conscious of your own sin and weakness so that like the Apostle Paul towards the end of his life, you can honestly say “I am the worst of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15).
However, we do claim to be ‘saints’ in the biblical sense of the word. It literally means ‘the holy ones. We are holy, which means set apart for God, not because we are good but because Christ died to make us holy (Ephesians 5:25-26).
So, if that is the case, why do we still sin? Because although we are saved, we are not yet in heaven. We are not yet fully made holy (what is called sanctified). However, we are being made holy. There was an old t-shirt which summed it up well, “Be patient with me. God has not finished with me yet”.
Also, there is something called ‘common grace’. That is God’s grace that works in all human beings. It is because of his mercy that we not consumed. Whilst every human being is a sinner, every human being is also made in the image of God and retains something of that goodness. So, I am not surprised that you have met people who behave better and seem much nicer than many Christians – because I certainly have. I don’t assume that because someone is a Christian that they are necessarily a better person than someone who isn’t. Nonetheless none of us are saved by our good works, because they can never be good enough. It doesn’t matter if we fall short by 1% or by 100% – we all fall short of the glory of God.
The real question is . John tells us in the passage we read. First, we must not deceive ourselves by claiming to be without sin – we are not that holy. Then we need to confess our sins to Jesus – who because he is faithful and just will forgive us. It is his blood that purifies us from all sin. Knowing that we are forgiven gives us a great incentive to deal with our ongoing sin. Knowing that when we get it wrong, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, who is the atoning sacrifice for our sins (and for the sins of the whole world) is a great encouragement. With this knowledge we can be for real….and holy and humble.
The point is not that the Christian is sinless, but that the Christian has someone who can deal with their sin. That is not the case for the non-Christian. Actually, that’s wrong. The non-Christian does have someone who can deal with their sin, but they need to turn to him and repent and believe in him. Have you? Will you?
Consider: There is an old hymn which has these lovely lines, “There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel’s veins; and sinners beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains”. If you want forgiveness – from everything – that is where you must go. Come to the Cross. Come to Christ. And you will be forgiven.
Recommended Further Reading:
How Do I Kill Remaining Sin? – Geoff Thomas (a short 32 page book – but invaluable)
Gentle and Lowly – The Heart of Christ for Sufferers and Sinners – Dane Ortlund
Prayer: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin” (Psalm 51:1-2)
SEEK 48 – Christians Disunited
