HOW does a Christian NOT sin?

I am a toddler Christian. What I believe is that only Christ can do it, I can do nothing, just as He could do nothing were it not for the Father. When Christ isnt doing it, we are doing it and that is Sin and that is short of the perfection and that is not a work to be recognized and rewarded at Bhema. Surrender to Christ is it as he surrended to His Father onto death, but also every moment he walked, so therefore he never sinned.

We are dead to sin but we sin, anyone can see it. But it is not accounted to us. Why look at it? You sinned because you looked away from Christ, reliance on Christ to live through you makes us quit commiting sin. His Father could no more sin through Christ, then Christ could sin through us.

If this is all gobbeldy gook, well thats what toddlers speak.

I believe Christianity is practical (Livable). Even most of my posts in SI seeks to be practical. I find it very difficult to live a life of imagination.

Regarding sin, I understand that there are 2 types of sin. One you know clearly is a Sin (Conscious Sin) and another is something you do not know yet, but it is still a sin you are committing (Unconscious sins).

One example I can think of unconscious sins in my life is, I was not at all conscious that many of my messages and sharing in Church were given with an intention to project (exalt) myself above other fellow brothers and sisters. I was doing this sin without being conscious of it. But now God has given me light on my own intentions, now I know I have to correct it. Only when we near God more and more his light will show us our unconscious sins. It is like seeing your hand under a microscope that can show how many germs are in it. With naked eyes you cannot see them. The more we near towards God in our walk, the more our eyes are enlightened to see our own sins. We can only near God by overcoming our already known sins. When we still live in Known Sins, there is no point in asking God to show the unconscious sins that we commit! I can quote scripture for each one of these but I want to keep it practical.

There are certain things I know are wrong or sin (Conscious Sins). For example getting angry with my wife. Now I have to cleanse myself of it. Every time anger comes into my heart, I repent and seek God's grace to cleanse my heart. I ask for God's love to be poured into my heart so that I can love my wife. This is the only way I can overcome anger which is a known sin to me.

Another example is lust in eyes. Every time a lust enters into my heart towards another women, I run to Jesus, asking him to fill my heart with a desire for my wife alone. I cry to him that I want only my wife to be desire of my eyes. I tell him to give me contentment in this area. He gives me his grace. I also do my part which is to run away from an object of temptation (can be a women dressed provocatively).

If you observe in all the 3 cases I have put, they are all sins that are handled in the heart. So to me the battle ground has shifted from actions to heart. I NO Longer struggle with my actions as my heart itself is set clean. This is the secret I found to NOT Sin, which is to take the battle to your heart.

By loving Him:)

"If you love me you will keep my commandments"

It's actually very simple and quite practical....

Think about the time when you fell in love,... Nothing nor no one could turn you away from the person you loved, and you didn't "have" to do it but were compelled by the love in you to do it (good works).

So our Lord says "be zealous and repent and return to your first love and do the works you first did"

So maybe the question is why do we depart from our first love...?

Re: HOW does a Christian Not sin?

By dying - I mean literally physically dying.

Short of that, I still believe we must choose not to sin. I believe that the vast majority of sins occur because we choose to sin over choosing not to sin. I don't think we are tricked into sinning. We are most assuredly tempted but that is not sinning.

I still remember a quote I heard a long time ago that has always stuck with me: "sin fascinates- then assassinates."

I think everyone has touched on some element of how to not sin. Just reading through the replies is edifying and encouraging to me!

As someone who is constantly screaming (internally) at pastors, "Yes, I understand what you're saying but HOW? What's the practical application of this in our lives?!" I can relate to what Blaine is actually asking. (If I'm wrong, Blaine, please correct me. Sometimes I can over-analyze posts!)

Dying to self and loving God are definitely the ANSWERS to not sinning. But Blaine is asking HOW do we do that? HOW do we not sin? HOW do we die to self? HOW can we love God? Knowledge alone isn't enough. It must be applied to WORK.

All I can do is give my own method.

There is a period of time that occurs before a sin is committed. A time when the conscience speaks out to advise us that we know better; that what just crossed our mind that our body wants to do/say is wrong, or a lie. It's self-centeredness, pride, the lack of self-control and ego that goads us with, "Just do/say it! You've already done/said something like this a million times before anyway! What's one more sin for God to forgive you for? It's a small one anyway! Just do/say it! You feel better! You'll show that other person they shouldn't mess with you or treat you that way!"

You know those dozen or so thoughts that go through your mind in a twinkling of an eye before you let loose on that sin? THAT'S the time before the sin that I'm talking about.

Whenever I'm tempted to sin, off all things or of all people, Ronald and Nancy Reagan ALWAYS come to mind before I sin. (It really IS remarkable how many thoughts can run through your mind in a twinkling of an eye to a few seconds.)

I ALWAYS hear Ronald Reagan saying, "Well, Nancy says to just say NO!"

There's so much truth and maturity in that. Just say no. Here's an example: I got to work with my friend who has a carpet cleaning van today. We were shampooing the carpet of a vacant apartment that was recently renovated. One of the guys working on the renovations came in. As he passed by me, said he had some work to do in the bathroom. I smelled alcohol on his breath. I wanted to turn to my friend and say, "Looks like someone had a liquid lunch today."

As God is my witness, this was my entire thought process in just a few seconds:

"What? That's so rude! I may like to be funny once in awhile but I'm not a mean person! Still it would be funny and not really hurt anyone and my friend would get a chuckle out of it. Yeah, but at this man's expense, unbeknownst to him? All he did was come in to do a job! Do you know WHY he drinks during the day? Do you know his struggles or what he may be currently going through? Show some compassion."

Then 1 Peter 4:6 came to mind, "And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins."

(Thought process continuing...)

"Sins aren't covered by jokes and gossiping. Jesus not only covered all of my sins, He forgave them completely.

I'm going to practice self-control and discipline and NOT say that to my friend. I want Jesus to be proud of me."

So, that's my practical way of dealing with sin: Ronald and Nancy Reagan and the short, but powerful phrase: "Just say NO!" It's possible to just say no. We just don't like going through the self-denial (dying to self part) or loving God more than ourselves. Odd, I know. But it works for me.

There IS a time that passes before we CHOOSE to commit sin. And it IS long enough to reason out and choose holiness. It IS enough time to turn away from that sin. Will we be controlled by self-discipline and the love of God and others? Or are we not filled enough with the Word and spending abiding time with Jesus? Are we instead filled with our own desires and self-centered thinking? "I can't help it" is a self-centered cop-out. Or, in today's humanistic vernacular, "That's just how I'm wired." Or, "Sorry if you don't like it but I'm not changing who I am."

It IS a choice. Just say no and choose Jesus. Choose holiness.

ZSUZSANNA SAID: by Tozsu on 2016/5/19 22:53:21

Keith Daniel said this in one of his sermons:
This book will keep you from sin, and sin will keep you from this book. SOAK YOURSELF IN THE BIBLE...

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Golly that sure is true! I think that's my favorite quote from Keith Daniel.

Even though this may not initially sound like "practical application," it really is. When we saturate ourselves in the Word, the Holy Spirit uses it to do many works in us, changing us more into the likeness of Jesus. When that happens, our desire to sin decreases as the ability to not sin increases.

John 3:30, "He must increase, but I must decrease." (Just like you illustrated in your previous post, Zsuzsanna!)

I just wanted to clarify my post- when I answered the question "how can a person not sin" by saying we must die- I didn't mean dying to self- I meant dying like when your body gets put in the ground. That is the only sure way to not sin.

Of course we aren't supposed to be sinning while our hearts are beating. That's where dying to self and all that stuff comes in.

But I still really think that we sin because we are a bunch of wimps. We allow the devil to push us in the chest like a bully saying "what are you gonna do about it, punk?" and far too often we say "nothing I guess."

Tuc- I get your gist but you are taking it way too far.

Cause and Effect

There are many "cause and effect” passages in scripture. Here are several:

”¢ "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord[cause] will be saved [effect].” Acts 2:21
”¢ "Come near to God[cause] and He will come near to you[effect]” James 4:8
Ӣ "Any of you who does not give up everything he has[cause] cannot be my disciple[effect]. Lk. 14:33
”¢ "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed[cause], you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you[effect].” Lk. 17:6
Ӣ "I have hidden your word in my heart[cause] that I might not sin against you[effect]. Ps. 119:11

Similarly, Prov. 3:9-10 contains a cause and effect: Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops[cause]; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine[effect].

In all of these examples, what we do is the cause; what God does is the effect. Why did God "set things up” this way? A primary reason is that He wants to relate to us; He wants to partner with us in His enterprises. God can do anything He wants, but He chooses to use us. What a privilege, and what a responsibility! If we refuse to be the "cause,” then we limit how God can "effect” His blessings on us. Not only that, but we limit our worth in God’s Kingdom.

lol, maybe bearmaster could've added a caveat:

"with testimonies appended please!"