Stop Living in Sin – 1 John 3:4-12

Introduction

The purpose of this series is for it to be obvious who is a Christian and who isn’t (1 John 3:10). We don’t want to discourage the saint while encouraging the sinner. Rather, we want to encourage saints and evangelize sinners.

 The Passage

Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.

Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous. 1 John 3:4–12 

Explaining the Passage

With the entirety of chapter 3, John lays out three traits and characteristics of the family of God. First, with last week’s passage, a true Christian hopes to see Jesus return like a child hopes to see daddy come home from work (1 John 2:28-3:3). Second, with today’s passage, a true Christian disdains and hates sinning. And third, with next week’s passage, a true Christian loves other Christians (1 John 3:13-24).

So, what does John say in this passage? First, in verses 4 though 6, if you continue in sin, you are an enemy of Jesus. Enemies of Jesus refuse to obey His law, so they flock to places where no biblical standards exist. God’s law is light. Enemies of God live like roaches and spiders, hiding in dark damp places (Ephesians 5:8-11). Jesus came to destroy sin (v. 5), so Jesus’ people must destroy sin. Second, in verses 7 through 9, if you continue in sin, you’re a child of the Devil. Everyone has a strong relationship with their spiritual father. Either your spiritual father is God, or it’s the Devil. How you relate to sin displays how you relate with God. Third, in verses 10 through 12, if you continue in sin, you hate the children of God. Loving God and His people defines Saints while hating God and His people defines sinners (v.11). Children of the Devil hate Christians like Cain hated Able (v. 12).

John corrects Christians who continue sinning because it proves they aren’t children of God, but of the Devil. I have four points describing the dangers of living in sin.

Living in Sin is Spiritual Death

Everyone is a sinner (Psalm 51:5). Sinners eat sin like candy. But, when the Holy Spirit changes us and teaches us, we learn that sin isn’t ice cream and chocolate but sewage and poison. But Christians have the Holy Spirit living in us who teaches us to hate sin and love righteousness. The Holy Spirit teaches us anger, gossip, and envy aren’t pound cake and peaches, but black widow spiders and rattlesnakes. He teaches us as well as gives us a new tongue, so we begin to crave righteousness and reject sin (2 Corinthians 5:17).  

for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Romans 8:13–14

So, what about chapter 1? In chapter 1 verses 8 through 10, John said that if we say we have no sin, we prove we aren’t saved. Now, he says if we sin, we prove we aren’t saved (v.9). Which is it? Both are true because both are God’s word. Jesus came into the world to save sinners, not the self-righteous (Luke 5:32). But Jesus when saves sinners, they become righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). So, Christians still sin, but we repent of those sins. As John Calvin said, “sin does not reign [in us], for the Spirit does not let it flourish.” A Christian should see more and more hatred for their sin and more and more love for God’s law.

Living in Sin is Living for the Devil

I served for two years with full-time missionaries who adopted two boys from Africa. One of the boys was abandoned by his biological parents and miraculously found by someone who worked at the local orphanage. These two boys had zero say in where they were born and in who adopted them.

Everyone was born a slave to sin and a citizen of Satan’s regime (Ephesians 2:1-3). But when the fullness of time came (Galatians 4:4), Jesus appeared to destroy the works of Satan (1 John 3:8) and build a new kingdom (Matthew 16:19; 28:18). Two-thousand years ago, Jesus destroyed enemy headquarters. He bound the strong-man and took his power (Mark 3:27). In every true believer’s life, Jesus snatched them from the domain of Satan, and transferred them into His own kingdom (Colossians 1:13).

Living in Sin Hides Behind Lawlessness

In verse 4, the word “lawless” in Greek is antinomos, which is where we get the word antinomian, which is a fancy word for against the law. Obviously, non-Christians hate God’s law. But more and more Christians today hate God’s law. They pit God’s law against God’s gospel. We want a gospel that frees us from the penalty of sin. But that same gospel frees us to lawful and righteous living (Titus 2:14). We find ways to get out of it. We look for the nearest off-ramp.

Because we want out of God’s standards, God’s word loves speaking to us in blanket statements. John deliberately uses language like “no one who is born of God sins (1 John 3:9)” because he wants us to ask ourselves uncomfortable questions. If John said, “God doesn’t expect you to be sinless this side of glory” both Christians and non-Christians would feel free to keep on sinning and never turning to Christ. For example, in Matthew 23, Jesus lays into the Pharisees and rebukes them harshly. He calls them hypocrites and sons of Satan. In our day and age, we qualify statements so much, we blunt the truth. We don’t want to offend anyone with the truth, so we add qualifying statements. “Obviously, before I rebuke the Pharisees, I’m not talking about Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.” When you speak the truth to someone, the most loving thing is to provide no off-ramp. Let them wrestle with the truth so, like Jacob when he wrestled with the angel, they may leave stronger than before. In today’s passage, John doesn’t qualify. He says that if you practice sin, you’re of the devil (v.8). John knows our tendency to squirm and twist from anything that makes us uncomfortable. But because Jesus provides salvation through a rough, splintered, uncomfortable cross, the most loving thing he can do is make us uncomfortable.

Notice in verse 9, John says those born of God avoid sin because God’s seed abides in him. Elsewhere in scripture God’s seed is an analogy for God’s word.

for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. 1 Peter 1:23

So, children of the Devil hate God’s law and find any way out of obeying it they can. But children of God, love God’s law (Psalm 119:97). If you had a disease which had no cure except what was written in a book, you would no doubt research that book in order to learn how to treat your illness. Your sin is a disease, the God’s Gospel is the cure, God’s word is the treatment plan. So, as you read your Bibles, look for clear commands in scripture and obey them.

Living in Sin Means you Hate the Church

In Genesis 4, Cain and Able offer sacrifices to the Lord. God accepted Abel’s but refused Cain’s because Able offered his in faith (Hebrews 11:4), while Cain did not. Cain, a child of the Devil, hated to see the righteous acts of faith, so he killed his brother.

Church, we need to be reminded that the children of the Devil hate us. One reason I feel even stronger than ever that we should learn, study, and sing the Psalms, is because the Psalms remind us regularly that faithfulness to God results in conflict with the world. The more we live by faith, the more the world will hate us and the more false brothers like Cain will hate us. Remember, our job isn’t to punish Cain (Romans 12:19), but to offer sacrifices to God in faith (Romans 12:1).

Conclusion

The Puritan, John Owen said, “be killing sin or it will be killing you.” If can’t remember the last time you repented of a sin, then your sin is probably killing you, your family, your relationships, and your possessions. So, let today be the day of repentance and joy. What command in God’s word makes you uncomfortable? Do it! What sin do you cherish? Kill it!