Have you ever been told that you sin in thought, word and deed daily and there isn’t anything you can do about it on this side of heaven? How about that the way the grace of God works is that even when you sin as a professing believer, God ignores your sin and only sees Jesus instead? Or what about the statement that a Christian is expected to sin?

The doctrine of unconditional eternal security/Once Saved, Always Saved not only has created a false sense of security for professing Christians while they wallow in the mud of sin but also has changed what the Bible has to say about sin. And if we want to know what God truly wants from us, we need to stop looking to man as the word of God and actually seek out the truth in the word of God--the Bible.

Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.
(1 John 3:4 - ESV)

All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.
(1 John 5:17 - ESV)

Let’s start with what sin is. According to the Bible in 1 John, sin means lawlessness and also means wrongdoing. In order words, it means to disobey against God’s laws (commands and doctrines we find in the Bible). It also means to not do what is right in God’s eyes. We don’t sin because we disobey what another person decides should be right or wrong and we don’t sin because we do something wrong in another person’s eyes. All sin, even when it involves wronging another person, is against God. That is what makes sin what it is.

But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.

For he finds fault with them when he says:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah,
not like the covenant that I made with their fathers
on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
For they did not continue in my covenant,
and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds,
and write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor
and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for they shall all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,
and I will remember their sins no more.”

In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
(Hebrews 8:6-13 - ESV)

The reason why these verses are included within the conversation of sin is because as Christians, we must always remember that we are a part of the covenant of Jesus Christ--which the Bible describes as the “new covenant.” The Mosaic Law covenant that the Israelites followed all the way up to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is now obsolete because Jesus ushered in a new and better covenant. This is why we no longer have to walk according to the Mosaic Law but now we walk according to the Law of Christ. While some things have been carried over from the Mosaic Law (loving one another, no fornication and no worshiping other gods), other things (such as the sacrificial priestly system, tithes, dietary laws, Sabbath) are no longer required.

Yet, even beyond an understanding of Old Covenant vs New Covenant, there is a lot of confusion about sin. In many church institutions, this is what we’re being told constitutes sin:

-Tithing is still required under the new covenant
(Rebuttal: See 2 Corinthians 9:7 and see the article THE TITHING DECEPTION for what the tithe actually was)

-We are still required to honor the Sabbath (Seventh Day Adventists, Judaism, etc) and all the Old Testament festivals, feasts and ordinances minus the sacrificial system.
(Rebuttal: See Galatians 4:9-11 and Colossians 2:16-17 and understand that “Ten Commandments” were part of the Mosaic Law under the old covenant)

-We must be a member of a church institution
(Rebuttal: Every believer is already a member of the true church of Christ and Hebrews 10:25 is merely talking about believers coming together and does not specify a church service)

-The dietary laws from the OT law are still in effect
(Rebuttal: See Acts 15:29 where the church council in Jerusalem gives the Gentiles the guidelines regarding food. Also see Colossians 2:16-17)

-We must believe in “The Trinity”
(Rebuttal: See the article entitled THE UNFOUNDED TRINITY that shows that the word “trinity” was never used once in the Bible and many of its doctrines are not found in the Bible)

-We must be under the covering of self-proclaimed priests, bishops and pastors
(Rebuttal: All believers are priests according to 1 Peter 2:9 and bishops and pastors [meaning church leaders and elders] are merely overseers and not owners over the congregation according to Titus 1:5-9)

-Believers can not question the decisions of their local church leaders
(Rebuttal: Scriptures such as 1 Corinthians 5:9-11, 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 and 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 have to do with anyone who is sinning, including church leaders)

-Any type of drinking of an alcoholic beverage is sin
(Rebuttal: Refer to Ephesians 5:18 which tells us that being drunk is what God prohibits)

-Only acapella or certain musical instruments are fit for worship
(Rebuttal: Refer to Psalm 150)

These are just a few examples of what I’ve been hearing through my years coming from different institutions that claim to be Christian. And the reason I listed these examples is to drive home the point that we are to go by what the Bible says in all matters of doctrine and practice, not according to men (2 Timothy 3:16). The Bible is actually a lot clearer than we think but are we willing to let it teach us?

So sin is determined by how God sees it, not us. And I pray that some of you who may have been put on another yoke of bondage will see that indeed Jesus’ burden is light. If you are wondering whether what you are doing is a sin, refer to the Bible because it will lead you in the right direction.

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