By: Gen. Jim – 12/29/24
Over the years, actually, over a period of 5 decades, I have taught, preached, & written about this. As to be expected, many got MAD, some got SAD, & few were GLAD. There were those who didn’t understand what I meant by “religion,” i.e. seeing it as an enemy rather than a friend. After all, they reasoned, isn’t Christianity a “religion.” In the context in which I use it, no! By this I compare “Biblical Christianity” to “UnBiblical Churchianity,” meaning men’s eisegesis as opposed to Scripture exegesis. The first is reading into Scripture what you want it to say; the latter is rightly interpreting Scripture correctly/explanation/critical analysis. Case-in-point is the LGBTQ+ Church. They are guilty of using extreme eisegesis to make us believe we are wrong & they are right concerning their UNBiblical Abominations. They are what I call “religious” but far from being “righteous.” Theirs is a TOXIC faith – being free from moral commandments/laws. They are free from what they call “man-made” Commandments /Laws, hence, they can live like HELL & still go to heaven! … or so they wrongly believe.
God’s moral law(s) on sexual conduct did not die when the New World Order came in via Jesus the Savior, the spotless Lamb of God. NO! His moral/righteous/holy laws are obligatory, i.e. legally & morally binding upon ALL New Testament Believers. The Bible, the N.T., compels the Believers to live a moral/righteous/holy life. It constrains us to put the “old man” to death; as Paul stated, “I die daily” (1 Cor. 15:31).
Let’s take a minute to find out what the apostle meant by, “I die daily.” Some versions read, “I die every day!” of course he was using a figure of speech, figuratively.
Vss.30-32 relates to us the hardships that this Apostle endured on behalf of his faith, particularly here in the Corinthian correspondence (see also 4:11-13; 2 Cor. 4:8-12; 11:23-29 et al.).
Just what did Paul “die” to “daily”? Was he fighting against “beasts at Ephesus,” meaning hostile men who hated the Gospel, not physical beasts in the arena (which at times Christians were thrown to the lions!)? Was he referring to his carnal nature (see Rom. 7)? We can’t take “I die daily” as realistic but metaphorically. Now, in the context of this article – Righteous vs. Unrighteous – we, who contend for the True faith, not some man-made/woman-made faith, will face those with bestial ferocity, namely those of the LGBTQ+ Church. I know we have, many, many times.
Paul was writing his first epistle – First Corinthians – from Ephesus. He had hostile encounters there in Ephesus, not in a gladiatorial contest with other warriors, neither with wild beasts, for they did not take place at Ephesus, but in Rome. His point was, “what do I gain if… the dead are not raised?”, speaking of the future resurrection. Why would he face & endure such hardships, even die (physically) if there were no resurrection? He mockingly uses the phrase, “let us eat & drink; for tomorrow we die,” vs.32. This is the attitude of too many calling themselves “Christian.” They have twisted & perverted God’s Word (transmogrifyingly) to fit their sinful lifestyle, which is in truth, deathstyle! He only uses metaphorical language in reference to “beasts at Ephesus.”
In the context of his statements, he was thinking of the brutish men who assailed him (see Acts 19:23-41, also 20:19 et al.). He was ready to DIE for the Gospel! Where are those men/women today armed with such determination!
I don’t believe he would have endured all those attacks unless he believed in the resurrection. He made this somber statement in 15:19: “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” Some translations say, “to be pitied.”
As I’ve witnessed this “Let us eat & drink, for tomorrow we die” spirit in so many Churches & persons, it makes me want to be much more determined to shoot for “righteousness” rather than “religion.” A hedonist or epicurean attitude will keep one out of heaven.
The Stoics of Paul’s day denied a resurrection, even the afterlife, although they were a cultured people. There was a certain refinement of life among some of the Epicureans… who had faith in what they believed. Other pagans were consistent with life & character of their faiths. The belief that death ends all, life is to be enjoyed to the FULL! … since nothing lies beyond the grave. Wrong!
Paul faced what we face even now – “once saved always saved” no matter “how in the HELL one lives!!” The LGBTQ+ Church is such. They believe (some might not) that God created them that way, He would never send any one of them to HELL! Wrong! Better use Biblical exegesis, not eisegesis.
(Isa. 22:13) Isaiah the Prophet penned, “… Let us eat & drink, for tomorrow we die!”, the foundation of 1 Cor. 15:32. [He quoted a Gk. Proverb from Attic Poet Menander.]
But the Apostle was not just dealing with the resurrection; he was dealing with the SIN issue; “Be not deceived; evil communications corrupt good manners,” vs.33, or as some translations read, “Bad company ruins good morals.”
WARNING: You who condone the evil/bad habits of the LGBTQ Church are treading on very thin ice! God will also hold you responsible as He will for those who practice the sex sins. Don’t believe me? Have you not read Romans one? The LORD condemns male/male – female/female sex, … those who practice such things are DESERVING of DEATH, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.”, vs.32. Yep! The male/female homosexuals will not escape, neither will those who approve their VILE behaviors.
After Paul penned vss.31-33, he writes this: “AWAKE (or WAKE up!) to righteousness, & SIN NOT,” vs.34. After Paul’s proverbial expression, “evil communication’s corrupt good manners” (or morals), taken from Menander’s comedy “Thais,” who was an author rich in practical wisdom, hence, Paul uses one of his lines.
Q. Was “bad company” anyone who denies the resurrection, because he or she might lead others to join in his/her agnosticism & thus CORRUPT their moral practices/conduct?
[note: Some scholars point out that the way the KJV uses, “evil communications corrupt good manners,” meaning “evil company,” does not quite catch Paul’s meaning with its “awake to righteousness.” He did not, they complain, use a noun, but the adverb rightly. The verb ἐκνήφω means “to become sober.” The verb can also be spelled eknēphō, meaning “to rouse oneself out of stupor.”; the “awak” comes from the idea of sleeping off a drunken stupor. Paul wants his readers to believe in the resurrection. The RSV renders “come to your right mind;” the NIV reads, “come back to your senses as you ought, & stop sinning.” The debate goes on to say that the present imperative of a Greek verb means “to stop something that is now going on.” “Sin no more” captures that shade of meaning. Gk. scholars point out that Paul does not say merely that some do not have knowledge of God (KJV). The negative, they declare, does not limit the verb. Paul used the Gk. word áγνῶσις, from which we get “agnostic.” Those who were boasting of their knowledge as a matter of fact had no knowledge].
I’ll let the Greek scholars fight it out on this one.
Q. “What ABOMINATION has not America done?”, LGBTQ+ and others! America claims to be a Christian nation but it hasn’t been so for decades & decades. Even the Church has become (partly) Abominable.
I want to present another view/truth about “I die daily,” used as a figure of speech. Let me begin with the Apostle Paul’s, “For I through the law DIED to the law that I might LIVE to God. I have been CRUCIFIED with Christ; it is no longer I who LIVE, but Christ LIVES in me…” -Gal. 3:19,20, NKJV.
Paul crucified? (Greek, sustauroō, lit. or fig.). In this case, figuratively.
Another way he uses “crucified” is, “And those who are Christ’s have CRUICIFIED the flesh with its passions & desires,” Gal. 5:24, NKJV. The Amp. Bible makes his statement clearer: “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have CRUCIFIED the sinful nature together with its passions & appetites.”
So, what were/are the passions/appetites/desires of the flesh?
Herein lies the debate within the Church: at salvation did one’s carnal nature/sinful nature DIE forever? or does Scripture teach an ongoing war between the “flesh” & the “Spirit”? Well, Paul starts chapter 5 with, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and DO NOT be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”
If salvation was cut-and-dry, one would never have to deal with the flesh/evil, fallen nature ever again. But we all know we do.
Paul uses a different Gk. word here for “crucified” – “stauroō – used in a fig. manner, meaning “exposure to death,” i.e. “self-denial.” In short, taking dominion over one’s carnal/fleshly nature. I did a whole series of comic booklets called “Son of Dominion,” putting all enemies UNDER FOOT (fig.). Part one deals with “I die daily,” being exposed to hostile forces (be they men or demons: Part 2 deals with one’s inner enemy, the FLESH, i.e. carnal nature. Paul uses the same Gk. word (as in Gal. 5:24) in 6:14, “… the world has been CRUCIFIED to me & I to the world.”
If, as some believe & teach, the flesh or carnal nature totally disappeared at salvation, what or who is responsible for all the SINS committed among Church members? Two things they say:
1 – If a believer does sin or continues to do so, he or she was never a believer to start with!
2 – The devil, not the flesh is the culprit! The “blame game” at work. If one was wholly/totally DEAD to the old nature, Satan/demons would have nothing to work with in a believer. James says, “if you have bitter envy & self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast & lie against the truth…” (3:14), “For where envy & self-seeking exist [EXIST!], confusion & every EVIL THING are there,” (vs.16). We could go thru all the epistles & pick out such statements confirming that one’s old carnal nature is not dead! But why does Paul say he was crucified with Christ? vs. “I die daily?” Can his two statements be reconciled together?
“I DIE Daily”
A form of speech, meaning “I am continually exposed to death.”
[note: I have dug the following out for consideration:
Philo, p.990, Flaccus, who was in continual fear of death, says: “Every day, rather every hour, I anticipate death; enduring many deaths before that last one comes.”;
Libanius, speaking of his own miseries & those of the people of Antioch, epist.1320, pg.615, says: “Though living, we are dead.”;
Livy has a similar form of expression to signify continual danger, XXIX.17: “Daily is our city taken, daily is it pillaged”.]
When one reads Scripture, one has to discern if it or they are to be understood literally or metaphorically/fig. Paul enumerates his various sufferings in 2 Cor. 11:23 etc. If one takes Paul’s “I die daily” literally, well, explain this to me.
Gal. 2:20
Here Paul is writing about his inner struggle, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live…” Some versions read, “I have been crucified…” (RSV). The KJV brings out the continuing result expressed by the perfect tense in Gk.: “I am crucified,” which is compared to Paul’s “I die daily” = continuing, not once-for-all. We could also use his “I die daily” in a personal/inner way, meaning we put “self” under our feet daily, i.e. taking dominion over our desires/passions that run against Christ’s desires/passions.
In Galatians 2, Paul deals with the “law” vs. “Salvation” – there was no hope of eternal salvation in the Jewish law.
Paul’s “… they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections & lusts,” Gal. 5:24, meaning the genuine believer is dealing with the inner self. The “flesh” refers to all that is sinful in human nature. When one is born again (Jn. 3:3,5), the flesh does not disappear, no! Our spirit, which was dead (Eph. 2:1), Christ made us ALIVE (2:5).
Let us dig deeper – (note these texts: Gal. 2:20; 6:14; Rom. 6:6; Col. 3:5 et al.). In classical Greek, the scholars tell us, πάθημα are the “experiences” which a person has or “suffers.” They may be active or passive, good or evil. The word also means “dispositions,” “propensities,” “impulses;” whether they are moral or immoral must be determined from the content/context. The same word designates the “sufferings” of Christ & for Christ (see 2 Cor. 1:5; Rom. 8:18), & the “passions” that have to be CRUCIFIED because they bear fruit for DEATH! (see Rom. 7:5). Since the Apostle does not mean that all the “affections” (KJV) of men are bad or evil, RSV translates πάθημα by “passions.” (For ἐπιθυμία see vs.17; the word “lust (KJV) has become narrowed to apply mainly to wrong forms of sexual expression; hence the change to “desires” (RSV).
How?
Q. How does one crucify the flesh? Abstaining from evil. This is the negative side, to DIE to one’s lusts/desires etc. They vary from person-to-person, but all stem from the fallen nature of Adam the first. I know some will not believe this but tell me who is responsible for all the evil/sin within the Church? Why do we find it hard (or unscriptural!) to “deny self,” and, yes, rebuke the devil/demons? Isn’t this called “Spiritual Warfare”? Go through the N.T. writings, pick out all those texts that show us the WAR between the flesh & Spirit, between man’s will vs. God’s.
The negative side = denying self, abstaining from evil/sin; The positive side = walking in newness of moral life (Rom. 6:4). Our opponents are eager to cite Rom. 6:6: “Knowing this, that our old man (i.e. flesh/self) was crucified with Him, that the body of sin MIGHT be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.” (NKJV).
There is alot to consider in that verse. Note how the NKJV reads: “our old man WAS (past tense) crucified,” a matter of fact. But also note the word “might,” (NKJV, et al.), Greek “dunamai” – “to be able or possible, could, may. Paul finishes 6:6 with, “henceforth we SHOULD NOT serve sin” He does not say, We CANNOT serve sin.” Grant it, these verses, 6-16 are challenging. “Might” reminds me of “if” (see my articles on the “if”/ “then” clause, posted.). Paul could have written, “the body of sin will be destroyed,” not “might be.” Paul had just put forth the “planted” (vs.5) & “resurrection” metaphor – believers are planted in death (baptism) & grows out of it… becoming fruitful if they remain in the vine (see Jesus’ parable of the good/bad tree. Mt. 7; the branch/vine, Jn. 15:2). Jesus says, “Every branch IN ME that does NOT bear fruit He takes away…” Jn. 15:2. Jesus goes on to say, “If (perchance) anyone DOES NOT abide in Me, he is CAST OUT as a branch… & they are BURNED,” vs.6. If believers were automatically secure – with no responsibility to exercise their free will – there would be no saying like those of Jesus.
Parables cannot go on all fours; & in metaphors of figure of speech, there is always someone (or more) remarkable property by which the doctrine intended is illustrated. By the destruction of the “body of sin (Rom. 6:6), our “old man,” the “flesh” is to BE CRUCIFIED, so as to be fruitful. Jesus, the body of Christ did that He may be a quickening Spirit to the dead (in sin). One’s evil nature is the consequence of the fall – ALL were with a sin nature, evil propensities.
What I gather from Paul’s writings is that believers are not FULLY saved from sin in this life. Too many texts tell us this. James, again, asks believers “where do wars & fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure the WAR in your members?” James 4:1. But, but, aren’t we sinless/perfect at salvation? Better re-read the N.T. again. While James tells his readers, “Resist the devil,” we know the devil only works in & through the flesh, not the Spirit. James goes so far as to call those who are not resisting, “sinners” (vs.8).
Satan, Sin, & Self are tyrants: our dying daily to this trio is a Christian’s duty, a MUST for victory!
RECKON
“Reckon ye also yourselves to be DEAD indeed unto sin…” Another translations reads: “So you must CONSIDER yourselves dead to sin…” The Greek is logizomai (reckon), meaning “to take an inventory, i.e. estimate (lit. or fig.), conclude, reason, suppose, think.” This tells us that one is not wholly/totally holy at salvation, we must continually “put to death” the fleshly lusts/sins as we go & grow. Simply put, to “reckon” (v.) is to come to terms with, to settle matters: We are to count ourselves as dead or keep our “self” in the place of death that it will not rule & reign as it did before Christ. The Greek uses it metaphorically, by a reckoning of characteristics or reasons, to take into account, consider, calculate. The same Gk. word is used in Rom. 8:36: “As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are KILLED all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter” (see Ps. 44:22). Paul, again, uses this Gk. word in 2 Cor. 10:11: “Let such a person CONSIDER this…” (NKJV).
So, to “reckon” ourselves to be dead is to suppose, account, consider, count, suppose, to purpose, to decide, to think. Do you believe reckon means “is dead” as a FACT? If we were factually dead to self, there would never, ever be a struggle/sufferings etc. We must count ourselves to be DEAD to sin, self, Satan, since we do not belong to that old world order as N.T. Christians. If the believers are in FACT DEAD to sin, how can they help considering themselves to be so; &, indeed, why should it matter whether they consider themselves so or not? One scholar has said, here we are back again with the problem created by the discrepancy between what the Christian MUST BE – not merely OUGHT TO BE – & what he or she is.
What Shall We Say?
The Apostle Paul starts chapter with, “what shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” (Rom. 6:1). If one’s flesh/fallen nature/old man/carnality has DIED completely at salvation, how can a believer sin? Sin comes from the old nature, not from the born-again spirit.
It is pointed out (by scholars) that chapter 6 & 7 Paul is considering what might be called the “negative” meaning of the salvation made possible by Jesus the Christ, i.e., the freedom it involves from sin & law (& always, implicitly at least, from death): in chap.8 he is writing of the “positive” meaning of the new life, possession of & by the Holy Spirit.
In Romans 6:1-4 he deals with “dying with Christ.” 6:1 he mentions “sin” & “grace,” in ref. to 5:20, “… But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound,” (see 3:20; 4:15; 5:13). Sin REIGNED in DEATH, be it for Jews or pagans. “SIN” is an EVIL EMPIRE – men/women/children are born in this EE as subjects to its cruel & damning reign. Humanity is DEAD morally/spiritually, & therefore DOOMED to die physically!
Why does Paul ask such a question, “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” Thank God Paul answers, “God forbid!” (vs.2). He repudiates emphatically & without question the alleged antinomian implications of his (God’s) doctrine of justification: Man repents, God forgives & justifies [note: see justification, justifier, & justify in the Gk., as a noun & verb:
Dikaiōsis = act of pronouncing righteous, acquittal – God’s part of man’s justification had been effected in the death of Christ;
Dikaiōma = a concrete expression of righteousness for the repentant;
Dikaioō = to pronounce & deem to be right]
If a modern-day minister had written 6:2, it would say, “ok”, rather than “God forbid” (this is how the LGBTQ+ Church believes, “OK, God made us this way!”)
Paul continues with, “How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” For the true man/woman of God, the moral/ethical life is not just obligatory, but also the ONLY possible life. We’ve all heard the expression, “He (or she) is living a double life,” meaning the believer says the right things but lives differently, I believe a new born-again Christian can start out with all good intentions but later they can TURN AWAY and eventually become a apostate. How can this happen? By not “dying daily” to self! By not “fighting the good fight of faith,” by not “contending for the faith,” by going back under the “first Adam’s reign,” which is SIN & DEATH, hence forsaking the “Second Adam’s reign,” i.e. Christ’s reign. Adam the first was/is the head of the “Old World Order” in & over which SIN/DEATH won its victory & established its control in the Garden of Eden; Christ is the Head of the New World Order, the New Man – from which SIN/DEATH has been excluded in shameful DEFEAT at the Cross, hence, by & through justification one has been made a member of this New World Order (see 1 Cor. 15:22)
Q. Are all believers in the “faith”? Consider Paul’s epistle to Timothy where he mentions Hymenaeus & Philetus (2 Tim. 3:17) “… who have STRAYED concerning the truth” (vs.18). They stopped believing in the resurrection, saying it was already past. What is worse, “they overthrow the faith of some,” vs.18. Paul gives examples of those who keep the faith & those who turn from the faith… becoming an apostate (see my articles on “once saved always saved?” / the “if”/ “then” clause, refuting the false claim that one cannot lose out with God after salvation.
Examine Yourselves
What are we to think of Paul’s statement, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed you are disqualified.” – 2 Cor. 13:5, NKJV.
Examine: Gk. peirazō or peira = to test, scrutinize, prove, try.
Paul didn’t stop with “examine yourselves,” but he prays for those “who have sinned” (13:2) that others “do no evil, but “should do what is honorable,” vs.7. Paul starts chapter 13 with “… I write to them which heretofore HAVE SINNED,” vs.2. What causes a Christian to sin? We might recall, and I’ve written about this in times past, how Paul dealt with a Christian offender -see 1 Cor. 5:5, “To deliver such a one (incest) unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved…” According to those who believe once saved always saved folks, this shows that a believer can & does sin. In this case punishment was needed to bring the soul back into right-standing with God. Here in 2 Cor. 13:2 Paul warns, “… if I come again, I will not spare.” In short, he will inflict the proper punishment on every incorrigible offender.
In 1 Cor. 4:21 we read, “what will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love…?” The “rod” was a “rod of discipline” (note: the Jews whipped offenders. If they failed to change their sinful ways, they were liable to be stoned, (not on POT!) but killed with rocks! Do you remember what happened to the believers Ananias & Sapphira? What about Elymas, Hymenaeus & Alexander et al.? Paul dealt with SIN & SINNERS in the N.T. Church.
Back to Romans 6:
We’ve talked about the word “reckon” (vs.11), die as truly unto sin, as Jesus died for sin! Live as truly unto God, as Jesus lives with God (see Rom. 8:34) Paul says, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin…”- vss.12,13.
SIN is represented as a king, a ruler, or a tyrant who desires to take control of the believer’s life again.
Jesus put forth a list of sins that proceed from the heart of men (see Mk. 7:20-23). Paul also puts forth sins that will keep one OUT of Heaven & will put men/women IN Hell! (1 Cor. 6:9-10) He goes on to deal with sexual sins/sexual immorality. How much of sexual immorality goes on in & among Churches? Paul says, “Being then made free from sin, ye become the servants of righteousness,” 6:13. -look up the Gk., it refers to the manumission of a slave, being redeemed. Here is another prosopopoeia: both sin & righteousness are personified: sin can enjoin no good & profitable work; righteousness can require none that is unjust or injurious.
Fin
The truth is, we can’t serve God & the flesh both at the same time. “To good & evil bent, I’m both a devil & a saint.” Satan wants to destroy humankind wholly & totally. Degeneracy is his wicked goal. Do you recall Gen. 6:5? “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, & that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only EVIL CONTINUALLY,” Gen. 6:5. This grieved God (vs.6). The sinfulness of man/woman deserved severe punishment, hence, the Great Flood!
In this life, as a believer, we MUST reckon, count ourselves to be DEAD to sin & ALIVE to Christ. It is a matter of choice – choose Christ & live; choose Self/Satan & die!
I, like so many others, find some of Paul’s writings hard to understand. If we justifiably made a distinction between the “ethical” & the “theological,” we would better understand his letters. He deals with the possibility of living free (from sin… to a degree) & living as a slave (to sin… in degrees). We must distinguish between Law/law/commandments. The N.T. has new laws, even Jesus says this: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another…” -Jn. 13:34.
The N.T. Ekklesia was not under the old racial Jewish Law (excluding the moral/ethical laws), but under the law of Christ. The 10 Commandments (except keeping the Jewish Sabbeth) are found in the N.T. Church (see my booklet on this). You dig out N.T. Commandments; Jesus mentions this one (Jn. 13:34). There are regulations in the law, curbing the selfishness into which men/women are so prone to fall – forgiveness, generosity, the down-playing of misogyny etc. Paul puts forth a “vice” list in Gal. 5:19-21 verses a “Spirit” list, vs.22-23. He then writes: “And those who are Christ’s have CRUCIFIED the flesh with its passion & desires.”
So, the Bible teaches “More Righteousness & less Religion.”
Let me quote one last text: “… if a man is overtaken in any trespass (some trans. use “fault,” the NIV has, “sin,” which I believe is correct; Gk. parapiptō, meaning “to fall by the wayside.” If we use “fault,” this Gk. word means “lapse, error, wrongdoing.” It sometimes (trespass/sin/fault) is used in secular Greek to designate a sin not necessarily heinous in nature. In the N.T. it means purposely stepping over; Paraptōma or parapiptō only occurs in Paul’s writings, except Mt. 6:14,15;18:35; Mk. 11:25,26; Ja. 5:16, & is often used where pardon is spoken of, as in Gal. 6:1. The NIV has “sin,” indicating guilt, a missing of the mark rather than a transgression of the law. It refers to a particular form of sin. Therefore, the Gk. has come to be used both of great & serious guilt & generally of all sin which is unknown & unintentional (Gal. 6:1; Gk. LXX Ps. 19:12). This is simply a missing or failure of the sinner to do what is right (righteousness). In Romans 5:16, it is given as the antithesis of dikaiōma, righteousness or justification, or an acquittal from past offences & being able as a child, to look to the LORD as his legitimate Father (Rom. 5:18). Paraptōma, therefore, may be equated with DEFEAT! Synonymous with hamartia (Gk., “to sin”), the generic word for “sin.” (occurs also in Rom. 4:25; 5:15-20; 11:11,12; 2 Cor. 5:19; Eph. 1:7; 2:1,5; Col. 2:13 & Ja. 5:16).
For someone to believe that a Christian CAN’T SIN after accepting Christ, what will they do with all this SIN stuff? John writes: “… these things I write to you, so that you may NOT SIN. And if anyone SINS, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous,” 1 Jn. 2:1, NKJV. If this isn’t enough, John continues: “… He Himself is the propitiation for our SINS, & not for ours (as believers) only, but also for the whole world” (non-Christians), vs.3. John goes on to make mention of a new commandment.
What the N.T. teaches is that we, as born-again believers have been translated, via repentance, out of the Kingdom of darkness wherein we were DEAD in trespasses & sins… into God’s Kingdom of LIFE, LOVE, & LIGHT. This did not kill our carnal nature; it merely rebirthed our DEAD spirit, giving us “Dominion Power” over Self, Satan & the world. We were created a “new man” (Eph. 2:14) … “Christ may dwell in your hearts (spirits) through faith,” (3:17). Paul says in 4:27, “give no place to the devil.” Read on “…don’t steal, don’t let corrupt words come out of your mouth, grieve not the Holy Spirit, put away bitterness, wrath, anger, etc., be kind to one another” (vss.27-32). These things the believer must do. They come from the fallen nature or sin nature. Paul jumps over to chapter 6 – the Armor of God chapter / the Kingdom of Satan chapter.
Christianity is WAR!
Fight the good Fight! Onward & upward!