Saving faith and sin

The answer to your question hinges on the person’s attitude toward sin. Let me explain.

We could be talking about a Christian who struggles against sin like the apostle Paul described in Romans 7:15-25 – “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Paul describes a Christian who knows right from wrong, desires to do what is right in the sight of God, falls into sin, confesses that sin to God and enjoys forgiveness of sins through Christian faith, and yet struggles with that sin.

On the other hand, we could be talking about a person who professes to be a Christian, engages in the sins you listed but does not consider his or her actions to be sinful. The person might even justify or rationalize his or her actions. That attitude toward sin is dangerous. Impenitence is dangerous.

And so rather than considering whether or not saving faith can exist alongside sinful activities or actions, we need to understand that saving faith cannot exist alongside impenitence. Impenitence is incompatible with saving faith. That is the message the church gives impenitent sinners through the actions Jesus outlined in Matthew 18:15-20.

The mere profession of Jesus as Savior does not guarantee admission into heaven. In the sermon on the mount Jesus addressed that mistaken idea (Matthew 7:21). People who profess Jesus as Savior and yet live impenitent lives are fooling only themselves not God. People who outwardly embrace Christianity and yet hang on to sin in impenitence risk losing the very thing they claim to have: salvation. People who identify themselves as Christians but are in reality impenitent sinners are in for a deadly surprise (Luke 13:3).

To be sure, God alone knows what is in a person’s heart (I Samuel 16:7). For that reason, God alone can judge hearts (1 Kings 8:39). What you and I can do is examine our own hearts in regard to sin, repentance, forgiveness and Christian living (2 Corinthians 13:5). What you and I can do is speak the truth in love to a fellow Christian who is caught in sin (Galatians 6:1). What you and I can do is live our Christian faith so that others may be influenced positively toward Christianity (Matthew 5:16). God enable us to do these things.