overcoming persistent sin

“Persistent Sin”

4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. 6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteous-ness is righteous, just as He is righteous.

8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

Keep His commandments (2:3-27)

Abiding in Christ (2:28-3:3)

Loving the brethren (3:11-23)

Indwelling of His Spirit (3:24-4:21)

Believing Jesus is Messiah (5:1-13)

Answers to prayer (5:14-16)

Break patterns of continuous sin (3:4-10)

1. The Nature of Sin

2. The Person & Work of Christ

3. The Person & Work of Satan

4. The Power of the Word of God

poiéō (present tense) Habitual Sin

A. Described:

4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

Sin (hamartia) = “missing the mark”

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Isaiah 6:3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!”

Ad = toward + Dictum = dictator

John 8:34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.

Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Ad = toward + Dictum = dictator

Romans 6:16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

The Addiction Cycle

A. Described: Habitual Sin

B. Defined: “Transgresses the Law”

4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

“commits” [continuously] “lawlessness” [anomían]

Man calls it an accident, God calls it an abomination.Man calls it a defect, God calls it the disease.Man calls it an error, God calls it an enmity. Man calls it a liberty, God calls it lawlessness.Man calls it a trifle, God calls it a tragedy.Man calls it a mistake,

God calls it a madness.Man calls it a weakness,

God calls it willfulness.

A. His Person: “without sin”

B. His Work: “to remove our Sin”

5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.

Hebrews 4:14–16 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

(1) “never seen Him”(horaō) = perceive with the eyes, look at, not the mere act of seeing, but also the actual perception of some object (cp. blépō “to see”)

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see (horaō) the kingdom of God.”

6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

(2) “never known Him”

(ginṓskō) = to know, in a beginning or completed sense

Luke 1:34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

Orel Hershiserpitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers

Orel Hershiserpitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers

7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.

(1) We are righteous

(2) We are like Christ

A. His Person: “sinned from the beginning”B. His Work: “destroyed”

8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

(lúō) = to loose, loosen what is fast, bound, meaning to unbind, untie

A. “born of God”

B. “His seed remains in him”

9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

(gennáō)= generation, kind, offspring; to be begotten or be born

(spérma) = seed, refers both to what is sown as containing the germ of new fruit, and to the produce that grows out of the seed