Man asks, "Can believers commit any sin and still be saved?"

By David J,. Stewart

A gentleman recently wrote to me and asked:

"You are saying that after receiving Jesus Christ believer's can do any sin still they are saved?"

Here is my Biblical reply to the man's sincere question...

Hello _______,

       Yes, you can commit ANY sin and still be saved, just as you could've commit ANY sin before you were saved.  Becoming a Christian doesn't make a person immune to committing sin, or certain sins.  In fact, there's no such thing as a Christian who DOESN'T sin (John 8:7; Romans 7:15-25).  Kindly said, it is an impossible question... for who doesn't sin?  We all sin, saved or unsaved. 

Certainly, no one has God's permission to sin, and every believer will give account to God at the Judgment Seat of Christ for the good and bad done in the flesh (Romans 14:12; 2nd Corinthians 5:10).  However, one's discipleship is an entirely different matter than the gift of God which gives us eternal life (Romans 6:23).  It is only Jesus' literal, physical, precious blood the washes man's sins away (1st Peter 1:18,19; 1st John 1:7; Revelation 1:5; Hebrews 9:12). 

So then what's the difference between the Christian and the unbeliever concerning sin?  The difference is that the genuine believer has the Holy Spirit of God living within their body (1st Corinthians 3:16), Who convicts them (Hebrews 12:6-8), and causes them to hate their own sins and want to do better for God (Romans 7:15-25).  The unsaved person wallows in their sins like a pig in the mud without conviction (Romans 1:24-32). 

A Christian who commits a "horrible sin" is still saved.  Please read 1st Corinthians and you find that they were "babes in Christ" and "carnal" (1st Corinthians 3:1).  They were a problematic church at Corinth.  They were suing each other (1st Corinthians 6:6), eating meats offered to idols (1st Corinthians 8:12), allowing fornication within the church (1st Corinthians 5:1), showing up drunk at the Lord's Supper (1st Corinthians 11:21), et cetera.  The idea of "turning from sins" prior to salvation is a false doctrine nigh unto the heresy of works salvation, if not altogether so.  The carnal church at Corinth is proof that Lordship Salvation is a lie.

No one has God's permission to sin, and all believers will be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2nd Corinthians 5:10).  However, Christians who DO choose to sin are not in danger of going to Hell, because salvation is a gift from God, which is not dependent upon man's self-righteousness in any way (Romans 4:5; Ephesians 2:8,9).