Complementary to living a Christ-abiding life is living a life of
purity. Sin is the opposite of purity and it is diametrically opposite to God’s
nature. Here John tells us that sin is lawlessness. This word “lawlessness”
carries with it a sense of wickedness. Hence, anyone who sins practices
lawlessness or wickedness. John wanted to refute the Gnostic’s flippant view of
sin. They promote licentiousness. Their idea that the spirit is always good and
cannot be evil, and matter is always evil and cannot be good, so why care about
the body? No matter what one does, the spirit cannot be corrupted, and no
matter what one doesn’t do, the body cannot be good. Thus, it reasons that it
is alright to live a self or flesh-gratifying life. John reminds us that so
serious is this whole issue of sin that it required the Incarnate Son of God to
come and remove it. John wanted to highlight two facts: Sin is a serious matter
and Jesus is totally sinless.
Verse 6 presents a little difficulty. It seems to suggest that
Christians do not sin and this contradicts what he said in chapters one and
two. This verse is best seen in this way. When a believer walks in close
fellowship with God, and continually abiding in Him, he would not want to do
anything to resist God's law or will for his life. For he knows that the moment
he falls and sins, his fellowship with God will be interrupted. The sense of
intimacy with God would be affected. It will hurt us more to realize how we
have grieved His heart.
What John is saying in verses 4-10 is this: no one who continuously
lives a self-seeking, self-indulgent sinful life can claim to belong to God.
For God would never induce a person to sin, just like the devil can never
induce a person to do what’s right. Hence, the conduct of a person would reveal
whether he is on God’s or the devil’s side. Suffice to say that the children of
God should take a serious view of sin and not live a sin-indulgent life.
Let’s live consciously with the presence of God in view. Be fully
aware of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. Being conscious of His presence in
our lives will definitely motivate us to walk circumspectly. As we seize every moment
to redeem the opportunity for God to get us ready to witness for Him, He will
enable us to live for His glory!
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