Tag: Sin

Understanding sin in the Christian life

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JEFF TURNER

When Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth, he addressed problems of fighting and jealousy among them. He told them they were acting in a fleshly way. Some readers have taken this to mean there are two types of Christians. They think some believers are spiritual while others are carnal Christians who are saved but don’t grow spiritually. I think this understanding misses Paul’s actual message.

The word carnal simply means sinful. The root of the word is the same as flesh. It describes an action, not a permanent state. When someone says they are a carnal Christian, they are really saying they are a sinning Christian, as if this were an acceptable identity. This contradicts the basic meaning of Christianity itself. Jesus came to save people from their sins. This includes both the punishment that sin brings and the control that sin has over a person’s life.

When someone becomes a Christian, sin no longer has power over them. They have been set free from its grip. However, Christians still commit sinful acts because they live in bodies that are not yet fully redeemed. Believers have a new nature inside an old body. They are waiting for the day when Christ returns and their bodies are made new. Until then, Christians will sometimes think and act in sinful ways because of the old nature that remains.

The answer is not to accept sin as normal. Instead, Christians should recognize their sins, turn away from them, and receive the forgiveness God offers.

Coming back to life so we may help others

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BOB RICHMOND

Revival means coming back to life, returning to health and vigor. It shows that believers have fallen into spiritual sleep and need restoration. Revival must be renewed repeatedly because humans are prone to sin and wandering. I personally don’t think there has never been spiritual revival that did not begin with a sharp sense of sin. Perhaps that’s because people get to the point they humble themselves and seek faith as a gift from God, not of their own works.

Ephesians 5:14 For this reason it says,
“Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine on you.” – IRS Images, 2025

In Romans, the word sin appears 48 times, and 46 of those times it functions as a noun. Sin is anything that displeases God, but it also exists as an entity, almost like a person. To live a holy life and draw close to God, believers must defeat the person of sin by getting close to God Himself. A choice must be made about whom you will serve.

God’s promise is clear: if His people humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways, He will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. There must be intense longing for God. History shows that when revival comes, remarkable things happen.

Our focus must be on the person in the mirror, the one God has already shown where sin exists and where focus is lacking. Revival is falling in love with Jesus all over again. There is a real need that must be felt.

When Elisha was surrounded by enemies and terrified, Elijah remained calm and prayed for God to let him see. Suddenly they were surrounded by a great army of angels who won the battle. If believers could see, if God would allow the heavens to be torn open in their hearts so they could glimpse Jesus Christ, they would instantly melt before Him. They would know they could trust Him, and the things they hold onto would melt away in the presence of God. If God would tear open the heavens and let people see just a glimpse of His holiness, power, and grace, all the things they hang onto that keep them from experiencing everything God offers would simply melt away.

God works through His people. Jesus lives in believers and the Holy Spirit lives in them. Believers are commanded to go and teach all nations. Until there is earnest desire for others to come to Jesus Christ, revival has not come. Believers must never forget there are multitudes all around without Christ. God has called believers to share the gospel.

How can we expect a revival in the church without a revival inside us first when we ARE the church?

Will You not revive us again,
So that Your people may rejoice in You?

Psalm 85:6


Understanding the Battle Within

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FLOYD ROGERS

Every person faces an internal struggle that the Bible refers to as “the flesh.” This is not about the physical body but about the sinful nature we were all born with. It’s our sin-natural pull away from God. When someone chooses to follow Jesus Christ and receives Him as Saviour, the Holy Spirit begins to change their desires and thoughts, turning them toward God.

However, this transformation does not remove the old nature entirely. The ability to act in the ways we once did remains, and at any time we can be tempted to go back to old patterns of behaviour. This ongoing conflict requires constant attention and dependence on God.

The battle is real, but through God’s strength, it can be faced with courage and faith.

For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want.

Galatians 5:17

How Adam’s Sin Affected All Humanity

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JEFF TURNER

Romans 5:12 teaches that sin entered the world through one man, and death came as a result. This death then spread to all people because all sinned. Scripture explains that when Adam disobeyed, the whole human race was represented in him. Humanity is united in a way that God designed, so Adam’s choice affected everyone who came after him.

In this sense, all people sinned in Adam, and the sin nature has been passed down through every generation. From that moment in the garden, every person has been born under the reality of sin and death, and this will continue until God creates the new heaven and new earth.

Paul also gives a hopeful comparison. Just as Adam’s act brought sin and death to all, Christ’s work on the cross brings life to everyone who trusts in him.

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:22

The Father’s Approval of the Son

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JEFF TURNER

The Gospels show us two moments when God speaks from heaven about Jesus. Once at His baptism (Matthew 3:17) and again at His transfiguration (Matthew 17), the Father declares Jesus to be His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. These statements raise a question: why was God so pleased with Jesus?

The answer lies in the nature of who Jesus is. From the beginning, He was holy and without fault. He lived a life entirely free from sin. This wasn’t just because He chose not to sin, but because He had no capacity for sin. Every action He took, every word He spoke, and even the things He chose not to do were perfectly in line with the Father’s will. His life was a constant reflection of God’s holiness.

Unlike humanity, who can only be considered righteous through faith and God’s grace, Jesus did not need righteousness given to Him. He was righteous in Himself, fully God and fully man, without flaw. The Father’s delight in Him was not new, but eternal. From before time began, the Son was loved by the Father, and that love was never broken.

For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens;

Hebrews 7:26