Can we continue in sin even after we’ve given our lives to Christ?

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Overview

As the popular hymn “Amazing Grace” suggests, we all once were lost, but if we’ve given our lives to Christ, we’ve been found and saved from sin. We’d like to think of our post-conversion lives as a spotless and continuous pursuit of sanctification. But as Mark R. McMinn reflects in a recent CHRISTIANITY TODAY article, we can persist in sin for years without realizing it. Like John Newton, who continued trading slaves even after his conversion, we can unknowingly commit terrible offenses against God.

So what is sin and how can we recognize it? Why isn't our sin immediately apparent to us after conversion? And is there a balancing act between knowing our wretchedness and accepting the grace of Christ?

Table of Contents

SCRIPTURE: Luke 15:11–32; Romans 7:7–25; Ephesians 4:17–32; 1 John 1:8–2:6; 1 John 3:4–10

LEADER'S GUIDE

    • Identify the Current Issue

    • Discover the Eternal Principles

—Teaching point one: God’s Word makes clear that dealing with the sinful nature is a process as well as an event.

—Teaching point two: Sin constantly seeks to draw us away from God, and we regularly need to repent.

—Teaching point three: As we move toward spiritual maturity, we become more aware of our wretchedness in contrast to God’s glory—and more aware of God’s amazing grace.

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