Don’t misunderstand the title of this article. It is not meant to suggest that some of us live completely apart from sin. The truth is, we all sin from time to time. John wrote, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8).”
As Paul once suggested, we all sin and come short of the glory of God at times (Romans 3:23). This being admitted, it is still true that we can live free from sin. As Christians, we do not have to be under the cruel dominion of sin. If we are Christians, we have escaped it, or as Paul put it, we have become dead to sin (Romans 6:2). Paul goes on to suggest that we, as Christians, having been separated from sin by the blood of Christ, i.e., by being baptized into the death of Christ (Romans 6:3), are free from sin (Romans 6:7). Paul elaborates on this truth even more in verses 17 and 18:
Romans 6:17–18 (ESV)
17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
God has made it possible, then, for man to live free from sin. Indeed, living free from sin is the only way one can make it to heaven. Two requirements must be met for one to live free from it.
One Must Obey the Gospel
Once a person trespasses, there is no other way to be free from sin than obeying the gospel. The gospel contains words that can save the soul (James 1:21). When one obeys the gospel of Christ, his sins are washed away, and his soul is purified (1 Peter 1:22). The Greek word for purify means “to make clean.” When a person sins against the God of heaven, his soul is spotted and unclean. Obedience to the gospel cleanses the spotted soul and allows one to be accepted by God once again.
God’s plan involves both His work of grace and man’s labor of love. Purification is made possible only because God was willing to send His only begotten Son to pay the price for man’s iniquities. However, man plays an active role in being purified. Peter said, “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth…”
Take note of the fact that man must purify himself. That is not to ignore the fact that without God’s work purification would be impossible, but it does emphasize man’s part in the process.
How does man purify himself? Peter said it is by obeying the truth, i.e., the gospel of Christ. Until man obeys the gospel of Christ, he is still in the bondage of sin and under the captivity of Satan. When one calls on the Lord by submitting to the gospel of Christ, his sins are removed. He now stands in a state of no condemnation (Romans 8:1), and is blameless before God. It is as if he had never sinned (Ephesians 1:4). That person can now live free from sin.
One Must Walk in The Light
Only by walking in the light can one remain free from sin. In Romans 6, Paul pictured sin as a cruel slave master. When the slave escapes the master, he is free, but only so long as he remains separated from that master. The master who loses a slave will surely pursue that slave in an attempt to recapture him. The slave, then, must do everything in his power to elude that cruel master.
That is how it works with sin. Through the blood of Christ and obedience to the gospel, we have been made free. However, sin is constantly pursuing us, trying to recapture us. We must remain dead to sin, i.e., we must remain separated from sin by yielding ourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead (Romans 6:13). If we refrain from going back to living a life of sin, we live free from it. What is the result of such living? It is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23).