sin — Blog — Glenn E. Pearson

“I always start the day telling the Lord I want to serve him that day, but I end up sinning 1,000 times before lunch.”

So said one of the guys at a recent men’s group meeting. I quickly did some mental math. Let’s see, if he wakes up at 6:00 and has lunch at 12:00, that’s six hours. A thousand sins divided by six hours comes out to about three sins a minute. I felt like asking him, “In a typical day, how many online accounts do you hack, how many women do you assault, how many drug deals do you do? You must be a busy guy!”

Of course, he didn’t mean the “sin a thousand times” thing literally. He was just acknowledging the fact that he fails to live up to the lifestyle described in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ magnificent message which has a couple of purposes:

1. Painting a portrait of what life in God’s kingdom will be like

2. Revealing that absolutely no one can live up to God’s standards

Although I appreciated this gentleman’s humility, I’m not sure his sentiment is the most helpful way to look at yourself, partly because of its assumption about sin’s definition. Theologically, sin is a condition we are all born into and in which we remain until we recognize our guilt before God and turn to Jesus and accept the forgiveness he offers through his death in our place. At that point, we are spiritually reborn, and God views us as perfect as Jesus is. One of my favorite verses is Romans 8:1 – “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ.” In case you missed it: there is no condemnation. None.

Of course, we will continue in our state of imperfection until we meet Jesus face to face. Except for Jesus, no one in history – not any of the apostles, not Mother Theresa, not Billy Graham – ever lived a perfect life. The men’s group gentleman was appropriately acknowledging that he’s flawed. But there is a difference between not being perfect, being tempted, and sinning. As Martin Luther famously said, “You cannot prevent the birds from flying in the air over your head, but you can certainly prevent them from building a nest in your hair.” Everyone is tempted, including Jesus himself. But being tempted is not the same as sinning. Neither is being imperfect.

This may not be a theologically “perfect” explanation, but from a practical standpoint you sin when you choose to sin. All Christians have the Holy Spirit living inside us. And he acts as a “governor,” showing you behavioral lines (defined by what the Bible teaches) that you shouldn’t cross. There comes a moment when you can choose to resist the Holy Spirit’s warning. That’s when you sin, either through a sin of commission (when you specifically act in a wrong way) or a sin of omission (where you fail to do something you should do). I don’t think you can sin without knowing it. You sin when you make a wrong choice.

But don’t forget this additional critical fact: even when you do sin, God still sees Christ’s perfection in you instead of your sin. As John says in his first letter, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:19, NIV).

So, as much as I appreciated the men’s group gentlemen’s humility, I don’t think characterizing his life that way is the best place to “live.” It all comes down to a “glass-half-empty” vs. “glass-half-full” perspective. Or to think of it another way, instead of dwelling on the fact that you’re a sinner saved by grace, you should acknowledge your spiritual growth and think of yourself as a saint who sometimes sins. Although Paul called himself the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15) he also says, “I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (Philippians 3:13-14, NLT). He also declares, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old is gone; a new life has begun” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NLT). This perspective is a much better default than the “sin-1,000-a-day” attitude.