Five Views of Sin in a Believer’s Life
Many Christians today don’t like to talk about sin. We’d rather talk about positive things like love, kindness, social action, acceptance and so forth. But the Bible does speak of sin, and most of us have a doctrine of sin–even of sin in the believer’s life. I sometimes doubt if we have fully thought through the practical implications of our “hamartiology” or doctrine of sin. I don’t have them all here, but I’ve noticed among students coming into college there are five main views of sin in a believer’s life.
- Sinners and saints at once
All sin is equal–break one part of the law and you’ve broken the entire law. You have your sins; I have mine. The church is a hospital for sinning people who sin every day in word, thought and deed–we don’t judge each other’s sins. - Sinners already forgiven
All my sins–past, present, future–have already been forgiven. God cannot see my sins–he sees me through Christ. My job is to practice spiritual breathing–confess my sins which were forgiven 2000 years ago. - Victory over some sins
God can deliver me from some sins, but not all. The purpose of the remaining sins is to keep us humble and dependent upon the grace of Christ. If God delivered us from all sin, then we would become proud and think we would not need Christ. - Victory over sin
Christians don’t have to sin. If a thing is sin I shouldn’t have to do it–I can have victory over any sin. - Deliverance from the inclination to sin
God can actually change me so I’m not even inclined toward a particular sin, and He could even change me so that my inclination to disobey him in any area is gone because I love God so much.
There are other views, but these are the most common ones. What I often don’tsee is a consistent application of these views. Often a person uses one view for themselves, but another view for others. Or they will opt for one view for certain sins and another one for other sins. It seems to me that good theology plays out in the trenches of life, not just in theoretical discussions. So it seems fair to apply one’s position on “sin in believers” to specific sins to test their validity. Let’s test these views on homosexual sin. (We could use adultery, porn or lying just as easily, but homosexuality will hold your attention better.) How would these views play out for a person claiming to be a “practicing Christian homosexual?”
- Sinners and saints at once
I commit homosexual sins and you gossip. So what? My sin is no worse than yours because all sin is equal. The church is a place for sinners like you and me, so we shouldn’t judge each other for our sins. - Sinners already forgiven
When Christ died on the cross, I was forgiven for all my sins–even those I will yet commit, so I confess my sins like you confess yours–every day. God cannot see my homosexual acts any more than He sees the places where you fall short of His perfect ideal. - Victory over some sins
I can be delivered from some sins but God has not delivered me from my homosexual sin. He has left this sin in my life to keep me humble and reliant on His grace alone. - Victory over sin
I am a homosexual, and I am seeking deliverance from practicing this sin just like you are seeking to be delivered from any sin you practice. I believe I can one day be free of this sin and am seeking victory over it. - Deliverance from the inclination to sin
I am seeking God to deliver me from wanting to practice homosexual sin. I want God to change me so that I no longer want to disobey Him in this or in any other area because He could perfect me in love for Him.
When confronted with this real-life situation, I note that student opinions tend to shift down the chart. While they tend toward the upper views in theory when applied to homosexual sin, they quickly shift downward—even to position five, the promised deliverance from the inclination to sin (the classic “holiness position” espoused by my denomination for many years, though not so strongly recently).
What I’m wondering is this: Does today’s popular harmatology predict tomorrow’s position on homosexual acts?
© 2007, Keith Drury
www.drurywriting.com/keith
Keith Drury served The Wesleyan Church headquarters in Christian Education and Youth leadership for 24 years before becoming a professor of religion at Indiana Wesleyan University. He is the author of more than a dozen books of practical spirituality, including Holiness for Ordinary People, Common Ground and Ageless Faith. Keith Drury wrote the Tuesday Column for 17 years (1995-2012), and many articles can be found on his blog “Drury Writing.”
Keith Drury retired from full time teaching in 2012. Keith is married to Sharon and has two adult sons and several grandchildren. He is retired in Florida with Sharon and enjoys cycling.
