It’s a question that comes up often, and understandably so.
“Do you believe sinlessness is achievable in this life?”
Yes.
When someone begins to teach that true freedom from sin is not only promised but possible in this life, it’s natural for that question to surface. Many of us were raised under traditions that taught us sin was inevitable, that we would stumble daily until the day we die. When that teaching is challenged, it’s right to ask, and it’s right to search the Scriptures.
Scripture Does Not Contradict Itself
And not because I interpret Scripture a certain way. But because Scripture says it plainly. This is not a matter of opinion or denominational emphasis. It’s not theological flair. It is written.
The only counterarguments are either speculative or surgically removed from context. Take Romans 7. Many cling to verses 14–24 and say, “See? Paul struggled with sin, so why do you think you won’t?” But they ignore the rest of the chapter. They dismiss Romans 6. They overlook Romans 8. They rip a few verses out and silence the thunder of the rest. That is not interpretation. That is denial.
Paul is describing what it’s like to live under the law,where desire to do good exists, but the power to carry it out is absent. But Romans 6 makes clear: we died with Christ, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin (Romans 6:6). And Romans 8 shows what life in the Spirit looks like: “The law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2)
The same is true with 1 John 1. They quote verse 8 or 10: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.” And yet they skip verse 7: “The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.” They skip verse 9: “He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Verse 8 and 10 confront those who deny they’ve ever sinned—those who claim they don’t need a Savior. John is rebuking Gnostic pride, not born-again saints.
This becomes even more clear when we see John’s ongoing argument. In the flow of thought, he distinguishes between those who walk in the light and those who reject the need for light. If I’ve confessed—verse 9—then verse 8 is no longer describing me. John is not contradicting himself from one sentence to the next. He is contrasting two different positions: the one who has confessed and is walking in the light, and the one who claims they have never sinned and sees no need for cleansing.
John continues in chapter 2: “I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.” He does not say, “because you can’t help but sin.” He writes so that we may not. That is the goal. Yet even then, he leaves room for mercy: “But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” Not when—but if. There is provision, not permission.
Not Slaves but Sons
This is where much of the church stumbles. Christianity becomes sin management. Paul asked, “How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:2). Yet we are often trained to expect bondage, even as we confess freedom. We are taught we are dead to sin, yet coached to excuse its dominion. That is not faith. That is contradiction.
If you cannot say no to sin, you are still a slave. Jesus said it plainly: “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). He was not describing the Christian life—He was exposing the nature of slavery. Then He gave the answer: “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
The Death That Sets Us Free
And I understand the struggle. I believed the lie for years. I sang freedom, but lived in defeat. I nodded to Romans 6 with my lips, but doubted it with my life. I believed I would only be free after death. And what does that produce? It makes death the doorway to holiness. It makes the grave stronger than grace. That is not the gospel.
Then came the truth that turned everything upside down: “You already died.” (Romans 6:10–11)
That changed everything. Scripture does not tell me to wait for the grave. It calls me to count myself dead to sin now, and alive to God in Christ Jesus. That’s what baptism symbolizes. Not a ritual. A burial.
Walking in the Light
And if I have died, then sin is no longer my master. If I stumble, I don’t question my identity. I remember it. If I slip into darkness, I do not call myself dark. I remember that I am light in the Lord (Ephesians 5:8). That’s what Paul taught: “At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”
Temptation will still knock. Old habits may still whisper. But when they do, I do not collapse. I rise, because the righteous fall seven times and rise again. Not into shame, but into grace. I don’t bookmark the failure or decorate it with remorse. I delete the history and move forward. If I fail again, I don’t despair. I confess again. I remember: I have an Advocate. And He has already declared me righteous.
This may feel foreign at first. But which is the greater falsehood: to say “I’m dead to sin” while continuing in bondage, or to say “I’m dead to sin” and believe it even after a fall? This is not license; it is clarity. When I stumble into a lie, I do not nurse it. I reject it. I remember the truth and who I am in Him.
Not Performance—Practice
Let me be clear here: I teach that freedom from sin is possible—not that perfect behavior is guaranteed. There is a reason I never speak in terms of probability. Our focus is not on behavior as the destination, but on Christ as the center. Holiness is not the fruit of trying harder—it is the fruit of beholding Him. That’s the difference between gospel transformation and sinless perfectionism. And though I’m often accused of preaching the latter, this distinction is precisely what separates me from it. (See Freedom From Sin vs. Sinless Perfection)
This is not performance. It is practice. Until when? Until the life of Christ is formed in me. Until what is true of Him becomes true in me in practice. Because if I say I abide in Him, I ought to walk as He walked (1 John 2:6). That’s not arrogance. That’s alignment.
No More Veil
Hebrews says Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers. If that is true, why should we shrink back from walking in our Brother’s steps? It was His idea that we be conformed to His image (Romans 8:29). If He lives in me, then holiness is not blasphemy—it is birthright.
When we forget this, we fall under the veil all over again. That was Adam’s error. He sinned and ran. God came near—not to punish, but to restore. Yet Adam, alienated in his own mind, could not see it. Colossians 1:21 names this precisely: “You were alienated and enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.” That veil of separation is the lie Christ removed.
I will not preach that veil as if it were the truth. I will not call distance what God has made union. I will not declare the inevitability of sin where Scripture declares deliverance. Because the real me is in Christ. And in Christ, I am not doomed to fall. I am destined to walk as He walked. If I say He lives in me, then holiness isn’t blasphemy—it’s birthright.
Now, the next issue that arises when you teach freedom from sin, is the accusation of teaching sinless perfection. And I adamantly reject any such associations. But what is the difference between what I preach and sinless perfection? Stay tuned, because we will explore that soon.
