Before we can understand how someone can be free from sin, we must first see what the Bible teaches about human nature. David writes in Psalm 51:5 that he was “brought forth in iniquity” and “conceived in sin.” By this he means that sin does not begin only when we do wrong things; we are born with a sinful nature. We sin because sin is deeply rooted in our hearts.
We cannot free ourselves
This is consistent with what scripture teaches elsewhere: in John 8:34 Jesus says that “everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin,” and Paul says in Ephesians 2:1 “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins.” Therefore, fundamentally we can do nothing to be freed from sin: a slave can’t free himself, a dead person can’t revive himself.
The Bible teaches that we cannot free ourselves from sin. Jesus says, “Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). Paul even writes that we naturally are “dead in the trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). A slave cannot set himself free, and a dead person cannot bring himself to life. Therefore, we need help from outside ourselves.
We need a Savior
That help is found in Jesus Christ. Through His death on the cross, He bore the punishment that we deserved for our sins (1 Peter 2:24). But He did more than that: He also gave us His own righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). As a result, God regards everyone who trusts in Christ as righteous. Our salvation, therefore, is not based on what we do, but on what Christ has done for us. He is the One who sets us free from sin.
Why do believers still struggle with sin?
At this point, you may be thinking, “But that is not my experience. I still struggle with sin every day and often give in to it.” To understand this, we need to know something about the age in which we live.
With Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension, God’s kingdom has already begun. Christians already belong to Christ and share in His new life. For example, Paul says in Ephesians 2:6 that God “raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” At the same time, we still live in this fallen world. As a result, we experience an ongoing tension between who we once were and who we will ultimately become.
The Christian life exists between these two realities. We are no longer what we once were, but neither are we yet fully what we will be. Therefore, we are righteous in God’s sight, while still battling sin in our daily lives. Martin Luther summarized this reality with the phrase: “simultaneously righteous and sinner.”
Paul describes this struggle in Galatians 5:17: the flesh and the Spirit are opposed to one another. Our old sinful nature pulls us in one direction, while the Holy Spirit teaches us to live according to God’s will. This inner conflict is a sign of spiritual life.
Fight against sin
How, then, should Christians fight against sin? Paul repeatedly calls believers to live in accordance with their new identity in Christ. In Romans 6, he explains that our old self was crucified with Christ and that we have died to sin. Therefore, we are to see ourselves as God sees us: dead to sin and alive to Him (Romans 6:11)
This does not mean that the struggle is over, but it does mean that sin no longer has to rule over us. Christians are called not to let themselves be controlled by sin, but to devote themselves to God and live in obedience to Him (Romans 6:12–14).
Being free from sin, therefore, does not mean that a Christian never sins again. It means that the power of sin has been broken and that, through Christ, we receive forgiveness, a new identity, and the strength to live more and more as God intended.