Sin is like a huge mountain in my life that I can never completely dig up and move from one side of my life to another. One shovelful at a time is all God requires of me. I am continually working on it and because I am a Christian I want to work at it.

When I die (or am translated at the rapture) that mountain of sin will immediatly moved. But until then, God wants me to work at it. Why? I think it helps me understand His character better, and it also helps me understand the seriousness of sin. He has given me my shovel (a way to overcome sin), and so I will trust Him as I work at that mountain. And when I fail, I will confess and He will be faithful to cleanse me once again.

Sin is a prevelant problem in any believer's life. All sin is forgiven once a person believes Christ died for their sins and He rose from the grave -- and yet we STILL sin! Wouldn't it be great if we could be forgiven and then never sin ever ever again? That's how I would have set it up if I was God.

He's done it differently, though. Until this body dies I am going to sin. When He resurrects me part of the deal is that the new body He gives me will not be capable of either dying or sinning. Sin will be something I couldn't do if I tried. I sure would like to have that body now! It sure would be a help in my day to day life! But He has determined that I am to wait for that day, so I suppose I will have to wait just like everybody else.

And while I am waiting, I have been contemplating this whole sin issue. It is overwhelming until it is thought of as overcoming one sin at a time. There are sins that I commited in my 20's that do not have a hold of me anymore. I overcame them by the power of Christ. It was a hard battle. At times it was a bloody battle. But through Christ, I overcame by certain facts.

One fact is that I am indwelt by the Holy Spirit. I am born again and I am able to overcome sin in my life. Those are some facts. Another fact is that I am going to sin in some way or another until God gives me that really cool unsinning, undying body, which will happen at the rapture. And if I die before the rapture, it will happen a twinkling of an eye before the rapture. So the only other way out of sinning until then is to die (hopefully of natural causes) and be with Christ until the rapture happens.

But what about between now and then? When I sin my fellowship with God is broken. That does not mean that I have lost my salvation. It is like when a child does something wrong and until that child admits it (confesses), the fellowship is broken between parent and child.

God gives us the problem of our sin in Romans chapters 1-3 and then Romans chapters 4-8 explain the method we are able to (in Christ) overcome all sin in our lives. 1st John chapter 1 outlines what we do when we do sin.

The Bible says that if anyone does not admit that they have sin, that they are liars and the truth is not in them. And yet, the Bible teaches, we are to be free of sin. There is a solution to solving this apparent oxymoron, and the answer is the fellowship issue: if we sin our fellowship is broken and when we confess it is restored and day by day, moment by moment, we work at overcoming the sin in our lives.

This is a difficult doctrine to understand, but I think it is possible in Christ to do so. I never go to the point where I think I might miss out on heaven because of my sin(s). I know that's a finished work of Christ in my life and I am set for eternity with Him.