In the 4th century, a monk named Pelagius spread the idea that humans could live without sinning. He said we were not tainted by original sin, that people possess absolute free will to choose between good and evil, and that we could attain salvation on our own, without the need of divine grace. This was, of course, a heresy—the Pelagian heresy—and Augustine reprimanded Pelagius and his followers.
1 John 1:8: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Sin is inevitable. We will sin, no matter how long we’ve been Christians, how many years we’ve been baptized, how often we attend church. So how are we supposed to deal with it? How should we proceed?
Repent and pray
In Acts 13, a man named Simon the Sorcerer believed and was baptized. During a visit from the apostles, those they laid hands on received the Holy Spirit; Simon, upon seeing this, offered the apostles money and asked to be taught the same power. Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” And Simon asked for the apostles to pray for him, that none of what Peter said would befall him (Acts 8:13-24).
Repentance and prayer—that is how Peter instructed Simon to seek forgiveness. Repentance is a conscious shift in your mindset and the decision to do things a different way. So when we sin after being baptized, we need to understand the sin, repent of it, and pray.
Resolve not to repeat sin
Yes, God grants us grace. Yes, Jesus’ blood is continually cleansing. But we are supposed to set our sin aside and struggle against it. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). God expects us to resist sin and temptation. He knows we won’t always win, but he wants us to put up a fight.
In our resistance against sin, or even in the midst of sinning, we need to examine our lives and find ways to escape the temptation of sin, so we won’t repeat it. Do you see any victories over sin? Have you overcome any temptations?
Draw closer to God
To overcome sin, we must fill our lives with positive service to the Lord. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:7-8). It’s difficult for those who don’t participate in the Lord’s work to grow spiritually and live as Christians. Part of that work is community with our brothers and sisters in Christ: church attendance, Bible study, and genuine relationship with fellow believers. We can support each other through our failures and sins; James 5:16 says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
Remember the stakes
If we continue to sin after baptism, knowing we’re sinning, we reject the sacrifice Jesus made for us. The cross is a symbol of hope for those who repent; if we won’t do that, we’re worse off than we were before we were saved. “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries” (Hebrews 10:26-27).
Reflection questions
