FREEDOM FROM SIN
1 John 2:1-2
Our text prescribed cure for sin and help for sinners inside or outside the church to find the Saviour and abide in Him till the end of their life. We have through it convincing reason why no one in the church or in the world should be lost eternally. God is not willing that any should perish, He wanted all to come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved. God has done and is doing all that is necessary and essential to ensure that all men have access to lasting, final and eternal salvation.
We shall consider three subtopics:
1. The normal, natural, continuous lifestyle of true Christians
2. Possibility of accidents on Heaven’s highway
3. Safety nets for those who fall through the cracks
1. The normal, natural, continuous lifestyle of true Christians
1 John 2:1a, John 1:29, Luke 1:74, 75, Titus 2:11, 12, 1 John 2:6, Romans 6:14
The normal natural state of a true believer is a life of freedom from sin and continuous walk in holiness. It is abnormal for a man to deliberately seek death or run into what will ruin him. If you are truly a child of God, you can never find pleasure in sinning because you have the nature of God; a nature that hates sin. Nothing makes sin attractive to you or makes you attracted to it. Sin will ruin your happiness and hope of spending eternity with God in Heaven. Sinning will lead to misery even here on earth. A deliberate or habitual sinner is not saved no matter how many years he or she has spent in the church. If you cannot stop lying, cursing, cheating, stealing, striving and fighting, lusting, living with hate, pride, greed, envy, bitterness and anger, the genuineness of your salvation is in doubt.
Jesus died to “take away our sins”. Sinning should be a thing of the past in the life of a genuinely converted believer. God and Jesus Christ our Lord make provision for our continuous walk uprightly Psalm 15:2, in holiness Luke 1:74, 75, in love Ephesians 5:2, in truth 3 John 1:4, in newness of life Romans 6:4, in the light 1 John 1:7, and as Christ walked 1 John 2:6. We should therefore not give excuses for sinning or make allowance for sin in our lives John 1:12. The word of God Psalm 119:11, the in-dwelling power of the Spirit through manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit, prayer, fellowship with others of like precious faith, convictions, goals and destination; and continuous oversight on behalf of Christ of faithful ministers Colossians 1:28, are all meant to keep us away from sin and keep sin away from us 24/7. It is our responsibility to arm ourselves with these resources and continuously make profitable use of them until we see the Lord face to face such that in our journey to Heaven, we will suffer no lack, loss or limitation spiritually and physically. However, sometimes accidents happen in life and in a journey. Our text recommended a solution to a Christian who “accidentally” sin.
2. Possibility of accident on Heaven’s highway
1 John 2:1b, Luke 22:60-62, Ezekiel 18:30-31, Hebrews 10:26, Psalm 4:3-4
The highway to Heaven is a highway of holiness; those who walk in it are supposed to walk consistently and continuously in holiness Isaiah 35:8 and abstain from all sins 1 John 2:1a, and all appearances of evil 1Thesalonians 5:22. However, ignorance, inexperience, violence of temptation, lack of vigilance, moments of carelessness may make a man walking to slide, slip and fall. A Christian may “accidentally” sin. Our text pointed to a remedy, cure and solution.
Salvation is like a ship. A careless passenger, crew member or sailor on the deck of a ship may slip and fall into water and be rescued. However, if such a person is always falling into the ocean after each rescue, or does not want to be rescued and prefers to remain in the ocean because somebody convinced him that it is not possible to travel on a ship without falling into water, something is seriously wrong; especially if he himself enjoys being inside the water more than living on the ship.
“Sin not” as written in our text is the language of the entire scripture, the eternal counsel of God and of all genuine ministers in every dispensation. It is the goal of all divine instructions, injunctions, institutions, and doctrines. Abstaining from all sins should be our daily passion, practice and prayer. It is abnormal for any man to always have accident or enjoy having accident whenever he or she travels. This describes the state of many Christians today and it is a dangerous state. The fact that God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins does not mean that we should turn sin into favourite toys and turn confession of sins into memory verse. You will be abusing the grace and mercy of God if you do so. Such road may bring you to a point of no return. It happened to Esau and Judas Iscariot. Some sinful choices we make today may leave us with scars that we will carry with us for the rest of our life. “Stand in awe; and sin not” is the psalmist’s admonition. No sacrifice or offering is provided in the Old or New Testament for presumptuous, deliberate and wilful sins Number 15:30, Hebrews 10:26. We must remain sober, be careful, playful and watchful.
3. Safety nets for those who fall through the cracks
1 John 2:1-2, Luke 22:60-62, John 5:14, 8:11, Romans 8:26, 27, 34
John in our text alluded to a court proceeding or tribunal sitting in Heaven whenever a believer sins or backslid. In that court, Satan is the accuser, God is the Judge; He is the Judge of all mankind. In that court, Jesus Christ the righteous is our advocate. A true believer who “accidentally” sins feels pricked in his conscience. He feels troubled in His mind and overwhelmed by a sense of guilt and shame for disappointing God and displeasing Christ at that very moment. If he does not, he is not a believer.
Our text prescribed a pathway to restoration and reconciliation with God and with Christ to such a believer turned backslider. According to the scripture, he has two advocates working together to help him find his way back to God and keep him protected and safe from future fall and damage. The Holy Spirit within us acts as advocate, companion or helper. He helps us find and express to God in prayers words of sincere confession and genuine repentance, with a desire for forgiveness and freedom from guilt and condemnation. Jesus Christ presently with the Father in Heaven’s court also pleads on our behalf against the sentence of death and forfeiture of divine privileges which our sinning deserves and our accuser demands. Christ pleads the merits of His sacrifice as a pure, holy and righteous sacrifice. He is our mercy seat, atoning sacrifice and sin offering. On the merits of His righteousness, sacrifice and plea, our confessed sins are forgiven, we are cleansed and empowered to “go and sin no more”, and return to our walk on the highway of holiness. This the Lord also does, not only for those in the church and in the kingdom who accidentally stumbles and falls but also for all in the world who acknowledges their sins, confesses them and desire to come into God’s kingdom. Hence, no man has any reason or excuse to continue to swim in sin and become irretrievably lost. If you are in this condition, you can be saved today; genuinely saved! “The blood of Jesus cleanses from all sins”. Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Call upon the Lord today.