1 John 3:6-9
No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.
There are two extremes when it comes to the question of holiness. One extreme is the legalistic one where outward signs of holiness are treated as the means to salvation. The other extreme is what theologians call antinomianism. This is the belief that believers are not bound to follow any moral laws since salvation by grace is sufficient. Both these extremes misrepresent what Biblical holiness is. The end result is that people either become joyless legalists in their pursuit of outward morality or they become loose in their lifestyles in the case of antinomianism.
The apostle John has a balanced view of holiness. In the first chapter, he establishes that no one can claim that they are without sin, for to do so is to deceive oneself and to make God a liar (1 John 1:8-10). One would then assume that since it is expected that believers will sin, then it is no big deal when we are caught sinning. However, that is not the case as presented by our text today. To continue sinning is a sure sign that one does not know God. In fact, John reveals to us an even serious fact – those who continue sinning belong to the devil. God’s children are meant to be holy. That is, they are meant to be distinct and morally pure, just like God is. We do not earn salvation by being holy, but our holiness is a sign that saving grace is at work in us. Let us therefore take heed to what Hebrews 12:14 says:
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
Reflections
1. Does your life reveal that you are a child of God?
2. What do you need to do in order to live a life of holiness?
