Tuesday, June 13, 2006

John's words on habitual sin

1 john talks a lot about the truth around habitual sin.

"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth."

2:3-6

"We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did."

3:4-6

"Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him."

3:9-10

"No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
10This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

3:21

"Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us."

4:6

"We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood".

I find that very interesting that the heart of this message is the persons heart condition. It is really a Lordship issue. Who is Lord over your life? The sin or the Lord Jesus Christ? And which do you desire to follow. This is the acid test I think. John says repeatedly that if people love God that they cannot continue to sin. He is not saying that they wont, but he is saying that when people are in love and obedience to God that the Love of God will compel them to resist the temptation of sinning. I think that this also speaks of the character of individuals. If our character is such that we say we love God yet continue to enjoy our sin then we are really being deceiving. It is the heart of God for us to obey him and make him Lord of our life. Make him Lord over our most secret sins. Even the fun sins we dont want to give up.


3 comments:

Jeffrey said...

okay,so we can no longer go on sinning.

thank you for bringing this passage forward, but do you have any thoughts you would like to share on it?

This is a passage I can really have some fun with and get myself rebuked by a couple of your other readers.

So how about a thought or two?

CWG said...

I find that very interesting that the heart of this message is the persons heart condition. I think that it is really a Lordship issue. Who is Lord over peoples life? The sin or the Lord Jesus Christ? And which do they desire to follow. This is the acid test I think. John says repeatedly that if people love God that they cannot continue to sin. He is not saying that they wont, but he is saying that when people are in love and obedience to God that the Love of God will compel them to resist the temptation of sinning. I think that this also speaks of the character of individuals. If our character is such that we say we love God yet continue to enjoy our sin then we are really being deceiving. It is the heart of God for us to obey him and make him Lord of our life. Make him Lord over our most secret sins. Even the fun sins we dont want to give up.

Jeffrey said...

good, now that's a commentary