School teacher
by day …
… itinerant Baptist
minister by night …
(and in holidays)
www.mikefuller.org.uk
£9.99
£7.99
How much can I
sin without
losing my
salvation?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
Atonement
Incarnation
Why Jesus died
Judgement
What happens
when we die
God in human form
Scripture
What sort of authority?
“Original sin”
inevitable
Sanctification
Becoming like Jesus
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
Where would you put the limit on a scale
between impure thoughts and murder?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
1. The full horror of the human predicament
sin in the Old Testament and the New Testament
2. The answer to sin
in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament
3. Do Christians sin?
4. Is it possible for a Christian to lose
their salvation? “Once saved, always saved”?
5. How much can I sin without losing
my salvation?
Where we’re going
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
What
the Bible
says
about
sin
The full horror of the human predicament
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
 the Bible is a book about sin …
 … 840 references to “sin”
 … from beginning to end, the Bible
seeks to explain the problem of sin, and
offer God’s answer
The full horror of the human predicament
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
 to miss, fail, fall
short
 to revolt or rebel
 to overstep or
transgress
 to refuse to obey
 to be godless
 to be bad
 to be wicked
 to sin inadvertently
or through
ignorance
 to act wrongly
The full horror of the human predicament
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
 to miss, fail, fall
short
 to be guilty
 to trespass
 to be lawless
 to be wicked
 to be disobedient
 to be ungodly
 to be morally evil
 to be unrighteous
 to owe a debt
The full horror of the human predicament
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
 many other words and phrases
describe specific areas of
failing or weakness …
 … but the root of biblical thinking is
deeper than acts of sin …
 the Bible concern is that sin is
estrangement from God
 estrangement leads to transgression
The full horror of the human predicament
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
In old English, a “sinner” was an
arrow that not only missed the
bulls-eye, but fell short of the target
The full horror of the human predicament
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
 the Old Testament does not
reflect much on the origin of
evil, except for telling the story
of the “Fall” Genesis 3 …
 it simply marks the iniquity of the human
heart, and asserts that there is no
righteous man on earth
Isaiah 29 13, Ecclesiastes 7 20
 all sin is against God Psalm 51 4
 the devil as adversary appears rarely
Job
The full horror of the human predicament
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
 in the New Testament, Jesus
focuses on the situation of the
sinner, rather than on sin … Matthew 9 12
 … but He talks about sin as even darker
than the Pharisees could perceive
Matthew 15 19; Matthew 6
 Jesus experiences temptation
to sin from the devil Matthew 4
The full horror of the human predicament
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
 in the letters, the devil and
demonic forces play their part
in seeking to oppose God’s people
Ephesians 6 10ff; 1 Peter 5 8
 in his explanation of how the death and
resurrection of Jesus reach all, Paul
develops a “counterpoint” of the sin of
Adam Romans 5 12-21
The full horror of the human predicament
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
 the universality of human failing
is underscored:
“… all have sinned, and fall short of the
glory of God …” Romans 3 23
 “… (we have) proved that we are utterly
incapable of living the glorious lives God
wills for us”.
The full horror of the human predicament
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
What is sin?
The full horror of the human predicament
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
Theologically:
Personal alienation from
God, experienced by all,
rooted in human rebellion,
and leading to wrong living
The full horror of the human predicament
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
Philosophically:
Stranded between the
ontological polarities of
facticity and potentiality
(Fed up that we’re not what we could be)
The full horror of the human predicament
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
The full horror of the human predicament
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
In the Old Testament:
 there is provision for forgiveness
in the rituals prescribed in the Law
Leviticus 1-7
The answer to sin
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
In the Old Testament:
 alongside this, it is possible to
appeal to God for mercy Psalm 51
 later Jewish thought develops the idea
obedience to the Torah to be in right
relationship with God c.f. Paul, Philippians 3 6
The answer to sin
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
In the New Testament:
 Jesus is heralded as “… the
lamb of God, who takes away the sins of
the world”
John 1 29
 Jesus anticipates that his death will be a
ransom for many Mark 10 45
 the death of Jesus becomes the true and
final sacrifice Romans 3 25, Hebrews 10
 it is seen as the defeat of sin and death
1 Corinthians 15 55-57
The answer to sin
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
In the New Testament:
 “… everyone who believes in
(Jesus) receives forgiveness of sins through
his name” Acts 10 43
The answer to sin
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
A summary so far:
In the Old Testament
the starting point is the need for an
answer to the problems of human sin
and guilt.
The answer is through ritual sacrifice,
appeals to God’s mercy, and obedience
to the Torah.
The answer to sin
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
A summary so far:
In the New Testament, the
starting point is God’s definitive answer to
the problem of sin and guilt in the death
and resurrection of Jesus.
The focal question then becomes, how to
go on living in a right relationship with
God in Jesus
The answer to sin
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
Do Christians sin?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
Why ask the question?
 there are some New Testament verses
which – taken on their own – might
appear to suggest that Christians do
not sin
 “We know that anyone born of God
does not continue to sin …” 1 John 5 18
 “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creation; the old has gone, the new has
come!” 2 Corinthians 5 17
Do Christians sin?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
HOWEVER …
 Jesus taught about how to deal with a
“brother” who sins against you Matthew 18
 Paul talks about his own wretched
compulsion to do what he does not want
to do Romans 7 15ff
 he also gives advice on how to deal with
a Christian who has sinned Galatians 6 1
Do Christians sin?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
HOWEVER …
 Paul repeatedly points to contrasts or
tensions which suggest an ongoing battle
with sin:
being “dead” to sin and alive in Christ
Romans 6;
living according to the promptings of
human nature, or living according to the
Spirit Romans 8
Do Christians sin?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
HOWEVER …
 in 1 John, other verses describe Christians
sinning:
 “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive
ourselves and the truth is no in us. If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just and
will forgive us …” 1 John 8,9
Do Christians sin?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
What is the Bible teaching?
In the death and resurrection of Jesus, the
power of sin and death is broken for all time.
In principal, we are no longer ruled by sin.
“We have died to sin”
Romans 6 1; also Galatians 5 24
In practice, an ongoing battle continues.
We should not give in!
Romans 6 15 ff
Do Christians sin?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
What is the Bible teaching?
“You … have two natures in
conflict, and each one is striving
for dominance” Martyn Lloyd-Jones
“… this transformation takes … a
lifetime to complete” Billy Graham
Do Christians sin?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
What is the Bible teaching?
“This sanctification is
throughout the whole man,
yet imperfect in this life; there
abideth still some remnant of
corruption in every part … a
continual and irreconcilable
war” The Westminster Confession
Do Christians sin?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
Why is this an issue?
 some Bible verses suggest it is a possibility:
 “It is impossible for those who have once
been enlightened … if they fall away, to
be brought back to repentance …”
Hebrews 6 4-6
 “If we deliberately keep on sinning after
we have received knowledge of the truth,
no sacrifice for sins is left …” Hebrews 10 26
Is it possible for a Christian to lose their salvation?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
Why is this an issue?
 in the parable of the sower, Jesus appears
to suggest that some “conversions” will be
short-lived Mark 4 1-20
 Jesus also warns of some at the day of
judgement who will be found mistaken in
their belief that they knew Jesus, and will
be thrown into eternal fire Matthew 25 31-40
 Jesus also teaches about an unforgivable
sin, blasphemy against the Spirit Matthew 12 31
Is it possible for a Christian to lose their salvation?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
HOWEVER …
 the promise of eternal life to a believer is
not conditional John 3 16
 Jesus teaches that someone who has
heard Him and believed has “crossed
over” from death to life John 5 24
 Paul’s teaching on the “heir”
does not suggest reversability!
Romans 8 17, Galatians 4 7
Is it possible for a Christian to lose their salvation?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
A conclusion …
Where the Bible appears to suggest
that salvation might be lost, this is
only in the case of a total and
deliberate rejection of what we
have been offered in Christ
Many Christians would argue that
the grace of God is so great that He
would never reject His own child
Is it possible for a Christian to lose their salvation?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
Remember that Jesus was concerned not
simply with wrong done,
but also with the issue of motivation
How much
sin can I get
away with?
What damage
is this
compulsion
doing to my
relationship
with God?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
Remember that Jesus was concerned not
simply with wrong done,
but also with the issue of motivation
How much
sin can I get
away with?
 where is the
evidence of
relationship?
 is there any
desire to
please God?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
Remember that Jesus was concerned not
simply with wrong done,
but also with the issue of motivation
 join the club!
 you’re normal!
 how can the
Body of Christ
help you in
your battle?
What damage
is this
compulsion
doing to my
relationship
with God?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
Within authentic relationship with God in Jesus,
all can be forgiven. Ask forgiveness, strive to
change with God’s help, seek help from the
Body of Christ
What damage
is this
compulsion
doing to my
relationship
with God?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
Outside authentic relationship with God in Jesus,
you are outside of the promise of salvation.
Hear the Good News of His offer of free
forgiveness!
How much
sin can I get
away with?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
How much can I sin without losing my salvation?
Five ways to keep on dying to sin
1. don’t focus on the sin –
focus on building relationship
2. establish (safe) accountability
3. recognise that your Father
is for you, not against you
4. plan strategies to resist in
areas of habitual vulnerability
5. don’t give up!