You have often quoted these verses to support the belief
that it is impossible to stop sinning. Even though Jesus' words
"Stop your sinning ..." and
"Go and sin no more" as well as Paul's admonition to the Corithian church to "
stop sinning".
If Jesus (like Paul) spoke the words "Stop Sinning!" after His resurrection to His 'born again' Apostles would His Words still take a back seat to
1 John 1:8-10? One needs to consider that John didn't go to the gentiles as did Paul. It's likely that some of John's Jewish converts were followers of the Law:
Matthew 19:18-21 ...
18 “Which ones?” he inquired. Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony,
19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”
20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
As such it would not be uncommon (unlike the gentile converts) that Jewish converts still saw themselves as more righteous than Paul's gentile converts and still held to some of their Jewish traditions. More than a few looked down on non-Jewish gentile coverts to Christianity. Knowing this John found it necesary to point out that even self-righteous Jewish converts
weren't sinless (edit correction)...
8-10 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.
These words must have come across as convicting to the Jewish heart of even a born again Jewish convert. One that still held to a form of Messianic Judiasm thinking that doing so was a ticket to heaven. That mindset of a Jewish convert is most likely why Jesus felt it necessary to tell the Jewish religious elders and scribes...
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; 28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (
Matt. 5:27-28)
And if that wasn't enuf to make His point Jesus went on to further say ...
If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you [
b]to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. (
Matt. 5:29)
Bottomline: John is NOT saying it's impossible to "stop sinning" or he would be contradicting the words of Jesus. What he is getting across to the Jewish mindset of Jewish convert that thinks he has never sinned. So, like Romans 7 and Matthew 5 ... John is reminding his Jewish converts that they were sinners and need to accept it as fact.
As with Romans 7 and Paul's reference to "chief" among sinners as before he was born again as a new creation in Christ. So too with Jewish converts that may have thought any sin was nothing in comparision to gentile sins. John needed to remind them that sin was still crouching at the door even after their conversion. It's not uncommon for a new Christian to be hounded by the enemy. However, should we then conclude it's impossible not to sin ... "lead us not into tempation". A Christian knows when they are being tempted. If they have been indocrinated into thinking it's impossible to stop sinning .... well, what' the result ?