Jesus Overcomes Lawlessness

DAILY READING

1 John 3:4-6

REFLECTION

Christians Don’t Sin?

by Dan Kidd

On occasion, when reading our Bibles, we encounter passages that stand out for their audacity. This is one such passage, “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.” In this case, there’s an audacity to state something that seems so contrary to evidence. Read as it’s stated, are we meant to believe that sinfulness ceases for the Christian once they begin living in Christ? Does that confession match our lived experience? Do the Christians around you live with perfect sinlessness? And when we sin, should this verse call into question whether we live in Christ? 

Additionally, if those abiding in Christ are distinct from those who sin, does that mean my righteousness causes my abiding in Christ, and my sinfulness a departure from the Way?

This verse has been interpreted into English a number of ways—the NASB translates, “No one who remains in Him sins continually…” the Message, “No one who lives deeply in Christ makes a practice of sin.” While I think there is likely some merit to this idea, I wonder if these qualifiers actually resolve these problems? Is it true that after some period of time walking in step with Jesus on his Way will mark the end of the patterns of sins we cycled in our lives prior to our discipleship? All of them? And perfectly?

And what of those of us who have been raised as lifelong disciples of Jesus but who have found ourselves trapped in cycles of sinfulness that shame us, draw us to the feet of the cross in confession, and then we find ourselves revisited by these sins? Or, put another way, in our devotion to God, we agree to the aim for the mark he created for us, but try as we may, and even with his abundant, patient, good, and gentle help, we still miss that mark—in some seasons missing the mark on more occasion than we hit it.

Do these phenomena mean we are not abiding in Christ? 

Perhaps this verse isn’t trying to say that? Maybe something like it—a shade of that—but not that exactly. 

Might it be that John is reinforcing an important reality about what Jesus does in the lives of those who abide in him (and in whom he abides); that he transforms and liberates sinners out of their old, put-to-death-selves into his saints? Of course, this is not permission to continue to choose to participate in our sinfulness. This verse should not say less than: “when you find yourself with the conscious choice between obedience and lawlessness, choose to be obedient.” Because that is the Way of those who abide in Christ. But this verse, rather than being only a directive to be followed, is also an invitation to notice and celebrate the transformation being done in us—were it not for the gift of Jesus’ path, we would be destined to a life where the shackles of sin would bind us forever. Instead, we can confess our gratitude to Jesus who has brought us to new, abundant, and transforming life.

PRAYER PRACTICE 

Because of Christ, we can pray this: Thank you, Jesus, that you have defeated sin and death! Thank you that you liberate us from captivity and set us to right again. And continue to show us how you are leading us, growing us, and re-creating us.