Why Do People Who are Baptised Still Sin?
Does baptism deliver us from sin? What is the way out of a life of sin?
Introduction
The other day, at a Bible study meeting, one of the attendees asked the question, "Why does a person still sin even though they have been baptised?" The obvious inference from the question is that once you are baptised, you should no longer sin. But such an assertion is not correct because baptism does not stop a person from sinning. The following is our little contribution to help those who genuinely want to stop sinning. May the Lord grant us understanding and the grace to act accordingly.
What does baptism accomplish?
Baptism is the act of a person who no longer desires to sin. Although John's baptism and water baptism are not the same, they share a similarity in that those who went to John's baptism were sinners who no longer wanted to sin. Thus, the Bible tells us of John, the Baptist's, reaction to the multitude who came for baptism:
"Brood of snakes! What do you think you're doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to deflect God's judgment? It's your life that must change, not your skin. And don't think you can pull rank by claiming Abraham as 'father.' Being a child of Abraham is neither here nor there—children of Abraham are a dime a dozen. God can make children from stones if he wants. (Luke 3:7-8, MSG)
As far as John, the Baptist, was concerned, being dunked in water was not a mechanical process that would deal with sin in the life of the one being baptised. Something more was needed, and it is a sincerity of heart to no longer desire to sin.
The Holy Spirit, through Peter, tells us that
In baptism we show that we have been saved from death and doom by the resurrection of Christ; not because our bodies are washed clean by the water but because in being baptized we are turning to God and asking him to cleanse our hearts from sin. (1 Peter 3:21, TLB)
So, water baptism does not remove sin. Rather, baptism takes place after we have been saved through our confession of Jesus! Baptism indicates our desire to live righteously—to be right with God always—henceforth.
So, how do I stop sinning?
Please do kindly note that being rid of sin is a desire! The desire to sin no longer must be followed through by our willingness to yield to the Holy Spirit, who removes the desire for sin in anyone.
When you become convinced, through the preaching of the gospel, that you are indeed a sinner and that only Jesus Christ, the Saviour, can deliver you from sin, and you call on God to save you, the Father instantly pronounces you righteous. The repenting sinner has joy because of God's pronouncement and relief because the burden of the guilt of sin has been removed. However, you still need the Holy Spirit to sanctify you; a process that involves removing the root cause of sin, which is responsible for the desire to continue to sin.
The Bible calls such a desire for sin, 'the old man' or 'the flesh'—the human nature that delights to sin, disdains righteous living, and is selfish and self-centred. Through sanctification, the old man—the longing for sin—is dealt a fatal blow, and in its place is a desire for righteousness which is the manifestation of the divine nature. A person thus sanctified is called 'a new man' or 'a spiritual man', which is the nature of God in man that enables them to obey God, something that the old man could never do (Romans 8:5-8; 1 Peter 1:2). The new man has the distinct characteristic of love for God and a delight to do His will. The new man cannot sin, even when tempted, because the desire for sin has been eliminated.
The Holy Spirit tells us through James that,
The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust. Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood, and becomes a real killer. (James 1:14-15, MSG)
It is like a piece of wood with metal embedded in it; every time a magnet hovers over it, the piece of wood is magnetised. If, however, you remove the embedded metal from the piece of wood, no matter how powerful the magnet, it will be incapable of magnetising the piece of wood. In this illustration, the piece of wood is the individual, and the embedded metal is the old man—the desire or lust within that individual to sin. If the old man is well and alive, the individual cannot but sin. However, when the Holy Spirit eliminates the old man, no matter how strong the temptation, the individual will not succumb to it!
How come some people still sin even though they claim to be born-again?
The natural question is, "If a person has confessed Jesus, having been convinced that he or she is a sinner, why is he or she still living in sin when they have registered their desire to no longer sin by their confession?" The Holy Spirit tells us through John, the Elder, that
Those who are children of God do not continue to sin, for God's very nature is in them; and because God is their Father, they cannot continue to sin. (1 John 3:9, GNB)
A truly born-again child of God cannot deliberately sin because the nature of God, which cannot sin, is in them. There may be the accidental falling into sin, which those who are truly born-again immediately are convicted of by the Holy Spirit, and they repent instantly. But they cannot live continually in sin!
So, when a person is continually living in sin, the possibilities are:
1. They were never truly born-again in the first place.
2. They did not allow the Holy Spirit to finish His work of eliminating the old man (1 Peter 1:2).
3. They have not submitted the old man—their selfish passions and desires—to the Holy Spirit to be destroyed (Galatians 5:24-25).
4. They are still enjoying the life of sin, even though they are attending church meetings (Romans 6:1-2). Such church attendance is a smokescreen.
5. They have refused to let go of sin (Romans 6:16, 18; 7:1-4). No matter how much the Holy Spirit tries to eliminate the old man in such a situation, He will be unsuccessful, not because He is impotent to change the person's life, but because the individual does not want to let go of sin!
What must I then do to stop sinning?
If we are to stop sinning, we must surrender ourselves to the Holy Spirit for sanctification. After that, we would need to entrust our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ to see us through righteous living every day (Galatians 2:20).
Also, we will need to pray to God daily and trust Him to deliver us from the evil one—Satan—and lead us through life daily (Matthew 6:12; James 1:12-16; 1 Corinthians 10:13). Finally, we will need to live by the direction of the Holy Spirit every day (Galatians 5:16, 25).
This lifestyle is a daily affair; it is not just something we do on Sundays or when in the company of others.
Conclusion
If a person is not fed up with sin, it won't be easy to save them. God cannot, and will not, force you to leave off sin when you do not want to. But if you desire to stop sinning and are surrendered to God, He will help you. The ultimate question is, "Do you want to stop sinning?" If your answer is "Yes", then pray to God, the Father, through Jesus Christ, and He will help you, even as you call on Him to save you (Romans 10:13).