"8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
---Is the truth in you?
---Have you made Christ a liar?"
"And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. 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. He that commiteth sin IS OF THE DEVIL; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the son of man was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 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." - I John 3:5-9
The unrighteous self-righteous will tell you that I John 1:8 is referring to the
saved, when no mention of the saved exists in that passage. However, when the saved are
explicitly mentioned in I John 3:9, and they are explicitly stated as to not being able to commit sin, the unrighteous self-righteous cannot
receive it, because they lack the
faith in which to do so.
As I have pointed out in the past, but which was never answered by such types, if I John 1:8-10 is referring to the saved, and not the
world in general, then how could the saved
ever say that they have not sinned, as stated in I John 1:10, seeing how one only comes to Christ because one has admitted they are sinners in need of salvation?
There will be no answer to this, but only the continual repeat of I John 1:8, and the
private interpretations of those who are unable to believe God, and thus try to put others under their unbelieving yoke.
The truth is that indeed the saved do not sin, even if they commit the same
outward act that is imputed unto the unsaved as a sin, because sin is more than just the committing of an outward act, sin is the
entire manifestation of
intent,
thought, and
action. It takes all three of those to be done in a sinful way in order for something to be a
sin; but the unlearned do not understand this.
The saved have not the sinful
intents of the unsaved, and their hearts are forever born of the Holy Spirit, and that seed of the Holy Spirit will never leave the saved. They may commit the same outward act as the unsaved, on occasion, but it is not imputed unto them as a "sin," or at least as not a "sin unto death." They may be
chastened by the Lord for such a thing, but they will not be
judged, for there is no condemnation unto the saved.
The problem with many unlearned babes in Christ and others is that they just have not spent much time understanding what sin is in its entirety. They can easily believe the Bible when it mentions men are sinners, but they are not able to believe the same Bible when it says that the saved are not sinners. For, one requires
faith, and the other only requires the ability to "see" the "obvious."
The saved are just that - saved - and they have the same heart they will have in heaven. And the saved do not sin in heaven, either.
The Bible says that if we were to sin after we were saved, that there would remain no more sacrifice for our sins, but only eternal damnation:
"For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, THERE REMAINETH NO MORE SACRIFICE FOR SINS, BUT A CERTAIN FEARFUL LOOKING FOR OF JUDGMENT AND FIERY INDIGNATION, WHICH SHALL DEVOUR THE ADVERSARIES." - Hebrews 10:26&27
Therefore the theology of the legalists is seriously flawed, yet they will ignore this and still harden their hearts and go stubbornly on their way into their self-righteousness.
Christ did it all. He gives us free eternal life just as God gave us free eternal life in the garden of Eden. There is no struggle to obtain it, there is only the struggle to
believe it.
The self-righteous love their religiosity. They think they are "suffering for Jesus," hoping they will do enough to obtain eternal life. They think of themselves as teachers of the blind, trying to teach to others what they do not really do themselves. They do not interpret the Bible properly, because they interpret it through their own, natural understanding, not through the Spirit of the author who wrote it. And because of this they stumble; as God has
hidden his interpretations from all men,
until they believe.
When one believes without wavering, one will wait upon the sure foundation of
grace for
God's interpretation, and one will indeed be blessed in his/her deeds. However, while God blesses them, the children of the bondwoman will persecute them, thinking they are doing God a service.
Let the wind blow.
God bless.
[ August 24, 2002, 12:08 AM: Message edited by: Ruht ]
