Posted on 07/15/2017 5:08:24 AM PDT by metmom
“No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9).
A decreasing pattern of sin in a believer’s life means his faith is genuine.
A sinful life pattern is incompatible with salvation. If you could continue in the same sinful pattern after being saved from sin, that would mean salvation is ineffective. Therefore, 1 John 3 deals with the saving work of Christ and reveals just how effective it is.
Verse 5 says Christ “appeared in order to take away sins.” If you say someone who has had the work of Christ applied to him is continuing in sin just as before, you are denying the purpose for which Christ came. He died to take away the pattern of sin as well as the penalty.
Therefore, if you are truly a believer you will relate to God in a totally new way, because the Christian “abides in Him” (v. 6). You are no longer a perpetual slave to sin, but you now have the option and ability to do good (see Rom. 6:14, 17-18). You will always be acutely sensitive to sin (Rom. 7; 1 John 1:8-9); yet, because of Christ’s abiding in you, your struggle will decrease over the years, and sin will be less and less a pattern in your life.
That brings us to 1 John 3:9, which is a reminder that believers have been born anew by the Holy Spirit. Your new nature or new disposition of life is the “seed” verse 9 speaks of. Just as the seed of a plant, when placed in the soil, produces a distinct kind of life, the divine seed produces a righteous life in you that ends sin’s dominance. And that seed will never die—1 Peter 1:23 says it is “imperishable.”
What does all this mean to you if you’re a genuine believer? It means you will see a decreasing pattern of sin in your life because you now have holy affections. It doesn’t mean sin will be eliminated, because your unredeemed flesh is still present. It means the more you practice righteousness—with its right motives, right desires, right words, and right actions—the less you sin, and the more you can be assured you’re a child of God.
Suggestions for Prayer
If there is a frequent sin you struggle with, ask God to help you defeat it.
For Further Study
Record at least five truths contained in Romans 6:1-11. How do they help give victory over sin?
Studying God’s Word ping
Exactly. When you “get saved”, there are some changes that occur immediately; others happen over time, some over years or even decades as you grow and mature. As you give authority over your life to God, as you gain familiarity with him, as the Holy Spirit begins to rearrange the furniture in your life, you simply don’t have the same perspectives and motivations you had before.
Some people respond more quickly and easily than others, some of us are harder headed... but the process is unmistakable.
At some point you realize your big problems aren’t active sin anymore, but “falling short”. God placed you in a position to be a conduit for his influence and you were too caught up in your own drama to be what he intended you to be. When we face judgement, our sins are forgiven. The uncomfortable part of the conversation will be the stuff we didn’t do.
Good comments.
Beautifully put.
A decreasing pattern of sin in a believer’s life means his faith is genuine.
At some point you realize your big problems aren’t active sin anymore, but “falling short”.
It is little things in your life you notice. I didn’t get angry. I didn’t say a swear word.
Zec 4:10 Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”
WHAT IS IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS?
This doctrine teaches that the righteousness of Christ is “imputed” to Christians through our faith. Even though Christians in actuality still sin, God overlooks our sin through a “legal fiction” or “judicial transfer.” In other words, it is an “alien” righteousness from God who considers us sinless because of Christ and our faith in Him.
Bible passages about this include: Genesis 15:6; Psalm 32:2; Isaiah 43:25; 53:5; John 3:16; Romans 3:21-25; 4:3-11, 22-24; 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Galatians 3:6, 13; Ephesians 1:3-14; 2:3-6; Philippians 3:9; Colossians 1:22-23; 3:1-5; Hebrews 8:12; 10:17; 1 Peter 2:4, 24; 2 Peter 3:18; 1 John 1:5-10.
The Bible does NOT teach that Christians don’t sin anymore. Our molecules do not suddenly start to glow when have accepted Christ as our Savior. Speaking to fellow Christians, John said “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8)
Of course, this does not give us a license to willfully and continually sin, thumbing our nose at God. We are saved by a “living” faith, not a dead faith (James 2:14). A “living faith” is one that is a surrendering, penitent faith. This means that, even in our weakness as humans, we strive with all serious intent to do better. This is the process that theologians call “sanctification.”
See the article I co-authored with Bruce Thevenot titled “Sin, Law, and Judgment in the New Covenant.” It is article # C9 here:
https://prophecyquestions.com/2014/02/01/articles-by-charles-meek
For more information about basic Christian doctrines, see my Faith Facts Christian Cram Course:
http://www.faithfacts.org/bible-101/christian-cram-course
When we look around us, we see and INCREASING occurrence of sin each and every day as people turn away from Christ and his instructions.
They may repent for a short while, but then eventually go back to their sin. (Adultery or pornography are two examples of this.)
There’s a difference between leading a life style of blatant unrepentant sin and struggling with a sin and sometimes falling prey to the temptation.
That’s why it’s God’s call who is saved and who is not because HE knows the heart.
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