DAILY DEVOTION, Dec. 14,  2021

 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God (1 John 3:9).

This verse has puzzled many Christians. Is John saying that Christians never sin? If so, I do not know any Christians! We know we fall short of God’s will even as believers. John said earlier that if we say we have no sin, we are liars. I think John is saying that Christians do not abide in sin. God abides in us, and when we sin, we want to repent quickly. We do not want to treat our failures with indifference. Christians do sin, but they do not abide in sin. Christians may tell a lie, but they do not persist in lying. Christians may occasionally gossip, but gossip is not a way of life. The Holy Spirit within (God’s seed) will quickly lead us to repentance.

This note from the Quest Study Bible is a good summary of the verse. “In reality, God sees our struggle with sin all too well. He does not expect new Christians to mature and bear fruit overnight. But John emphasized that there should be an increasing conformity of a person’s will to the will of God. If a person shows no sign of change and his life is characterized by sin, John said that the person has not been born of God (v. 6, 9). The word continue is the key to this answer.” If I can sin and not be quickly drawn to confession and repentance, that is a danger sign.

Father, I thank you that the Holy Spirit dwells within and increases my conscience. Help me to realize that You never take my sins lightly. Lead me to repentance and increasing conformity to Your will, In Jesus’ name, Amen.