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NASB | 1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 John 1:8 If we say we have no sin [refusing to admit that we are sinners], we delude ourselves and the truth is not in us. [His word does not live in our hearts.] |
Subject: Is sinless perfection possible on earth? |
Bible Note: When Paul says that man has been 'made free from the law of sin and death' (Rom 8.2) he does not mean that sin and death no longer affect him. For we will all die (assuming that Christ does not come first). What we are delivered from is the final effect of death, because Christ will give us life. In the same way it does not mean that sin will not affect us, it means that finally we will have victory over sin. Sin is vey much a determining factor in our lives. It is constantly at work within us seeking to bring us down ('it is not I but sin which dwells in me' - Rom 7.20). But thsnks be to God we can obtain victory over known sin through our Lord Jesus Christ Rom 7.25). Our sins do not count against us before God because Christ has been made our righteousness (Rom 3.24-25; 1 Cor 1.30). But they certainly count in daily living. To sin is to shame Christ. 'How shall you who are dead to sin, live any longer in it?' (Rom 6.2). But they did. Paul says we are dead to sin, not that sin is dead. Sin is very much alive. But we have to reckon ourselves as dead to sin and alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom 6.11). Thus we are to see ourselves as dead to sin. This 'death' is something thst we have to work out in the power of the risen Christ. We should recognise thst we are dead and should therefore allow Christ to live through us. In this way we will overcome known sin. But the principle of sin is deep underneath. it is constantly seeking to make itself felt. In some it tempts to adultery. In others it tempts to be careless in prayer. In others it persuades them away from the study of God's word. All are sin. In others it tempts to complacency. This too is sin. There is no perfect man who does not sin, only in context of the discussion, one who conquers known sin. But we will never be free from sin because our carnal nature prevents us achieving perfection. It prevents us from loving God with heart, soul, mind and strength. It prevents us from always doing what is positively right. As we grow nearer to God we recognise as sin what others see simply as problems of life. None of us will ever live in the perfection in which Jesus Christ lived with His full awareness of the Father and of the Father's will. We are slowly growing into that awareness. Paul's consciousness of his sinful nature expressing itself was not with what we would call sins. It was with his recognition that He was not yet fully like Christ in every aspect of His life. And it grieved him. He recognised that he came short and constantly strove to be more like Christ. But he 'strove' by submission to Christ as the One Who was living through him. We are believers in experiencing salvation. And salvation is not just a once for all forgiveness through the righteousness of Christ (although it is that), it is also a process of being daily transformed by the Spirit from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3.18). The final aim is to bring us up to the glory of God. But while we live in this life we will always fall short of that glory (Rom 3.23). To Paul sin within was very much alive. What he dealt with was our response to that sin which was by dying with Christ, and experiencing His risen life through our own lives |