Why Do Christians Fall into Sin?

　　(Transcript of the video above, edited for readability)

　　The reason Christians fall into sin is because even though we have been born again, and even though we are indwelt by the spirit, there is still the battle between the flesh and the spirit. And ultimately, it is a matter of trust. Will we trust God and be led by the spirit, or will we be led by the flesh and go back to the old ways of thinking?

　　So, positionally, we are holy. We are sanctified because of the righteousness of Christ, but we are growing in holiness and we still struggle with sin. Sin is still present in this world.

　　Death reminds us that sin is still present in this world. The evil around us reminds us that there's still sin present in this world. And the reason that Christians still sin is because we are still battling with sin. And that battle is a battle of faith. It ultimately comes down to, "Will we believe in God to satisfy us, will Christ be our satisfaction, or do we go to the world for it to satisfy us?"

　　It comes down to the fact that as we grow in the grace and knowledge of crisis, as we understand who God is for us in Christ, by God's grace and by his spirit, we will come to trust him more and more and more. And the enemy knows our weaknesses. And Satan works to get at the very point of our weakness. Just like James says in James 1, the reason we sin is because of selfish, unmet desires. The difference between us and the world is that the unbelieving person is free to meet those selfish, frustrated desires according to the ways of the world. For us, as followers of Christ, the only one that can meet our needs, even our frustrated desires, is Christ. When we have frustrated, unmet desires, those desires, James says, turn into sin.

　　(First published as Christianity.com on "Why Do Christians Fall into Sin?" on December 23, 2010)