Saint, you don’t have a sinful nature. The old sinner you used to be has been crucified with Christ. One with the Lord you have his heart, his desires, his spiritual DNA, his mind, and his holy nature.

“So why do I still sin?”

This is a great question. So are these:

“If I’m 100% holy in Christ, how come I don’t act 100% holy?”

“If I’m righteous, how come I don’t feel righteous?”

“Why do I sin when I don’t want to sin?”

“Is it possible to lead a sinless life?”

“Will I lose my salvation if I keep sinning?”

We all sin from time to time. The most saintliest person you know sins. Even your pastor sins.

By sin, I mean “miss the mark” or “fall short of what God has in store for us.” This is what sinning is and we all do it from time to time.

Sinning is destructive and not something you want to do. “Why do I still sin if I am saved?” We sin or miss the mark for one of four reasons.

1. We sin because we’re ignorant

The first reason we sin is because we have been lied to.

The mantra of this fallen world is “if it feels good do it.” Feed the flesh. But the indisputable lesson of history is that the way of the flesh (self-effort and self-trust) leads to destruction. Satan switched the price tags. He’s got us convinced that sinning has no consequences.

The remedy is to hear the good news: God loves us and he offers us a new and better life – his life (John 5:21, 10:10).

2. We sin because we are slow to believe the good news

Some people are so invested in this world they refuse to accept the good news. Jesus comes preaching, “Repent and believe the good news of the kingdom,” and they decline. They are so weighed down with wealth or worry, that they spurn his outstretched hand.

Religious people are sometimes the most lost people of all. They don’t want grace because they’re too busy accumulating good deeds and brownie points. Like the Pharisees who rejected Jesus, they have missed the way. They prefer rules to relationship.

The remedy is to repent and turn to God in faith. Confess or acknowledge that you are a sinner in need of grace (1 John 1:9). Receive his forgiveness and be cleansed from all unrighteousness.

3. We sin because we don’t know we can stop sinning

Finally, we come to those who know they are saved and who know they are one with the Lord. Why do Christians sin? Why do we live in addiction or remain captive to destructive habits? Why do we lose our temper and say things we regret? Why do we fall from grace and leave our first love?

Some believers sin because they are ignorant of their new identity in Christ or because they are still living under old lies. They don’t know they can be free or how to be free. They’ve walked the old ways for so long, it does not occur to them that there is a better way.

“It’s just who I am.”

Except it’s not. You weren’t born an alcoholic and you weren’t born addicted to pornography. When you were an infant, you did not have an anger problem or trust issues. These are things you picked up after walking in a fallen world.

If you do something a hundred times it will become second nature to you, but if it’s not in Christ’s nature then it’s not part of your new nature. It’s a bad habit or addiction that the world will feed but which you need to release.

The remedy to ignorance is to renew your mind and offer your body as a living and holy sacrifice to God (Rom. 12:1–2). Stop speaking lies over yourself. You are not what you have done; you are a beloved child of God. You are not merely a forgiven sinner, but a new creation with the indwelling Holy Spirit. So put off the old and put on the new and be renewed in the spirit of your mind (Eph. 4:22–23).

Be Son conscious, not sin conscious.

4. We sin because we’re trying hard not to sin

Then there are those who know all this. They know who they are in Christ yet they still do things that are unhealthy and destructive. They don’t want to sin so they try to stop but fail. They try harder and fail again. Eventually, they quit trying and reject all this grace talk as unrealistic mumbo-jumbo.

“Grace hasn’t helped me.”

And it probably never will, not for as long as you are focusing on your sin and your shortcomings. Your best efforts will never succeed because the flesh cannot cure the flesh.

Here’s the good news that will set you free:

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)

Your goal is not to stop sinning but to know Christ. Know him in the midst of your struggles. When you’re reaching for those pills or are about to click that link, remind yourself that Jesus is on your side. He who died for you now lives for you so that you might have a life free from sin.

Stop trying to fix your old self (he died with Christ) and feed on the good promises of God. Instead of beating yourself up over your imperfections, fix your eyes on Christ and his perfections.

When you are about to do something unrighteous and unholy, remind yourself that in Christ you are righteous and holy. When temptation comes knocking, reckon yourself dead to it and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

It’s a battle for sure, but it’s a battle you can win. By the grace of God you can be free. If you fall today, by the grace of God you will rise again.

Why do I still sin if I am saved?

We sin because we have taken our eyes off Jesus.

Our bodies are weak and this world is full of snares. From time to time we all stumble. The good news is that when we sin, Jesus doesn’t condemn us. He defends us (1 John 2:1). He shields us from the Accuser and reminds us that we are the dearly-loved children of God.

Whether you sin today or not, nothing can change who you truly are in Christ. And this is the revelation that empowers us to say no to ungodliness and shine in a broken world.

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Jesus told us to store up treasures in heaven and most of us have no idea what he was talking about. To celebrate E2R’s 14th anniversary, subscribers can grab a FREE COPY of Paul’s study note “How to store up heavenly treasure.” Be quick. This link expires Saturday.

More articles on sin:

• What is the definition of sin?
• What are the real seven deadly sins?
• Does sin hinder my prayers?
• Does God love me when I sin?
• How does God deal with me when I sin?
• Is God grieved by my sin?
• Is grace a license to sin?
• Have I committed the unforgivable sin?
• What is the sin leading to death?
• Are all sins forgiven – past, present and future?