Can and Will a True Christian Stop Sinning in This Life? ...and, if so, How?

Question

Atheist and Agnostics will also please reply only if you will specifically and directly address the actual question asked.

In other words, this question is already conditionally predicated on the Existence of the One True God of Heaven -- and that Jesus Christ was the Son of God before His Incarnation, that He laid down His Divine Power (but not His Divine Authority) to become a Man, and that He took up His Divine Power again when He Ascended to Heaven 40 days after His Crucifixion and Resurrection.

Thus, when everyone considers their answers, please keep in mind these verses of Scripture -- and keep in mind that I'd like to hear answers in your own words, rather than more Scripture (unless I've missed a very telling one):

Deuteronomy 18:13 Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.

1Kings 8:60 That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else.
1Kings 8:61 Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.

Matthew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

2Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
2Corinthians 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
2Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Ephesians 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:

Philippians 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

2Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Timothy 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
James 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
James 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
Jude 1:25 To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

Revelation 7:13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
Revelation 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

erickallen101: The question is not about Justification. It is about Sanctification. Do you know the difference?

David N: But when do you think such a person will arrive at the top of the mountain. That is the question.

David N: By the way, a "true Christian" is one that is not just in name only -- i.e., one that is actually striving to be like Christ (1Cor. 9:24-27). But it must be by the law:

2Tim. 2:5 And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.

Answer 1

Sometimes it seems that the word ‘Surrender’ has become a dirty word in America today. That’s too bad, because surrender is the only real way to find peace. It also happens to be the key to a life of true power. I don't think I really understood that until fairly recently, when, as a perceived ‘need’ to sin pressed closer to me, as it does to us all, I remembered a recent Bible study that defined worship as surrender. Surrender to God.

I remember wishing that it were as simple as that, that I could just give up and leave all responsibility for my sins to God, when suddenly a light came on in my head and I realized that I could. That in fact, this was the purpose of the Cross and Calvary. The howling need to sin that I had felt only moments before was suddenly gone, like a storm on the Sea of Galilee. I was free! Confused but grateful, I quickly went about preparing for my day.

Surrender to God. Why was this such a revelation? Throughout my life, I've heard, read, and sung these and similar words: "All to Jesus, I surrender, Lord, I give my self to thee..." But somehow, surrender to God was always a different concept from the kind of surrender one submits to on a field of battle, or when surrendering to the police, or even surrendering a game of chess. Every time we are taught to surrender to God, there is a quick insertion of: "...and you will receive...". But giving to get is not giving. It's just investing. And THAT is looking out for number one. It has nothing whatever to do with surrender.

Every Christian knows that there is "Power, power, power in the Blood", that we should be able to overcome all obstacles easily because of the power of God. But who can access this mythic power? Sure, Paul can "do all things in Christ", but let's be honest, at least with ourselves. When was the last time you flicked an unlit cigarette from your lips? When did you last put your dish away after a single course instead of refilling it with a delicious food item? If you are like me, and all humans are, there are dozens of small things you want to stop, but don't have the will power to achieve victory over. The good news here is, you don't need to. Maybe that's the real heart of the Gospel, that we truly are free now, free of sin, free of unwanted needs, free to choose life and (Oh, no... Now I'm doing it!) victory over the world and everything in it.

But that's only a side effect! The whole point is that surrender to God puts you where you belong. I might as well stop now, because I'm sounding like every other preacher/teacher/evangelist in the world. Suffice it to say, if you want to break the chains of sin in your life, get in line and enter Gods P.O.W. camp. As long as you put yourself first, no matter what you may believe, you ARE God's enemy. Surrender!

Answer 2

The Bible doesn't ever say that God/Jesus will make you perfect in any 'earthly' way. You are made perfect in the eyes of God, and will be "perfected" in Heaven. But nowhere does it say that you will be 'perfect' in the eyes of man, or in the eyes of the Church. Sin, with the exception of the 10 commandments and a very few other laws, is the church's thing. Remember that the Bible was written, and re-written by men, who were not perfect. There is no reason to believe that they didn't add their own ideas of what was right and wrong.
Live well. Speak Kindly. Love Deeply. Bring Peace. Grant Forgiveness. And don't worry about the little 'sins' that you may think you commit. If you are steadfast in your BELIEF, you will be welcomed in heaven. It's not about following the rules, it's about living as Jesus lived.

Answer 3

A True Christian will only stop sinning at the point where they have either died or been changed to spirit at the second coming of Messiah Yeshua.

The only thing that makes us without sin is our repentance from those sins and acceptance of Yeshua's sacrifice for the penalty which we have incurred for those sins. He is our justifier and justification. That does not mean we can go about willfully breaking God's Commandments.

It will not depend on us becoming perfect as humans, it will depend on how close we come to that ideal with the help of the Almighty.

We will never be perfect as long as we are human.

Answer 4

When the option is to obey all of Gods laws or die for Christ. Rev. 6:9-11 talks about the "...the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held..."

When the persecution of the remnant starts again in the last days, the “remnant” of Christ will not want to sin and won’t. I hope we make it friend!

Answer 5

If we walk in the light...as he is in the light...we have fellowship one with another..and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us
(continually) from all unrighteousness.1Jo 1:7
Not only to forgive the sin, but to purify the heart.
Sin exists in the soul after two modes or forms: (1.) In guilt, which requires forgiveness or pardon. (2.) In pollution, which requires cleansing.
It is the birthright of every child of God to be cleansed from all sin, to keep himself unspotted from the world, and so to live as never more to offend God and this is possible because... All things are possible to him that believeth.
How? by confessing our sin..and being washed daily by the blood of Jesus. This is how we stay free of sin.

Answer 6

Great question! I say no one can truly stop sinning. If we actually did stop, we have many perfect Jesus' walking on earth. Since Adam and Eve, humans tend to do the wrong thing. We strive to be like Christ though.

Answer 7

no. It is impossible for any human, saved or not, to remain without sin. However, when Christ died he paid the price for our sins so we wouldnt have to suffer eternally for them.






23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished

26 — he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Answer 8

Jesus said be ye perfect even as your heavenly Father is perfect.The way is to acknowledge the Lord in all your ways and let him direct your path.
I know these are more scriptures but it is what I have lived by and want to continue to daily.

Answer 9

Perfected means matured, but God does take the sin that so easily besets us out of our lives.

It's a process and it requires prayer and fasting and the desire to honor God with everything in us, which desire he gives us because none of us are able to muster that kind of desire on our own, nor would we care to unless we were first convicted of our sinful state and repented in humble gratitude.

Answer 10

Sin means to miss the mark under the law the mark is the Torrah and Talmud under grace the mark is Christ, so we can not stop sining the best we can do is pray to be more like Christ than we are now and do our best to show people Christ.