Why a Christian Might Sin

A lot of people gripe about Christians when they sin. They think that Christians are supposed to be a group of perfect people who never do anything wrong. However there are a few things that explain why a Christian might continue to sin.

First, as long as we are in these corrupted physical bodies, sin continues to be a part of our nature. As a result, it's inevitable that everyone, including Christians, will sin. Christians have the Holy Spirit which gradually draws them away from sin and toward holiness, but it's a process that takes a lifetime. And since it's a process, sin will still happen.

Second, the Christian may not realize they are sinning. They may simply be unaware they are in the process of committing a sin. There is the old example of taking home office supplies from work. They may know that stealing is a sin, but not realize that by taking the pen from work, they're stealing.

Third, they may not realize what they are doing is a sin. For example, grumbling. You might hear a Christian complain about something, and get annoyed. But they don't know that grumbling about their neighbor or coworker is considered sin. This could be the result of poor discipleship.

Fourth, they may not have yet been convicted by the Holy Spirit to repent of a certain sin. The Holy Spirit doesn't throw all of your sins into the open at once. I don't think anyone could handle being shown the myriad of ways they sin on a daily basis. Trying to change all those habits at once would be frustrating and fruitless. Instead it's a progressive thing, as I mentioned in my first point. A person may speak foul words and know that there's some verse saying not to do that. But they continue because the Spirit hasn't moved in them to stop using that bad language.

Fifth, they may be in an emotional state where they can't really think clearly about what they're doing. This happens, for instance, when people suffer from depression. If you get into a bad state of mind, or have a chemical imbalance, it's possible to be unable to think with the necessary impartiality to say. "Hey, what I'm doing is sinful."

I don't mean to excuse all sin. Obviously discipleship, repentance, and accountability are necessary for the goal of holiness. Even so, I think it's reasonable to be empathetic toward Christians who commit sin and show them the grace due to the situation.