My question revolves around the idea that you and many others put forth, the once saved always saved doctrine. Once I became a Christian, I couldn’t snatch my soul back from Christ even if I wanted to.
I have been raised on this doctrine and I do believe it. However, I have noticed other commentaries on other Christian sites that seem to point more towards an attitude that says that Christians shouldn’t ever sin. In fact, I have even found some sites that say that if you are really a Christian, then you are incapable of sin. Is it possible that sinful behavior could be present in someone who is saved? Shouldn’t the Holy Spirit have driven such sinful activities from the body at the time of the individual’s salvation, I ask mainly because I know that I am not sinless even today, but I have always believed in the power of God and his son Jesus Christ to save me in spite of my occasional failings. However, messages like these have had a tendency to make me feel like I should question my salvation because I still sin.
People who promote this “real Christians don’t sin” idea should think twice because if they’re right, then they aren’t saved and neither is anyone else. I say this because all Christians sin. In Romans 7:18-19 Paul admitted that he couldn’t stop sinning. Are they saying he isn’t saved?
The Holy Spirit is a counselor who advises us on behavior that’s pleasing to God, but as long as we’re here on Earth we’ll have a sin nature that makes it impossible for us to completely stop sinning.
When Jesus went to the cross He took all the sins of our life with Him, past present and future. Because of this God sees us not as we are but as we will be when He’s perfected us. This is why Paul could say that according to God it wasn’t he who was sinning but the sin nature living in Him. (Romans 7:20) The same holds true for you and me.