If the Holy Spirit resides within a believer, why do Christians still struggle with sin?
“Born-again” children of God in their lifetime on earth still retain vestiges of “Adam’s sin-infected” nature. The first-born human nature, with all of the original “potential inclinations” to live by our “self-centered” choices still resides in our human bodies EVEN AFTER being gifted the Holy Spirit of God.
The residing first born nature from Adam continues to live within our human bodies until our death on earth. Our “Adam-nature” is placed under the dominion of the power of the Holy Spirit but our actions are SUBJECTED to our own voluntary choice to access the power of the Spirit to choose righteousness and turn from evil.
With the Holy Spirit’s gift of the Spirit of Christ, we NOW HAVE THE ABILITY TO CHOOSE RIGHTEOUS [God-pleasing and God-honoring] thoughts, words and actions. Before the Holy Spirit’s new birth within the children of God, we could only think, speak and act in unrighteousness and had no ability to think / act like Jesus Christ.
We retain in our natural lives the first-born “Adam” tendencies until death. Thus, we are constantly in a battle with our flesh [Adam’s nature], the world [culture + temptations] and the devil enticing us to sin.
We need to be on guard against and reject any unrighteousness. A good description is found in this truth: The “born-again” child of God is NOW given the power to love the things which Jesus Christ loves and to hate all the things which He hates.
Our first born nature from Adam is NOT ERADICATED upon the entrance of the Holy Spirit into our lives, but it is put in SUBJECTION to the power of the Holy Spirit for Him to be able to produce Christ-like thoughts, walk and talk.
Yet, we are still creatures with a limited “free-will” choice. We still can choose the God- rejecting decisions just like our natural father, Adam. We do NOT have to follow those Adam- like God-rejecting words and actions, but our human nature can rise up to temporarily usurp again the throne [rule] over our lives. This results in sin.
All our sins Jesus knew from the eternity past. We are guaranteed that Jesus paid the death price for all our sin. Thus, the Holy Spirit assures us, even when we still sin, that full and complete provision [the death and resurrection of Jesus] has been made to pay for that sin. Any future sin, after being “born-again”, has no capability to change our eternal destiny to be in heaven with Jesus forever in perfect peace and joy.
- 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin.
- Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
Commentary Answer: Your question highlights another remarkable truth about God, His infinite Omniscience.
Three phrases which a person goes into and through to become a child of God are:
1.) Salvation. The undeniable fact of having the very Spirit of Christ infused / imputed into our lives. Jesus called this event – being “born-again”. (The first birth is a natural one of the seed and bloodline of Adam.) The second birth is a spiritual birth of the Life of Christ within us.
2.) Sanctification. This is where the Holy Spirit enters a person upon “new-birth”. He then begins and continues a work of changing our attitudes, appetites and actions into the attitude, appetite and actions of the perfect Son of God, Jesus Christ. 3.) Glorification. This is the final change given to the child of God prior to entrance into the eternal home of the Father in heaven.
Another remarkable part of your question also highlights the breathtaking awe of the total and complete assurance of the “new-born” Christ-follower of his/her eternal secure destiny in heaven with Jesus. The Holy Spirit having come to dwell within a person is ALSO the guarantee that He will never leave. The Holy Spirit’ Presence guarantees that He will finish the work of Sanctification and Glorification which He began at the moment of “new-birth”.
In our own will or works we have no ability in the slightest to accomplish either Salvation, Sanctification or Glorification. We are dead in our trespasses and sins and separated from Holy God.
- Ephesians 2:4-7 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the
heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
God CANNOT abide with any unholiness or unrighteousness.
- Habakkuk 1:13 You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness.
With the above truth [and we know God cannot lie] how can Holy God, the Holy Spirit, dwell within us sin-damaged people who constantly transgress God’s holy commands?
The answer is so simple which makes it so beautiful and encouraging: God is OUTSIDE OF TIME. God always existed and has always known all things that will ever be known at all times. God sees the End from the Beginning.
- Isaiah 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure.
The following is such a profound and comforting truth: The ONLY WAY HOLY GOD CAN DWELL WITHIN HIS CHILDREN while they are undergoing the Sanctification phase of being changed in the likeness of Jesus, His perfect, holy Son, is that Holy God SEES the end from the beginning! Holy God sees the final transformation of His Children into Christ- likeness as ALREADY FINISHED!
Thus, the Holy Spirit is perfectly just and righteous in “in-dwelling” the new-born children of God [bodies which still hold fallen human tendencies and sin-failures] for He is in essence ALREADY in-dwelling a perfected creature, though still in the process of accomplishing that final perfection.
If this FINAL PERFECT GLORIFICATION had any doubt, ie., that the creature could somehow “sin too much or too often”, the Holy Spirit could never in-dwell such a creature. The fact that the Holy Spirit enters into God’s fallen, sinful children and begets the very eternal Life of Jesus Christ is the greatest guarantee of all that He WILL FAITHFULLY FINISH His work of changing the fallen creature into the perfection of Jesus upon the death and resurrection of the person.
The Holy Spirit declared all the above in one simple statement: [2 Corinthian 5:21] For He [God the Father] made Him [God the Son, Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him [Jesus].
Amazing Truth: Upon one’s new spiritual birth, one is CREDITED with the very RIGHTEOUSNESS of Jesus Christ! God the Father has seen all of this BEFORE THE VERY CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE. After the “new-birth” the individual enters into a Sanctification phrase. Why? To be a LIGHT in this dark world and to glorify Jesus through the change which the Holy Spirit is accomplishing.
Glorification: When we see Jesus, we shall be like Him and the Holy Spirit has finished His guaranteed work.
- 1 John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
We prayed for you as we sent this answer. The most important eternal statement was declared by the Lord Jesus Christ to Nicodemus some 2000 years ago in Jerusalem: [John 3:3] Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
This is the most important question you will ever be asked because your eternal destiny depends upon your answer: “Have you been born again?”
All people born into the world will spend all eternity in either heaven in perfect joy and peace or in hell in perfect pain and regret.
If you have had a “stirring in your heart”, a conviction of your personal need of the one and only Savior, Jesus Christ, to save you from eternal death and you have chosen by an act of your will to become a Christ-follower and a Christ-lover, please write back and tell us.
Shall we continue to pray for you? Please note that request in your reply. All our love to All,
In Christ –
Jon + Philis + Friends @ WasItForMe.com
Have I Sinned Too Much? https://vimeo.com/user146864084
