Although it is popular belief in the present Religious Christian culture or sects, that is, break offs from the original teachings of Christ, that no person can live a life free from sin, people can indeed be free if they are willing to except Jesus as their personal savior, repent of their prior sin, be baptized and sanctified. The act of salvation consists of three different aspects of the same work which is justification, conversion, and sanctification. Although other religions disagree, according to the Bible any individual is able to live a sin free life once he or she is saved. Mere religion teaches that no person can live a life free from sin.Today there are many sects out in the world who use these very popular scriptures.
For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that I do. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (
Romans 7:15-20)
These sects teach that it is impossible to live a sin free life. That once an individual gives his or her life to Jesus that person can continue to sin and still make heaven their home when they leave this world. That is not what the bible teaches. Jesus was born to save his people from sin; he was the sacrifice for all mans sins by dieing on the cross, he rose up on the third day and descended up to heaven so that we could receive the Holy Ghost which would guide us into all truth and give us the ability to walk in the spirit and not in the flesh. The bible states that Jesus Christ came to save man from sin –
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. (
Matthew 1:21)
It does not say he shall save them and keep them in their sins. When a life guard rescues someone from the water, does he leave that person in the water or does he take them out of the water? He takes them out. If he left the drowning person in the water that person would die. Well if Jesus just left us in our sins instead of saving us from our sins we would be spiritually dead. So therefore we know that Jesus came to save us from our sins or out of our sins so that we could live a life that is free from sinning and so that we could make heaven our home when we leave this world.
In the book of Romans you get the whole picture of what the apostle Paul is actually talking about. Paul talks about how we were all made sinners through one mans disobedience, but by another mans obedience (that is Christs' obedience)we are made righteous. He continues later on to let us know that because of this sacrifice of obedience to the cross that Jesus made we received abundance of grace. Not grace to give us a free license to sin, but grace to help us live without sin.
Paul states, Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. (Romans
5:19-21-
6:1-23 )
The apostle Paul was bold on letting people know what he thought about living in sin
after claiming salvation. Then if we continue to read wear the apostle Paul talked about the sin in the flesh he gives us a remedy to that sin stating that the remedy is God through Jesus Christ.
O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! (
Romans 7: 24, 25)
By reading this scripture we can see that Jesus did not come to keep us in our sins but to save us from our Sins.
So now brings the question how does an individual get saved? First he or she needs to believe in God and Jesus Christ and except him as their Saviour. If we read in the book of John Jesus gives us the instructions to follow. Jesus says whosoever believeth in me. (
John 3:15) Then further down in scripture Jesus says again-
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. (
John 6:47)
What does it mean to believe? How do we show that we believe someone? Normally
when a person or individual wants to show someone that they believe them or the
instructions that they gave, he or she will follow their directions. Let’s say that a young man went to see a doctor. The doctor told him that he had a virus. Then the young man asks what to do to cure the virus. So the doctor tells him to go home, get plenty of rest, and take some prescription medicine. The young man promises the doctor that he will do what he has told him, but when he gets home he decides to go play football with his friends and does not get any rest. He also decides that instead of taking the prescription medicine he would rather just take a lot of vitamins and hope that he feels better soon. His actions to the doctors advice would tell that doctor that the young man either does not believe him or else he really does not care about his health. Well to believe in Jesus we have to follow the instructions that he gives us in the bible on how to live. That is called walking in faith or believing. If you had a friend that said she was saved , but then would
lie on a continuous basis, or if she stole from your mom or dad while visiting your house this would show that she really did not believe, because the bible tells us not to do those things. So to show Jesus that we believe him we have to follow his instructions. This is an action that shows him we believe in him and trust him. When we have done this – truly believed in Jesus by following his word, we become saved which is justification. Justification acquits us before God for our sins, which is the free gift that Jesus gave us when he died on the cross.
The next step to salvation is conversion. The definition of convert is to alter the physical or chemical nature or properties of, or to bring over from one belief, view, or party to another. Real Bible conversion is a change of heart. When we have that change it leads to our repentance.
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. (
Ezekiel 36:26, 27)
Part of conversion involves the new birth. The new birth is being born again. In the book of John, Jesus is speaking to a man named Nicodemus who was a ruler of the Jews.
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (
John 3:3-5)
The final step in salvation is sanctification. The definition of sanctification is 1. To make sacred or holy; to set apart to sacred office or to religious use or observance; to consecrate by appropriate rites. 2. To make free from sin; to cleanse from moral corruption and pollution; to purify. To be sanctified we are made free from our sin and are set apart from the world. Jesus prayed for his disciples to be sanctified in (
John 17:6-17 and
Hebrews 13:12). One way that we get sanctified is through the word of God. In the book of (
Ephesians 5:26) Christ talks about loving the church and giving himself for it that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word or the bible, which is called the word of God. Now we can see from looking at the different steps of salvation which are justification, conversion, and sanctification that any individual can indeed be free from sin, through salvation which is so freely offered by Jesus Christ.
