1 Corinthians 3:1 1Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly-mere infants
in Christ.
The way that you can tell if you are in infancy, is if you are still consciously sinning. And continually asking God for forgiveness. Don't tell that Paul was still sinning because if he was he wouldn't have said this
Romans 6:14-15 14For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. 15What then? Shall we sin because
we are not under the law but
under grace? By no means!
Romans 6:1 1What shall we say, then? Shall
we go on sinning so that
grace may increase?
If he was then he was contradicting himself.
Paul himself said that he still sinned.
Rom 7:
14) For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
15) For that which I do I allow not: for
what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
16) If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that
it is good.
17) Now then
it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
18) For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for
to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
19)
For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
20) Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
All those verbs are present tense, Paul was not speaking of his former life, before he was saved. What he is doing is explaining the sin nature every single one of us has.
1 Tim 1:
15) This
is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners; of whom I am chief.
Christians have two natures, the flesh and the spirit, or the old man and the new man. We are to put off the old man and put on the new. Nobody is successful at this 100% of the time. We all succumb to temptations at times. We all sin at times. As we grow in Christ, we will hopefully sin less. But I also submit that the longer a person is a Christian, he'll start to understand that he sins more than he thought he did, and become very grateful for the love and forgiveness of God in Christ. The ONLY person to ever walk this earth who kept himself free of sin was Jesus Christ. EVERYONE else sins.
1 John 1:
8) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.