“We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them.” 1 John 5:18 NIV
John has just explained that while all unrighteousness is sin, there is a sin not leading to death. But John does not want his hearers to mistakenly think that it’s normal for true children of God to live in sin. Since John has clearly said that believers do sin (1 John 1:8, 10; 2:1; 5:16), but no genuine child of God lives in a state of sin. The new birth provides a new nature from God, which cannot sin. Some contend that while the new nature cannot sin, because believers also have the old nature, born again people may live no differently than unbelievers do. In other words, they say that saving faith does not necessarily result in a righteous life. While true believers do fall into sin, they cannot live in it indefinitely. The changed nature results in changed behaviour. If a pig falls into a mud hole, he wallows in it and doesn’t try to get out, because that is its nature. But if a sheep falls in a mud hole, it wants to get out, get cleaned up, and avoid that hole in the future, because it has a different nature. So, it is with a true child of God. When John says that “the evil one does not touch him,” he does not mean that we are completely isolated from Satan’s assaults. The enemy can tempt us and sift us like wheat (Luke 22:31) with God’s permission. But he cannot lay hold of us to make us captives of sin for the rest of our lives. We may fall into his evil clutches and end up in Doubting Castle, as Bunyan’s pilgrims did, but we have the key to escape and get back on the path to the Celestial City –Repentance!
PRAYER THOUGHT
Thank You Lord, we can get out of the mud of sin through repentance.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Thank You Lord, that when we do sin, as Your children, and fall into the mud hole of sin, we can get out of it through repentance. AMEN
I.B.R.A. Readings
Jonah 2:1-3:3a
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