Question:
What if a person has given there life to Christ and there is still persistant sin in the same areas of there life no matter what they do or try to do?
Answer:
First, only God can say who is truly saved; we can only make flawed observations… so here goes!
I would say a person who sins persistently and frequently “no matter what they try to do” is either not truly saved, or does not understand what he now possesses through his salvation.
As for the former, I would encourage this person to truly examine the genuineness of their salvation. It is beyond the scope of this answer to deal with all the variables, so my counsel would be for them to seek out a mature, disciplined Christian and ask them for help. Ask them to guide through the process of what salvation is, how a person is saved and how can you know “for sure” you are saved.
Let’s assume the person is truly saved. We know there IS such a thing as a “weak” Brother or Sister in Christ (Rom 14.1-2); so it could be that this person is weak. It may be as well that this person has never been taught about the power of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and so they continue to “fight” in the flesh, which always ends in failure.
What are some of the benefits and power that Christian possess as a result of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?
- Holy Spirit intercedes for us, praying perfectly for our needs – Romans 8:26
- Holy Spirit is our Helper; we don’t have to depend on our own fleshly power – John 15:26
- Holy Spirit gives us peace and joy in this life – Romans 14:17
- Holy Spirit comforts us – Acts 9:31
- Holy Spirit teaches us truth – John 14:17
Let me close with a verse that should encourage any struggling Christian:
Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (NKJV;emphasis mine)
We have HOPE by the POWER of the Holy Spirit. If a struggling Christian just keeps “trying to do better”, they will never grow spiritually or progressively sanctify their life.
It is only when we rely on, turn to, and depend on the Holy Spirit to guide us, teach us, comfort us, help us and EMPOWER us that will we have any degree of victory over sin.
Perhaps this struggling Christian has simply never been taught this.