Sin is Lawlessness

1stcenturylady said:

I've read both of your posts, you and Jan. I really do not know what the conflict is about. Obedience to Christ is essential. We only have two commandments found in 1 John 3:23. It is not one or the other. We cannot love Jesus at the exclusion of our neighbor as ourselves, and obey all His commands, and we can't just do good works, and not believe in Jesus, to be saved. So what do you believe? I didn't get that from your post, only that you are against Jan. I'm confused.

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Both faith and works are required to be approved to inherit eternal life.

It is God's grace which saves us. It is God's grace which continues to save us. If we are still being saved by God's grace at the time of our death, we will then be approved to enter into eternal life.

Many Christians actually do deny their faith in Jesus by their disobedience to His commandments. If they do not repent of their disobedience before they die, they will not inherit eternal life.

Unrepentant evil-doing Christians believe in vain that they will inherit eternal life. They will not be approved to inherit eternal life. They are deceiving themselves. These evil-doing Christians are actually sons (and daughters) of disobedience and they will receive the wrath of God instead of eternal life.

Jan001 said:

Both faith and works are required to be approved to inherit eternal life.

It is God's grace which saves us. It is God's grace which continues to save us. If we are still being saved by God's grace at the time of our death, we will then be approved to enter into eternal life.

Many Christians actually do deny their faith in Jesus by their disobedience to His commandments. If they do not repent of their disobedience before they die, they will not inherit eternal life.

Titus 1:5-16
This is why I left you in Crete, that you might amend what was defective, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you, 6 if any man is blameless, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of being profligate or insubordinate. 7 For a bishop, as God’s steward, must be blameless; he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of goodness, master of himself, upright, holy, and self-controlled; 9 he must hold firm to the sure word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to confute those who contradict it. 10 For there are many insubordinate men (CHRISTIANS), empty talkers and deceivers, especially the circumcision party; 11 they must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for base gain what they have no right to teach. 12 One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, 14 instead of giving heed to Jewish myths or to commands of men who reject the truth. 15 To the pure all things are pure, but to the corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure; their very minds and consciences are corrupted. 16 They (these evil-doing Christians) profess to know God, but they deny him by their (evil) deeds; they are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good deed. rsv

1 Corinthians 15:1-2
Now I would remind you, brethren, in what terms I preached to you the gospel, which you received, in which you stand, 2 by which you are saved, if you hold it fast—unless you believed in vain. rsv
​

Unrepentant evil-doing Christians believe in vain that they will inherit eternal life. They will not be approved to inherit eternal life. They are deceiving themselves. These evil-doing Christians are actually sons (and daughters) of disobedience and they will receive the wrath of God instead of eternal life.

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Must you post the same judgmental spiel over and over and over? You are 110% wrong, no matter how many times you repeat yourself.

pescador said:

Must you post the same judgmental spiel over and over and over? You are 110% wrong, no matter how many times you repeat yourself.

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I still don't know what you believe that is different than what Jan believes. At least she spells out her beliefs, but all I hear from you are attacks against what she believes, but nothing about your own beliefs.

1stcenturylady said:

I still don't know what you believe that is different than what Jan believes. At least she spells out her beliefs, but all I hear from you are attacks against what she believes, but nothing about your own beliefs.

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I believe what the Bible clearly says. I have posted my beliefs earlier so I won't repost. Jan is 110% wrong when she says things like "Both faith and works are required to be approved to inherit eternal life. and "Many Christians actually do deny their faith in Jesus by their disobedience to His commandments. If they do not repent of their disobedience before they die, they will not inherit eternal life."

We are already approved by God when we accept his grace; works are not a requirement. We already have eternal life in Christ. We do NOT have to earn it. If Jan (and perhaps you too) doesn't understand the gospel there is nothing I can do about it except pray that your (plural) eyes will be opened.

pescador said:

I believe what the Bible clearly says. I have posted my beliefs earlier so I won't repost. Jan is 110% wrong when she says things like "Both faith and works are required to be approved to inherit eternal life. and "Many Christians actually do deny their faith in Jesus by their disobedience to His commandments. If they do not repent of their disobedience before they die, they will not inherit eternal life."

We are already approved by God when we accept his grace; works are not a requirement. We already have eternal life in Christ. We do NOT have to earn it. If Jan (and perhaps you too) doesn't understand the gospel there is nothing I can do about it except pray that your (plural) eyes will be opened.

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Just tell me this seeing as I'm not going to hunt through 11 pages of posts to find what you believe, and you are not willing to tell me, does 1 John 3:6 describe you, as this is what the Bible clearly says?

1stcenturylady said:

Just tell me this seeing as I'm not going to hunt through 11 pages of posts to find what you believe, and you are not willing to tell me, does 1 John 3:6 describe you, as this is what the Bible clearly says?

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Since you like taking single verses out of context, what does 1 John 3:9 say?

"No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God."

Taking a single verse out of context to prove doctrine is absurd. You have to understand why the letter was written, to whom, and under what circumstances. 1 John is particularly difficult, as he appears to contradict himself, even within the same paragraph (in modern bibles; the KJV has only verses). He is writing to different groups, so applying part of what he wrote to the wrong group often leads to error.

If you want to know the simplified version of what I believe... There are two covenants, one based on the law, the other based on the Spirit. The law defines what is right and what is wrong. It works through the mind only; the spirit is not affected. The second covenant produces an internal change so that behavior is produced from within by the Spirit, bypassing mental rules.

Here is one example. A number of years ago, a young couple was about to get married. They asked me -- I had been married for ten years -- "How do keep from being unfaithful?" My reply to them was "How do you keep from stealing?" The law says "do not steal". If you're guided by sin you think about stealing or not stealing; you fight against temptation. If you are guided by the Spirit, you don't think about it at all. There is no fight, you simply don't steal.

The Spirit produces a fundamental change in a person so that s/he isn't conflicted in their mind about right and wrong. Because they're a new creation doing what is right comes naturally because the Spirit guides them. There is none of the struggling that you and Jan deal with, striving to be obedient and condemning others. There is the peace of God -- shalom -- within, so that instead of being selfishly concerned with how you're performing, you peacefully love others as you love yourself.

Get it?

pescador said:

I believe what the Bible clearly says. I have posted my beliefs earlier so I won't repost. Jan is 110% wrong when she says things like "Both faith and works are required to be approved to inherit eternal life. and "Many Christians actually do deny their faith in Jesus by their disobedience to His commandments. If they do not repent of their disobedience before they die, they will not inherit eternal life."

We are already approved by God when we accept his grace; works are not a requirement. We already have eternal life in Christ. We do NOT have to earn it. If Jan (and perhaps you too) doesn't understand the gospel there is nothing I can do about it except pray that your (plural) eyes will be opened.

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Didn't someone post about the fruits of the Christian and explain what it means? I think Jan is calling the fruit of a Christian works. Like you said the nature of a person is changed when they become a Christian. A tree doesn't think about trying to produce fruit, it just naturally does.

pescador said:

Must you post the same judgmental spiel over and over and over? You are 110% wrong, no matter how many times you repeat yourself.

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Each and every person will reap what he sows.

If he produced good works/deeds (good fruit) while he was on earth, on judgment day he will then find his own place that is set aside for him among Jesus' righteous sheep.

If he produced evil works/deeds (evil fruit or no fruit) while he was on earth, on judgment day he will then find his place that is set aside for him among the reprobate goats.


God will not spare the unrepentant, evil-doing Christians. They will reap after death what they have sown on earth. They have sown corruption on earth and so they will reap corruption in hell.

pescador said:

Since you like taking single verses out of context, what does 1 John 3:9 say?

"No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God."

Taking a single verse out of context to prove doctrine is absurd. You have to understand why the letter was written, to whom, and under what circumstances. 1 John is particularly difficult, as he appears to contradict himself, even within the same paragraph (in modern bibles; the KJV has only verses). He is writing to different groups, so applying part of what he wrote to the wrong group often leads to error.

If you want to know the simplified version of what I believe... There are two covenants, one based on the law, the other based on the Spirit. The law defines what is right and what is wrong. It works through the mind only; the spirit is not affected. The second covenant produces an internal change so that behavior is produced from within by the Spirit, bypassing mental rules.

Here is one example. A number of years ago, a young couple was about to get married. They asked me -- I had been married for ten years -- "How do keep from being unfaithful?" My reply to them was "How do you keep from stealing?" The law says "do not steal". If you're guided by sin you think about stealing or not stealing; you fight against temptation. If you are guided by the Spirit, you don't think about it at all. There is no fight, you simply don't steal.

The Spirit produces a fundamental change in a person so that s/he isn't conflicted in their mind about right and wrong. Because they're a new creation doing what is right comes naturally because the Spirit guides them. There is none of the struggling that you and Jan deal with, striving to be obedient and condemning others. There is the peace of God -- shalom -- within, so that instead of being selfishly concerned with how you're performing, you peacefully love others as you love yourself.

Get it?

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Translation: People who truly love God choose to stop sinning against Him. They stop sinning against God. They choose to serve God and His righteousness instead of choosing to serve themselves.
Let's use the example of a married couple in this same sentence structure.

Why does he not commit adultery? He does not commit adultery because he chooses to not commit adultery.

Of course, in reality, he could also choose to commit adultery instead of choosing to remain faithful.


I do wish that my life was as simple as you say yours is. My spirit is continually battling against my fleshly desire to be selfish.

I have found that the "knowing" of what is right to do does not necessarily make the "doing" of what is right easy to do. I don't know any person besides you who has ever claimed that doing what is right just comes naturally to him.

As for myself, my spirit is in a continual battle with my flesh, the devil, and the world's influences and so I will continue to do as Peter and Paul have taught me to do, until I die.

I will keep wearing my armor and I will keep battling my flesh, the devil, and the world...until I die. And when I die, I hope to hear the following from the Lord Jesus:

pescador said:

The Spirit produces a fundamental change in a person so that s/he isn't conflicted in their mind about right and wrong. Because they're a new creation doing what is right comes naturally because the Spirit guides them. There is none of the struggling that you and Jan deal with, striving to be obedient and condemning others. There is the peace of God -- shalom -- within, so that instead of being selfishly concerned with how you're performing, you peacefully love others as you love yourself.

Get it?

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I don't think there is a conflict about knowing what is right and wrong for most circumstances.

The difficulty is in choosing to always do what is right (according to God's judgment) instead of choosing to do what pleases oneself.

Jan001 said:

I don't think there is a conflict about knowing what is right and wrong for most circumstances.

The difficulty is in choosing to always do what is right (according to God's judgment) instead of choosing to do what pleases oneself.

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If you're led by the Spirit there is no choice. You naturally act according to God's will. Paul wrote to the church in Rome, "So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. For when we were in the realm of the flesh the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code."

There is no need to struggle as nothing can be achieved by our own efforts. We are (present tense) guided by the Holy Spirit. Undoubtedly we will make mistakes because we aren't perfect, but God forgives us because we're still "children". There is no need to struggle with sin, fail, beg for forgiveness, and repent in an endless, self-incriminating cycle. When we have the Spirit there is an innate desire to do God's will, which is all he asks of us.

I think that you, 1stcenturylady, and others should stop being so hard on yourself. Those are passions aroused by the law, but we are dead to the law and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let the Spirit be your guide and rest from your own efforts. After all, that is what God wants.

Jan001, when you say regarding 1 John 3:9 ...

Let's use the example of a married couple in this same sentence structure.

No one who is married commits adultery and he cannot commit adultery because he is married to his spouse.
Why does he not commit adultery? He does not commit adultery because he chooses to not commit adultery.

Of course, in reality, he could also choose to commit adultery instead of choosing to remain faithful.

... you are entirely misunderstanding the principle involved.

It says that he cannot commit adultery if he truly loves his wife. I have been married for 48 years and I have never committed adultery. There was never any choice involved. I don't commit adultery because I love my wife so much that adultery never enters my mind. By God's Spirit I have never been tempted to cheat on my wife, whom God gave to me. I am motivated by love so I don't have to struggle with cheating on her; the thought never enters my mind. I cannot commit adultery.

pescador said:

If you're led by the Spirit there is no choice. You naturally act according to God's will. Paul wrote to the church in Rome, "So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. For when we were in the realm of the flesh the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code."

There is no need to struggle as nothing can be achieved by our own efforts. We are (present tense) guided by the Holy Spirit. Undoubtedly we will make mistakes because we aren't perfect, but God forgives us because we're still "children". There is no need to struggle with sin, fail, beg for forgiveness, and repent in an endless, self-incriminating cycle. When we have the Spirit there is an innate desire to do God's will, which is all he asks of us.

I think that you, 1stcenturylady, and others should stop being so hard on yourself. Those are passions aroused by the law, but we are dead to the law and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let the Spirit be your guide and rest from your own efforts. After all, that is what God wants.

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If we are truly, totally guided by the Spirit and responding to His guidance perfectly, we should be making no mistakes at all. I don't find myself being totally guided by the Holy Spirit and responding to His guidance perfectly in every situation. I do strive to do this, but I fail sometimes.

Most of the letters in the new testament contain warnings to the brethren for them to keep on the narrow road to heaven. These letters also show them the consequences of what will happen to them if they do not.

Christians are in a battle. Jesus wants us in heaven with Him for eternity. The devil wants us in hell with him for eternity.

Where we end up is determined by what we personally choose to do.

Obey God -- Inherit eternal life.
Disobey God -- Be condemned to hell.

It does not matter if a person was saved at one time in his life.
What matters is if he is still saved at the time of his death.

It is the person who endures/continues in obedience to God's commandments to the end of his life who will actually receive the crown of eternal life.

Jan001 said:

If we are truly, totally guided by the Spirit and responding to His guidance perfectly, we should be making no mistakes at all. I don't find myself being totally guided by the Holy Spirit and responding to His guidance perfectly in every situation. I do strive to do this, but I fail sometimes.

Most of the letters in the new testament contain warnings to the brethren for them to keep on the narrow road to heaven. These letters also show them the consequences of what will happen to them if they do not.

Christians are in a battle. Jesus wants us in heaven with Him for eternity. The devil wants us in hell with him for eternity.

Where we end up is determined by what we personally choose to do.

Obey God -- Inherit eternal life.
Disobey God -- Be condemned to hell.

It does not matter if a person was saved at one time in his life.
What matters is if he is still saved at the time of his death.

It is the person who endures/continues in obedience to God's commandments to the end of his life who will actually receive the crown of eternal life.

Revelation 2:10
Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. rsv​

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You say, "Where we end up is determined by what we personally choose to do." That is salvation by works and is contrary to the New Covenant. As for me, I have peace with God through my Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is sinless, and because I remain in him I am regarded as sinless also. I don't have to prove anything over and over and over, failing and repenting, failing and repenting, failing and repenting...

You're not going to change my mind about what the Bible says by taking one verse out of context. The Bible says that we are saved by God's grace. It's not conditional! If you want to put yourself under the Old Covenant where every action is judged according to some law, and since you continually break the law (because nobody under the Old Covenant is perfect), you must beg forgiveness and continually sin->repent, sin->repent, sin->repent, sin->repent, forever, hoping that you will finally be judged worthy of entrance into God's kingdom, I have news for you: you are already in God's kingdom eternally. Stop struggling!!

pescador said:

Since you like taking single verses out of context, what does 1 John 3:9 say?

"No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God."

Taking a single verse out of context to prove doctrine is absurd. You have to understand why the letter was written, to whom, and under what circumstances. 1 John is particularly difficult, as he appears to contradict himself, even within the same paragraph (in modern bibles; the KJV has only verses). He is writing to different groups, so applying part of what he wrote to the wrong group often leads to error.

If you want to know the simplified version of what I believe... There are two covenants, one based on the law, the other based on the Spirit. The law defines what is right and what is wrong. It works through the mind only; the spirit is not affected. The second covenant produces an internal change so that behavior is produced from within by the Spirit, bypassing mental rules.

Here is one example. A number of years ago, a young couple was about to get married. They asked me -- I had been married for ten years -- "How do keep from being unfaithful?" My reply to them was "How do you keep from stealing?" The law says "do not steal". If you're guided by sin you think about stealing or not stealing; you fight against temptation. If you are guided by the Spirit, you don't think about it at all. There is no fight, you simply don't steal.

The Spirit produces a fundamental change in a person so that s/he isn't conflicted in their mind about right and wrong. Because they're a new creation doing what is right comes naturally because the Spirit guides them. There is none of the struggling that you and Jan deal with, striving to be obedient and condemning others. There is the peace of God -- shalom -- within, so that instead of being selfishly concerned with how you're performing, you peacefully love others as you love yourself.

Get it?

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I usually ask what 1 John 3:4-10 means, but I thought one would do for now.

pescador said:

Since you like taking single verses out of context, what does 1 John 3:9 say?

"No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God."

Taking a single verse out of context to prove doctrine is absurd. You have to understand why the letter was written, to whom, and under what circumstances. 1 John is particularly difficult, as he appears to contradict himself, even within the same paragraph (in modern bibles; the KJV has only verses). He is writing to different groups, so applying part of what he wrote to the wrong group often leads to error.

If you want to know the simplified version of what I believe... There are two covenants, one based on the law, the other based on the Spirit. The law defines what is right and what is wrong. It works through the mind only; the spirit is not affected. The second covenant produces an internal change so that behavior is produced from within by the Spirit, bypassing mental rules.

Here is one example. A number of years ago, a young couple was about to get married. They asked me -- I had been married for ten years -- "How do keep from being unfaithful?" My reply to them was "How do you keep from stealing?" The law says "do not steal". If you're guided by sin you think about stealing or not stealing; you fight against temptation. If you are guided by the Spirit, you don't think about it at all. There is no fight, you simply don't steal.

The Spirit produces a fundamental change in a person so that s/he isn't conflicted in their mind about right and wrong. Because they're a new creation doing what is right comes naturally because the Spirit guides them. There is none of the struggling that you and Jan deal with, striving to be obedient and condemning others. There is the peace of God -- shalom -- within, so that instead of being selfishly concerned with how you're performing, you peacefully love others as you love yourself.

Get it?

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Of course, I "get it." That is the same as what I've been saying. So we agree. Every time I post to walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh nor be under the law, people say but what about 1 John 1:8. I also know what John was writing about in the whole epistle and to whom. I am not Catholic like Jan, but will defend someone who is getting attacked by anyone not acting in the fruit of the Spirit. I also will agree when someone is posting they want to be obedient to God, and not use 1 John 1:8 as a justification to sin. Obedience is a sign of fear of the Lord and belief. The opposite of belief is disobedience. In the Spirit, obedience is second nature.

pescador said:

You say, "Where we end up is determined by what we personally choose to do." That is salvation by works and is contrary to the New Covenant. As for me, I have peace with God through my Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is sinless, and because I remain in him I am regarded as sinless also. I don't have to prove anything over and over and over, failing and repenting, failing and repenting, failing and repenting...

You're not going to change my mind about what the Bible says by taking one verse out of context. The Bible says that we are saved by God's grace. It's not conditional! If you want to put yourself under the Old Covenant where every action is judged according to some law, and since you continually break the law (because nobody under the Old Covenant is perfect), you must beg forgiveness and continually sin->repent, sin->repent, sin->repent, sin->repent, forever, hoping that you will finally be judged worthy of entrance into God's kingdom, I have news for you: you are already in God's kingdom eternally. Stop struggling!!

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Yes, I agree here too. I would just like to add that walking in the Spirit provided for us, IS God's grace. Grace now is no longer "unmerited favor" like it was BEFORE when coming to Christ (not by works), but is actually now the POWER of God to become dead to sin. Now, instead of sin to be dealt with, it is our lack of love we have to grow out of. It doesn't matter if we are sinless if we hate our brother or sister. Hate will keep you out of the kingdom of God as would murder. So let's be kind to one another.

pescador said:

Jan001, when you say regarding 1 John 3:9 ...

Let's use the example of a married couple in this same sentence structure.

No one who is married commits adultery and he cannot commit adultery because he is married to his spouse.
Why does he not commit adultery? He does not commit adultery because he chooses to not commit adultery.

Of course, in reality, he could also choose to commit adultery instead of choosing to remain faithful.

... you are entirely misunderstanding the principle involved.

It says that he cannot commit adultery if he truly loves his wife. I have been married for 48 years and I have never committed adultery. There was never any choice involved. I don't commit adultery because I love my wife so much that adultery never enters my mind. By God's Spirit I have never been tempted to cheat on my wife, whom God gave to me. I am motivated by love so I don't have to struggle with cheating on her; the thought never enters my mind. I cannot commit adultery.

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A person does not need to love his spouse in order to not commit adultery.

Not every person loves his spouse like you love yours.

When a person is tempted to commit adultery, this is when he must choose to remain faithful to his spouse so that he will not give in to his temptation and thereby sin against both God and his spouse.

I do agree that it is impossible for a person to commit a sin such as adultery until and unless the person takes the opportunity to think about doing this sin beforehand. Many people eventually do what they are thinking about doing. Before a man commits adultery, he lusts for the woman-of-his-desires in his heart. If he continues to lust/fantasize about her in his mind and heart, he will eventually make plans to do the actual physical act with her.


Let's say that an attractive woman enters into the visual field of a man and the man is immediately tempted to lust for her. He can choose to give in to his temptation and lust for her or he can choose to immediately avert his eyes away from her and then fill his mind with honorable things in order to keep his mind off of her. If with the Holy Spirit's help, he chooses to overcome his temptations to lust, he keeps himself away from the danger of committing adultery. Jude 1:20-23


In my own circumstance, I don't have to struggle with the temptation to commit adultery, but some people do. Some people are put into situations where they are tempted through no fault of their own. It is not they who are doing the tempting.

And some adultery sins begin with a seemingly innocent business lunch between two people of the opposite sex. This is why I do not recommend that ineligible-to-marry persons of the opposite sex meet privately to discuss business matters. Personal information can be shared at these private meetings and the empathy of both can be aroused and thereby a spiritual connection made where there should be none. And then they meet for another innocent "business" lunch, but they willingly share more personal things with each other which they should not be sharing. And so on and so on until they finally meet together to commit adultery with each other because they've convinced themselves that their spouses just don't understand them and their needs.

pescador said:

You say, "Where we end up is determined by what we personally choose to do." That is salvation by works and is contrary to the New Covenant. As for me, I have peace with God through my Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is sinless, and because I remain in him I am regarded as sinless also. I don't have to prove anything over and over and over, failing and repenting, failing and repenting, failing and repenting...

You're not going to change my mind about what the Bible says by taking one verse out of context. The Bible says that we are saved by God's grace. It's not conditional! If you want to put yourself under the Old Covenant where every action is judged according to some law, and since you continually break the law (because nobody under the Old Covenant is perfect), you must beg forgiveness and continually sin->repent, sin->repent, sin->repent, sin->repent, forever, hoping that you will finally be judged worthy of entrance into God's kingdom, I have news for you: you are already in God's kingdom eternally. Stop struggling!!

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If a person commits sins, he is not regarded as sinless.

When we die, we are judged by our own works/deeds/fruits. What we do on earth determines where we spend eternity.

Jan001 said:

If a person commits sins, he is not regarded as sinless.

1 John 1:5-10
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth; 7 but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. rsv

James 1:22
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. rsv

​

When we die, we are judged by our own works/deeds/fruits. What we do on earth determines where we spend eternity.

Matthew 7:19
Every tree (person) that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. rsv
​

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Hi Jan, just wanted to say that 1 John 1:7 describes a Christian, 1 John 1:6, 8 and 10 do not. They describe those who have never found the need to repent of their sins because they don't know Christ. They were followers of the false teachers of 1 John 4:1-3. A Christian no longer commits willful sins because they have been filled with Christ's Spirit giving them power over sin. The more we walk in His Spirit the easier it is to live a righteous life.