4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins: and in him is no sin. 6 Whosoever abdieth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. 7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin: for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
Looking first at verse 7, let us consider its application in light of Philippians 3:9, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.
It is clear that there are two types of rightousness in scripture: the righteousness which is of the law and that which is by faith in Jesus Christ. So, when it says in verse 7 of our passage, he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous, what does it mean? How does one do the righteousness of faith?
2 Corinthians 5:7 says, (For we walk by faith, not by sight: )
And Romans 4:12 says, And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had yet being uncircumcised.
Without going into more detail of what the steps of Abraham's faith were, suffice it to say that there is a walk associated with faith, there are actions that result from a living faith, as we walk in those steps.
So another definition of sin than the one given in our passage (the transgression of the law--verse 4) might be, what we find in Romans 14:23, And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
And if whatsoever is not of faith is sin, then whatsoever is of faith is not sin; and therefore the key to walking in righteousness would be to do everything in faith. How? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17.
But what of the first definition given of sin, found in our primary passage? it is said that sin is the transgression of the law.
Nevertheless according to Romans 4:15, where there is no law there is no transgression, and according to Romans 6:14, Romans 7:4, Galatians 2:19, and Romans 7:6, we as believers are not under the law, are dead to the law, and are delivered from the law. Can we therefore sin? According to 1 John 3:9 the one who is born of God cannot sin; I submit to you the idea that this is because he is delivered from the law and therefore to him it is as if there is no law, and according to Romans 4:15 this would mean that the Christian cannot transgress the law and therefore cannot sin.
Nevertheless if you look carefully at the passage, you will surely see that much of it is speaking of practical sin. So can we really say that I can go ahead and sin and it won't really be a sin because I am not under the law? Or is there a certain sense in which 1 John 3:4-9 is speaking of how Jesus will deal with your sins practically, by removing the practice of them from your life, by setting you free from the hold that they may have upon your life?
I believe that if you can first understand that you are forgiven, and that therefore the law does not apply to you in condemnation, and no longer has even the power to call you a sinner if you are in Christ; that from that point of view there can be a certain leaving of those things which the law calls sin, for the fact that as one in Christ you are spiritually minded and not because you are bound by the requirement to keep it.
Being set free from the requirement has its way of setting one free of the things that the requirement is against: if you study it out in Romans 7 I believe you will see that to be set free from the law is to be set free from the sin that the law exposes, even in the practical sense, even as it is written, For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
The righteousness of faith translates into the righteousness of the law being fulfilled in us, because we walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. See Romans 8:3-4.
Therefore if we walk according to faith 24/7, I most certainy believe that we will also not be sinning according to the same time spectrum.
Somewhere in the Psalms it is written concerning the wicked that "God is not in all his thoughts." Therefore to have faith in my heart is to have God always in my thoughts. If I put the thought of what I am going to get at the grocery store on the frontburner of my thoughts, I need to make sure that the though of God is still simmering on the backburner. This is faith: a 24/7 relationship with Jesus Christ where He is never out of sight but the thought of Him is always on the stove burning somewhere, whether on the frontburner, (as when we are in church worshipping Him or hearing His word) or on the backburner (as when we are consciously aware of His presence in the mundane, everyday detalis of life).
Looking first at verse 7, let us consider its application in light of Philippians 3:9, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.
It is clear that there are two types of rightousness in scripture: the righteousness which is of the law and that which is by faith in Jesus Christ. So, when it says in verse 7 of our passage, he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous, what does it mean? How does one do the righteousness of faith?
2 Corinthians 5:7 says, (For we walk by faith, not by sight: )
And Romans 4:12 says, And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had yet being uncircumcised.
Without going into more detail of what the steps of Abraham's faith were, suffice it to say that there is a walk associated with faith, there are actions that result from a living faith, as we walk in those steps.
So another definition of sin than the one given in our passage (the transgression of the law--verse 4) might be, what we find in Romans 14:23, And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
And if whatsoever is not of faith is sin, then whatsoever is of faith is not sin; and therefore the key to walking in righteousness would be to do everything in faith. How? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17.
But what of the first definition given of sin, found in our primary passage? it is said that sin is the transgression of the law.
Nevertheless according to Romans 4:15, where there is no law there is no transgression, and according to Romans 6:14, Romans 7:4, Galatians 2:19, and Romans 7:6, we as believers are not under the law, are dead to the law, and are delivered from the law. Can we therefore sin? According to 1 John 3:9 the one who is born of God cannot sin; I submit to you the idea that this is because he is delivered from the law and therefore to him it is as if there is no law, and according to Romans 4:15 this would mean that the Christian cannot transgress the law and therefore cannot sin.
Nevertheless if you look carefully at the passage, you will surely see that much of it is speaking of practical sin. So can we really say that I can go ahead and sin and it won't really be a sin because I am not under the law? Or is there a certain sense in which 1 John 3:4-9 is speaking of how Jesus will deal with your sins practically, by removing the practice of them from your life, by setting you free from the hold that they may have upon your life?
I believe that if you can first understand that you are forgiven, and that therefore the law does not apply to you in condemnation, and no longer has even the power to call you a sinner if you are in Christ; that from that point of view there can be a certain leaving of those things which the law calls sin, for the fact that as one in Christ you are spiritually minded and not because you are bound by the requirement to keep it.
Being set free from the requirement has its way of setting one free of the things that the requirement is against: if you study it out in Romans 7 I believe you will see that to be set free from the law is to be set free from the sin that the law exposes, even in the practical sense, even as it is written, For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
The righteousness of faith translates into the righteousness of the law being fulfilled in us, because we walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. See Romans 8:3-4.
Therefore if we walk according to faith 24/7, I most certainy believe that we will also not be sinning according to the same time spectrum.
Somewhere in the Psalms it is written concerning the wicked that "God is not in all his thoughts." Therefore to have faith in my heart is to have God always in my thoughts. If I put the thought of what I am going to get at the grocery store on the frontburner of my thoughts, I need to make sure that the though of God is still simmering on the backburner. This is faith: a 24/7 relationship with Jesus Christ where He is never out of sight but the thought of Him is always on the stove burning somewhere, whether on the frontburner, (as when we are in church worshipping Him or hearing His word) or on the backburner (as when we are consciously aware of His presence in the mundane, everyday detalis of life).
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