Do we sin every day?
"For I was born a sinner—yes, from the moment my mother conceived me." —Psalm 51:5 (NLT)
Rebelling against God (a.k.a. sin) is so natural to being human that we refer to this as having a sin nature. Going an entire day without sinning would be like a fish taking an entire day off from swimming. Swimming is natural for fish, and, unfortunately, sin is natural for humans (Romans 5:12).
We may do our best, but there are always going to be ways that we choose to sin. We may end up sinning less as we mature in our faith, but we'll never be totally free from sinful urges and temptations.
We Cannot Be Perfect
"No one is righteous—not even one." —Romans 3:10 (NLT)
In contrast to Paul's statement above in Romans 3, Jesus said, "You are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48, NLT). How do we reconcile these opposing ideas when we know we'll never reach 100% perfection?
Taking a look at the context of Jesus' statement here, it becomes quite clear that He is indeed affirming that no one can reach God's standard of righteousness by their own power. That's why the Apostle Paul, Matthew, and the rest of the New Testament writers remind us over and over that the perfection Jesus is talking about can only be received as a gift from God through faith in Jesus (Romans 3:23–25).
Heart, Mind & Soul are Hard to Control
"I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me." —Romans 7:22-23 (NLT)
Jesus tells us that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our hearts, minds, and souls (Matthew 22:36-38). Yet, loving God completely at all times is impossible (Ecclesiastes 7:20). We aren't thinking of God 24/7. We get busy in our lives. And sometimes we forget to bring God into our lives for no discernible reason (Jeremiah 17:9).
When we do sinful things that we "just couldn't help," that's giving in to our broken state. But we're not alone! Even Paul was frustrated with his battle against his sin nature (Romans 7:22-23). Every human in history has struggled to do what's right. Our desire to go against God's will chases us from the second we're born until the moment we die. But the struggle is still meaningful (Romans 5:3-5). Our struggle and our effort still COUNTS (James 1:2-4).
Even though battling sin is a constant for us in this life, we have two bits of good news to share:
- God has so much grace, forgiveness, and mercy to give everyday (Lamentations 3:22-23). Through Jesus, He offers offer us the blessing of eternal life in glory with Him—rather than requiring us to pay for our wrongs toward Him with eternal death.
- We won't have to deal with these temptations in the life to come. One day, we will be in Heaven with our Savior and will be free from sin and its daily hold on us—just as we have already been freed from its penalty because of Jesus' sacrifice for us.
"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." —James 1:2-4 (NLT)
ALSO SEE:
- What is sin?
- What is the sin nature?
- Are people born sinners?
- Why won't God just make us stop sinning?
- Hating Sin Doesn't Mean Hating Yourself
- Do I have to think about God 24/7?
- Is temptation a sin?
- Are Christians supposed to be perfect?
- How do I do the right thing?
- How can I receive forgiveness from God?
- Do non-Christians have easier lives?
TL;DR
Yep, it's true, we sin every day because humanity is fallen (Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12; Romans 3:23). There's no way to go a whole day without sinning. But that doesn't mean there's no hope for us. As long we continue to struggle against sin (Romans 7:22-23), we're doing something right: not giving up!
Writer: L.B.
L.B. is a seasoned Christian writer who loves working with youth and inspiring others to live for Christ.
