Why Many Christians Are Just Plain Wrong

If you were to do a survey amongst Christians today, whether they be Protestant or Catholic, you would find most of them agree on one thing.  They claim that Christians are nothing more than a special class of sinner.  The popular cliché is that everyone struggles with sin, no one is perfect, we are all human.  There is even a bumper sticker that reads: I’M NOT PERFECT, JUST FORGIVEN.

What most of these Christians do not know, however, is how WRONG they are.  The very Scripture they claim to believe contradicts their understanding of sin.  In fact, this is such a BASIC doctrine that so many Christians do not understand, the Apostle Paul of the Christian New Testament likens it to “milk”.

Paul lists six BASIC doctrines that every baby Christian should understand.  The first BASIC doctrine is repentance from dead works.  It is this doctrine that a typical Christian whether pastors, evangelists or the average joe, does not understand.

The Scriptures, contrary to what Christians believe, state that true Christians DO NOT sin AT ALL.  There are THOUSANDS of scriptures to support this point but we will only center on a few.

WHAT IS REPENTANCE FROM DEAD WORKS?

Often times, Christians fail to scripturally define what repentance is.  Repentance, as defined in the book of Proverbs, is being sorry over what you have done by admitting it was wrong to do AND ALSO to STOP doing the sin! (Proverbs 28:13)  Most Christians understand the first part but not the second.  True repentance means you admit to sinning and YOU NEVER DO IT AGAIN!

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LIVE WITHOUT SIN?

In Matthew 5:48, YahShua commands His followers “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”  What does it mean to be PERFECT?  Well, it does NOT mean having a perfect body, for that is impossible.  It does NOT mean having a perfect mind; who does?  It cannot mean having perfect emotions because emotions often come and go despite what we do.  So, what does it mean?

The only possible thing it COULD refer to is moral perfection.  In other words, your heart is PURE.  The Hebrew concept of perfect is better translated into English as PURE.  To be perfect means your heart is pure.

The Hebrew word for perfect is tamiym which means without spot, undefiled, without blemish.

In other words, a true Christian is not doing anything he knows he should not be doing, and is doing all that he knows he should.  He is living up to the understanding he has.  This does not mean he no longer has room to grow.  It simply means that at his level of maturity, wherever that may be, he is doing all he knows to please his Maker.

The Greek word used for saint is hagios which means morally perfect one.  So, every time Paul addresses a letter to a congregation and he writes: “Unto the Saints in . . .” he is saying “Unto the morally perfect ones in . . .”

This is supported by Matthew 5 when the Messiah declares only the PURE in heart shall see Yah.(Matthew 5:8)  If a Christian still sins, he does not have a pure heart.  Thus, according to the Messiah he claims to serve, he does not have a pure heart and will not see Yah.

ONE SCRIPTURE CHRISTIANS CANNOT EXPLAIN AWAY

Whenever I talk to a Christian who claims we all sin, they can never explain I John 3:6-11:

“Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth 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.  He that commiteth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning.  For this purpose the Son of Yah (short form of YahVeh, the name for the Hebrew Creator) was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.  Whosoever is born of Yah doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of Yah.  In this the children of Yah are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of Yah, neither he that loveth not his brother.  For this is the message that ye hard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”

There are several different subjects addressed in this passage, but the MAIN point I want to center on is found in verses 6 and 9.  Very clearly, if one is truly born again, or a Christian, one DOES NOT sin.  The word commit in verse 9 is the Greek word meaning “a single act of sin”.  If you look in a Strong’s concordance, the word used for commit is the Greek word poieo, number 4160.  This word is related to the Greek word prasia, number 4238.  However, prasia is defined as to practice, thus differing from 4160 which more properly refers to a single act.  Literally, verse 9 reads in the Greek: “Whosoever is born of Yah doth not commit a single act of sin . . .”

This passage usually illicits a blank, confused stare from Christians.  Most of them have never even heard of this passage.  Many want to look at my Scriptures to make sure I am reading from a normal Bible!

Yet this passage should put the debate to rest.  Scripture plainly says that one who is born of Yah does not sin at all.  Period.  It is the doctrine Paul referred to as repentance from dead works.  A true follower of the Messiah no longer commits dead works, or sin.

THE SCRIPTURES TWISTED

Self described Christians who want to continue in sin often twist scripture out of context in a vain attempt to use Scriptures to justify their sinful lives.  The MOST POPULAR verse they use is I John 1:8: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

Now, at face value, that verse seems to contradict I John 3:6-11.  I say SEEMS, because it really does not.  If I John 1:8 really means that no one can EVER claim to be without sin, then I John 1:9, the VERY NEXT verse, is a lie.

I John 1:9 says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from ALL sin.”

So, according to I John 1:9, how much sin is in a person after they have been forgiven?  Answer: NONE!! So, at that point, that person can claim to be without sin!  I John 1:8 must mean something else.  The verse must be describing a person who claims to have no sin for which he needs an atonement, a person who denies his need for the Messiah.  It is only through Jesus Christ (YahShua ha Mashiach) that we can cease from all sin.

WHAT ABOUT ROMANS 7?

Many Christians identify with Romans 7 where Paul describes his internal struggle with sin.  Paul says in this passage that he wants to do righteousness but cannot and that he does not want to sin, but he does.  Pro-sin Christians point gleefully to this internal struggle believing even Paul, the author or much of the New Testament, was a sinner.

However, this removes Romans 7 from the context of Romans 6 and Romans 8.  Chapters 6 and 8 paint a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT picture of Paul.  In these chapters, Paul says he is DEAD to sin, he is ALIVE to righteousness and that he no longer walks after the flesh, but after the spirit.  So, is Paul schizophrenic?  Of course not.  Paul uses a literary device known as hypteusis.  This device uses the present tense to describe a PAST event.  Romans 6 and 8 describe Paul’s present condition as a Christian.  Romans 7 compares his PAST, when he was a sinner struggling with sin, with his present  life as a victorious Christian.  It is very clear in verse 1 of chapter 8 that Paul is returning to the present when he says: “Therefore there is NOW no condemnation to those who are in YahShua ha Maschiah, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.”

What does this say about professing Christians who identify with the wretched man in Chapter 7?

OTHER JUSTIFICATIONS

Christians determined to continue in their sin will use other scriptures to twist.  However, they can all be explained by using I John 3:6-11 as a guide post.  These Christians MUST be able to explain away I John 3:6-11 before they can use other portions of scripture to justify their sin or they are admitting their Scriptures possess contradictions.

SALVATION LOST?  SALVATION REGAINED?

Many Christians have a problem with the idea of being sinless because of practical reasons.  You see, according to scriptures I have presented, when a Christian sins, he CEASES to be a Christian until he repents.  Critics will say: “oh, so you can get saved, then unsaved, then re-saved, etc. . . .?”

This is a straw man argument.  Of course a Christian can not bounce back and forth between salvation and damnation.  Remember what we said about repentance?  If a Christian is sinning and then repenting and then sinning and then repenting and then sinning, over and over again, day in and day out . . . he has NOT REPENTED.  Repentance means you stop committing the sin.  Period.  Thus, the Christian who bounces back and forth is not a Christian at all.  At best, he is a convicted sinner, hating his sin but too much in love with it to give the sin up.

WHAT WILL YOU DO NOW???

So, what will you do now?  Perhaps you call yourself Christian but you still sin.   You have misused the scriptures to justify your rebellion.  Will you continue to shut your eyes and justify your sin, bringing greater damnation upon yourself?  It is TIME to repent and turn to the Messiah.  It is time to stop playing games.

Or maybe you are not religious at all, and you realize you break Yah’s commandments, but you think you are a pretty good person.  THINK AGAIN!  If you sin, you are a rebel in the eyes of your Creator, and you are causing incalculable grief to Him, those around you and yourself.  Your sin may not seem terrible in your eyes, but others see how grave it is, and certainly your Creator does.  Today is the day of salvation!  Humble yourself, plead for the mercy of YahShua, and He will fill you with His Spirit so that you will NEVER sin again!  Only by the atonement provided when He shed his blood and the power of His Spirit can you hope to never sin again.  And you only gain His blood and Spirit by confessing your wickedness, admitting you deserve Hell and agreeing never to hurt your Creator or your fellow man again.

Whether you profess to be a Christian or not, it is time to repent from your dead works and stop sinning.  The Messiah is coming soon and if you are living like a sinner when He returns, He will cast you into the Lake of Fire.  Repent now before it is too late.

In YahShua and by His Torah, Daniel J. Lee -- Portland State University Campus Preacher