Shirley H Supporter Wife, mother, veteran in the spiritual war we all face!

This is all choice. Every minute of every day, we choose who we follow. A believer who abides in Christ will sin because he is human. However, the choice is to keep your eyes on Him, and not on the temptation.

Turning to Christ renders the devil powerless. Do not be deceived. The person who does right is righteous because of Christ in them. The person who commits sin is of the devil. 

How is it that you can waffle back and forth? Consider Peter. One minute he was Christ's cheerleader. Shortly after, Jesus told Peter, "Get behind me Satan.". Matthew 16:21-23

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, " If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation." 

Christ is sinless. He came to remove sins. If we claim Him, and yet do not follow Him, our status as a child of God comes into question. 

Do we mirror Him, at least some of the time?

1 John 2:10: "He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no darkness in him."

A wonderful world would be seeing darkness pass away, because True Light shines from all believers.

Paul struggled with this, too. We live in a fallen world with a sin nature within us. Romans 7:13-25

Only Christ can render the devil powerless.

Remember the warning to Peter in Matthew 26:31-35, and continue to verses 69-75! This man was Christ's companion on earth!

Abide in Christ. In him there is no darkness.

December 30 2024 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Donna Williams Supporter

Dear Anonymous, allow me to say that these two passages are not contradicting one another. In Romans 7, the Apostle Paul is teaching about the struggle against sin as you have already stated.

It's the war between the flesh and the Spirit. He states that he wants (desires) to do what is right, but doesn't have the ability to do so. He's talking about not having the ability to keep the law apart from the Spirit, and being a slave to sin. Trying to keep the law stirs up the evil desires of the flesh (sinful nature), and brings forth death. It is only through the Spirit that living a righteous life is possible. 

Now as it pertains to 1John 3:6, in context of this verse, the Apostle John is teaching about being deceived, and how to avoid it by knowing the difference between those who are abiding in Christ and those who are not. Abiding in Christ will produce righteous behavior, and not abiding in Him will produce unrighteous behavior. There were false teachers and prophets among the disciples, such as it is today. These are the things that Jesus warned about in Matthew 24.

Jesus also taught the disciples in Matthew 7:15-23 about false prophets, and how to discern them by their fruits, which has to do with their actions.

December 30 2024 • 2 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Tim Maas Supporter Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

I would say that John was speaking specifically of sin that is willful, habitual, AND unrepentant. It is repentance (even after repeated sin) that is the key, as Jesus expressed in Luke 17:3-4.

December 30 2024 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jeffrey Johnson Supporter

What is the meaning of 1 John 3:6?

In the original language, though, the Greek verb for "sin" in 1 John 3:6 is in the present tense, which, in that language, normally indicates a continuous action. There is a difference between inherited sin, which we cannot avoid, and the deliberate, continuous practice of disobeying God's laws. 

This verse means that a true believer in Christ, who is actively in fellowship ("abiding") with Him, will not live a lifestyle of habitual, continued sin.

Some Interpretations of 1 John 3:6:

Lifestyle, Not Perfection: The passage does not teach that Christians can achieve sinless perfection. Rather, it distinguishes between an occasional act of sin and a persistent, unrepentant, and habitual pattern of sinning, which is inconsistent with knowing Christ.

Abiding in Christ: The phrase "abides in him" suggests a continuous, intimate relationship with Jesus. When a believer acts under the control of the Holy Spirit, they cannot simultaneously engage in willful, unrepentant disobedience.

Evidence of Knowing God: A genuine relationship with God leads to a transformed life. A person who habitually practices sin shows that they do not truly know or understand God, regardless of their claims.

Contrast with 1 John 1:8: Earlier in the book, John states that "if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves". Therefore, 3:6 means that while believers still struggle with sin, they no longer delight in it or make it their lifestyle. 

Essentially, 1 John 3:6 highlights that those born of God have a new nature that cannot comfortably remain in habitual rebellion against Him. 

Habitual vs Occasional Sin

The Contrast: John is not claiming believers never commit a single act of sin, as he explicitly states in 1 John 1:8 that "if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves".

The Meaning: Rather, he is describing a settled pattern or character of life. A true believer may stumble into sin but will not remain in it comfortably or unrepentantly.

John was likely addressing early heretical groups, such as the Gnostics, who taught that physical behaviour didn't matter as long as one had "secret knowledge".

John's Rebuttal: He insists that spiritual knowledge and moral conduct are inseparable. You cannot claim to know the "Light" while walking in total "Darkness". 

Being imperfect, we may commit sins at times. But sinning is not a practice with those who remain in union with the Son and, hence, in union with the Father. Practitioners of sin have not "seen" Jesus with the eye of faith; nor do such habitual sinners as the apostates "know" and appreciate Christ as the sin-atoning "Lamb of God!"

John 1: 36: "And he looked upon Jesus as he walked, and saith, 'Behold, the Lamb of God!'" ESV.

The general context of this passage, and the rest of Scripture, is that a changed life marks a believer. Every believer is a work in progress; every believer's life should show a noticeable difference as they live more like Christ. 

Conclusion:

Comment: From Young's Literal translation, it is easy to see John's three negatives, and, notably, all three in Greek signify absolute negation or categorical denial of what follows! John is saying that the one who abides in Christ is one who absolutely does not manifest a lifestyle of continual, habitual, unabated sin. To the contrary, if one continually lives a life of sin, in simple terms, they don't really know Jesus. Regardless of what they profess, they are not truly born again! They may cry "Lord, Lord" (Mt 7:22-note), but they do not continually do the will of the Father in heaven (Mt 7:21-note). Beloved, do not be deceived! Genuine salvation results in a new creation, a new lifestyle, a new direction. No, it is not perfection, but it is a new direction!

2 days ago • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht Supporter Arizona Bible College graduate and Dallas Seminary graduate

Good question. If you look at the various Bible translations, you see that some have "keeps on sinning," "is practicing sinning," or something like "goes on sinning." It's a habit. Now, no good Christian is going to do this. Christ has freed me from my some of my bad habits, and it's been a gradual thing. He's still working on me! I can't say that I have arrived. Jesus has more bad habits to rid me of. But I'm not the same person I once was. "Old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new."

2 days ago • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report