Do You Ever Intentionally Sin?

[Alan D. Strange]

"Sin," as we confess, is "any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, any law of God, given as a rule to the reasonable creature" (WLC 24). What is this law, the moral law? WLC 93 answers this, making it clear what we owe to God and man: complete, never-flagging, wholehearted obedience.

The moral law has great use to all men, with particular use to the regenerate and the unregenerate each (WLC 94-97). What the moral law requires is a comprehensive love of God and a love of neighbor akin to self-love; we as Christians are grateful that Christ fulfilled all righteousness for us and we are, out of thankfulness, to "take greater care to conform [ourselves] thereunto as the rule of obedience" (WLC 97). Sin is the bane of our lives and knowing and walking with Christ in his ways is our joy.

Untrammeled love of God and neighbor, always, entirely: we long for such at our best moments and fail miserably in it at our worst. We never in this life at any given moment come close to achieving what God requires, not even close, due to remaining sin, sin which impacts every faculty of our being, our understanding, our will, and our affections. The remaining sin nature (to which we must die daily) is utterly self-centered and self-consumed.

I've not for one single moment in my life perfectly obeyed what Jesus sets before us in Matthew 22:34-40. If I think that I've ever come close to loving the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, and mind, I fail to realize two things: how worthy he truly is and what this really requires. I want as a new man in Christ to do so but I see that in me there is no good thing. He enables me to do this in a measure, given who I am in the flesh, that is remarkable. Yet I fall short at every point. And with the second commandment, the call to love my neighbor as I love myself, if I am honest in any measure, I am scandalously lacking here. I fall so far short of loving God and neighbor that if Christ is not wholly and entirely, from first to last, my Savior, I have no hope whatsoever.

All this is to say that, in light of my profound sinfulness, I have a hard time fathoming what the question at the head of this thread aims to get at.

Peace,
Alan

 

[Joshua]

All this is to say that, in light of my profound sinfulness, I have a hard time fathoming what the question at the head of this thread aims to get at.

Peace,
Alan

This. Thank you, Brother.

 

[Ryan&Amber2013]

All this is to say that, in light of my profound sinfulness, I have a hard time fathoming what the question at the head of this thread aims to get at

Thank you for the reply. For sure, all of us fall so far short of what is required, and need daily repentance. Sadly none of us on our best day can live up to a perfect standard. Especially when it comes to our hearts and thoughts.

At the same time though, I have been very perplexed at how people treat each other, and that's what I am getting at with my question. On a regular basis, I see and deal with people sinning against each other in ways that in my opinion, should not be happening. For example, from the statistics I see, it appears that a large portion of our culture is enslaved to p0rnography. I cannot personally as a Christian fathom how a man can look at p0rnography, and so devastatingly hurt his wife. With even the slightest bit of self-control and fruit, those things can and should be overcome. To me that is Christianity 101. But from what I am reading on here, sin should be expected, and chalked up to us having a sin nature that we still have to wrestle with. This I will say, is perplexing. And I say it as one who sees my sin, knows I am a sinner, and knows that sin will be a fight for the rest of my life.

Thank you all so much for your replies!

 

[Alan D. Strange]

At the same time though, I have been very perplexed at how people treat each other, and that's what I am getting at with my question. On a regular basis, I see and deal with people sinning against each other in ways that in my opinion, should not be happening. With even the slightest bit of self-control and fruit, those things can and should be overcome. To me that is Christianity 101. But from what I am reading on here, it should be expected, and chalked up to us having a sin nature that we still have to wrestle with. This I will say, is perplexing. And I say it as one who sees my sin, knows I am a sinner, and knows that sin will be a fight for the rest of my life.

Ryan,

You see people mistreating each other: who is doing this and how?

In what way do you find it perplexing? How is your witness of sin in others different from your own?

I would really like to get to the nub of your concern here if you are willing further to engage.

Peace,
Alan

 

[Ryan&Amber2013]

Ryan,

You see people mistreating each other: who is doing this and how?

In what way do you find it perplexing? How is your witness of sin in others different from your own?

I would really like to get to the nub of your concern here if you are willing further to engage.

Peace,
Alan

It's probably best that I don't. I don't want to come across as condemning, and from what I'm sensing on here so far, I don't think I would feel comfortable to do so. Besides, we have a birthday party soon, and family coming into town. I'm fine with closing the thread. Thank you all for your input. I hope you all have a beautiful day!

 

[moral necessity]

For example, from the statistics I see, it appears that a large portion of our culture is enslaved to p0rnography. I cannot personally as a Christian fathom how a man can look at p0rnography, and so devastatingly hurt his wife. With even the slightest bit of self-control and fruit, those things can and should be overcome. To me that is Christianity 101. But from what I am reading on here, sin should be expected, and chalked up to us having a sin nature that we still have to wrestle with. This I will say, is perplexing. And I say it as one who sees my sin, knows I am a sinner, and knows that sin will be a fight for the rest of my life.

Remember that many Christians were not such early in their life, and ventured down these paths pretty far. Over many years, these became near addictions to them. If you've never had an addiction in your life before, it may be hard to fathom how something so easy can really be so hard. It's like trying to untangle an old rope that has multiple knots in it. And each year, a new and slightly different knot was added with increasing weight to make the previous ones tighter. To untangle the mess requires a great physician, and a very delicate, patient ministry. I think p0rnography is such an evil as this, and unfortunately has been the downfall of many Christian men. Satan knows our weaknesses, and aims to ruin the Kingdom of God by entangling us in such things. Those who have been given the grace to come out of these entanglements have quite a ministry to offer to those still ensnared. May God raise up such men in such a time as today.

Blessings!

 

[Taylor]

If I think that I've ever come close to loving the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, and mind, I fail to realize two things: how worthy he truly is and what this really requires.

I heard John Gerstner say in a lecture I recently listened to that, in his estimation, the greatest saints on earth perhaps give the Lord 10% at most. Of course, there is no way to measure this, but I still found the comment striking.

 

[Alan D. Strange]

@Taylor

That's classic Gerstner (I knew him), Taylor. And a good one to share just now! Thanks!

Peace,
Alan

 

[Ed Walsh]

There is something in me that really wants them, that yearns for those things in such a strong way that I can sometimes physically feel it. There is also something in me that says "no, you ought not do that. Stay away". I struggle with wondering if that is the Spirit or if it's just my own evil pragmatic self.

Maybe I can help you out with the two somethings. I'm going to do this very simply and not mention any proof text at this time. But I think I am saying something beyond a simple opinion.

First "something" -- This is your old nature. Contrary to what is commonly believed, this nature, inherited from Adam, has not changed a bit. And this "flesh" is fit only for death which is sure to happen someday.

The second "something" -- This is the new center of your being. The part of you that has been born again. The part recreated by the Holy Spirit and inhabited by the Lord. It is the down payment of your future treasure. This part is more than legally accepted by God. It is of God and by God and is truly righteous. This new you never sins and always does what is right. But it is weak through the flesh and unable to do everything it wants.

Galatians 5:17 ESV
For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

Your conscience gets involved here too. Think of your conscience as Moses. It only has the power to condemn like a Roman sentry who is commanded to hold his post or die. Only Caesar, or in this case, the grace of God, can make him lighten up a bit. But he will never be gone entirely in this life.

 

[Ryan&Amber2013]

I didn't plan on keeping this thread going, but I'm reading through Hebrews, and chapter 9 mentions unintentional sins, and I think this is in reference to Leviticus 4. God dealt with His people differently depending on whether the sins were intentional/unintentional. That got me reading an article from Ligonier that was really helpful. I know there was a lot of pushback with my original post, probably because I was just thinking out loud without doing formal research prior. But this article helped me formulate my thoughts on this matter. Thanks!

Involuntary Sins​

Jeremy Pierre

4 Min Read

Trained instincts—that's how fighter pilots can react immediately to rapidly changing situations as they operate $27 million war machines. When a threat aircraft is closing in, there's no time for pilots to reason through what to do. They have to rely on instinct—but not just natural instinct. They need instincts shaped deep within them through years of regiment. The countless little decisions they make in the cockpit are automatic, but that doesn't mean they're involuntary. The pilot voluntarily trained for them, and in the cockpit he reaps the instinctive benefits of that training.
This is a good illustration of how unintentional sin works. Can we be guilty for sinful responses that seem to erupt in us automatically? Can we really consider sin voluntary if it is not consciously chosen?
Scripture's view of human experience is complex enough to answer yes. Scripture speaks of involuntary sins as including three characteristics: they are (1) from ignorance of God's will and therefore (2) not deliberately chosen as hostile acts against God, yet (3) they are disobedience nonetheless. Leviticus 5:17 describes unintentional sin as "doing any of the things that by the Lord's commandments ought not to be done, though he did not know it." Peter told his law-celebrating Jewish brothers they "killed the Author of life" because they "acted in ignorance" (Acts 3:15, 17). Paul told his idol-loving Greek audience their long artistic history was actually "the times of ignorance" that God had overlooked (Acts 17:30).
The Jews killed Jesus. The Greeks crafted idols. Both of these actions were instinctive expressions of hearts not conditioned by God's revealed Word, but by differing (yet equally sinful) sets of beliefs and values. The Jews believed in a legalistic god of their own making and valued their cultural version of righteousness; the Greeks believed in their human-crafted gods and valued the beauty of their own imaginings. Their actions simply expressed these deeper structures of ignorance. The Jews did not intend the killing of Jesus to be a hostile act against God, and the Greeks did not intend their pursuit of earthly pleasure to be direct rebellion against Him. But they were nonetheless.
So it is with us. Our responses flow from somewhere—from the deeper realities of the hearts we're stewards of. We are stewards of the deeper realities just as much as we are of the surface expressions. So, we can sin without deliberate choice because we are always acting intuitively out of hearts conditioned by inherited sin. Jesus gave us the general paradigm for this when He told us that "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matt. 12:34).
Like the fighter pilot's hours of training, our hearts are under a regimen that gives shape to our intuitive responses—a regimen of beliefs and values that don't align with Scripture, drilled into us through what we put in our heads, what we receive as wisdom from other sources, what we accept as normal from culture. All of these shape our unintentional sin.
Think of the way sins such as partiality (James 2:1), jealousy (3:14), or harshness (4:2) function in real life. Rarely do people intentionally decide to show partiality. Yet, they're instinctively drawn to a beautiful person who comes into the room. Why? Because of their established perception of what is attractive. Jealousy is the automatic impulse that arises when my deep value for a certain thing meets my hidden assumption of personal entitlement to it. Harshness is the result of the quiet desires of my heart smacking up against a person I perceive as withholding those desires from me.
These sins tend not to have a moment of decisive action; they sort of emanate from our vitality. And in case that's not bad enough, these basic unintentional sins can emanate in more complex forms, too: partiality can express itself as racism, jealousy as workaholism, harshness as manipulation.
Sins of ignorance can only be remedied with knowledge. Far from being an excuse for sin, ignorance is the thing that keeps us in it. We become aware of unintentional sins—and more than that, are given the ability to do something about them—only by an external word from God. In Leviticus, this is a man "realizing his guilt" by knowing the will of God as laid down in Scripture (5:17). Peter's solution to the Jews' ignorant murder of Jesus is to refer them to Scripture's prophecies about Him (Acts 3:18). Paul speaks to the Greeks' idolatry about the one God not made of gold or silver (17:29). Only then, with this new awareness of truth, can they possibly take the proper action against their unintentional sin: "Repent, therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out" (3:19).
If we're using it rightly, Scripture is that uncomfortable knife—a sword, in fact—that cuts deep (Heb. 4:12). But as deeply as it cuts, it is for the purpose of God's sculpting that glorious, instinctive design He put in us when He saved us. When a person believes God's Word, he is given a mind characterized by the righteousness of Christ, out of which flows new understanding (1 Cor. 2:14–16). The same design that makes human beings able to sin instinctively is now used for good. When people come to faith in Christ, they receive His righteousness—not just as a declaration of right standing before God (justification), but also as a living power that reshapes their core beliefs and values, and therefore the instinctive responses that flow from them (sanctification). Their automatic responses are characterized by greater righteousness. Trained instincts—but now under a new regimen.

 

[iainduguid]

Ryan,
I think you would be really helped by reading John Newton's "Select Letters" published by Banner of Truth, especially letters 22-25, which explore why God graciously leaves remaining sin in the life of the believer for his good and holy purposes. It is tremendously rich and pastoral material.

 

[Ryan&Amber2013]

Going through Hebrews I came across another interesting passage:
For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. (Hebrews 10:26-27)

It seems that continuing in sin intentionally is very dangerous because it is evidencing apostasy, a true rejection of Christ. But some would say that passage only refers to no longer trusting Christ, and isn't speaking of immorality necessarily. I'd be curious to hear anyone's thoughts.

This is from Grace to You:
"Willfully (hekousios) carries the idea of deliberate intention that is habitual. The reference here is not to sins of ignorance or weakness, but to those that are planned out, determined, done with forethought. The difference between sins of ignorance and sinning willfully is much like the difference between involuntary manslaughter and first-degree murder. Hekousios is habitual. It not only is deliberate, but is an established way of thinking and believing. It is the permanent renunciation of the gospel, the permanent forsaking of God’s grace.

A believer may sometimes lapse into sin and stray from intimacy with the Lord and with His people. But, unless the Lord disciplines him and takes him to heaven, he will come back. He will be too much under conviction to stay away permanently. In the meanwhile, he will be robbed of joy and peace and of many other blessings."

 

[JennyGeddes]

Ryan, I just wanted to say that I appreciate your transparency, and your willingness to think through things.

 

[Clark-Tillian]

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17.9 God, be merciful to me a sinner Lk. 18.13b

 

[RaderSDG00]

Ryan,
I think you would be really helped by reading John Newton's "Select Letters" published by Banner of Truth, especially letters 22-25, which explore why God graciously leaves remaining sin in the life of the believer for his good and holy purposes. It is tremendously rich and pastoral material.

Yes, those letters by Newton are great. Also this excerpt from one of Thomas Boston's works: Why the Lord Suffereth Sin to Remain in the Regenerate?

 

[iainduguid]

Yes, those letters by Newton are great. Also this excerpt from one of Thomas Boston's works: Why the Lord Suffereth Sin to Remain in the Regenerate?

Thanks for the link Daniel. Newton never gives the footnotes behind his thinking (these are letters after all), but I think it's clear that Boston was one of his sources.

 

[Ryan&Amber2013]

Ryan,
I think you would be really helped by reading John Newton's "Select Letters" published by Banner of Truth, especially letters 22-25, which explore why God graciously leaves remaining sin in the life of the believer for his good and holy purposes. It is tremendously rich and pastoral material.

Thanks so much!