Marks of a True Believer
Why Christians and Sin are Incompatible
1 John 3:4-10
INTRODUCTION
The primary purpose of 1 John is to expose Gnostic false teachers existing among the believers in the church. They were confusing them with their claims to be true Christians and true teachers, which they were not. John was concerned that Christians know how to determine the true from the false before they became victimized by their false doctrine. He presents two tests believers can use to determine the validity of anyone's claim to be a Christian: the doctrinal test and the moral test. Those tests are the dominant theme of all five chapters of 1 John.
A. The Key Verse
First John 3:10 is the key to verses 4-10: "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother."
1. The parts of the moral test
Verse 10 contains the two parts of the moral test: a true Christian does righteous deeds and loves his brothers. The children of the devil don't do either one. Verses 4-10 talk about righteousness and verses 11-24 talk about loving the brothers. Practicing righteousness and loving the brothers are not new themes to John--he dealt with both in 1 John 1--2. But beginning with chapter 3 and extending to the end of the epistle, John places greater importance on them. His thesis is this: a believer, a true child of God, will manifest proper doctrine and proper behavior.
2. The violation of the moral test
A group called the Gnostics claimed to have a supernatural knowledge that belonged only to them, but they were heretics. Like many others, they claimed to be Christians, yet habitually practiced sin. In addition, they lorded their superior knowledge over everyone else, proving they had no love for others. They violated both parts of the moral test.
a) The argument of the Gnostics
John addresses the Gnostic error regarding sin in verses 4- 10. The Gnostics claimed that man is divided into a philosophical dualism: the flesh and the spirit. They said the body is evil and nothing anyone can do to change it, so we might as well let it fulfill its lusts. But they said the soul is different--it is totally detached from the body--so it suffers none of the consequences of sin. They believed a person could sin all he wanted without it ever affecting him.
b) The argument of John
However, John said true Christianity and sin are incompatible. A person cannot claim to be a Christian and go on sinning. A person who is in fellowship with God, who is saved, and who is born into God's family has the desire to avoid sin and a new nature with the ability to avoid it. The Christian's identity as a son of God means there will be a behavioral manifestation of his sonship.
B. The Critical Statements
There are two critical statements in 1 John 3:4-10. The first is in verse 6 and the second in verse 9. Verse 6 says, "Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not." Verse 9 says, "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin." Verse 6 says sin is incompatible for a Christian, verse 9 says it is impossible for a Christian.
1. Apparent contradictions
Verse 9 has startled many people. How can John possibly say a Christian doesn't sin? I know a lot of them and they sin; I'm a Christian and I sin. Verse 9 apparently contradicts 1 John 1:8- 10: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."
What is the answer to this dilemma? Can a Christian sin? How much can a Christian sin and still be a Christian? We know Christians sin because 1 John 1:8-9 says if they say they don't, they're liars. John said, "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not" (1 John 2:1). He wouldn't waste his time writing a letter to Christians about not sinning if Christians never sinned. Christians sin, but they shouldn't. But the question still remains about 1 John 3:6, 9: how can John say we do not sin?
2. Alternative explanations
There have been many explanations of verses 6 and 9. I'll give you six of them.
a) Refers to mortal sins
This explanation comes from Catholic theology, which says a true Christian doesn't commit mortal sins; he only commits venial sins. What's the difference? To the Catholic, a venial sin is not as bad as a mortal sin because the payment for a mortal sin is a person's soul. However, I can't find any basis for that explanation in anything John says. He doesn't say, "Whosoever abides in Him does not commit mortal sins." John says a Christian "sinneth not."
b) Refers to God's overlooking of sin
Some argue that when John says. "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin" (v. 9), he means God overlooks our sin. But that's a difficult explanation to hold to if you also believe the Lord chastises those whom He loves for their misbehavior (Heb. 12:3-15). First Corinthians 11:30-32 teaches that certain Christians died because of their sin. Ananias and Sapphira dropped dead because of their sin (Acts 5:1-11). If God gets that exercised over sin, you can be sure He regards it in our lives!
c) Refers to the new nature
Some believe 1 John 3:6, 9 mean our new nature can't sin, but our old nature still does. But they say nothing about the old and new natures. This argument borrows from Romans 7:17, where the apostle Paul says, "It is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." Some interpret this to mean Christians don't sin in the new man; it's the old man that sins (cf. Eph. 4:22-24). Frankly, I had a terrible time trying to separate the old from the new. I gave up long ago. I do know one thing--when I sin, I'm involved. I cannot detach part of myself in holiness and say, "Oops, there goes that old self again!" It isn't that simple. Galatians 2:20 says, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live." I'm not convinced there are two natures; I think you have one new one that has the possibility of sinning.
d) Refers to the ideal
Some think John is saying the ideal is that a Christian not sin. But he said, "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin" (v. 9). He's making a factual statement, not expressing a wish.
e) Refers to deliberate sin
A popular explanation is that Christians do not commit deliberate sin. John Stott quotes one commentator as saying, "A Christian does not do sin, he suffers it" (The Epistles of John [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980 printing], p. 134). I have found that when I sin, I'm usually willfully involved.
f) Refers to habitual sin
I believe this view is the correct one. The best way to find out what John means is to understand the tenses in the Greek text. In verses 6 and 9 John uses the present tense, which expresses habitual, continuous action. Verse 6 literally translates, "Whosoever abides in him does not continually, habitually practice sin." Verse 9 translates, "Whosoever is born of God does not continually, habitually practice sin." Do Christians sin? Sometimes. Do they sin deliberately? Sometimes. But if they are true Christians, they will respond with grief and repentance (Ps. 51). Unsaved people live lives of habitual sin. Even their righteous deeds are filthy rags in God's sight (Isa. 64:6). But Christians do not live lives of habitual sin, and that is the thesis of 1 John 3:4-10.
John gives three reasons illustrating that Christians cannot habitually practice sin. It is incompatible with the law of God, it is incompatible with the work of Christ, and it is incompatible with the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
LESSON
I. SIN IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE LAW OF GOD (v. 4)
"Whosoever [continually, habitually] committeth sin transgresseth also the law; for sin is the transgression of the law."
That translation is not very good. The text actually says, "Whosoever is continually doing sin is doing lawlessness." The phrase "transgresseth also the law" is the word anomia in the Greek text. It means "lawlessness" or "without law." John is not referring to someone who accepts the law and breaks it, but to those who live as if there were no law.
A. The Definitions of Sin
There are many definitions of sin in the Bible. Romans 14:23 says, "Whatever is not of faith is sin." To doubt God is sin. James 4:17 says, "To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." First John 5:17 says, "All unrighteousness is sin." But the best and clearest definition of sin is right here in verse 4: sin is lawlessness. To live as if there were no law is to live as if there were no God. A Christian can't live that way because Christianity is about living in a relationship with God. John says Christians don't habitually practice sin because that would violate the very nature of God's law.
Don't ever underestimate sin. Whenever you or I sin, that constitutes open rebellion against God. God has standards. When you became a Christian, He didn't change them or lower them. You still have to obey His moral law, and He gives you the capacity to obey. Sin breaks that law we know so well. It rebels against the God we serve. And it denies that God even exists. Sin is practical atheism, and Christians are anything but atheists. Sin is totally inconsistent with the Christian's life. So John is saying that if certain people claim to be Christians, yet habitually sin, they aren't true believers.
B. The Delight of God's Law
As a Christian, I have submitted to God and His law both lovingly and willingly. My greatest joy is to obey Him and fulfill His will.
1. Scrutinized
a) Psalm 119
(1) Verse 1--"Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord." Characteristic of a believer's manner of life is his obedience to the law of the Lord.
(2) Verse 34--"Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart."
(3) Verse 44--"So shall I keep thy law continually forever and ever."
(4) Verse 51--"The proud have had me greatly in derision; yet have I not declined from thy law."
(5) Verse 55--"I have remembered thy name, O Lord, in the night, and have kept thy law."
(6) Verse 70--"Their heart is as fat as grease, but I delight in thy law."
(7) Verse 77--"Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live; for thy law is my delight."
(8) Verse 92--"Unless thy law had been my delight, I should then have perished in mine affliction."
(9) Verse 97--"Oh, how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day."
(10) Verse 113--"I hate vain thoughts, but thy law do I love."
(11) Verse 163--"I hate and abhor lying, but thy law do I love."
(12) Verse 174--"I have longed for thy salvation, O Lord, and thy law is my delight."
As far back as Old Testament times, it has been characteristic of a believer to love God's law.
b) Romans 6:16-18--"Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are whom ye obey" (v. 16). If you've yielded yourself to God, it's obvious that you're going to obey Him. Verse 17-18 say, "God be thanked, that whereas ye were the servants of sin, ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being, then, made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness." A Christian is a servant of righteousness who loves and delights in God's law.
c) Hebrews 8:10--"This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord: I will put my laws into their mind, write them in their hearts." The law of God becomes internal with the New Covenant (cf. Heb. 10:16).
d) Romans 7:15-16, 22-24--Here is a portrait of a Christian who loved the law of God. Verse 15 says, "That which I do I understand not; for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I." The apostle Paul had a problem: He didn't do the things he should do and wanted to do, but he did what he shouldn't do and didn't want to do. Even though there is the capacity for sin in our new nature as Christians, our desire is to obey the law of God. Verse 16 says, "If, then, I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good." He loved God's law; He wanted to fulfill it. Verses 22-24 say, "I delight in the law of God after the inward man; but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. Oh, wretched man that I am!"
That is a picture of a Christian struggling with sin. But what proves to me he is a Christian is his delight in the law of God. Christians are going to sin at times--they're going to do the things they don't want to do, and not do the things they want to do. But their delight will be in the law of God. As a result, they will never be characterized by perpetual sin, only occasional sin. The struggle will always be there. The Spirit gave Paul victory. Romans 8:4 says, "The righteousness of the law [will] be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." More than anything I want to fulfill God's law, but I can't do it on my own. Only the Holy Spirit can do it through me. In Romans 7 Paul shows us how he tried to fulfill the law on his own. In Romans 8 he shows us that we can fulfill the law only through the power of the Holy Spirit. As Christians we are called to fulfill God's law and are empowered to do so.
2. Simplified
a) Romans 13:8--"He that loveth another hath fulfilled the law." The objective of the Christian life is to obey God and fulfill His will.
b) Galatians 5:14--"All the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" (cf. James 2:8). That states the simplicity of fulfilling the law through love.
c) Galatians 6:2--"Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law."
As Christians we love God's law and delight in it. The desire of every believer is to fulfill God's law. If that is not your desire, you are not a Christian. That's not my opinion; that's what the Word of God says. To live as if there is no law and no God contradicts all that Christianity is. We have been saved to be righteous (1 Pet. 2:24; Eph. 2:10). When you were saved, you died to the dominion of sin and were made alive to the dominion of righteousness (Rom. 6). The believer loves God's law. Occasionally he violates it, even willfully, but not persistently and habitually.
In 1 John 3:4 John is telling the assembly that if they want to know who the true believers are, they need only find those who love and obey God's law. The false will stand out because they habitually practice sin. Romans 10:10 says, "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness." First John 2:29 says, "If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that everyone that doeth righteousness is born of him." A true believer is righteous--he obeys the law. The believer and sin are incompatible because sin is incompatible with the law of God.
II. SIN IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE WORK OF CHRIST (vv. 5-8)
A. Christ's Removal of Sin (v. 5)
"Ye know that he [Christ] was manifested to take away our sins, and in him is no sin."
To continue in sin is inconsistent with Christ's work because He came to take away our sins. If we did, that would make pointless His death on the cross!
John tells the believers that they knew one of the essential facts of Christianity: that God was manifest in the flesh to take away our sins. The Greek word translated "take away" is air[ma]o, which means "to remove by lifting." The same word is used in John 1:29 where John the Baptist said this regarding Christ: "Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world." How did Jesus do that? When He died on the cross, He bore our sins in His body. He lifted them off us and took them on Himself.
1. His success
Since it is an indisputable fact that the purpose of Christ's incarnation was to lift sin off us, John says, we therefore would not habitually do that which Christ has removed. Christ didn't say, "I died to remove sins. Unfortunately, it didn't work: people are continuing to habitually sin." Christ did remove sin. The minute you were saved, sin stopped being the dominant factor in your life and righteousness took its place. If that isn't true of you, then you're not a Christian.
a) Ephesians 5:25-27--"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it" (v. 25). Why did He give Himself for the church? Verse 26 says, "That he might sanctify and cleanse it ... 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.
b) Titus 2:14--Christ "gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a people of his own, zealous of good works."
Christ came to cleanse us and remove our sin, and that is precisely what He did. Can we habitually do the very thing He came to eliminate? No!
2. His sinlessness
John adds "in him is no sin" to verse 5 just to make sure you don't think that when Christ took your sin, He kept it. Christ is absolutely sinless. As such He was the perfect sacrifice for the sins of others. Second Corinthians 5:21 says, "He hath made him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." Christians and sin don't mix. Occasionally we sin because we still live in the flesh. But when we were saved, the death of Christ on the cross removed our sin. As a result, we live righteously with occasional sin rather than living sinfully with no occasional righteousness.
B. Christ's Union with Believers (vv. 6-7)
"Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not; whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous."
1. The righteousness of believers
If you have been joined to Christ and are abiding in Him, you're not going to sin. You will be righteous like Him. Our union with Christ means we must exhibit His righteous life.
a) Illustrated
(1) The resurrection to new life
In Romans 5:20 the apostle Paul says, "Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." Then he asked this question: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer in it?" (Rom. 6:1- 2). As a Christian you can't habitually commit sin because you died to it. Paul then said, "As many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death. Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death, that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection; knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin" (vv. 3-7). Once you have died, sin has done all it can do to you. Romans 6:23 says, "The wages of sin is death." After you died, sin had no claim on you. When did you die? With Christ on the cross. You also rose with Him at His resurrection. Your union with Christ is the death of your old life and the resurrection of your new life.
(2) The result of new life
Romans 6:11-12 says, "Likewise, reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Let not sin, therefore, reign in your mortal body." Verse 13 tells us we shouldn't yield our body to sin. Then verse 14 says, "For sin shall not have dominion over you." You are now a servant of God; righteousness rules your life. Since we are one with Christ and He is righteous, the character of our lives is going to be predominantly righteous.
b) Illuminated
When John said, "Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not" (1 John 3:6), he was referring to those who are saved. Whoever is saved does not habitually practice sin. That would be a violation of his union with Christ. It would be ridiculous for Christ to unite sinners to himself and not do one thing to make them righteous. John also says, "Whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him" (v. 6). The Greek word translated know is gin[ma]osko, which means "experiential knowledge." People may claim to be Christian, but if they habitually commit sin, they obviously don't know God.
2. A reminder of the deception
Verse 7 says, "Little children, let no man deceive you." Believers were being deceived, and that was why the letter was written. The Greek word translated "deceive" is plana[ma]o, which means "to lead astray." The heretics tried to convince the believers that they could sin all they wanted without harming their spirit. So John replied, "He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he [Christ] is righteous" (v. 7).
C. Christ's Destruction of Satan (v. 8)
"He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil."
Someday Christ will destroy the devil himself, but He came primarily to destroy the devil's works. What are the works of the devil? Sin of every kind. Since Christ died on the cross to destroy sin, righteousness has replaced sin in the life of a believer.
1. The source of sin
John is saying whoever makes a practice of sin is of the devil. The Greek word translated "of" in verse 8 is ek, which means "out of." The devil is the source of sin. There are only two kinds of children in this world: the children of God and the children of the devil. Those who practice righteousness are the children of God; those who practice sin are the children of the devil. In John 8:44 Jesus tells the Pharisees, "Ye are of your father the devil." If you are habitually committing sin, you are following the devil. And Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil.
2. The scope of destruction
a) Satan's works
Satan tempts others to sin, persecutes the church, accuses the brethren, sends false teachers, plants evil thoughts, enters into people, and rules the world. Christ came to destroy those things. The first thing He did was destroy the power of the devil in the life of the Christian. First John 4:4 says, "Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." Now it may seem like Satan is still having his way, but not as much as he did before we were saved. We are lost causes to him.
The Greek word translated "destroy" is lu[ma]o, which means "to loosen," "to undo" or "to remove." Satan's diabolical works were like chains around us. When Christ came, He threw off the chains and freed us from sin.
b) Satan's life
Hebrews 2:14 says, "Forasmuch, then, as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same, that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." Christ destroys not only the works of the devil, but also the devil himself. Revelation 20:2-3, 10, 15 picture the destruction of Satan in the future. Ultimately, Satan will be totally destroyed.
Since Christ came to remove sin, unite us with Himself in His righteousness, and undo the works of the devil, for a believer to habitually practice sin would render the entire work of Christ null and void. The Christian cannot habitually sin because it is incompatible with the law of God and the work of Christ.
III. SIN IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE MINISTRY OF THE SPIRIT (v. 9)
"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."
A. The Acquisition of the Seed
Salvation involves the acquisition of a seed that remains. When you were saved, the seed of divine life--the life of God Himself-- was planted in your life. I became a son of God because I was born of God and my life is now the life of God. I am now living eternal life, which is a quality of life. Sin can no longer be the habit of such a life.
B. The Work of the Spirit
The Bible teaches that our supernatural birth is the special work of the Holy Spirit. John 3:5 says a man is converted when he is born of the Spirit, whose special work is to generate and regenerate. When God created the heavens and the earth, they were without form and void. Genesis 1:2 says, "The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." The Hebrew word translated "moved" (rachaph) is used in Deuteronomy 32:11 to describe an eagle that flutters over her young before she nudges them out of the nest to make them fly. The Spirit of God takes what is there and forces life into it. He broods over it, flutters over it, and generates life into it. As He generated in Genesis, so He regenerates the life of a believer. Second Corinthians 5:17 says, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation." That's why I'm not comfortable about the old man/new man concept. You don't keep the old man and have a new man added to it. I don't see this as an addition; I see it as a new life.
1. 1 Peter 1:22-23--"Ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit ... being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God." The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to implant the seed of God.
2. 2 Peter 1:3-4--"His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue; by which are given unto us exceedingly great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature."
Since believers have a new life, they cannot habitually sin because they are born of God. We are all new creatures!
CONCLUSION
In 1 John 3:10 John sums up his thoughts: "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother." I don't care what anyone claims--if they are not righteous, they are not Christians. A Christian habitually practices righteousness, but occasionally sins; he doesn't habitually sin, but occasionally does something right.
Sin is incompatible with the law of God, the work of Christ, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. When I think about that, sin becomes all the more rotten in my life. Even occasional sin isn't right. It is said that in the 1940s the King of England received a fancy copy of the London Daily Mail, the famous London newspaper. Every day he received the first copy run on the press on the most expensive paper. A London reporter explained why this happened. He said, "Lord Rothermere wanted to boast that his paper was absolutely errorless. He offered bonuses, prizes, rewards, and various other inducements, including firing the one who made the errors. Nothing resulted in one hundred percent accuracy. Then he had an idea. He called his staff together and said, `Gentlemen, hereafter we will print the first copy of the Mail on special paper and send it to His Majesty, the King. That will be the royal copy and the one and a half million other copies will be exactly like it, except for the printing paper.' The errors dropped ninety percent from then on." It was for the King. Similarly, your life and my life are to be lived for the King. We must live our lives as near to perfection as we can.
Focusing on the Facts
1. What two parts of John's moral test are in 1 John 3:10?
2. What did the Gnostics believe about sin?
3. What are the two critical statements in 1 John 3:4-10? Why are they critical?
4. What are the six explanations offered for the meaning of those two critical statements? Which is best and why?
5. Why are Christians unable to habitually practice sin?
6. What is the meaning of anomia as John uses it in 1 John 3:4?
7. Give some definitions of sin.
8. What should be the greatest joy for a Christian? Cite some verses that express that joy.
9. What simplifies fulfilling the law?
10. What is one of the essential facts of Christianity (see 1 John 3:5)? What effect does that have on the believer's behavior?
11. Why was Christ the perfect sacrifice (1 John 3:5)?
12. What kind of life will the believer live as a result of his union with Christ?
13. What reminder did John issue to believers in 1 John 3:7?
14. What are the works of the devil?
15. What is the source of those who habitually practice sin?
16. When people are saved, what is planted in them? What is the result?
Pondering the Principles
1. Is there any habitual sin in your life? Examine carefully your walk with God. Isolate occasional sin from any sin you find has become repetitive. Why has this sin become a habit? Do you really want to eliminate this sin from your life? Are you taking it seriously enough? You need to make a commitment to say no to this sin. Ask God for guidance in eliminating it from your life.
2. How much do you delight in God's law? What actions on your part manifest your love for God's law? Can unbelievers see your joy in God's Word through those actions? If not, what changes in attitude do you need to make that will result in right actions?
3. If you are a believer, Christ has removed your sin, united you with Himself, and destroyed the works of Satan. How should that affect the way you live? Do you live as if those facts are true? Read 1 John 3:5-8. Meditate on those verses. Thank Christ for His work on your behalf.