What is being sinful OR sinfulness?

Sinful at its simplest definition is to be full of sin.

Sinful: wicked and immoral; committing or characterized by the committing of sins.

Sinfulness: the fact of being morally wrong or evil.

Full of sin

Characterized by sin

Being sinful

When a person is full of sin, they live in a sinful state that impacts the formation of their thoughts, behaviors, and character; that is why they become characterized by sin, their very state of being is sinful.

The disciple of Christ can live in this fallen world and suffer the temptations of the flesh without being “full of” sin. A person committed to Christ can and will sin but that person will live in the active redemption of Christ.

How is it done?

It’s done through the powers of the infinite atonement of Christ. Through His atonement all who come unto Christ with a broken heart and contrite spirit, believing in Christ, will have their sins forgiven. This is the transformation that makes bad men good. Through regular, even constant repentance, and a sincere striving to “sin no more,” (John 8:11) the once sinful can be kept clean through Christ.

“Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” — Isaiah 1:18

“Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more. By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them.” — Doctrine & Covenants 58:42-43

Why is it done?

The purpose for the cleansing and justifying powers of the atonement is to bring the sinful man into a redemptive relationship with Christ, referred to as a covenant relationship, a relationship that has the power to make good men better until we are made perfect through Christ.

"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." _- Matthew 16:24

The scriptures refer to a person who lives their life in the active redemption of Christ, as a saint. This disciple of Christ grows from “grace to grace” (Doctrine & Covenants 98:13) through the Holy Spirit, activating the sanctifying powers of the atonement. This grace strengthens and enables them to “do all things through Christ,” (Philippians 4:13) not the least of which is to maintain themselves in obedience to the commandments of God. This progression from bad to good, and from good to better, is why the Lord refers to his faithful disciples as righteous rather than sinful.

Christ’s atonement was not only that we might not suffer for our sins, but so that we might be full of His Spirit, having our characters molded in His image, that we may become able to stand against the fiery darts of the adversary while sojourning in this fallen world, walking uprightly before God, having our very natures changed through our daily walk with Christ.

Full of the Holy Spirit

Characterized by discipleship of Christ

Becoming righteous