by Mark McCrary<\/p>\n
Every honest Christian knows this question: “I’m struggling with sin. Does that make me a bad Christian?”<\/p>\n
The Bible doesn’t brush this concern aside. In fact, it describes exactly that tension between God’s call to holiness and our ongoing battle with sin. On one hand, God says, “Be holy, for I am holy<\/em>” (I Peter 1:16). That’s the standard-absolute purity, no sin. But then I John 1:8 reminds us, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.<\/em>” It’s in the middle of these two truths that our everyday lives take place.<\/p>\n Our goal is not to sin-John goes on to say, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin<\/em>” (I John 2:1)-but he immediately adds, “If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.<\/em>” In other words, sin is still real, but because of Christ, it’s no longer our master.<\/p>\n Romans 6 makes that crystal clear. Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, believers have been set free from sin’s dominion. Paul writes, “Sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace<\/em>” (Romans 6:14). Yes, you will sin (I John 1:8), but you don’t have to keep sinning. You are no longer chained to your old desires. Christ has freed you from the bondage of sin.\u00a0Because of Christ, when you sin, you can stop. You can walk away.<\/p>\n Paul reminds us that faithfulness is part of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. You don’t struggle alone. As John promised, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world<\/em>” (I John 4:4).<\/p>\n That’s why the keyword in this question-“I struggle with sin”-is so important.<\/p>\n There’s an old preacher’s story about a young man who confessed, “I’m struggling with pornography.”<\/p>\n The preacher asked, “How often do you look at it?”<\/p>\n “About ten times a day,” the young man answered.<\/p>\n The preacher paused, then said gently, “That doesn’t sound much like a struggle.”<\/p>\n He wasn’t trying to be cruel-just to make an important point: the word struggle demands we fight back. We hate what’s wrong. We repent when we fall. We don’t want to live in sin.\u00a0Paul puts it this way, “Put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you<\/em>” (Colossians 3:5). You declared war on sin when you were baptized into Christ. You committed to holy living. But it isn’t a “one and done” thing. Following Christ is a commitment to fight that war every single day you live.<\/p>\n The reality is that the person who doesn’t struggle isn’t doing well. If sin doesn’t bother us, something’s wrong. The absence of struggle usually means the absence of caring-and that’s a huge problem.<\/p>\n But when sin does grieve you-when you feel that pang of conviction after you fall-that’s actually evidence of life. Paul calls it “godly sorrow<\/em>” and says it “produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret<\/em>” (II Corinthians 7:10). That sorrow isn’t meant to crush you-it’s meant to drive you to Christ. Guilt without grace leads to despair; guilt that turns to Jesus leads to growth.<\/p>\n If you’re struggling with sin-bothered by it, fighting it-that’s not a sign you’re a bad Christian. It’s a sign you’re alive in the fight.<\/p>\n Take heart: the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is at work in you (Romans 8:11).<\/p>\n The more you grow, the more you’ll see progress. Temptations that once owned you will lose their hold. Sin’s voice will grow weaker, and the Spirit’s voice stronger. You will become more like Christ-not overnight, but over time.<\/p>\n But remember: there has to be fruit. People who live in continual guilt without change aren’t repenting. Real repentance is more than acknowledging sin-it’s a genuine effort to change. God wants you to overcome sin, not be overcome with sorrow (II Corinthians 2:7).<\/p>\n So no, struggling with sin doesn’t make you a bad Christian.\u00a0Giving up the struggle would.<\/p>\n So, beloved, keep fighting. Keep repenting. Keep trusting Jesus.<\/p>\n He’s not ashamed of the Christian who struggles-He’s there to help them stand.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Mark McCrary Every honest Christian knows this question: “I’m struggling with sin. Does that make me a bad Christian?” The Bible doesn’t brush this concern aside. In fact, it describes exactly that tension between God’s call to holiness and our ongoing battle with sin. On one hand, God says, “Be holy, for I am…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[703,179,185],"class_list":["post-91265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-guilt","tag-sin","tag-temptation"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":29760,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-does-it-mean-there-is-no-one-who-does-not-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":91265,"position":0},"title":"What does it mean “there is no one who does not sin”?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 31, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Please explain to me what II Chronicles 6:36 means as per the issue of sin: \"for there is no one who does not sin...\" What is the meaning of holiness? What happens to a Christian who sins but has yet to acknowledge, let alone repent or confess it? Answer:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45993,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-a-christian-sin-if-we-are-to-be-holy-like-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":91265,"position":1},"title":"How can a Christian sin if we are to be holy like God?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: The Bible tells us that God commands us to be holy as He is holy. If we were allowed to sin and still make it into heaven, there would be no point in having heaven or hell. Why would \"be holy as I am holy\" even be in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36843,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/on-being-holy\/","url_meta":{"origin":91265,"position":2},"title":"On Being Holy","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 27, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Peter 1:13-16 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When you are in a competition, you are told \u201cDo your best.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It means we strive hard to achieve. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Yet, at the same time I know there are going to be times when I don\u2019t do my best. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I might be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28825,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-happens-if-sin-is-not-confessed-immediately-and-the-sinner-dies\/","url_meta":{"origin":91265,"position":3},"title":"What happens if sin is not confessed immediately and the sinner dies?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 4, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: How does I John 2:1 work for believers? One commentator talks of consent for the advocate to succeed but sometimes believers don't get convicted of their sins immediately, for example, David in II Samuel 11 and 12. Does this mean his advocacy will not avail them? If they die,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":70925,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/was-i-truly-born-again\/","url_meta":{"origin":91265,"position":4},"title":"Was I truly born again?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 6, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, I had a question regarding baptism. I was baptized a few years ago when I was around 20 years old; however, I struggled with sexual immorality and lust with my girlfriend for a long time. Eventually, we got married. After this, I started to think baptism wasn't necessary\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":32087,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-a-christian-sins-is-he-no-longer-part-of-the-family-of-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":91265,"position":5},"title":"If a Christian sins, is he no longer part of the family of God?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 6, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: If a Christian struggles with sin in his life and broke a promise he couldn't keep, is he not part of the family of God anymore? Is it possible to sin to such an extent that there's no way back home -- basically you lose your salvation? Is there\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91265"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91265\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}You Don’t Have to Sin Anymore<\/h2>\n
Struggle Means You’re Fighting<\/h2>\n
When Guilt Is a Good Thing<\/h2>\n
There’s Good News<\/h2>\n