Sin and the Work of Christ
1 John 3:4-9
No word grates on the modern ear like "sin."
We are so sure that it is obsolete, useless to talk about - and
yet we cannot escape it. Or can we? John gives us the answer in
this short passage:
(1 John 3:4-9 NIV) Everyone who sins breaks
the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. {5} But you know that he
appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no
sin. {6} No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who
continues to sin has either seen him or known him. {7} Dear
children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is
right is righteous, just as he is righteous. {8} He who does
what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been
sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared
was to destroy the devil's work. {9} No one who is born of God
will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he
cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
The nature of sin
Original definition
John talks much about deception and deceivers
in this work; it is fitting, therefore that we identify the
deceptions about the nature of sin. To do this, we must
understand the correct definition of the concept.
It begins with the idea of "law." This is
not necessarily the Law of the Old Testament (though that is
its greatest example). By law we mean moral law, the law of
right and wrong which God has written into the universe.
Except in the worst of times, men acknowledge the universe
to be a moral place, with laws of right and wrong.
To sin is to disobey this law. The
original word in the Greek is hamartia, which means
"to miss the target." It means therefore that we understand
what the target is - and missed it.
We may miss it because we failed to shoot
at it - the sins of omission. For example, we may see the
poor and cold and pass them by without helping.
We may miss it by shooting amiss - the
sins of commission. A man may commit adultery or robbery,
for example.
Counterfeit definitions
Satan is a liar, the father of such, and it
is his tactic to confuse us with false definitions of "sin." We
hear much of this these days. Here are some of the common ones:
Sin only applies when "someone else is
hurt." It's OK to pollute my mind with pornography because
it affects no one but me. It's OK to steal from the company
since "nobody is really hurt by that."
Sin only applies when you can cite
"chapter and verse." This is legalism. If I can't find a
Bible passage explicitly forbidding it, it's OK. (So drunk
driving must be OK, right?)
It's only sin if it "feels bad." Often
stated in the reverse, "If it feels good, do it." Usually
used sexually with, "How could God condemn something that is
so beautiful?" (the "beautiful" being the adultery).
Sin must be defined for each situation -
situational ethics. (Form a committee; if a rationalization
can be found, it's OK).
They are all frauds; we must remember that
God is holy - and he alone is truly righteous. He alone,
therefore, knows the full extent of sin. His definition is the
one that counts.
Denial of the existence of sin
The more modern tendency - alas, even in the
church - is to deny the existence of sin. How often have you
heard someone speak of "wrong choices?" It sounds like a much
more palatable word than "sin." But consider these modern
denials of sin, and see if you've heard them before:
"It's just a feeling of guilt. You need
to deal with your guilt feelings." If you have feelings of
guilt when you have no guilt, you are mentally ill. If you
sin and think you have nothing but "feelings of guilt," you
are lying to yourself.
The modern tendency is to see "sin" as
something man defines - "it's all cultural, you know." And
if we define it, we can redefine it.
The most common one today is to simply
ignore the possibility. This is most often expressed in the
phrase, "They just need a little counseling." (I've heard
this applied so often to situations in which sin was so
obvious).
The Work of Christ
One of the great surprises to new Christians
is that Jesus came, purposefully, to take away our sins. Christ
is often presented as a great teacher, or the path to God, but
seldom as the atoning sacrifice. So it is useful to deal with
the subject of sin in terms of its cure: Jesus Christ.
First, it is clear and obvious - and has
been for two thousand years now - that the entire purpose of
Christ's coming was "to seek and save the lost." All the
other aspects of the Bible - the Old Testament entirely, the
miracles, the teachings, everything - are ancillary to that
mission.
He did this at the cross. It is his
atonement for us that did this, and nothing else. The
implications in grace alone are immense.
In Him there is no sin
The death at the cross would have had no
effect if Jesus had not been sinless, for only the pure and
perfect sacrifice would satisfy the pure and holy righteousness
of God. That too leads us to some important conclusions:
How can a human being be sinless? It is
absurd - unless that human being is also divine. So we must
see that Jesus is both God and man, completely.
His divinity permits the atonement; his
humanity means that he understands our sinfulness. He knows
our temptations ("been there, done that") and therefore
stands before God as our advocate. He knows our trials -
none better - and stands with us.
Therefore, as he has partaken of our
nature, we should partake of his - so that we will rise to
be like him. We must be "in him."
We cannot keep on sinning
Considering that John has just told us that
we are all sinners, this passage may seem contradictory. But it
is not so. Students of foreign languages will understand that
many languages - Greek among them - have two kinds of past
tense. One is the snapshot tense - "I went to the market
(meaning, yesterday)." The other is continuous - "I went to the
market (meaning, I used to go there all the time.)" The former
is used in the earlier passages; the continuous is used here.
John is not saying that we will be perfect. He is saying that we
cannot be in Christ and go on sinning habitually. Why is this?
The sacrifice of Christ - like the
washing of the disciples' feet - provides for our continuous
purification. We therefore do not need to be trapped by our
prior sins; we can repent and move on.
The guidance of the Holy Spirit is there
for all who are a part of Christ.
There is also the support of the church;
the prayers of the saints and the discipline of the church.
Finally, there is the reward of "not
sinning" - the continuous fruit of Christ in your life.
--- side note ---
The minister's duty in this, as part of the
discipline of the church, is quite clear. Paul gives us a great
example of this in 2 Corinthians 13:1-5.
Do Not Be Led Astray
We come back to our original idea - that
Satan will do everything possible to lead us astray in this.
What should we do about this?
Testing ourselves
Diagnosis is the first step in solving a
problem. John gives us the clear method of diagnosis - and other
warnings as well:
The diagnosis is simple: by their fruits
you will know them. Does your life shine with good deeds, or
is it empty of them?
If those good deeds are real in your
life, then God will reward you for them. You cannot deceive
him; the fraud will be rewarded as a fraud should be.
Good deeds alone are not sufficient. We
are talking about those who have accepted Christ, not those
who are standing outside.
The most terrible of fates, however,
awaits the "hearer only." We know that God judges on the
basis of what you know. If you sit in my class, week after
week, and it has no effect on your life, you would be better
of if you'd spent the time on the golf course.
Paul sums it up very nicely:
(Gal 6:3-5 NIV) If anyone thinks he is
something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. {4} Each one
should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself,
without comparing himself to somebody else, {5} for each one
should carry his own load.
The character of our accuser
It is not wise to spend too much time trying
to get in touch with Satan - the attempt can be all too
successful. But it is necessary to see the negative here. If you
are not a child of God, you will be a child of Satan. See if
these things are in your life, as they are in his:
He is a murderer - and remember that the
Scripture tells us that he who hates his brother is a
murderer. Is there hatred in your heart?
He is a liar. Do you spend your Sunday
morning in church and the rest of the week in sin? You may
deceive all of us, but you will not deceive God - and you
are a liar, and child to the father of lies.
He is disobedient - lawless is another
word. Do you relish being defiant to those in authority? Are
you sure of your own righteousness, rather than God's
righteousness?
Ultimately, he is condemned - and short
on time too. And so are you, if you are his child.
The inoculation of God
How do we prevent such things from overcoming
us? Only the work of Christ will prevail. It is simple:
The cause: the work of Christ on the
Cross brings about our atonement and purification, bringing
the Holy Spirit to the world.
The effect: the Spirit, working in us
with our active cooperation, aiding us through the church,
produces the fruits of righteousness in our lives. We do not
go on sinning, but turn from it.
The test: the result of this can be
clearly seen in the works of your life. Do you care for the
hungry, the cold, the prisoner? Do you heal or wound? Do you
walk in pride or humility?
John wrote these words almost two thousand
years ago. There seems no need of alteration today.
