Is there a difference between living in sin and falling into sin?
Question:
Hello brother,
I have a question for you. There is a teaching about living in sin and falling into sin.
- Living in sin is basically sin in which one continues sinning in that sin or sins.
- Falling is more like you are walking and you trip, you fall down, but you get back up and continue forward.
Can you explain this more, and where in the Bible this teaching comes from?
Also, where does a person who is trying to quit an addiction come in? If he is trying, but in the process of trying, he clearly quits less and less, is he still sinning? Is he still being condemned, or is his effort being recognized?
Would that be falling or living is sin?
Thank you for your time.
Please take care, and hope to hear from you soon.
Answer:
Scripture distinguishes between those who continue in sin ("go on sinning") and those who stumble and sin.
"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" (Romans 6:1-2).
"Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace" (Romans 6:12-14).
"Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?" (Romans 6:16).
"Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries" (I Peter 4:1-3).
"For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well" (James 3:2).
People may continue in sin because they are ignorant of it.
"As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance" (I Peter 1:14).
Others know what they are doing is wrong but willfully choose to keep sinning anyway.
"For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?" (Hebrews 10:26-29).
"For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame" (Hebrews 6:4-6).
In other words, they have given up fighting sin and instead wish to justify themselves despite their sins. The key difference is a person's attitude toward sin. "Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God" (I John 3:7-9). This does not mean a righteous person will never sin. Sin is always a problem (I John 1:8-2:1). However, the righteous person cannot accept staying in sin. He battles it. The wicked person gives up and stays in his sins.
When people repeatedly fall back into sin, it is often labeled as an addiction. However, this implies that the person has little control over his choices. See "I have a hard time stopping something I'm addicted to doing."
Response:
Thank you.
