Does Sin Still Dwell in the Christian?

A Biblical Answer to a Dangerous Misunderstanding

Can a Christian say, “Sin dwells in me”? Or is that a denial of our salvation?

Recently, some have claimed that if sin still dwells in you, you cannot belong to Christ. The idea is that once we’ve been set free from sin’s dominion (Romans 6), any continuing presence of sin must mean we’re still lost. Romans 7, they argue, describes Paul’s life before becoming a Christian.

It sounds convincing at first glance—but it’s a deeply misguided and dangerous misunderstanding of Scripture. Not only does it contradict the experience of faithful Christians, it also erodes assurance and replaces the gospel of grace with a gospel of fear.

Let’s walk through what the Bible actually teaches.

Romans 7 Describes the Christian Struggle—Not the Pre-Christian Jew

Paul writes:

“I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do.”
— Romans 7:19, CSB

Many claim this struggle is Paul describing his past life as a Jew under the Law of Moses. But look at the context:

“For in my inner self I delight in God’s law.”
— Romans 7:22

That is not the cry of a lost man. That is the voice of a Spirit-led believer, one who longs to please God and yet feels the ongoing tension between the mind and the flesh.

Romans 7 isn’t about despair—it’s about realism. And Romans 8 doesn't erase the struggle; it announces the power of the Spirit to walk in victory.

Sin Does Not Reign—But It Still Resides

Romans 6 declares that we are no longer slaves to sin, and that’s true. But it never promises that sin is completely absent from the believer’s life.

Paul also writes:

“For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.”
— Galatians 5:17, CSB

That’s not describing pre-conversion Jews, it’s describing born-again Christians.

And John is even more explicit:

“If we say, ‘We have no sin,’ we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
— 1 John 1:8, CSB

To deny the presence of sin in your life is not spiritual maturity, it’s self-deception.

Christ Dwells in Us—Because We Still Need Him

Some argue, “If sin dwells in you, then Christ can’t.” But Scripture says the opposite:

“Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.”
— Romans 8:10, CSB

Christ doesn’t dwell in perfect people. He dwells in people being perfected.

If Christ only lived in sinless people, then no Christian could be saved. The whole reason Jesus remains in us is because we still need daily cleansing and transformation (1 John 1:7).

We are not defined by sin, but we are not yet free from its presence either. That’s the tension of the Christian walk.

4. The Real Danger Isn’t Admitting You Still Sin—It’s Pretending You Don’t

Here’s the irony: The very people who insist that Christians can’t have sin in their lives are ignoring the clear words of the apostles.

John says:

“If we say, ‘We have not sinned,’ we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
— 1 John 1:10, CSB

The New Testament never promises that you’ll be sinless. It promises something better: that when you sin, Jesus remains your advocate.

We don’t walk in sin anymore, but we do still walk with a limp. And Christ walks beside us.

Final Thought: Sin Isn’t the Defining Reality—Grace Is

If you're a Christian who grieves your sin, confesses your failures, and clings to the mercy of Christ, you are not a failure. You are not a fraud. You are walking in the light (1 John 1:7).

Christ doesn’t abandon you when you struggle; He intercedes for you.

“If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the righteous one.”
— 1 John 2:1, CSB

“Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”

— Hebrews 7:25, CSB

That’s the gospel. Not fragile perfectionism, but grace that holds you fast.
Not denial of weakness, but confidence in a Savior who is stronger than our sin.