"Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world"
I John 4 vs. 4
"Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God! Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not" ch 3 vs. 1
"Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him." vs. 7
"Whosoever is born of God doth not comit sin; for his seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." vs. 9
Can a Christian sin?
I have lied, stolen, comitted adultery, fornicated, murdered, cursed my brother. I like Paul would say I am the least and a sinner from the beginning.
I believe in Christ my Lord is real and ever present with me. He spoke to me many years ago when I lay in a terrible state, and I cried out to him in bitterness and frustration.
I told him that I can no longer do this, play church, play good, follow along and be like the rest. I cried deeply and in my great sadness he heard my voice. I felt laughter coming from the corner of the room, from behind me. At this point I openly spoke and said "now I am going crazy, now you want me to believe you are here with me" The laughter was there still, but it was not the kind of laughter one would have against another, this laughter was joyful!!
It was then that I asked "Why are you laughing [when I am in so much pain and distress over you, this world, myself]?" and his voice came clear with power, love and understanding. I was an open well from top to bottom. Empy, poured out...and he said to me ..
"I finally have your attention. ~ I love you"
I felt this boom inside of me. I never expected this, I turned behind me but there was nothing there and he said "have faith and believe". And from that time forward, I began to release myself from old teachings as he instructed me to. He also gave me permission to not read the bible, that when I wanted to read I could at any time but there was no issue in this. I was filled with a love that covered everything I saw and felt and lived. I was enlarged. I had been quickened. The burden was lifted, sin no longer even had a place in me. I didn't consciously think of it as that, I now only saw Jesus and I clung to him in every way as a child clings to his mother. I humbled myself to the Holy Spirit every moment of the day. Life was new!
I began to read the bible after a period of time and conversed with the Spirit over such things. It was the only book I read and when I read it, I at first took only verses. I had to read them as if for the first time, painfully slow. Each word was so full that one verse was enough. And after some time, I began to read faster and the written word became alive to me as if I was there. My understandings were opened and I knew what had happened to me was a conversion.
I no longer had sin operating in me to do evil. I never had before but my understandings were darkened and I believed a lie that told me I did have sin. That lie was distroyed with Christ on the cross. I was being taught how to allow my weaknesses to rise up and be strong. They have to pass through the fire and burn up, be purified and return to my Lord as faith. Then they that are weak become strong.
Does a Christian sin? If a Christian believes that they sin, then yes, it is sin to him. I am a child of God and do not commit sin, for his seed remains in me, and I cannot sin because I am born of God. My Heavenly Father keeps me while I yet live. I have remembered who I am, my works are blessed by him as I press onward.
If you call me a liar and say that you sin [believing that saying such things produces righteousness] knowing then that all sin is of the devil, for the devil sins from the beginning, then you confess that you are not a child of God but of the devil. Let your yes be yes, and your no be no. It cannot change from day to day.
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
IF you continue to sin, then you have neither seen him or known him.
Let not the Law work as your mirror of who you are, but rather look to Jesus the author of your faith and see what you've been missing.
The gap is filled.