In today’s world where there is so much fake news and so many false narratives, we are discovering in just five chapters, some of the clearest proofs of whether someone is or is not a genuine disciple of Jesus. For someone known as the apostle of love, John is very direct. And today we look at some other hard-hitting teachings of John that will leave us in no doubt as to whether someone is a real Christian. John writes that a real Christian won’t keep sinning (1 John 3:6,9-10).
Now many people are confused about this word sin, but the Bible teaches that everyone has sinned in some way. We have all done wrong and become separated from God. And because of our sins Jesus needed to die on the Cross so that we can be forgiven for our sins and live a new life of purity after we have turned from our sins.
Of course, a Christian may fail and sin, but a real Christian cannot continue to deliberately pursue a life of sin. Once we are forgiven, we are to live differently to the sinful life we lived before (John 8:10-11). Jesus, like his disciple John, was very clear: a real Christian leaves the old life of sin to live a new life.
A real Christian cannot follow God and the devil. There is no middle way (1 John 3:7-8). In other words, it is not possible to live with one foot in the kingdom of God and one in the devil’s kingdom. You can’t play with sin and expect God’s blessing.
In the Old Testament we read about one great man who had the anointing of God. He was blessed by God. He had great strength. In fact, he was the leader of his country for a while. His name was Samson. But he had a fatal weakness for women. He had sexual relationships with different women, who were certainly were not followers of God. Although they tempted him and betrayed him to his enemies, Samson kept on sinning. He thought God’s anointing would always get him out of trouble. But one day he discovered that his enemies conquered him because ‘he did not know that the Lord had left him’ (Judges 16:20). This has been described as one of the scariest verses in the bible. “He did not know that the Lord had left him.’
Whether younger or older you cannot presume on the mercy of God if you keep on sinning. Or as John says here: you can’t keep sinning. A real Christian not only has faith in Jesus but turns from their sin to pursue a life of purity. We see some core reasons from John’s epistle explaining why we can’t continue to sin.
1. We must not continue to sin because of the price Jesus paid to cleanse us from our sins (1 John 1:7; 1 John 2:1-2; Isaiah 53:5; Romans 5:8; Hebrews 10:26-27; Romans 6:1-2)
2. We must not continue to sin because God calls us to confess our sins (1 John 1:9).
3. We must not continue to sin because God wants to set us free from the power of sin (1 John 3:8)
4. We must not continue to sin because it is contrary to the new life that God has given us (1 John 3:9; Psalm 51:1-2,10-12; 1 John 5:18; 2 Peter 1:3).
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1. We must not continue to sin because of the price Jesus paid to cleanse us from our sins (1 John 1:7; 1 John 2:1-2). Never take for granted the sacrifice Jesus made because of His love for you. We should turn from sin because our salvation came at a price. That price was the blood of Jesus (Isaiah 53:5). Through His sacrifice on the cross, He paid the penalty for our sin. Our sinful behaviour that separated us from the holy, almighty God was paid in full by the blood of Jesus (Romans 5:8). To keep deliberately sinning is to devalue and disrespect what Jesus did on the cross and comes with a warning (Hebrews 10:26-27). Our appreciation of Christ’s death on the cross should mean that we die to sin (Romans 6:1-2).
2. We must not continue to sin because God calls us to confess our sins. Light and darkness cannot coexist. We must come out of the darkness and into God’s light and we do that when we bring our sins out into the light (1 John 1:9). Confession means that we get real with God and come into fellowship with God. So always confess any sin, that way you will stay in the light and live free from sin.
3. We must not continue to sin because God wants to set us free from the power of sin (1 John 3:8). Jesus doesn’t want His children to be held prisoner in any way. He doesn’t want you to live a life of guilt and condemnation. You don’t have to be a slave to anything: sexual sins, addictions, depression. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. And He wants you to keep living in freedom. He doesn’t want you to go back into the slave-world of sin.
4. We must not continue to sin because it is contrary to the new life that God has given us (1 John 3:9). What does this mean in real life? Well, if you are someone who says you have given their life to the Lord, you can’t continue to sleep with your boyfriend or girlfriend outside of marriage. Or if you’ve been stealing; you can't do that anymore. If you have been negative or bitter, spoken badly about others, you must change. You can’t hang out any longer with so called friends who have no time or respect for God. A true Christian knows that God has put a new nature within us. He has planted a seed of holiness. He has changed our DNA. When a sinner sins it is because that it the natural outcome of a sinful nature. When a Christian, sins it is against the new nature of a child of God. A Christian feels bad. A Christian knows this is against how they want to live. A Christian says like King David, ‘I have sinned, but I want to get back to living right’ (Psalm 51:1-2,10-12). That is the prayer of someone who has the heart of God. You don’t want to sin but if you do you want to put things right. Why? because you have the seed of God’s life in you. And you can be sure that God wants to help you and protect you in an unclean and dark world (1 John 5:18). In other words, the Devil is out to get you, but you CAN resist and overcome the Devil. He has given the Holy Spirit to strengthen you (2 Peter 1:3). Every day, instead of sinning more and more, you can conquer more and more. You can become more and more like Jesus. Like Moses who spent so much time in God’s presence, even your face can shine with the glory of God.
This then is one very clear way to spot a real Christian. If you are a real Christian, you will change from living a life of sin. You will confess your sins and be cleansed from your sins. You will decide to leave your old sinful way of life. You will learn to conquer sin. You will continue to grow in purity and have a longing to live a holy life. And you can be sure that the Holy Spirit will help you. What is the true state of your life and relationship with God? The religious like to appear that they’re living right but they’re not. So, what is the condition of your life? Have you been living in guilt? Have you been living a double life? Is there hidden sin? Today cry out for the spirit of God to help us and to give us the will to live a holy life.
