No “joy” from sin?

 Rom 6:2 - How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 

I’ve heard it said that the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian is that the Christian gets no “joy” when they sin. The idea is that the Christian is still a sinner, as they were before redemption, but now it bothers them and they feel a sense of remorse after they engage in it. Many take comfort in that feeling of remorse and take it as a sign that they are indeed saved, the children of God, and everything is fine. 


This is a far cry from what the Apostle Paul said about what our conviction and attitude against sin should be in Romans 6 - How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (Rom 6:2). Paul doesn’t address the remorse over sin as if it’s some kind of virtue, he addresses the continuing living in and engaging in sin as the real problem. In fact he states that really we are the slaves of whichever one we obey: Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Rom 6:16). Whether or not a Christian gets “joy” from sin makes no difference, it’s the continued walking in sin that’s the real problem and shows who our real master is, we are the slaves of whichever one we obey. We are now called to cast off our old master and serve our new master: But God be thanked, that ye WERE the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness (Rom 6:17-18).  The mark of true Christianity is that we follow our new master, Jesus, who leads us in the paths of righteousness for His namesake.


We need to so nurture our relationship with Christ and our daily communion and walk with Him, that any lingering desire for sin dissipates and we develop an insatiable hunger for purity and righteousness. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled (Matt 5:6). If we do that, then temptation loses its grip and we are no longer so easily enticed by it. If we tell ourselves “well at least I didn't get any joy from that sin….” we diminish the seriousness of it. We need to have real Godly sorrow over sin that leads to genuine repentance and a turning from it rather than just giving ourselves false assurance and false comfort.


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