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A Definition of Sin (1 John 3:4)
The false teachings that John confronted in these letters may have stressed the present blessing of salvation but may have ignored the importance of living pure lives. The false teachers may not have worried about the problem of sin or its consequences. Therefore, John emphasizes that our future is dependent on how we live now. This has nothing to do with righteousness by works. We are saved by grace alone, but our lives must reflect that we are saved. So, John, after having called Christians to purify themselves, goes on to show what that means.
In Scripture sin is described as missing the mark, falsehood, deliberate violation of God's standard of truth, revolt, wickedness, disobedience, transgression, trespass, lawlessness, and unrighteousness.
In 1 John 3:4 sin is defined as "lawlessness" (NIV). John later in 1 John 3:11-20 relates the story of Cain, who murdered his brother, a clear example of "lawlessness." Then in verses 22 and 24 of the same chapter he refers to the commandments and the necessity to keep them.
Besides the legal implications of the term, lawlessness reminds us of the "man of lawlessness" in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 (NIV), the antichrist par excellence, and the climax of his activity just prior to the Second Coming. This lawlessness is exhibited by the antichrists in 1 John, who flagrantly rebel against God and align themselves with Satan. Church members are indirectly warned in 1 John 3:4 to renounce such an attitude and all sin. It's one of the great ironies of the Christian world today that many of the same preachers who rail against sin continue to make the claim that God's law has been abolished because we are now under grace. What a horrible distortion of what grace is all about!
What's your "favorite" sin? That is, what sin do you find yourself continually indulging in? What are the ways in which you justify it in your mind? How much less sinful does it seem with each passing year? When are you going to wake up and realize that sooner or later, unless you claim God's power to overcome it, it will destroy you?
The false teachings that John confronted in these letters may have stressed the present blessing of salvation but may have ignored the importance of living pure lives. The false teachers may not have worried about the problem of sin or its consequences. Therefore, John emphasizes that our future is dependent on how we live now. This has nothing to do with righteousness by works. We are saved by grace alone, but our lives must reflect that we are saved. So, John, after having called Christians to purify themselves, goes on to show what that means.
In Scripture sin is described as missing the mark, falsehood, deliberate violation of God's standard of truth, revolt, wickedness, disobedience, transgression, trespass, lawlessness, and unrighteousness.
In 1 John 3:4 sin is defined as "lawlessness" (NIV). John later in 1 John 3:11-20 relates the story of Cain, who murdered his brother, a clear example of "lawlessness." Then in verses 22 and 24 of the same chapter he refers to the commandments and the necessity to keep them.
Besides the legal implications of the term, lawlessness reminds us of the "man of lawlessness" in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 (NIV), the antichrist par excellence, and the climax of his activity just prior to the Second Coming. This lawlessness is exhibited by the antichrists in 1 John, who flagrantly rebel against God and align themselves with Satan. Church members are indirectly warned in 1 John 3:4 to renounce such an attitude and all sin. It's one of the great ironies of the Christian world today that many of the same preachers who rail against sin continue to make the claim that God's law has been abolished because we are now under grace. What a horrible distortion of what grace is all about!
What's your "favorite" sin? That is, what sin do you find yourself continually indulging in? What are the ways in which you justify it in your mind? How much less sinful does it seem with each passing year? When are you going to wake up and realize that sooner or later, unless you claim God's power to overcome it, it will destroy you?
God Bless! Ma Betty