At first reading, one would conclude that the apostle John stated that once a person becomes a Christian he/she no longer sins. Here is what John wrote, “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” (I Jn. 3:9). Is that true? Are saints sinless? Let’s take a closer look.

We need to go back to the first chapter to help us understand what is being taught. The apostle included himself when he told brethren, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (I Jn. 1:8). Notice that this inspired writer included himself by saying, “we”. Are we to assume that John, not any of the brethren that he is addressing, are born of God?

How can we harmonize the two statements that were uttered? Is this a case of a clear contradiction within the word of God? To that we say no. The apostle was inspired to write both and it is our duty to study and rightly divide them. The danger is in reading more into what was said. That actually goes for both. It is just as wrong to assume John, in the first chapter, was condoning the practice of sin, as it would be to conclude in chapter three he is now advocating perfection.

Christians are never allowed to sin. In I John 2:1, the brethren were told, “My little children, these things I write to you, that you may not sin.” All sin is evil and and has serious consequences unless repented of (Rom. 6:23; Lk. 13:3). There is not a hint of tolerance for sinning. We are commanded to resist the wiles of the devil (Jas. 4:7). But, when sin happens, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus (I Jn. 2:1).

This leads us to the text where John stated that those born of God cannot sin (I Jn. 3:9). What is John saying here, knowing he previously stated he and other saints have sinned? Firstly, the word “cannot” doesn’t mean they can’t. For example in Luke 16:3, Jesus spoke a parable where a steward said within, “What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.”  It wasn’t this man couldn’t dig. The same point is illustrated again by our Lord when He stated concerning someone who came to a friend a midnight, “and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’?” (Lk. 11:7). It wasn’t that he couldn’t get up.

In John’s epistle he wasn’t saying those born of God won’t sin. If you read the whole text in I John 3:4-9, you can see the point is that those born of God will not abide in sin. In verse 7, it was said that those who “practice righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.”  One born of God does not practice lawlessness. When and if they sin, they immediately repent. To walk in sin and not care, you cannot say they have Christ’s seed remaining in them (vr. 9). To be righteous, a saint must practice righteousness, not just do one act of righteousness.

Peter, Simon, John, the church at Ephesus, and all other Christians are born of God. For them to say they are, they better not have unrepented sin in their lives. Why? Because, as John wrote, those born of God do not abide in a sinful state. This is the comfort given to all who are baptized into Christ. To live in fear that if they ever sin again they might question their conversion. Paul taught that in Christ Jesus one can have the forgiveness of sin (Eph. 1:7).  This spiritual blessing is for Christians. Why say such if Christians don’t sin once they are part of God’s family?

This article is a far cry from making allowances for sinning. When we do sin, there better be godly sorrow that leads to repentance, else we are not born of God (II Cor. 7:10). Read that text – it was talking about a fallen brother. May we rightly divide the word.

Chuck

It is not uncommon to hear someone blame someone else for their sinful behavior. A child blames the parents for way they were raised. An employee blames the company for the way they were treated. The same thing can be heard by a child of God wanting to blame the church for the way they were treated. What does God’s word say about this? Can others be made to sin?

Consider Jesus’ sermon on the mount. “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea,” (Matt. 18:6). At first glance, one might get the impression that the parent, company or even a church should be blamed when they cause others to do wrong. However, a close examination will indicate that this is not what the Lord meant at all.

When you read the first five verses of Matthew 18, you will see that our Lord was talking about His children that are faithful. He then proceeded to talk about causing His children to sin. This means that the child is right to fault the parents if they taught the wrong things. Or a company that encouraged corruption. Or a church that taught its members to transgress the commands of God.

This is a narrow teaching though. In these scenarios, sinful behavior was being actively encouraged. If the behavior is not being taught or enforced, the individual is clearly still accountable. Let’s focus more specifically with a local church for the rest of this article.

If a member of the church felt like one member was running the show or that they were not getting enough attention, are they right to leave the church and start attending a religious group in error? Of course not. If the church they were attending encouraged them to leave and follow a church that was erring, then the words of Jesus would apply. These are different scenarios though, and it is vital to see this.

Here is an illustration: A man comes home from work and tells his wife their marriage is over. She begins to cry and asks why? He says that he found out that a guy at work does not love her and much as he does. The wife is confused. Why are you leaving me just because someone else does not love me as much?

The behavior in the illustration is irrational, but people use similar logic to justify leaving the Lord and faithful churches all the time. They say that people “here’ do not love the Lord like they do, so they are leaving. If they leave and start attending a place that practices error, they have left the Lord. Casting blame to justify sinful behavior does not excuse it in the eyes of the Lord.

There are things we can say with certainty. We are to be members of the church that belongs to Christ and is the pillar and ground of truth (I Tim. 3:15). Thus, you will not find faithful churches encouraging the members to sin by drinking alcohol (I Pet. 4:3), promoting the social gospel (I Cor. 11:22) or teaching that church funds can be used for anything they want (I Tim. 5:16). The list goes on and on.

The next time you hear anyone blaming the church for their sinful behavior, be quick to inform them that the church NEVER causes someone to sin unless that church promotes sin! In all my years of preaching and talking with Christians who have fallen away, I have never witnessed anyone doing sinful things that the church actually encouraged them to do! I have heard various accusations and been told that the person in sin was okay spiritually, but these claims do not fit with the word of God. Let’s make sure we never put words in the mouth of our Lord.

Chuck  

Overcoming a struggle

Struggles come in all shapes and sizes. Some are very addictive, which makes it even harder to stop. But for those who want to go to heaven, one of the best ways to cease doing that which is wrong is to admit what it really is – sin! Calling sin “a struggle” can lessen the severity to some degree. Moreover, it also conveys the idea that quitting is not controlled by the individual.

The sooner people see what sin really is, the sooner they can understand how to properly deal with it. Every person I know who drank alcohol, smoked or used hard drugs and now does not had to decide to quit! Unless one makes up their mind, they will continue to give in to “that struggle.”

In writing to the Ephesian brethren, Paul stated that we should not give place to the devil (Eph. 4:27). By that, he specifically mentioned, “put away lying…be angry and sin not….let him who stole steal no more…let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth….” (verses 25-29). One does not overcome anything if they do not repent, which means to turn away from (Luke 13:3). By turning away, measures are put in place to help one not do it again. In the Ephesians text, Paul said instructed the reader to not steal and instead begin labor with hands. For those who spoke corrupt words, Paul admonished them to begin speaking words that edify. In essence, the audience was to told to replace their bad, sinful habits with good ones.

I realize that people who become addicted to something will genuinely struggle to overcome it. However, all sin can become addictive. Some people cannot seem to stop being jealous or envious. Other cannot seem to stop lying to themselves and making excuses for not serving the Lord as they should. Every sin is serious and causes people to be separated from God (Isa. 59:1-2; Rom. 6:23).

Everyone struggles with sin, but everyone has also been commanded to STOP sinning (I John 2:1). May we grow in the desire to never sin as the first step in turning away from those sins we personally struggle with.

 Chuck

Okay, how do we do that?

We all know how easy it is to tell someone to do something. The hard part is the knowing how to give instructions. If a person does not know how to do something, then it is a waste of time to instruct them to do so. Though some might not recognize it, God’s people always have enough information when He commands them.

Consider this command that James writes: “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you,” (James 4:8). On the surface, it sounds great that God will draw near to us. How do we draw near to God though? Based on what James wrote, knowing how to draw near to God is critical! Without this, He will never draw near to us.  Fortunately, the Bible contains instructs us about many ways we can draw near to God. If we do the things found in this list, God WILL draw near to us!

Pray. This has to be one of the most obvious ways to draw closer to God. Christians are admonished to pray continually (I Thess. 5:17).  To get close to someone, you must communicate with them. This is as true of our earthly relationships as it is with our Heavenly Father. James stated that the prayers of a righteous man can avail much (5:16) – a close relationship with God is obviously one of those things.

Studying the word of God. Listening to what the Father has revealed will aid in developing that close bond.  When you have the word of God abiding in you, you are strong (I John 2:14). Those who do not take the time to listen to God are clearly not feeding on His word, and the word is what gives strength (Acts 20:28).

Staying away from sin.  Those who walk in the light have fellowship with the Father (I John 1:3-7). When one is in sin, they are going away from the Father, not drawing nearer. Pleasing our God and obeying Him will strengthen the relationship (Heb. 11:6).

Worshipping.  When saints gather to glorify their God, they are naturally strengthening their bond with the Creator (Acts 2:46-47). God recognizes genuine worship that uses both the lips and heart (Matt. 15:7-9).

Telling others about God.  When a person tells others how much they love their spouse, it strengthens the marriage. Similarly, Christians who tells others about their Heavenly Father are drawing near to Him (Acts 7). The Son of God indicated this as expressed in His prayer to the Father (John 17).

Developing one’s talents. When children of God use their talents, they are positive examples to those around them. The goal is let our own lights shine and inspire the lost (Matt. 5:13-16). By growing, we become more useful to our Father (II Pet. 3:18).

Being faithful to the end. Those who fight the good fight of faith know that they will be with the Father for eternity (II Tim. 4:6-8). After writing that God will draw near to us if we draw near to Him, James wrote the following instruction: “Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8). Clearly, fostering a relationship with God requires deliberate action.

Being with other Christians. Spending time around others who are in fellowship with God will encourage us and help us grow even closer to the Father (I John 1:7). Remember, fellow saints are members of the same spiritual body (Gal. 3:27).

    We are told to draw near unto God because God will draw near unto us. Are you preventing God from drawing near to you? Let us do our part and trust that God WILL do His!

                                                                                            Chuck