Why Do I Keep Sinning The Same Sin?

Some Christians are in this cycle of repeating the same sin over and over, and they wish to be delivered from it.

Maybe you just did it, but you once said that you would never do it again. This can lead to the question, “Why do I keep sinning the same sin again and again?” 

“I keep struggling with the same sin.” “Why do I keep sinning even when I don’t want to?” you may wonder.

The reason you keep sinning the same sin over and over is because sin is like a slippery slope. The phrase “slippery slope” describes a situation in which just one action can trigger a chain reaction of negative consequences.

You may not intend to sin much, but as it is with a slippery slope, what happens once your feet step onto the slippery slope of a hill will not be within your control. 

Repeating the same sin breaks the heart, hurts the soul, and weakens a man. At first, you may not really know what sin is capable of doing in you, but as you give it a chance, it occupies the whole space.

In this post, I am going to outline the kind of sin that we often repeat and the reasons we keep committing the same sin.

Why do I keep sinning the same sin?

No true Christian actually sins willfully or loves to sin repeatedly. 

It might be hard to understand why we do what we do. There are many things that contribute to why we sin, and there is therefore a need for us to understand the root of our sin. Many times we blame the devil, we blame our nature, we blame others, or we may even indirectly blame God, as Adam did when he said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:12 ESV). 

But a good step towards breaking off from the cycle of repeating the same sin is an understanding of the root cause of our sins. This is because any problem identified is half solved.

Therefore, these are good questions: Why do I keep sinning? Why do I keep sinning the same sin? And why do I keep sinning even when I don’t want to?

What sins are we susceptible to regularly committing?

Even the most heinous sinner doesn’t commit all the sins. There are ones he would hate while holding tight to the rest.  

So, most Christians, though they generally may not like sinning, there are some sins they might be most susceptible to. 

If we choose to sin despite knowing that it will lead to death, then sin must have offered us some alluring promises. Would you accept a cup of poison if I asked you to do so knowing that doing so would result in your death? However, if I make a cup of coffee poisonous and then deliver it to you, you will only consume the poison as a result of the advantages of drinking coffee.

Let me ask you this. 

Would you like to put your hand in a scorching flame? Even if you attempt it, will you ever like to try it again? Not at all! 

If that is the case, you need to wonder why we repeatedly fall into sin when the Bible has told us that the reward or wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). God told Adam, “Any day you eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17). Yet, Adam went on to eat the fruit. (Genesis 3:6).

Read also: Uncovering the Truths About Sin: Insights You Can’t Afford to Miss

Sinning repetitively usually applies to the following kinds of sins:

1. Secret sins: 

These are sins committed in secret. We successfully commit them in a way that won’t be seen by men.

Sins committed in secret are the most misleading among other sins. Because you were not seen when you started committing secret sins, you will be encouraged to keep doing so. Sinning privately can dull your conscience to the point where you might not realize how horrible your sin is until you’re caught.

Secret sins are sins that we are prone to repeat.

2. Loved sins:

These are sins so dear to us. We may not want them, but we surprisingly desire them. We love them. Love for a particular sin can make you not want to let go of that particular sin. Such sins graduate to besetting sins.

Most of the time, loved sins can make one outrightly disobey God. Yes, because your love for such sin has grown stronger than your love for God.

3. Profitable sins:

Consider what would happen if you made a million dollars by lying in a business deal. Don’t you think you’ll still like lying next time to reap the same rewards?

Profitable sins make us see sins as solutions, not problems; advantages, not a disadvantage; a means of survival, not the cause of death.

Profitable sins are sins we tend to repeat, sincerely speaking.

4. Downplayed sins:

Any sin we don’t regard as grievous we tend to repeat it again and again . Or rather any sin that doesn’t have immediate consequences, we usually trivialize and as a result, repetitively commit it.

Ecclesiastes 8:11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. (KJV)

The most common example of this kind of sin is lying.  

Whenever sin is downplayed, it is prone to be repeated. 

5. Pleasure sins:

When a sin provides one with immediate satisfaction, he will tend to go for it again. This is because our human nature loves pleasure. 

5 Reasons Why we keep sinning the same sin.

1. Partially surrendering to our Lord Jesus.

1 John 3:8 [But] he who commits sin [who practices evildoing] is of the devil [takes his character from the evil one], for the devil has sinned (violated the divine law) from the beginning. The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done]. (AMP)

There is no solution to sin anywhere outside of Jesus. Our Lord Jesus is the only medication for sin. That’s why Paul, when he faced the same and was delivered, exclaimed, “Thank God through Jesus Christ” (Romans 7:25).

We begin our Christian journey by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. That’s the first. But when our hearts are not fully involved in this act of surrendering to Christ, we see ourselves going back to those sins we were into. 

God delivered us from the slavery of sin and made us his children, but he expects us to totally surrender to him by submitting our own will and becoming slaves to righteousness instead of continuing as slaves to sin. 

The reason you fall into sin repeatedly is that you have not fully surrendered to Christ. Take Him as your boss and be His bond slave. Then you will therefore have no other option than to obey Him.

2. Not enough of God’s word.

David said in Psalms 119:11, “Your word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” 

Why do you fall into sin repeatedly? It might be because: 

• You don’t read enough of God’s word.
• You don’t hear or listen to enough of God’s word.
• You don’t meditate on enough of God’s word.
• You don’t talk about enough of God’s word.
• You don’t fully believe the promises and curses in God’s word.
• You don’t tremble at God’s word.

When you do all these, the word of God will take control of the steering of your heart. And once that happens, you are sanctified (John 17:17) because out of the heart are the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23).

3. Not fasting and praying enough.

One of the reasons you might have been struggling with sin is that you don’t pray enough.

St. Matthew 26:41, Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 

Through prayer, our spirits are strengthened. Prayer helps us overcome temptation.

Read also: Men ought always to pray: 11 reasons to be prayerful.

To overcome temptation was also one of the reasons Jesus prayed.

Someone addicted to sexual sins went to a pastor for counseling. The pastor’s counsel was “Submit your phone to me. Each morning, before you eat, you must first read 10 chapters of the Bible and pray for at least an hour.” 

That sounds like a punishment, but if that person yields to it, he will break off from the grip of such a sin.

4. Resisting sin by self-discipline alone.

Fighting sin by our own will (just self-discipline) and not with the aid of the Holy Ghost cannot solve the problem of sin.

Our tempter is a subtle spirit. When you try to resist him with only your human will, you will fail. This is because, by experience, he has been an expert in bringing men down, making them captives, and not letting his prisoners loose (Isaiah 14:17).

Again, for every sin you conquer by willpower, you open the door for the demons of self-righteousness.

5. Feeding the flesh by hanging around triggers.

This is a critical point that should never be overlooked.

• Perhaps you want to stop stealing, but you continue to hang out with thieves.
• You want to stop lusting, but you continue to listen to ungodly music, watch ungodly movies, and hang out with immoral people.
• Not only that, but you have no control over what you search for on the internet.
• You want to stop using hard drugs, but you continue to hang out with people who do.

We must, however, cut off that our right hands and pluck out that our right eyes that cause us to stumble. Our flesh loves sin, and we don’t have to tempt ourself by keeping those things that make us stumble, around. 

James 1:13–15, Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.(KJV).

Conclusion:

We have discussed things that might be the reason you go through the cycle of repeating the same sin.

You, therefore, have to understand the mechanism by which we are trapped in sin. Surrender fully to Jesus. Saturate yourself with the word of God. Fast and pray more often. Trust the Lord to help you and then take away all sin triggers. You will then see yourself becoming an overcomer.

God’s grace!