Guilt and Condemnation

The most harmful aspect of sin for a Christian is likely to be the sense of guilt and condemnation that it brings. If a believer forms a moral code by which he lives by, if he does not adhere closely to that list, he is likely to experience guilt and condemnation.

If a believer is taught that the only way he can be blessed by God is if he remains sin free – he will live with a sense of an impending curse whenever he does something wrong. This conviction does not come from the Holy Spirit – it comes from the believer himself. The Bible says that the only sin the Holy Spirit convicts the world of – is not believing in Jesus:

⁷ Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. ⁸ And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ⁹ of sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰ of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; ¹¹ of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

John 16:7-11

In the future, when you sin, and you will sin, just notice the way that you react when you do. Do you get anxious about it? Do you feel guilty and ashamed? Do you believe that the more guilty you feel then the more you will please God with your attitude? Do you wrack your brains trying to figure out why you did it and what you can do in the future to prevent it from happening again? Do you wonder how long God will put up with your behaviour? Do you wonder whether or not God will curse you?

If so, then don’t.

Punishment for Sin or Natural Consequences?

Jesus has dealt with sin once and for all; He paid the price to set us free from the slavery to sin and the punishment of sin:

²⁴ who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed.

1 Peter 2:24

¹³ Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), ¹⁴ that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Galatians 3:13-14

Does this mean that we should continue sinning? What sins are believers “allowed” to get away with committing?

If Jesus has set us free from sin and its consequences, one of the biggest considerations when it comes to sinning is the affect our actions will have on ourselves and others. Some believers might ask, “Well, is it alright to steal?” The Ten Commandments say that we should not steal.

Jesus fulfilled the law on our behalf so that we don’t have to. But if we steal then because there are laws in place, the law-of-the-land, which prohibit us from doing so. Therefore, there are often natural consequences when we sin. A believer could tell the story of how these negative consequences mean that he is being punished by God for his sins.

The truth of the matter is that there is no punishment for sins: Jesus bore your sins and the punishment for those sins – on the cross! Jesus took away your sin so that there is no longer any sin for the Father to see (Matthew 26:28).

If a person sins and suffers negative consequences as a result, it is not because he is being cursed; it is because he is experiencing the natural consequences for his actions.

The Ten Commandments say that a man should not commit adultery. There is no law against adultery is there? However, adultery can become legal grounds for a divorce. In relation to adultery, we ought to consider the affect an affair will have on our own family and that of the other person. Is it worth risking a family break-up just for an affair which won’t bring you satisfaction anyway? Think of the affect it will have on your children and the money you might have to pay for an acrimonious divorce and the alimony you might have to pay.

Anything that is not according to God’s will for your life will not satisfy you. This is one of the best ways in which we can know the will of God for our lives. It is common sense really.

You Cannot Sin if you are in Christ

Did you know that if you are in Christ – you cannot sin? Yes, that’s right – you cannot sin! Hallelujah! Don’t just take my word for it – look to the scriptures and see for yourself:

⁹ Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

1 John 3:9

⁹ The person who has been born into God's family does not make a practice of sinning because now God's life is in him; so he can't keep on sinning, for this new life has been born into him and controls him--he has been born again.

1 John 3:9 TLB

⁹ People conceived and brought into life by God don't make a practice of sin. How could they? God's seed is deep within them, making them who they are. It's not in the nature of the God-begotten to practice and parade sin.

1 John 3:9 MSG

This verse does not say that believers in Christ should not sin – it says they cannot sin. It is no longer a case of trying to keep rules and do good works in our own effort; no, it is all about receiving the new nature that God has now imparted to us, because of what Christ has done for us.

Now, the only commandment that we need to keep is that we abide in love (John 13:34).

Many Christians find this obligation very difficult. They need not because the Bible says that they are not burdensome (see Matthew 11:30, 1 John 5:3). God has already imparted His love to our spirits (Romans 5:5).

2 Corinthians 5:17 says that we have been made a new creation: we have literally been re-created in the likeness of Christ; our old nature has been stripped away, our sins done away with (Romans 6:6-7).

We have been made partakers of the divine nature by faith:

² Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³ as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, ⁴ by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the Divine Nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

2 Peter 1:2-4