But What If One Sins?'

We have established that all human beings sin. Should the newly-begotten Christian expect this to continue after baptism? Is perfection achieved overnight by a certain “profession of faith” or by the act of repentance and baptism?

It is not! There is one lengthy passage of scripture that is very helpful on the subject of forgiveness and related matters.

The following verses bear much instruction—but only after first reading all of them. Notice: “…and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ…that your joy may be full. This then is the message…that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. My little children, these things write I unto you, that you sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and He is the propitiation for our sins” (I John 1:3-2:2).

There is much important instruction here. Open your Bible and let’s examine it verse by verse.

I John 1:3: John, the last living apostle in the Bible, speaking on behalf of all the apostles (“we”), explains that a Christian’s true fellowship is on the spiritual plane with Christ and the Father. It is only through them that Christians can have real, true fellowship with one another, within God’s Church.

I John 1:4: John’s purpose was to show people the source of real, permanent fullness of joy.

I John 1:5: The true God represents light—He “is light”—and there is nothing dark about what He does or who He is. The person fellowshipping with the true God of the Bible wants to come to the light and come out of all the darkness of this world.

I John 1:6: This is the first of six verses beginning with the word “if.” The use of this word always indicates conditions—in this case, those involving free moral agency. Many people claim to “know” God, to fellowship with Him, but they neither know nor practice His TRUTH in their lives. He says this makes them plain liars (I Jn 2:4).

I John 1:7: Christ’s blood continues to cleanse all the sins—the errors, mistakes, weaknesses and flaws—of the person who is striving to walk in God’s truth—and in fellowship with other true Christians. Though they usually do not intend to, Christians slip and have to get back on track.

I John 1:8: This verse is very important. Christians need to acknowledge that they sin. It has been my experience that self-deceit (Jer. 17:9) is the single biggest reason most people do not grow and overcome as they should. Self-deceit—lying to yourself—is still deceit. And there is no place for the truth to dwell in such a person!

I John 1:9-10: I John 1:9 is not speaking about the unconverted, carnal-minded, person. For the one who acknowledges and confesses his sins, these verses are self-evident. Jesus Christ is there to wash—to CLEAN UP!—the true Christian when he has momentarily strayed from the light of living by God’s Word and Law. A Christian must learn to overcome. Like learning to play the piano or painting a beautiful picture, this does not happen overnight.

Chapter 2, I John 1:1-2: John uses the endearing term, “My little children,” because that is how God looks at His begotten sons and daughters. We are all little children in His sight. He knows He needs to watch over us like human parents watch over their own small children. Though it is God’s intention that we not sin, when we do, Christ stands before the Father as our “Advocate.” As our High Priest (Heb. 4:14-16), Jesus literally “roots” for His younger brothers and sisters in the presence of the Father. He understands what it is like to battle with and overcome sin, and He offers strength and forgiveness to those who acknowledge that they need both.

The next four verses in I John 2:1-29 describe the obedient Christian as one who keeps God’s Law and strives to walk and live the same life that Jesus did ( I John 1:6). He is one who “keeps His [God’s] word,” striving not to compromise. He always seeks to do what is right.

When you stumble, and sometimes fall down, remember David’s words: “The steps of a good man are ordered [established] by the LORD…Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholds him with His hand” (Psa. 37:23-24). Like a parent lifting or steadying a child, God regularly picks up and “upholds” His children. Let this wonderful promise of God encourage you when you feel discouraged because you have fallen short in the Christian walk.

Remember, the goal of a Christian is to become like Christ and the Father—to become perfect as God is perfect (Matt. 5:48). What if a person dies before perfection has been achieved? Did such a person fail? Is one lost because he or she did not become completely perfect in this life? No human being will ever become absolutely perfect while still in the flesh. He should always continue to seek to be—strive to be—like Christ throughout his life.

Perfection is a goal that carries with it a way of life that is to govern one’s every thought, action and word. God looks on the heart, the intention of a person who is yielded to him. As long as he is spiritually growing and overcoming—and led by the Holy Spirit—he remains a converted, begotten son of God. Death changes nothing, since God is in charge of a Christian’s life. Upon a Christian’s death, he merely becomes “asleep in Christ.” He is awaiting the resurrection of all saints into the kingdom of God (I Cor. 15:50-55; I Thes. 4:13-18).

The Unpardonable Sin

So many worry that they may have committed “the unpardonable sin.” I have counselled scores of people who were racked with fear and anxiety because they were concerned, or even sometimes felt “certain,” that they were guilty of this unforgivable sin. After counselling with them, it was always clear that they were not. But it often took much counsel and explanation to reassure them that they had not committed the unpardonable sin.

I have often had to explain that the very act of being concerned is its own proof that one has not gone far enough to be guilty of this sin. The unpardonable sin involves wilful, deliberate, premeditated sin based on a clear and final decision to commit any kind of sin and to remain in it. The key—the core—attitude is wilful. Yes, many do sin willingly—but that is far different from sinning wilfully.

Every time people sin, they are, of course, willing to do what they did. But they were usually overcome by some kind of temptation or circumstance that allowed them to slip. They were soon very sorry for what they had done. While this does not ever lessen the seriousness of sin, if one is sorry about his actions and wants to change—wants to repent and to be forgiven—and this is accompanied by the determination to do better the next time, then he is far from having committed the unpardonable sin.

God is merciful and even eager to forgive you—upon heartfelt repentance! He says He wants you, and all those that He calls, to succeed (II Peter 3:9; I Tim. 2:4). While Satan tempts people, hoping for failure, God periodically tests His servants, hoping—even expecting—for them to succeed. God does not want anyone to fail!

So, if you are concerned that you have committed the unpardonable sin, then you still care and, therefore, have not committed it! If you have not wilfully, deliberately, turned from Christ, then you have not committed the unpardonable sin! If you have yielded to temptation, and broken one or more of God’s laws, acknowledge and confess it to God. You may still repent, change and continue on the path to eternal life in the kingdom of God!

Do not give up! Do not quit! King Solomon wrote, “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small” (Prov. 24:10), and, “For a just man falls seven times [here, the Hebrew word means many], and rises up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief” (vs. 16). Do not ever “draw back” (Heb. 10:38-39).

Twice, Christ said, “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Matt. 24:13;10:22). A Christian is not automatically saved at baptism and conversion. If you fall down, get up—seek God, repent and go on! God will continue to uphold you if you continue to ENDURE! (Read our booklet Just What Is “The Unpardonable Sin”? It describes and explains this commonly misunderstood subject in plain detail, and why Christ warned that some can be guilty of committing this sin.)

The Parable of the Pounds

Let’s turn to a final parable that illustrates the Christian’s responsibility to grow, if he or she is to enter the kingdom of God. In Luke 19:11-27, Christ compared Himself to a Nobleman who went to a “far country,” a type of joining the Father in heaven for nearly 2,000 years, until His Return. The disciples believed that the kingdom would “appear immediately,” and Christ wanted to illustrate that much time would pass before it did.

The “Nobleman” of the parable instructed His “ten servants” to increase the worth of a “pound” (money) that He gave to each of them for investment. The pound actually represented a kind of symbolic unit of basic spiritual worth or value. Remember that it was a parable, so Christ was not referring to any kind of literal money. He told His servants, “Occupy till I come”—or to “grow” the pound into more money. While the Nobleman was gone, several of the servants said, “We will not have this man to reign over us.” It is vital to understand the intent of this statement.

These “citizens” understood that the Nobleman (Christ) was coming to “reign” on earth. They wanted no part of this and rejected His government (reign) over them—and, thus, their future part in it (Lk 19:27). They understood that the kingdom of God would be a government ruling over the earth. Remember, the parable had begun with the Nobleman (Christ) going to heaven to “receive for Himself a kingdom and to return.”

Upon the Nobleman’s return, He called each of the servants into His presence to give Him an accounting of how each one had increased the pound that he had been given. Some had gained five pounds, others ten, etc., but one servant had buried his pound in the ground and produced nothing with it. Christ wanted to know how much “each man had gained” while He had been away.

The first servant had gained ten pounds and Christ explained his reward by saying, “you good servant: because you have been faithful in a very little, have you authority over ten cities” (Lk 19:17). The servant who had gained five pounds was put “over five cities.” Because the second servant produced half as much, his reward was half as much. So, these men were given “authority”—they were put into a position of rulership—“over cities.” Their reward was to “reign” with Christ (Jude 14) in His world-ruling kingdom.

The servant who buried his pound in a napkin had wasted an incredible opportunity to qualify for rulership in the kingdom of God: “And He [the Nobleman, Jesus] said to him, Out of your own mouth will I judge you, you wicked servant.”

This servant had not grown. He had not produced anything with his life and had not qualified for rulership over cities in the kingdom of God. Christ gave the wicked servant’s reward to the one who had gained ten pounds—so that the latter had even more than his own reward. The cities that this man’s conduct had caused him to lose would have to be ruled by someone. Otherwise, they would become abandoned, with no ruler assigned authority over them.

No one will be given rulership before they have proven that they can be ruled. No one can be part of God’s world-ruling government unless they have learned to submit to the government of God and to be ruled by God and Jesus Christ in this life. This is the all-important lesson of the parable of the pounds!

Now what will you do? Will you grow, qualify, and develop in spiritual character—gain more pounds than you started with? Will God get a “return” on His investment in you? Or will you bury your pound, and with it your opportunity to rule in the kingdom of God?

God Looks on the Heart

In his booklet Just what do you mean…CONVERSION?, under the subhead “What To Do?,” Herbert W. Armstrong wrote the following: “If you see a Christian do something wrong, DON’T SIT IN JUDGMENT AND CONDEMN—that’s God’s business to judge, not yours! Let’s have compassion and mercy—WE don’t know the inner heart of others—only GOD does!

“And if you, yourself, have stumbled and fallen down, DON’T BE DISCOURAGED! Get up and press on ahead! “God looks on the heart—the attitude—the intent.

“As long as one, in his heart, has the real desire to walk God’s WAY with Him—is deeply sorry and repents when he commits the occasional sin—and is seeking to overcome sin, and to make God’s way his habitual way of life, he will stumble on occasion, but if he confesses it and repents, he will be forgiven. But, if he is diligent in his Christian life, his occasional stumbling will become less and less—he will be making good progress, overcoming, GROWING spiritually and in righteous godly character.

“What is your attitude? When you have sinned, have you been carelessly indifferent about it? You are on dangerous ground. Do you justify it, feel others are to blame? That will never justify your sins. Do you still desire to go God’s Way? Then it’s not too late. Turn from sins, CONFESS your sins—to God. REPENT! Pick yourself up, with Christ’s helping hand, and go on overcoming and GROWING spiritually.

“(And if you are one who has NEVER really repented, been baptized and received God’s Holy Spirit—and yet earnestly desire to—you may want to get in contact with one of God’s true ministers...)

“But remember, once you know you have really repented and been forgiven, don’t repeat the sin(s), but FORGET it. As the Apostle Paul wrote, ‘FORGETTING those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus’ (Phil. 3:13-14).”

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But What If One Sins?'

Contents

What About Death?

The Unpardonable Sin

The Parable of the Pounds

God Looks on the Heart