Because of the constant battle with sin in our lives, people often doubt their salvation. It is even possible for sincere believers to wonder if they will ever be able to overcome sin.

If you or someone you know is struggling with the same question? There is some good and bad news. 

The good news is that as you mature and grow in your sanctification through the power of the Holy Spirit, there will be a decreasing frequency of sin in your life. We must rejoice in that progression.

The bad news is that as you grow in your sanctification, there will be an increasing hatred of sin in your life. This means you will feel worse about it. 

The simple truth is that we need Christ till the day we die. We need to rely on Him for our salvation before we get saved, and we certainly depend on Him for our assurance & sanctification after we are saved. 

Luke 15:17-21 tells the story of the prodigal son, who is found miserable in a pigpen, but soon decides to get up and run home to his father, who was eagerly waiting for him. 

In this short story, Jesus teaches us a valuable lesson that Christians can get into sin, but they can never stay in sin.

There are two main reasons for this: 

(1) because our heavenly Father is always watching and is sovereignly in control.  

(2) because true children of God are ‘sons’ and not ‘pigs’; therefore, they belong in the Father’s house and not in pigpens. They cannot remain in the pigpens because they are not pigs but sons. As a result, they would only be content in the Father’s house. 

The pig, on the other hand, loves the dirt and has no desire to go to the Father’s house. 

This is how it is in the world today. There is always an ongoing battle between true believers and sin.

However, we must take heart and trust in the one who has everything in control and can preserve you.

What happens to a Christian who ceases to believe or keeps sinning?

This is a pertinent question concerning genuine believers, who are saved but still continue in their sin or who may have experienced varying degrees of unbelief in their life.

Firstly any true believer is going to have some basic problems with sin or unbelief. They would be aware of it and to some extent even tormented by it.

I mean certainly there are times when believers struggle with doubt and even make agreements and promises with God to change. But in most circumstances people often break their end of the agreement.

So what happens to a true believer who may have given up and falls back into sin. Here are 7 things.

(1) You may lose Your joy.

Now, this isn’t a small thing by any means. Scripture teaches us that “the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). The joy of the Lord is what sweetens our trials, lightens our burdens, and turns our service into delight. However, when a believer falls into sin, they may lose out on this joy if they walk in the dark and refuse to hold on to God.

Consider David’s experience in Psalm 51:12, where after his sin with Bathsheba, he cries out to God, saying, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” David’s joy was lost because of his sin, and he felt the weight of separation from God’s presence. But even in this, his prayer demonstrates that joy can be restored through repentance and returning to God’s grace.

(2) You may lose your “assurance” of salvation.

Simply put, you cannot live an assured life if you have attached yourself to unholiness. In sin, we lose the joy of our salvation and the sweet assurance that we as believers have concerning our eternal security.

(3) You will lose your fruitfulness.

It is impossible to bear good fruit without God’s abundant grace in our hearts and if we live carelessly or fall into an unbelieving state of mind where we lose communion with the everlasting God. Then our fruits will be non-existent.

To remain fruitful, we must remain connected to the vine (Jesus Christ).

John 15:5 (NKJV)

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

(4) You will lose your Purity.

Having an unbelieving heart will result in the loss of purity. When we are in Christ and growing in our sanctification by His tender care, sin is something that comes in and tarnishes our heart which often leads to us compromising with sin.

When we lose the tenderness of our conscience and quench the sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit, it is damaging to our spiritual growth in holiness.

(5) You will lose your Peace.

If a child of God wanders away from the Lord’s presence, they lose their peace along with other spiritual blessings. God’s peace, which surpasses all understanding, guards the heart and mind of believers when they are walking in fellowship with Him (Philippians 4:7). However, when a believer turns away from God, that peace becomes disrupted.

Psalm 32:3-4 is a good example of what happens when a believer is out of fellowship with God: “For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.”

David’s experience here shows how sin and estrangement from God led to deep inner turmoil. Similarly, any believer who continues in sin will experience the absence of peace that only comes through walking in harmony with God.

(6) You will lose your Influence.

There is also an obvious loss of influence with the the people of God and unbelievers in the world.

If we injured our reputation, it is not something that is soon repaired. There is of course restoration process in the church (Mathew 18:15-20), where a fallen brother is weeped over and loved but it is often very difficult to trust him like they  once used to do.

(7) You will lose Power in Prayer.

The scriptures record that the “effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16) Even our Lord Jesus told His disciples, “if you abide in me, and my words in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you.” (John 15:7-9)

But disobedience children will find that their Father will turn a deaf ear to their supplication (prayers).