Can a born again believer who has been filled with the Holy Spirit, sin?
What are you really asking, as this question really allows us to see clearly what a person believes from a biblical doctrinal perspective.
First all believers are always filled with the Holy Spirit. If you don't have the Holy Spirit you are not a true believer. 9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. Romans 8:9
If you are asking can a true born again from above believer continue to live a lifestyle of sin, meaning living in the flesh, the old fallen nature as a:
1. Slave to sin: 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be SLAVES OF SIN. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. Romans 6:6-7
2. Dead in trespasses and sin: 1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,...5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), Ephesians 2:1, 5
3. An enemy in the body of flesh hostile towards God: 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:6-8
The answer is no and that is the problem with this question. There are a lot people, religious people, tares, that are not and have never been born again. They love their external religion but inside they practice lawlessness and truly want to externally show it but can't due to fear of criticism. When they hear that God saves only by grace without merits of any sought of religious or non-religious activities and that a born again from above believer can never be lost, THAT BRINGS RELIEF TO THEM IN THAT THEY CAN NOW PRACTICE THEIR LAWLESSNESS WITHOUT BEING CONCERNED WITH "LOSING" A SALVATION THEY NEVER POSSESSED."
4: As an unbeliever, the choices we had was to SIN MORE OR SIN LESS THAN OTHER UNBELIEVERS, we could not chose not to sin: 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Romans 6:20
The born again from above believer, the wheat, will never say to themselves, wow, now I can go sin all I want. On the contrary, they will sob and give thanks to God for what He has done for such a wicked wretched filthy God hating to the core sinner. They will then pursue God and His righteousness with reckless abandonment. So what does that look like:
1. The believer is dead to sin: 1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:1-4
2. The believer is alive to righteousness: 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:11
3. Because the believer is alive and not dead, the believer choses to serve the One who gave him life: 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:12-14
Before this new birth, being given life, the old you had no choice but to sin! That was all you were capable of producing, even you breathing was sin because it came through the nostrils of a wicked wretched filthy God hating sinner.
4. As a believer, we can chose not to sin, in the sense that we set our will in opposition to God's word and will. We have now becoming willing slaves of righteousness: 15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 WHAT FRUIT DID YOU HAVE THEN IN THE THINGS OF WHICH YOU ARE NOW ASHAMED? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become SLAVES OF GOD, YOU HAVE YOUR FRUIT TO HOLINESS, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD. Romans 6:15-23
I can go on but hopefully you all get the point. The main problem is that people do not understand what the new birth, being born again, mean. It is not a change in behavior as even unbelievers can change their behaviors! It is the KILLING OF THE OLD HUMAN SPIRIT AND THE CREATION OF A NEW HUMAN SPIRIT! You cannot get that through prayer, repentance, or behavior modification. It only comes from "ABOVE", from God. It is a new creation and humans cannot create anything.
Let's quickly address the sin issue. Some have already given the proper answer found in 1 John: 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:8
The believer, as long as they are here upon this earth will never be without sin. Why not? Because the criteria to please God in any way is PERFECTION in holiness and righteousness. If you are not perfect, please listen carefully, 100% of the time meaning every second of every minute of every day then you have and continue to sin as perfectly as Jesus did it when He was here on the earth. Listen to His testimony: 29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, FOR I ALWAYS DO THOSE THINGS THAT PLEASE HIM.” John 8:29
The believer is totally incapable of keeping the first and greatest commandment:
29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. 30 And you SHALL LOVE the LORD your God with ALL YOUR HEART, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31
You, Mr. and Mrs. Believer, must do this with absolute perfection 100% of the time. If not, then you have sinned and still come up short of the glory of God.
Oh how foolish it is for the believer to remotely think that they don't sin just because they are not stealing, killing, cursing, drinking, sexually immoral, or whatever other type of external sins you guys want to name.
God's standard is perfection in holiness and righteousness. How do you measure up to that?
No worries Mr. and Mrs. Believer, because He knew and knows we can't reach His standard God has determined taken care of it for you:
This was you and I before God CREATED us a new human spirit.
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk (live a lifestyle) as the rest of the Gentiles (unbelievers) walk, (how do they live their lives) 1.) in the futility of their mind, 18 2.) having their understanding darkened, 3.) being alienated from the life of God, 4.) because of the ignorance that is in them, 5.) because of the blindness of their heart; 19 6.) who, being past feeling, 7.) have given themselves over to lewdness, 8.) to work all uncleanness 9.) with greediness (the unbeliever pursue all these things with reckless abandonment even if they do not show it on the outside).
This is us after God CREATED in us in Christ a new human spirit.
20 1.) But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed 2.) you have heard (only people who are alive can hear. Dead people, dead in trespasses and sins, cannot hear.) Him and 3.) have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off (put to death), 4.) concerning your former conduct (notice it is conduct, all the believer can produce is works - that is not salvation), the old man (the old human spirit who controlled our minds and body) which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 5.) and be renewed (where Lord?) in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on (the conduct of) the new man (the new human spirit) WHICH WAS CREATED (created!!!!!) ACCORDING TO GOD, (listen carefully - how did God CREATE this new human spirit) IN TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS. Ephesians 4:17-24
Oh fellow believer, please understand the truth of scriptures. God requires perfection. This perfection is only found in one place, in the Lord Jesus Christ. God kills the old human spirit and CREATES the believer's new human spirt in Christ. The believer is created with perfect righteousness and holiness and hidden WITH CHRIST IN GOD therefore he cannot sin.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Colossians 3:3-4
The believer is now complete and is as holy as God is because he is IN CHRIST!
9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
Not Legalism but Christ
11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. Colossians 2:9-15
That's the gospel! Hope that helps.
