Someone called sin– Satan's Identification Number[acronym kinda thing you know].
So it happened that some years back by God's grace I used to handle a weekly meeting of young folks at least in their teenage years and we zeroed in on: “Whoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”–1John 3:9.
I thus asked the class to explain the above. One by one some of them started marshalling their points. Each person seemed to add to what the previous person said till it was a nice building they had built. Summarily, they all agreed the scripture means the believer DOES NOT MAKE THE PRACTICE of sinning, they hate sin unlike the unbeliever who wallows in it. That the believer needs to stay in touch with God or the seed(the Word) so that he won't sin.
As we thought we had reached an agreement and I was to give my final word, a young man slipped up his finger indicating that he has a comment. He only just joined the Church for his deliverance,he was what is called a mental case–he would see things no one sees and start talking and swearing aloud to thin air. Ofcourse I gave him the floor and he began– that the scripture means that a believer CAN NOT SIN. That there is no need to try to understand it another way, he began to explain who a true believer really is and finally concluded with all gusto that a believer can not sin. I forgot to say he is eloquent in speech because he was well schooled.
There was momentary silence in the class because the young man has just swum against the tide.His conclusion is termed a fallacy by some sound Bible Scholars. Then I spoke up and I said this last brother is correct. The class was surprised, even me I surprised myself.
I said there is nothing in our nature that permits sin. I asked can Jesus sin? They said "no". So I said that Jesus is my ecosystem,I live and find my being in Him so how then can I sin? When I went to my rural village for the first time as a boy there were some things that I didn't know how to do because I wasn't born there. So also in Christ we have a new nature a nature that doesn't have any sin possibility, just like Christ Himself. Now their eyes were fixed on me as I was painting this kinda strange picture of the man born of God.
I knew that the lingering question would be, "but don't believers sin at times?"
So I continued, if(not when) a believer sins it doesn't change my above submission, and I began to explain what I call the TECHNOLOGY OF SIN. If a believer manages to successfully carry out a sin, the fault is not his new nature in Christ, he stretched out his hand to reach forth outside the new nature to be able to commit that act of sin. Sin starts with a lust which is of the fallen man,the human nature, flesh. If lust is fed with an enticement (eg the Devil channeling an opportunity for you to fulfil that lust) sin is birthed. Or sometimes the Devil can project a thought into your mind and if you don't kick it out, it gives birth to sin. My point is, the believer (in the sanctity of his nature) couldn't have sinned, can't sin, it takes him to reach outside his nature to sin, he consults with flesh(which is alien to his nature) to sin. That is why to sin is a serious matter before God and that's why the Holy Spirit by design sounds the alarm bell even when flesh has slightly begun to speak in the believers life, He won't even wait for you to sin before he starts to warn you.
I was led to speak that way in that class because a lot of people downplay(many times unwittingly) this basic nature of the new man in Christ. Just because the scripture says, "if we[any man] sin,we have an advocate.." is no reason to excuse sin somewhat, because that's what actually is happening to a lot of believers today. By the way, just before it says you have an advocate, it says, "..these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.
Heaven has zero tolerance for sin, zero tolerance of every and any brand,shape and type of sin.
First up, is to accept the possibilities of your new nature. Don't look at "if I sin" if you have not appreciated that "you can't sin". I believe that the man that has apprehended the revelation that in Christ he can't sin will know true repentance if he trips into error. The sheep that shakes vigorously after accidentally falling into the pigs ecosystem–mud– has first PROPERLY understood that as a sheep he just can't be found even around mud. This has long since been settled in him.
You know that popular Rm8:1– "There is therefore now no condmnation to them who are in Christ Jesus.."
Yeah I stopped there because in the original writing vs 1 was cut there(a full stop) before the other part followed. Capisce? So there must FIRST be a requisite understanding that there is no condemnation or corruption in THE NEW LIFE. After this understanding, we can now talk of "who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." We know that flesh that died when you got saved can rise again(na normal thing), that is why we navigate this ecosystem daily by the Holy Spirit keeping us clean and cool.
Let me sum it up this way, it takes an infirmity of the heart for the believer to successfully carry out any sin( I mean any). It is only a sick heart that sins. So if sin comes in, the Holy Spirit convicts and you confess the sin to God pleading His mercy. I don't know of automatic cleansing without confession, that some people preach. Infact sometimes after confessing to God you may need to go do restitution to men. O yes, that's scripture. In mercy He cleanses the repentant believer by His blood, infact we plead the blood for any sin we may not know of, due to our hardness of hearing at times. God cleanses and heals the sickness in the heart that allowed sin to be perpetrated and restores the believer to his proper constitution in Christ Jesus far above sin.
By the way that guy in that class, is no longer a mental case,by God's mercy as brethren ceaselessly prayed,he is perfectly normal now.
God bless you.
cheerfully...