Unfortunately, we often hear stories of Christian leaders committing sins that lead to them losing their leadership position. While those stories make headlines, there are also situations in every church and Christian community where individual fall into sin. We need to have a proper understanding of the relationship between Christians and sin before we can respond. This is a key element of the 5th Main Point of the Canons of Dort which discusses the idea that God will preserve in faith those whom He saves. This idea of perseverance or “perseverance of the saints” (as it is often called) does not mean that Christians are perfect or will never sin, but that Christians will not remain in sin as they will be drawn back in repentance.
Victory Over Sin, But Not the Elimination of a Battle
In addressing whether a believer can fall away from their faith (and thus “lose his or her salvation”), the Canons first note that believers will have victory over sin as it notes that “Those people whom God according to his purpose calls into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord and regenerates by the Holy Spirit, God also sets free from the dominion and slavery of sin….” (5.1). However, it continues by noting that there is still a struggle with sin, as those whom God saves are “not entirely from the flesh and from the body of sin as long as they are in this life” (5.1) and “daily sins of weakness arise, and blemishes cling to even the best works of saints” (5.2). The Canons also note that Scripture shows examples of God’s people falling into sin, explicitly mentioning “serious and outrageous sins” of David and Peter.
Responding to the Battle
Rather than telling us that it is acceptable for Christians to sin, the Canons of Dort note this struggle with sin gives us “continual cause to humble [ourselves] before God, to flee for refuge to Christ crucified, to put the flesh to death more and more by the Spirit of supplication and by holy exercises of godliness, and to strain toward the goal of perfection, until [we] are freed from this body of death and reign with the Lamb of God in heaven” (V.2). The Canons remind that hope and victory is found not through trying harder but rather through availing ourselves of God’s grace and power: “Because of these remnants of sin dwelling in them and also because of the temptations of the world and Satan, those who have been converted could not remain standing in this grace if left to their own resources. But God is faithful, mercifully strengthening them in the grace once conferred on them and powerfully preserving them in it to the end” (5.3). “The power of God strengthening and preserving true believers in grace is more than a match for the flesh” (5.4). In fact, the reason we sin is because we do not always turn to God as we should: “Yet those converted are not always so activated and motivated by God that in certain specific actions they cannot by their own fault depart from the leading of grace, be led astray by the desires of the flesh, and give in to them” (5.4). The reality of a struggle with sin that remains in those God saves does not give us an excuse for sin but rather leads us to fight against this sin and turn to the one who has power over sin.
Repentance as Mark of the Believer
While the first few articles highlight that believers can still sin and must be alert to the battle (something that the Remonstrants did not seem to dispute), there is also hope given in that God will continue to work in these believers even when they sin. Article 5 notes that the sin offends God and hurts the believer, but God’s spirit will work in them to bring them to repentance: “By such monstrous sins, however, they greatly offend God, deserve the sentence of death, grieve the Holy Spirit, suspend the exercise of faith, severely wound the conscience, and sometimes lose the awareness of grace for a time—until, after they have returned to the right way by genuine repentance, God’s fatherly face again shines upon them.” When someone comes to repentance, they are back in a restored relationship; they did not lose their salvation in the meantime (Rejection of Errors V.8 notes that the person is not reborn again) but lost the joy and benefits of salvation in that season of sin and a lack of repentance. While believers may still sin, the Bible teaches they will not remain in their sin but will demonstrate repentance. “We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him” (1 John 5:18).
Dealing with Situations
If someone professes faith but still sins, it does not mean that they are not a Christian. However, if someone professes faith, sins, and never shows any signs of repentance or remorse, there is reason to challenge this person with God’s Word in hopes that it brings them to repentance. We must be careful in these situations, however, not to say this person shows they are not really saved or don’t have true faith, because they might be a work in progress — they might come to repentance (perhaps through your conversation). Again, there is a reminder that the focus is not on looking at others to determine whether or not they are saved, but to tell people that Christ has died for sinners and all those who repent and believe in Him are saved – and that this salvation leads to a life that is devoted to Him. There might be struggles in this life, but because God is at work in someone, there is victory over sin.
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