Again, if I am understanding you correctly, you read this the first half of this verse as saying that the person who abides in Christ cannot sin in the eyes of God (even though they may physically sin by the witness of their own eyes and the eyes of other people). If this is so, you must interpret the latter half of this verse as referring to the unbeliever who sins physically while not abiding in Christ and hence, why they do not know Him.
But this interpretation is wrong. For no doubt you left out verse 7 for a reason.
So we have to OBEY as a part of Christ being our author of eternal salvation.
So if my understanding is correct on your interpretation of this part of Scripture, you are saying that verse 8 is in reference to the unbeliever in the fact that they commit sin in God’s eyes when they physically sin,, and verse 9 is in reference to the believer who cannot sin in the eyes of God even though they physically sin (based on the witness of their own eyes and the eyes of others). If this is how you interpret such a passage, then this would be incorrect.
So if one hates his brother (Which is a specific wrong action and not a general reference to sin in regards to the unbeliever), they are like a murderer and no murderer has eternal life abiding in them. Murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them. But if we are to take your belief to the extreme in the fact that God does not see any kind of sin done by the believer, this means that a believer can be a murderer and in God’s eyes, He will not see it (even though he can witness that he is a murderer, and others can witness that he is a murderer). However, John makes no mention of such a thing. He simply says, no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. Period.
“For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” (James 1:20).
*Sigh* You are not telling me anything new by your quoting of 1 John 3:4. I already told you I was aware of what sin was according to the Bible and I already had this verse in mind when you asked me the question: “What is sin?” I knew about this verse for a very, very long time. I did not answer because you did not provide 10 verses to prove a “Sin and Still Be Saved” type belief. The problem is that you are not believing 1 John 3:4. You believe sin is transgression of the Law, but it only applies to the unbeliever, and not the believer. But 1 John 3:4 is written to all people because it says WHOEVER commits sin transgresses the Law. Meaning, ANYBODY who sins breaks God’s laws.
First, I am aware of the unbiblical belief that says that “
when a believer sins: God does not see their sin because Jesus paid for all their sin: Past, present, and future” (if that is what you truly believe). Second, I am also very familiar with what Romans 8:3-4 says, as well. So you are not telling me anything new here.
If I am to understand you correctly based on what you said so far, you interpret this passage as saying in verse 3: The Son condemned sin in His body, and therefore, we can no longer be condemned for any future sin that we commit. If am understanding you correctly: You see verse 4 as saying: The believer’s righteousness of the Law is fulfilled (i.e. fulfilled by your belief in Jesus alone for your salvation) who walk not after the flesh (doing good works). If this how you view this portion of Scripture, it would be incorrect.
In Romans 8:4: The words “
the flesh” is in reference to the “
works of the flesh” (grievous sin) according to the Bible.
Verse 8 and verse 10 tells us that love (i.e. to love one’s neighbor) is the fulfilling of the law. This is the “
fulfilling of the righteousness of the Law” (or the righteous aspect or part of the Old Law) that is mentioned in Romans 8:4.
For obviously if we walk after the Spirit as per Romans 8:4, we are going to have the fruits of the Spirit, such as love (Which would include loving our neighbor).
In Romans 7:4, the words, “the Law” is in reference to the whole of the Old Law (as a contract, i.e. the 613 laws from the Law of Moses given to Israel). It is not in reference to all law in general such as the commands that come from Jesus Christ and His followers. We are dead to the Old Law by the body of Christ. It also says that we should bring forth fruit unto God. So this is not a “sin and still be saved” type belief going on here.
What you fail to understand is that we are to SERVE IN NEWNESS of SPIRIT, and NOT IN THE OLDNESS of the LETTER (i.e. the Old Testament Law of Moses, or the Torah).
“But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.” (Romans 7:6).
Romans 8:11 is merely talking about the resurrection of our bodies by the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ if we dwell in Him. It says nothing about how a believer can physically abide in grievous sin with them also being saved.
When you read verse 7, you also have to read verse 6 that says:
6 “ Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.”
(Romans 6:6-7).
Verse 6 says that henceforth, we should NOT SERVE SIN.
It says “should,” suggesting a possibility here.
We SHOULD not serve sin.
The old man is crucified in the fact that we do not live physically committing sin like we used to do.
“Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:” (Ephesians 2:2).
Universalists can make the same claim, but it simply would not be true.
Jesus merely paid the price for mankind’s sins so as to offer him the free gift (Which is Himself) via by the vehicle of faith. A true faith is always shown true by one’s works (James 2:18). These kinds of works would include no justification of sin or evil. For Hebrews 12:14 says without holiness, no man shall see the Lord; And Jesu told those believers who did wonderful works to depart from Him because they also worked iniquity or sin (See: Matthew 7:23). Jesus did not say in Matthew 7:23, “Depart from me, ye that did not trust in my finished work alone.”
Walking after the Spirit includes the fruits of the Spirit (Compare Galatians 5:16 with Galatians 5:22-23).
We are dead to the Old Law and not all forms of God’s Laws. Romans 7:4 needs to be read in context with Romans 7:6 that says we are to SERVE in newness of Spirit and NOT in the Oldness of the Letter (i.e. the Torah).
This is a false conclusion.
#1. Yes, while sin is transgression of the Law, not all sin condemns (1 John 5:17).
#2. Jesus did not destroy sin in the sense that believers who just have a belief alone in Jesus are saved if they also sin. 1 John 1:7 says that if we walk in the light as He is in the light, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. Hebrews 5:9 says that Jesus is the author of eternal salvation to all who OBEY Him. So there are conditions that need to be met by us in order for the sacrifice of Christ to be applied to our lives.
#3. The righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in us by loving our neighbor (See again: Romans 13:8-10).
#4. I can kind of see how you got the idea of “believers are dead to the flesh” from 1 Peter 4:6. But that is not what it is saying. For the verses prior do not support such an interpretation. First, verse 1 implies that the believer who has suffered in the flesh (no doubt for their faith) has ceased from sin (Note: I am referring to this as “grievous sin” and not faults of character for this point of study). Verse 2 implies that the believer should not live the rest of the time to the lusts of the flesh (sin), but to the will of God here upon this Earth. Verse 3 talks about the lifestyle of sin before a believer accepted Christ. In verse 4: Others will accuse us believers falsely or speak evil us wrongfully because we do not run to the same excess of sin that they do. So clearly 1 Peter 4:6 is not teaching a sin and still be saved doctrine here. 1 Peter is merely saying that they will be judged by men outwardly even though they live according to God in the spirit. This is not a sin and still be saved type belief going on here because Peter says that there are false prophets (2 Peter 2:1) who have eyes full of adultery and who cannot cease from sin (2 Peter 2:14). Obviously if a person believes that God does not see their sin when they sin physically, there is no real need to overcome sin or to treat sin as seriously because it does not condemn them. In fact, I have heard “Sin and Still Be Saved” Proponents say that nobody can overcome grievous sin and they quote Romans 3:10, and Romans 3:23 out of context to do so.
#5. Believers who are alive in the Spirit are only those believers who obey. For Acts of the Apostles 5:32 talks about how the Holy Spirit is given to those who obey.
#6. Believers being “dead to sin” means that by Spirit baptism (the regeneration) they now have the power to overcome sin. For they that are Christ’s have crucified the affections and lusts (Galatians 5:24).
#7. Believers are dead to the Old Law and not all forms of Law. Hebrews 7:12 says the Law has changed. It does not say all forms of Law have been abrogated.
#8. Believers can commit sin. Ananias and Sapphira who were believers in Jesus Christ lied to the Holy Ghost and they were killed instantly. A great fear came upon the church as a result of this. The emotion of fear makes no sense by other believers if they:
- Were forever saved and secure in their salvation.
- Were never saved to begin with.
Fear only makes sense by other believers in the fact that they can also fall away and be condemned in the afterlife by God for breaking His laws. Only a loss of salvation would truly strike fear in the hearts of believers. Death is not to be feared because to live is Christ, and to die is gain.