No Video Blog for this Lesson!
No one who abides in
him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known
him.
THE STUDY:
Two perfect tense verbs appear. The
first, “has not seen him,” strongly
affirms that the person continuing to live habitually in sin has never truly
seen Christ initially and certainly does not have Christ in view now. The
second, “has not known him,” stresses
that such a one has never authentically “known”
Christ and obviously does not know Christ now. True vision and knowledge have
abiding results. These verbs provide a direct contrast to the opening lines of
the letter.
Abiding in Jesus means sin is
excluded. Conversely, ongoing sinning means that Christ is not known. John’s
views here are consistent with the dualism expressed throughout. This verse
does not declare occasions of sin to
be impossible. Rather it asserts that a
sinful life does not characterize the child of God. As one is constantly
abiding, one is simultaneously kept from the practice of sin. The image of
sinlessness is a lofty call to holy and consistent living in obedience before
God.[1]
WHAT WE CAN WALK
AWAY WITH ….
- We walk away with this morning knowing sin is habitual. We don’t fall into sin like a hole in the ground. We don’t get hit by sin like a baseball coming at us in a battering cage. Sin is a willful transgression against a known law of God. Sin is when we put our hand to God and say, “My way God not yours.”
- Sin is habitual! This habit can be broken through Christ; the one who defeated sin and death. Living a life, in Christ, moves us to become habitual in Christ. This Christian life moves us to a higher level of living. Not a life that doesn’t sin but a life that does not have to sin.
CONCLUSION:
A preacher was speaking from the text, “The
blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.” Suddenly he was
interrupted by an atheist who asked, “How can blood cleanse sin?” For a
moment the preacher was silent; then he countered, “How can water quench
thirst?” “I do not know,” replied the infidel, “but I know that it does.” “Neither
do I know how the blood of Jesus cleanses sin,” answered the preacher, “but I
know that it does.”
Let me
encourage you today with the understanding that Jesus frees us from sin. The
power that dwells inside us is sufficient for this life of Holiness. With Christ, WE CAN DO
IT!
Blessings my friends
Pastor Rod
[1]
Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3
John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary
(115–116). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.
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