1 John 3:6 - No One In Christ Keeps On Sinning.
1 John 3:6 - No One In Christ Keeps On Sinning.
1 John 3:6 (NIV) No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No
one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
1 John 3:6 (TLB) So if we stay close to him, obedient to him,
we won't be sinning either; but as for those who keep on sinning,
they should realize this: They sin because they have never really
known him or become his.
John is not asserting sinless perfection, but explaining that
the believer's life is characterized not by sin but by doing what is
right. [NIV SB]
There is a difference between committing a sin and continuing to
sin. Even the most faithful believers sometimes commit sins, but they
do not cherish a particular sin and choose to commit it. A believer
who commits a sin repents, confesses, and finds forgiveness. A
person who continues to sin, by contrast, is not sorry for what he or
she is doing. Thus this person never confesses and never receives
forgiveness. Such a person is in opposition to God, no matter what religious
claims he or she makes. [Life Application SB]
A man cannot act like the devil, and at the same time be a
disciple of Christ Jesus. Let us not serve or indulge what the Son of God
came to destroy. To be born of God is to be inwardly renewed by the
power of the Spirit of God. Renewing grace is an abiding principle.
Religion is not an art, a matter of dexterity and skill, but a new
nature. And the regenerate person cannot sin as he did before he was
born of God, and as others do who are not born again. There is that
light in his mind, which shows him the evil and malignity of sin.
There is that bias upon his heart, which disposes him to loathe and
hate sin. There is the spiritual principle that opposes sinful acts.
And there is repentance for sin, if committed. It goes against him
to sin with forethought.... He that abides in Christ, continues not
in the practice of sin. Renouncing sin is the great proof of
spiritual union with, continuance in, and saving knowledge of the Lord
Jesus Christ. [Matthew Henry Commentary]
The Bible makes two things clear about sin. First, living a
lifestyle of sin indicates that you are not walking in the power of the
Holy Spirit, regardless of what you say about your spiritual
condition. You cannot regularly spend time studying and meditating on God's
word, praying and walking in fellowship with the Holy Spirit, and
persist in sin.
Second, if you do not hate sin the way God does, then you do
not truly know Him. There are those who continue in their sin yet
insist that they love God and belong to Him. John makes it clear: If
you have a lifestyle of sin, you have not seen Him and do not know
Him. You may have prayed a "sinner's prayer," or made a commitment in
your church, or been baptized, but the evidence of the Holy Spirit's
presence in your life is that you are defeating sin. This does not mean
that you will never sin, but it does mean that you refuse to make sin
a lifestyle and you immediately seek forgiveness when you sin
(1John 1:10). It means that you are opposed to sin, as God is, and you
allow the Holy Spirit to eradicate every trace of sin in your life. It
means that when you sin, you immediately confess it and repent of it
and do whatever is necessary to avoid repeating your sin.
If you find yourself falling into sinful habits or not
grieving over your sin as you once did, this indicates that you are not
abiding in Christ. Return to Him in repentance; restore your fellowship
with Him, and you will once again experience victory over your sin.
[Experiencing God Day by Day by Henry and Richard Blackaby re 1Jo. 3:6]
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give
you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle
and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my
yoke is easy and my burden is light." Mat 11:28-30 (NIV)
COME UNTO ME, ALL YE THAT LABOUR AND ARE HEAVY LADEN:
That's you. Whether you're a millionaire or deep in debt, you
are carrying a load of sin. Can you come to God in such a
condition? Yes, You can! Jesus Christ welcomes you. He will cleanse you
and make you presentable to His Father.
AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST:
That's the best news in the world. For a while you may think
money or success or many friends will give you satisfaction. But they
cannot supply your deepest need. Only Jesus Christ can give you true
rest.
TAKE MY YOKE UPON YOU, AND LEARN OF ME:
Yes, there is a yoke. No one is free. Everyone is either in
slavery to the devil or to Jesus. To obey the devil will bring you to
destruction, but to obey Jesus Christ brings you peace and joy both now and
forever. The best way to learn of Him is to read the Bible, which is
truly the word of life.
FOR I AM MEEK AND LOWLY IN HEART: AND YE SHALL FIND REST UNTO
YOUR SOULS:
It sounds like becoming a Christian is only for weaklings who
need a crutch to get them through life. But it's not. Being meek
and lowly means that Christians win tremendous victories and lead
successful lives by love and service rather than by hate and power. The
basic motives of your living will change.
FOR MY YOKE IS EASY, AND MY BURDEN IS LIGHT:
Yes, it is! The burden of Jesus is a joyous one. Coming back
to God puts you in harmony with the purpose of your creation. You
discover that doing the will of God is the best way to live. [Faith,
Prayer & Tract League, Tract #243]
Genuine conversion is needed, not once in years, but daily. This
conversion brings man into a new relation with God. Old things, his natural
passions and hereditary and cultivated tendencies to wrong, pass away,
and he is renewed and sanctified. But this work must be continual;
for as long as Satan exists, he will make an effort to carry on his
work. He who strives to serve God will encounter a strong undercurrent
of wrong. His heart needs to be barricaded by constant watchfulness
and prayer, or else the embankment will give way; and like a
millstream, the undercurrent of wrong will sweep away the safeguard. No
renewed heart can be kept in a condition of sweetness without the daily
application of the salt of the Word. Divine grace must be received daily, or
no man will stay converted. . . {OHC 215}
Sanctification is not the work of a moment, an hour, or a day.
It is a continual growth in grace. We know not one day how strong
will be our conflict the next. Satan lives, and is active, and every
day we need to cry earnestly to God for help and strength to resist
him. As long as Satan reigns we shall have self to subdue, besetments
to overcome, and there is no stopping place, there is no point to
which we can come and say we have fully attained. . . .
The Christian life is constantly an onward march. Jesus sits
as a refiner and purifier of His people; and when His image is
perfectly reflected in them, they are perfect and holy, and prepared for
translation. A great work is required of the Christian. We are exhorted to
cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Here we see where the great labor
rests. There is a constant work for the Christian.
None are living Christians unless they have a daily experience
in the things of God and daily practice self-denial, cheerfully
bearing the cross and following Christ. Every living Christian will
advance daily in the divine life. As he advances toward perfection, he
experiences a conversion to God every day; and this conversion is not
completed until he attains to perfection of Christian character, a full
preparation for the finishing touch of immortality. . . .
Religion is not merely an emotion, a feeling. It is a
principle which is interwoven with all the daily duties and transactions
of life. . . . It is continuance in well-doing that will form
characters for heaven.
We must live for Christ minute by minute, hour by hour, and
day by day; then Christ will dwell in us, and when we meet together,
His love will be in our hearts, welling up like a spring in the
desert, refreshing all, and making those who are ready to perish, eager
to drink of the waters of life. {AG 291}
We want a new conversion daily. We want the love of Jesus
throbbing in our hearts, that we may be instrumental in saving many souls.
{ChS 91}
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