A social media post recently made this claim: “One can sin 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but if that person is a Christian, they are still 100% assured of going to heaven.”

The responses came fast. And they fell into two camps.

Camp One: Christians cannot sin at all. If you sin, you’re not really saved. They quote 1 John 3:6 – “No one who abides in Him sins.”

Camp Two: Christians can lose their salvation through continued sin. They point to Hebrews 10:26-27 about there being “no longer a sacrifice for sins” for those who keep sinning willfully.

So which is it? Can Christians sin? Can we lose our salvation?

According to Scripture – including this passage from 1 John 1:5-2:6 – the answer to both questions is no. But not for the reasons you might expect.