How much of a "sinner" are we really?

“Whosoever is begotten of God doeth no sin, because his seed abideth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is begotten of God.” (1 John 3:9)

 

What’s begotten mean

 

Thank you.

22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members. Ro 7

He's peaking in the present tense, born from above Christian, not as an unregenerate Jew, This is the very conflict he describes in Gal 5.

 

Paul delighted in them, big problem was what he wanted to do by His own efforts went zip, and he needed to rely upon the Holy Spirit!

 

I don't make Paul out to be bad; Paul makes himself out to be bad.

I do not get the impression that you have much experience of battle with sin. And that is not a good thing; it's a bad thing. Remember that the heart is not only desperately wicked, but also deceitful above all things. It simply isn't as easy as just walking in the Spirit and you're all sorted out. 'For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary to one another so that you do not do the things that you wish' (Galatians 5:17).

The battle against sin is lifelong, and it is one of (metaphorically) cutting off right hands and plucking out right eyes; of fleeing all forms of sexual immorality (1 Timothy 2:22), of daily repentance and constant watchfulness (1 Peter 5:8). But it is also one of great joy because, if we really desire to live holy lives for God, we are already more than conquerors through Him who loved us, 'for sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace' (Romans 6:14).

Read Holiness by J.C. Ryle. Wonderful book!

 

Do remember that the same John who wrote 1 John 3:9 also wrote 1 John 1:8-10.

 

Thanks Brother Robert I really appreciate it!... Brother Glen

 

I not only say I sin, I sometimes like it,

 

Paul wanted to live for Jesus after he was saved, Romans 7, failed, and chapter 8 was when God revealed to him how it was to be done...

 

Either John was confused, or else our Brother misunderstands this issue...

 

I wouldn't tend to hold up Trump as an example to an aspiring Christian. The reason I quoted the 1689 was because you seemed to think that 1689Dave might be following it. He doesn't.

 

Just so. But those who are born again do delight in God's abiding moral law and seek to keep it, not in order to be saved but because they are saved.

 

I really don’t aspire to be a Christian, I never asked to be but alas it happened. Now as you may have noticed, trump is the darling of the evangelicals—- he could do no wrong in their eyes. Rudeness and unscrupulously cavalear as he is, he does manage to shake up the government which is a good thing I suppose. No matter how contemptible and conscienceless the guy is these evangelicals throng to him as if he was the new Messiah. And if that’s the attitude, then count me off the American Evangelicals rolls, I don’t want to be a part of it. But what I do want to do is make much more money. My wife’s walk with cancer has taught me a few valuable lessons, mainly to take one day at a time, enjoy life more, make sure I plan both our last days and provide something for the future generation... so to do that I must concentrate on making more money. Some of this money may not be ... well you know. It won’t be outright crooked but close to the wire. Anyway that’s how I plan to support my family. And as I’ve said before money as the scripture has remarked is the answer to all things... I need to focus on obtaining much more of it.

 

The appetite grows with the eating. Read Ecclesiastes 5:10 and 1 Timothy 6:6-10.

 

The Mounce interlinear for 1 John 3:9 reads:

No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, because God's seed abides in him. He cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.

It would seem to be an unrepentant sin that continues on and on. I cannot be sure, though, since I do not know Greek well at all.

That sad, going with Mounce, the context for 1 John 3:7-10 seems to indicate that believers are those who want to do the right thing and not the wrong thing, as defined by God's Law. They have the enabling of the Holy Spirit to make righteousness the norm of their behavior and not sin, which seems to be an aberration to the norm.

I know this is magically true for me since two years ago. I have sinned boldly at times, but almost always in ignorance that I was sinning at all. I have always repented in the end for my bold sins, since I want a good relationship with God. The secret for me has been the fear of Lord, which is what gives me my diligence. It seems the direction of my life has been and is towards less sin than more sin. I cannot be sure, as I don't really know Greek, but this may be what the scriptures are talking of.

 

You missed it... all the finer points. But you are on an American Baptist forum and you are a Sais / Brit which must separate you from a deeply devided and traumatized United States.

Plus you have been attacked, both you and your fellow UK countrymen for your countries socialist leanings which most of us American conservatives don’t want taking root here.

See we American citizens, for the most part, are not content people. Money is the lubercant to fund our success so we value it. Scripture does as well but warns against idle worshiping it... I get that. So I’m going to pursue it for both enhancing my life style, my families lifestyle, paying doctors bills and mostly living a God Given freedom perhaps not known in Europe.

 

That is correct. The Present Tense in Greek tends to mean continuity. 'No one born of God goes on sinning.....' A Christian may fall into the most dreadful sin, as David did, but God will bring him out of it, often in a very uncomfortable way (c.f. Hebrews 12:7). To put it another way, if one of His sheep becomes lost, the Good Shepherd will go and find it and bring it back to the flock. If that doesn't happen, the possibility has to be faced that the sheep is not of God's flock after all.

That is also correct. The fear of the Lord is usually presented as something very positive in Scripture (e.g. Job 28:28; Acts 9:31).

 

I agree, but with some qualifications. Christ abolished the Old Covenant (Ten Commandments) replacing it with the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31–33; Hebrews 8:8–9:1). But the New Covenant imports much of it, except the Sabbath, for our instruction and commentary. Those who use it in this setting live in harmony with it because of the New Birth. Just as Abraham, Abel, Job and others lived in harmony with it before God gave it to Moses and the Israelites.

 

This is why we battle the flesh all day long. Not letting temptation (not sin) cause us to sin (real sin).