Question: Can you be a Chrstian and continue in a life filled with sin? What are the results of sin in the Christian life?

Answer: Just because you are a Christian doesn’t mean you will not sin. Christ saves us because we are sinners, and He covers us with His righteousness. There’s nothing we can do to “earn” our way to heaven.

However, once Christ has saved you, that means the Holy Spirit is indwelling you (Romans 8:9-11). The desire to sin, while still there, decreases. The Bible says: “What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!” (2 Cor. 5:17).

A person with genuine faith will want to do those things that please God. We aren’t saved by good works, but we are saved to do good works. The Bible says: “So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all–it is dead and useless” (James 2:17).

So what about the person who calls himself a Christian, and yet continues to live a “sin filled life.” Our answer is that since there’s no indication that this person desires to please God, then there is no genuine faith.

As we said, a Christian will sin, and the practical effect of that sin is that God cannot have fellowship with him. That’s why a Christian who sins needs to confess it before God, who is “faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong” (1 John 1:9).