Having Sin = Having a Self-Will
Being Sinful = Sinning = Committing Sin = Doing One’s Own Will

The essence of all confusion of terms in Christianity lies in people’s inability to distinguish between having sin and committing sin. However, there is no excuse for ignorance or for getting these terms mixed up.

We must let go of our own expressions and ideas that we have become used to and believe in and get used to using the Scriptures; if we use own expressions, then we will become “biblical,” which is what people so very much want to appear to be!

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8. If the truth is in us, we can rightly say that we have sin. Further on in the same letter it is written that he who commits sin is of the devil. In other words, there is a world of difference between having sin and committing sin! The former is of the truth—of God, while the latter is of the devil—the liar! The difference between having sin and committing sin is the same as the difference between having a self-will and doing one’s own will.

He who is of the truth—of God, and is living a victorious life, has sin but does not commit sin. He has a self-will; but instead of obeying it, he denies it, which is an honor and not a shame. In fact, it means more than if he had no self-will, for then it would not have been such a great thing to have done God’s will.

“He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, ‘O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.’” “He went away a second time and prayed, saying, ‘O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.’” “So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time saying the same words.” Matt. 26:39, 42, 44.

Jesus’ one concern in life was: “Not My will, but Yours, be done, O God.” He always faithfully denied, often at the cost of hard battles, that human will which He had voluntarily taken upon Himself for our sakes, in order to put an end to it. This was the condemnation of sin in the flesh!

The difference between having sin and committing sin (being sinful) is so great that these two things are almost total opposites!

Jesus had a flesh like ours, a self-will like ours; but this didn’t mean that He was sinful. He did not have a sinful flesh. He would have become sinful if He had lived according to the sin in the flesh. Those who have such a misleading and confusing doctrine that even they do not have sin in their flesh, cut themselves off completely from wanting to and being able to comprehend the meaning of God condemning sin in Christ’s flesh.