1 JOHN: DISCERNING TRUE FROM FALSE SPIRITUALITY

Part VIII: True Spirituality In One's Lifestyle Production

(1 John 3:4-10a)

I. Introduction

A. Some think that 1 John 3:4-10a teaches that a believer must attain sinless perfection in his Christian walk to be saved, that failure to achieve this goal means he loses his salvation and goes to hell, B. K. C., N. T., p. 894.

B. However, such a view errs, for John wrote of another concern, and we view that passage for clarification:

II. True Spirituality In One's Lifestyle Production, 1 John 3:4-10a.

A. When the Apostle John wrote 1 John, the Gnostic cult was beginning to afflict the Church, and that cult taught that the material world is evil so that Christians were free to indulge the body in sinful lust since their bodies would eventually be destroyed anyway, Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, p. 1770; Z. P. E. B., vol. Two, p. 736.

B. John wanted his readers to know that such an intentionally sinful lifestyle was not acceptable before God, that it was not practiced by one who was a true believer, and he made this point in 1 John 3:4-10a (as follows):

1. The Apostle wrote that everyone who "produces" (poieo, U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 817; Arndt & Gingrich, A Grk.-Eng. Lex. of the N. T., 1967, p. 687-689) sin "produces" (poieo again, Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.) "lawlessness" (anomia, Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 71), for sin is lawlessness, 1 John 3:4.

2. John added that we know that He, Christ, was manifested to take away our sins, and that in Him sin does not "exist" (eimi, Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T., p. 817-818; Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 221-225), v. 5.

3. The Apostle added that everyone who "remains," or "abides" (meno, Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T., p. 818 ) in Christ as to experiential spiritual fellowship through obeying Scripture (John 15:7, 10) does not commit acts of sin (hamartano, Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.; Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 41-42), 1 John 3:6a. Thus, even believers with sin natures can avoid committing sinful acts by fellowshipping with Christ, 1 John 2:1.

4. Conversely, everyone who sins has not come to behold (heoraken, perfect tense of horao, "see, behold," Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.; The Analyt. Grk. Lex. (Zon.), 1972, p. 180, 291) Christ neither has he come to know (egnoken, perfect tense of ginosko, "know," Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.; Ibid., The Analyt. Grk. Lex., p. 114, 79-80) Him, 1 John 3:6b. [John here did not teach one must be sinlessly perfect to be saved, for he established back in 1 John 1:8, 10 that every believer since salvation has committed an act(s) of sin(s). Rather, he claimed that one who has come to behold and know the Lord in fellowship with Him does not sin, the same point made in the first half of the verse, in 1 John 3:6a, but here it is stated in the negative.]

5. Having established in 1 John 3:4-6 that fellowship with God is a life without sin, John called his readers not to be deceived by the Gnostic antichrists who taught otherwise, 1 John 3:7a, for (a) everyone who "produces" (poieo again, cf. 1 John 3:4; Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.) righteousness is righteous just as Jesus is righteous (1 John 3:7b), but (b) everyone who "produces" (poieo again, Ibid.) sin is of the devil, for the devil sinned from the beginning, 1 John 3:8a. [Again, John did not teach sinless perfection to be saved, but that one who lived a lifestyle that intentionally produced sin as the Gnostics taught was not saved!]

6. Indeed, John added that for this reason the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the Devil, those works being committing acts of sin and living a sinful lifestyle, 1 John 3:8b!

7. Thus, everyone who is permanently begotten (gegennemenos, sing. perfect passive ptc. of gennao, "beget," Ibid., The Analyt. Grk. Lex., p. 76, 79) of God does not "produce" (poieo again, cf. 1 John 3:4; Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.) sin as a lifestyle, for God's seed, the new nature, remains in him, and it is unable to sin, for it is permanently begotten (gegennetai, 3rd pers. perfect passive of gennao, "beget," Ibid.; Ibid., The Analyt. Grk. Lex., p. 76. 79) of God. [The truly saved do not produce lifestyles of sin since they possess new natures that are not able to sin, and saved people function mainly in those new natures.]

8. John summed that in this test is manifested the difference between God's and Satan's children: all who do not "produce" (poieo again, Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.) righteousness [as a lifestyle] are not of God, 3:10a.

Lesson: Though every believer has committed acts of sin since salvation, since every believer has a new nature that is permanently begotten of God, and that nature cannot sin, a true believer who lives predominantly in his new nature does not produce a lifestyle of sin where the lost who heed apostate antichrists like the Gnostics commit to producing sinful lifestyles. Thus, true believers must not be deceived into viewing a lifestyle of sin as acceptable.

Application: (1) May we rest assured in the eternal security we have in Christ. (2) If truly saved, may we commit ourselves to a lifestyle of righteousness, (3) and if we do commit a sin, may we confess it to God for cleansing.