What is the meaning of 1 John 3:6?
As Christians we struggle with our remaining sins and need the Holy Spirit’s help in overcoming our struggles, (Romans 7:15-26) 1 John 3:6 seems to say Christians no longer sin. Which is it?
1 John 3:6
ESV - 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
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Shirley H
Supporter
This is all choice. Every minute of every day, we choose who we follow. A believer who abides in Christ will sin because he is human. However, the choice is to keep your eyes on Him, and not on the temptation. Turning to Christ renders the devil powerless. Do not be deceived. The person who does right is righteous because of Christ in them. The person who commits sin is of the devil. How is it that you can waffle back and forth? Consider Peter. One minute he was Christ's cheerleader. Shortly after, Jesus told Peter, "Get behind me Satan.". Matthew 16:21-23 Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, " If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation." Christ is sinless. He came to remove sins. If we claim Him, and yet do not follow Him, our status as a child of God comes into question. Do we mirror Him, at least some of the time? 1 John 2:10: "He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no darkness in him." A wonderful world would be seeing darkness pass away, because True Light shines from all believers. Paul struggled with this, too. We live in a fallen world with a sin nature within us. Romans 7:13-25 Only Christ can render the devil powerless. Remember the warning to Peter in Matthew 26:31-35, and continue to verses 69-75! This man was Christ's companion on earth! Abide in Christ. In him there is no darkness.
Donna Williams
Supporter
Dear Anonymous, allow me to say that these two passages are not contradicting one another. In Romans 7, the Apostle Paul is teaching about the struggle against sin as you have already stated. It's the war between the flesh and the Spirit. He states that he wants (desires) to do what is right, but doesn't have the ability to do so. He's talking about not having the ability to keep the law apart from the Spirit, and being a slave to sin. Trying to keep the law stirs up the evil desires of the flesh (sinful nature), and brings forth death. It is only through the Spirit that living a righteous life is possible. Now as it pertains to 1John 3:6, in context of this verse, the Apostle John is teaching about being deceived, and how to avoid it by knowing the difference between those who are abiding in Christ and those who are not. Abiding in Christ will produce righteous behavior, and not abiding in Him will produce unrighteous behavior. There were false teachers and prophets among the disciples, such as it is today. These are the things that Jesus warned about in Matthew 24. Jesus also taught the disciples in Matthew 7:15-23 about false prophets, and how to discern them by their fruits, which has to do with their actions.
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