I will try to address your question as concisely as possible the way I see it. This is an area that I feel many of us Christians miss it. We try rationalizing and justify our lives because our “intention” is to serve God. However, God is very clear in His Word. He is not looking at our intentions; He is looking at our lives:
1 Pet 1:17
17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; (NKJ)
“Without partiality” means that He is not going to be partial. He is not going to look at Sister Bucketmouth and say, “Oh, I know she meant well.” No, He is going to judge us based upon what He said and what we did, therefore we should live our lives in the spirit of the fear of the Lord.
Now, let me address your question as I feel it is a very good and very important question. Take the context of what John was writing:
I Jn 3:3-10
3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
First of all if we have come to the Lord and have asked Him to be Lord of our lives then we have the responsibility to be pure as He is pure. We have the responsibility to purify ourselves. Peter writes (1 Peter 1:15-16) that we are to be holy as He is holy. This is not a try to be holy, He has commanded us to be holy in the same holiness that He is.
If God has commanded us to be holy like Him, then we must understand that He has also given us the ability to be this holy. It’s another topic, but holiness comes from the heart not the exterior.
4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.
I think that where we get messed up is in our definition of “sin.” We have the seven cardinal sins and we have a bunch of other sins given by denomination, pastors, and elsewhere. Sin is simply separation from God. Is it a sin to eat fruit? Not unless God tells you not to eat the fruit. The sin that brought death and separation into the world was simply eating a piece of fruit. I know people that God has told them not to drink coffee. I don’t believe coffee is a sin, but I do believe it is a sin for them because to drink coffee would cause them to be disobedient.
So verse four in my translation would say, “Whoever does the things that would cause them to be separated from me has not submitted themselves to my commands, because what separates people from me is disobedience.”
5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.
Verse five then tells us that Jesus was manifested to remove our sins. It’s interesting because in verse 8, which we will read in just a moment states that, the purpose of Jesus was to destroy the works of the devil. Disobedience is the work of the devil therefore you have the “power (or influence) of sin” and the “sin” itself. Not only did Jesus die for our sins, but He also died so that the power of sin no longer controls us.
Verse six starts separating the men from the boys or the real Christians from the wannabee’s:
6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
If you are “in Christ” then you don’t do the things that separate you from Christ. God is a holy God and you are going to live a holy live in all manner of conduct. Your words are going to be in line with the Word of God, your conduct is going to be in line with God, you’re not going to go places that God wouldn’t go and so forth.
You will be led by the Spirit, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” (Rom 8:14). I believe that God will lead you in all aspects of your life – How to spend your money, what you should and shouldn’t eat, what car to buy, what house to buy, where to live, what school you children should go to. Those who know God and give God access to their lives are led by God.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.
What is the deception of verse seven? You are deceived when you think that you are righteous and are not doing what God has said. Many in the Church are deceived because they are not practicing righteousness, they are not led by the Spirit, and they rationalize God’s Word to fit their life.
Jesus, the Word manifested in the flesh (John 1:1-14) would not allow Himself to do anything that was contrary to the Word of God, thus He was without spot or blemish. We are to practice righteousness as He is righteous.
8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
Those who do the things that separate them from God are of (or influenced by, which is different than possessed. I AM NOT saying everyone who sins is possessed) the devil. Jesus came so that you can be free and led by the Spirit of God. Remember, you cannot serve two masters. If the Lord is your master (Lord means supreme in authority) then you are going to do what the Lord says, not your version of what the Lord says. You are either serving the Lord by following His law (law is simply His Word) or you are doing what you want, which means you are following your carnal “wants” and you have separated yourself from Him.
Now we come to your verse:
9 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.
The seed is Jesus. It is the same seed that was promised to Abraham that can be studied through the book of Galatians. When we are born of God (I mean really born of Him where we have submitted our lives to Him) then we are not going to do the things that will separate us from Him. We either “cannot” sin because it is impossible, or we “cannot” sin because we won’t allow ourselves to.
Since we know that it is still within our ability to sin we know that the “cannot” is not referring to an inability, but a desire that will cause ourselves to live in a realm where we cannot sin.
10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. (NKJ)
What is the “in this” referring to? It’s referring to the sinning or not sinning that John has been talking about. Remember we cannot serve two masters we are either doing what God has said because His seed remains in us or the seed that was in us before is still there. Our lives mean something!
We must be born of the word as well as being born of the water and Spirit.Once we are born of the Spirit then the Spirit will teach us all truth and we become born of the word.Please note words ,Seed and word and born.The seed is the word of God.Being born of the word is us being perfected.
Luke 8:11: Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.12: Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.13: They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 14: And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
2 Cor.3:3: Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ (word)ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
Gal.4:19: My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ (word) be formed in you,
1 Peter 122: Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth(word) through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:23: Being born again, not of corruptible seed,(WORD) but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
Eph.5:25: Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;26: That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,(SEED)27: That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
1 John 2:5: But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
1John 3:9: Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed (word) remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
1John 4:7: Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God,(THE WORD) and knoweth God.8: He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.9: In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.10: Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.11: Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.12: No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
1John5:1: Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of GodTHE WORD) and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.2: By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.3: For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.4: For whatsoever is born of God (THE WORD)overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
1 John5:18: We know that whosoever is born of God (THE WORD)sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.
Cor.13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity,( Perfected love) I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, (Perfected love) I am nothing.
13:3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity,(Perfected Love) it profiteth me nothing.13:4 Charity (Perfected Love)suffereth long, and is kind; charity(Perfected Love) envieth not; charity (perfected Love)vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,13:5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;13:7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.13:8 Charity (Perfected Love)never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away (WHEN WE ARE NOT PERFECTED IN LOVE).13:9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
13:10 But when that which is perfect (Perfected Love)is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.13:11 When I was a child, ( Not perfect in love)I spake as a child,(Not perfect in love) I understood as a child,(not perfect in love) I thought as a child: (not Perfect in love)but when I became a man,(became perfect in love) I put away childish things.
13:12 For now(before we became perfect) we see through a glass, darkly; but then(when we became perfect) face to face: now I know(When i'm not perfect) in part; but then(when i become perfect) shall I know even as also I am known.13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity,( perfect love) these three; but the greatest of these is charity. (Perfected love)
1Jn 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 1Jn 3:2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 1Jn 3:3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. 1Jn 3:4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 1Jn 3:5 You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 1Jn 3:6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 1Jn 3:7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 1Jn 3:8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 1Jn 3:9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. 1Jn 3:10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. 1Jn 3:11For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
__________________ Let it be understood that Apostolic Friends Forum is an Apostolic Forum.
Apostolic is defined on AFF as:
There is One God. This one God reveals Himself distinctly as Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
The Son is God himself in a human form or "God manifested in the flesh" (1Tim 3:16)
Every sinner must repent of their sins.
That Jesus name baptism is the only biblical mode of water baptism.
That the Holy Ghost is for today and is received by faith with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues.
The saint will go on to strive to live a holy life, pleasing to God.
1Jn 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 1Jn 3:2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 1Jn 3:3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. 1Jn 3:4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 1Jn 3:5 You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 1Jn 3:6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 1Jn 3:7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 1Jn 3:8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 1Jn 3:9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. 1Jn 3:10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. 1Jn 3:11For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
Picking up the Joelel method of posting? Not bad, but the bold parts should also be red and underlined. When you're painted into a corner, just post a digging, violin, or itsover smilie. All three, if you're really desperate.
__________________
Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty
Picking up the Joelel method of posting? Not bad, but the bold parts should also be red and underlined. When you're painted into a corner, just post a digging, violin, or itsover smilie. All three, if you're really desperate.
Picking up the Joelel method of posting? Not bad, but the bold parts should also be red and underlined. When you're painted into a corner, just post a digging, violin, or itsover smilie. All three, if you're really desperate.
Actually I was reposting his verses with a better translation.
__________________ Let it be understood that Apostolic Friends Forum is an Apostolic Forum.
Apostolic is defined on AFF as:
There is One God. This one God reveals Himself distinctly as Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
The Son is God himself in a human form or "God manifested in the flesh" (1Tim 3:16)
Every sinner must repent of their sins.
That Jesus name baptism is the only biblical mode of water baptism.
That the Holy Ghost is for today and is received by faith with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues.
The saint will go on to strive to live a holy life, pleasing to God.