My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
1 John 2:1
As you will probably notice from our website, we teach the truth of the Bible that Jesus came to destroy the devil's working in our lives (1 Jn 3:8). He came so that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us (Rom. 8:4). We teach and believe that God will never allow his children to be tempted beyond what they are able to handle; he himself will make a way for them to stand up under the pressure of every temptation (1 Cor. 10:13). We know that a Christian ought to consider himself dead to sin in the same way that Christ was dead to sin (Rom 6:10-14). We believe and teach that God's grace teaches us how to live in obedience to him in this present life (Titus 2:11-14). We trust and rely on God's power to enable us to obey him even to the extent that we can bring every one of our thoughts into the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). The key to living in victory over the devil and the temptations of this world is faith in God's power (1 John 5:3-5). And so we believe that as we abide in Christ we will bear much fruit to the glory of God (John 15:7-8). If we love him, we will obey him (John 14:15). We believe the Scriptures that teach that anyone who abides in Christ can have victory over sin (1 John 3:3-10). Again, the key to this victory is absolute surrender and faith in God through Jesus Christ.
Having said all of this, we do not believe or teach that it is impossible for a Christian to sin. Even as Jesus was tempted by the devil, Christians will continue to be tempted by the devil. Temptation itself, of course, is not sin and as a Christian relies upon God, no temptation will be too difficult (1 Cor. 10:13). If, however, a Christian takes his eyes off of Christ, sin is almost sure to follow. And so we do not want to overlook the fact that it is still possible for a Christian to sin if he or she does not continue to rely every moment upon God.
"If any man sin..." Notice first of all that this verse says "IF". If a Christian sins then he needs to confess the sin and repent of it. Christians who sin must acknowledge their guilt and seek the mercy that comes from God through Jesus Christ. If the Christian refuses to admit the sin and instead chooses to call it a "mistake" and does not seek the forgiveness of God then he or she is in danger of falling under the wrath of God (Heb. 10:26-31). As James 5:19-20 says, if a Christian wanders from the truth and commits sin, he needs to be restored in order to be saved from death.
Those of us who believe that we need to live holy lives (1 Peter 1:15; 2 Peter 3:11) need to be very careful so that if we do commit a sin we do not explain it away or excuse it as something other than sin. Let us not seek to maintain a false righteousness for the sake of the letter of our doctrines. Rather, let us cleave unto Christ, the one who makes us holy (Heb. 2:11), so that we will not sin. But if any man does sin, let him recognize his deplorable and shameful act but do not let him think that he is without hope. For there is an Advocate. Let him forsake his sins and call upon God for mercy and forgiveness.
So, if you sin, TURN from your sin. Don't try to turn God's grace into a license to continue in your sin (Gal. 5:13; 1 Peter 2:16). And do not try to cover up your sin. For, "He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy" (Prov 28:13). And after you have confessed and repented of your sin, trust God to give you the grace and strength to overcome it in the future. "For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace" (Rom 6:14). Don't be weakened in your faith. Don't let your trust and reliance in God waiver, for he is able to keep you blameless and present you before his presence faultless and with great joy (Jude 24).
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