1st John 3:3-8

1 John 3:3-8 “Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 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.”

The man who knows that God is at the end of the road will make all of life a preparation to meet His God.

What do we know about Christians and sin? That we still sin; we just don’t enjoy it as much any more! Who John is talking about here is the person who continues to sin and isn’t sorry, doesn’t confess and won’t ask forgiveness. Our victory is not complete and we still struggle with temptation and sin.

My application Bible suggests three ways we can find victory over a prevailing sin:

1. Seek power from the Holy Spirit and from God’s Word
2. Stay away from tempting circumstances. Remember Joseph ran from Potiphor’s wife! If you are tempted by money, don’t volunteer to be the treasurer of your club! If you are married and someone of the opposite sex is looking good to you, you may have to cut that person out of your life.
3. Seek the help of the church or have a Christian friend who will hold you accountable and pray for you. And vice versa.

John says if we don’t abide in Christ, sin comes into our lives. This just means we need to continually remember His presence and deliberately walk the way we know He wants us to. It’s at least harder to sin if we picture Jesus standing right there.