The straightforward answer to this question is No!
It is never “OK” to sin, and it never will be! Sin is not a trivial thing with a Holy God.
God
does not ‘wink’ at sin in our lives because we
lay claim to being ‘believers’. Nevertheless, we do sin, even as believers. So,
what does this mean for the believer?
It is helpful to
make the distinction here between one who
sins (yes, we all still do, and often!) and one who maintains an unrepentant attitude towards sin.- that is,
the difference between the act and the attitude, if we are to properly deal
with continuing sin in our lives.
In Romans 6, the apostle Paul deals with the issue of continuing to sin. In the previous chapter he had spoken about justification based solely on grace, apart from the
righteous works demanded by the law. He had also said that no matter how much
sin abounded, God’s grace was more than
sufficient to cover it. Lest this last comment might be misunderstood to be
an encouragement to sin, he then says, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue to sin that grace may abound?
By no means! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”(Rom.6:1,2). In other words, “Certainly
not! That’s a preposterous idea! Don’t even entertain the thought that it’s
okay to sin because we are under grace”. I believe this repudiation is a
serious warning to those who would use the ‘grace defence’ to feel comfortable whilst maintaining an unrepentant attitude towards
sin. I believe it was for this reason that Paul went to great length in his
epistles to remind his readers of their position ‘before’ and ‘after’ accepting
Christ, exhorting them not to revert to sinful life styles. Keep in mind that Paul was writing to the
church, not to pagans!
If we maintain an attitude of complacency in a sinful,
unrepentant lifestyle, under the cloak of grace, we are in a dangerous position.
We must not convert ‘grace’ into ‘a licence to sin’. We must not
become comfortable with ‘calling evil good’.
We must realise that whilst grace is indeed ‘unmerited favour granted to
the sinner’, it is also the means that
God places at our disposal for our sanctification! If we refuse to, we are
in effect denying it of its efficacy to change us! In this context, it is
important to keep in mind that God does not sanctify anyone against his will;
however, he gives every enablement and encouragement towards it.
This means of
course that along with the desire to be saved we also desire to become more
like Christ. If we insist that we are ‘born again’ but have no
desire whatsoever to turn away from sin and no inclination towards holiness,
then we must question the legitimacy of our ‘conversion’. How did we come to
Christ? Did emotions, the music, or the throng surging forward at the altar
call sway us? Perhaps the promise of health, wealth and happiness was too
compelling to resist ‘becoming a Christian’. On the other hand, did we come
under a deep conviction of sin when we heard the gospel message, and respond to
God's calling us to himself as holy people?
The increasingly
popular idea that we can be ‘spiritual’ people, yet surrendered wholeheartedly to sin, belies the truth of the Holy
Spirit’s work of regeneration in the life of the believer. This is the very
danger that Paul feared – the misunderstanding about grace! The only real conversion is one
that comes through true repentance (i.e. a turning around, a decision
to change, a turning back towards God). The very word ‘conversion’ implies
change! The true believer may struggle with sin, but his heart attitude is
directed towards overcoming sin, as the Holy Spirit works in him. This obvious
struggle in the believer’s life is true evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work of
regeneration. If we desire holiness we
must cooperate with God towards it! The New Testament is replete with
exhortations to purify our hearts.
Keep in mind that we are not to stop sinning because
we want to merit our salvation, but
because we now, in a sinless Christ, belong to a Holy God! The first
epistle of John is particularly helpful for a good understanding of the
relationship of sin to the child of God.
When you think about it, if one’s desire is towards holiness, the question ‘is it okay to sin?’ should not even arise
© Preach The Word-with Pastor Joseph Rodrigues - www.kerysso.org