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“The Struggle With Indwelling Sin” -- Article Two, The Fifth Point of Doctrine, Canons of Dort

Article 2: The Believer’s Reaction to Sins of Weakness

Hence daily sins of weakness arise, and blemishes cling to even the best works of God’s people, giving them continual cause to humble themselves before God, to flee for refuge to Christ crucified, to put the flesh to death more and more by the Spirit of supplication and by holy exercises of godliness, and to strain toward the goal of perfection, until they are freed from this body of death and reign with the Lamb of God in heaven.

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In the first article, the authors of the Canons established the fact that the Bible teaches that indwelling sin remains in the believer even after one is regenerated (born again). In light of this point, article two deals with the reality that the Christian life entails a constant struggle with such indwelling sin. These sins, which are a daily and perpetual occurrence, ought to push Christians to continually return in humility to the cross of Christ for forgiveness. The presence of such sin lies behind John’s exhortation in 1 John 1:5-2:2 regarding the need to acknowledge such sin and continually confess it, knowing that Jesus Christ’s death is a propitiation which turns aside God’s anger toward our sins. This forgiveness is part of our Lord’s ongoing priestly work in making intercession for his people.

Likewise, the Psalmist describes this struggle with indwelling sin in several places. Psalm 32:1-6 comes to mind, as does the entirety of Psalm 51. Steeped in the Psalter, Paul describes the Christian life as an intense struggle between the flesh and the Spirit (Galatians 5:17). While in Romans 7:14-25 (echoing both the Psalmist and John, as well as his prior comments in Galatians), Paul again speaks of hating the sin and sinful impulses within him (the flesh), yet still giving into them anyway. This prompts the cry of every Christian who honestly looks within themselves and finds such sin, “wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (v. 24).

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The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerFebruary 16, 2026Indwelling Sin, Psalm 32, Pslam 51, Galatians 5:17, Romans 7:14-25Comment

“Sin Remains in Believers” -- Article One, The Fifth Point of Doctrine, Canons of Dort

Article 1: The Regenerate Not Entirely Free from Sin

Those people whom God according to his purpose calls into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord and regenerates by the Holy Spirit, he also sets free from the reign and slavery of sin, though in this life not entirely from the flesh and from the body of sin.

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The fifth and final head of doctrine as framed by the Canons of Dort deals with challenges raised by the Arminians to the Reformed doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. The focus in article one is upon the presence of indwelling sin in all regenerate believers. The Reformed reject all forms of Christian perfectionism–the erroneous view that it is possible for Christians to attain a state of sinless perfection in this life. This view was held by the fourth century heretic Pelegius and has resurfaced in the evangelical bloodstream periodically through works such as John Wesley’s A Plain Account of Christian Perfection and later through the revivalistic efforts of Charles Finney.

American evangelicals–many of whom understand the idea of the perseverance of the saints through the lens of decisional regeneration, will find the Reformed view of perseverance quite foreign. Decisional regeneration (“once saved always saved”) is a popular view that once someone “accepts” Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, their salvation is eternally secured and they cannot lose their salvation, although they will lose rewards if they do not live a godly life post-conversion.

As indicated in the first four heads of doctrine, the Reformed see things quite differently. God sovereignly regenerates his elect through the preaching of the gospel (the effectual call), that they believe and are justified (declared righteous) and are set apart for God’s purposes (sanctification). All those justified and definitively sanctified (i.e., “saints”) will begin the lifelong process of progressive sanctification, wherein the power of sin over them is steadily broken and they begin to live godly and holy lives (e.g., Romans 8:28-30; 1 Corinthians 1:30). Yet, the Christian life is characterized by the struggle with indwelling sin. According to Galatians 5:17, the Christian life is, and remains until death, a struggle between the flesh and the Spirit. Likewise in Romans 7:7-13, Paul speaks of the power of the law to condemn as no longer in effect for believers, although he goes on to describe the intense struggle with indwelling sin in Romans 7:14-25.

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The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerFebruary 2, 2026Indwelling SinComment