Sin And The Believer

Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.  For he who has died has been freed from sin.  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more.  Death no longer has dominion over Him.  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.  Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6: 6 - 11 NKJV

There is no other issue which further frustrates the believer than that of sin.  We believe that because all have sinned that somehow sin is a irreversible condition which we all face {Romans 3:23}.  We see our sin not only as a condition dooming us to punishment, but a life outside of our Lords presence.  We are told that God is holy {1 Peter 1:16}.  However, I have failed to locate a scripture which specifically tells us that God cannot be in the presence of sin.  I look upon the story of Job, where Satan came into the Lords presence on more than a few occasions without a reaction from God.  In fact, knowing His former fallen angel, Satan and God were able to converse quite freely.  Of course, this does not mean that He will be adapting Satan's habits, only that He can and will be in sins presence if needed.  There has been many a time in my own life where the guilt of things I have done has felt like a wedge had been driven between myself and God.  Yes, I was created in His image and yes, Jesus gave Himself to die for my sins, but somehow I always felt as if I was wrecking that entire relationship which I was striving for with God.  Ironically, it was a pastors sermon on sin which ultimately led me to see the folly of my belief that sin continued to be an issue for me.  While sitting through a sermon one Easter morning, the pastor reminded us of the torment which Christ had endured to cure us of our sin condition.  However, at the end of the sermon, he asked anyone who had sins to confess to come forward to seek forgiveness.  Really?  So, you're telling me that Jesus died to rid me of my sin condition...but that He didn't do a good enough job?  Somehow, Jesus missed a few sins along the way?  Like a light switch being turned on for the first time, I realized that through Christ, I no longer had a sin to confess.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and the truth is not in us.
1 John 1: 8 - 10 NKJV

In order for us to see that our original sin condition has indeed been defeated by Jesus, we need to understand what sin is in the first place.  This has been a topic of much discussion for us over the past few months.  We understand that the first incident of recorded sin occurred in the garden in what is regarded at the fall.  Here, Adam and Eve went against the Lords command and took of the fruit which He told them not to {Genesis 3:6}.  But Eve had help along the way in the form of Satan our accuser.  It was Satan who introduced the idea of sin to Gods creation {Genesis 3:4-5}.  Up until this point, Adam and Eve had unknowingly been in total union with God.  It was all which they knew.  So, what was the sin which Satan facilitated into being?  The belief that we could be separated from God who created us.  It was Satan who claimed, falsely, that once they took of the fruit, that they would "Be like God, knowing good and evil."  So, how can someone who is already in union with God be like Him?  Good question, but Adam and Eve fell for it.  I find it ironic that the very same lie which Satan used to perpetuate the idea of sin continues to be taught in the church today.  Where are we told that God resides?  In heaven, away from ourselves and our sin condition.  Well, the trouble with that line of thinking is that Jesus did away with our sin condition at the cross {2 Corinthians 5:21}.  We're also assured that God has never had any intention of not being in union with us {John 17:21}.  The apostle Paul took this one step further in his own realization of Christ Jesus in him {Galatians 2:20}.  So, not only did God deal with our sin condition, but He assures us of His presence in us as well.  We do well to not see sin as a issue in our lives, but as a condition already put to death by Christ.

~Scott~