I’m currently using a Bible reading plan from YouVersion called Soul Detox. Today’s reading had me in 1 John 3, and I’m finding that this is a difficult section of scripture for me to comprehend and practice.
1 John 3:6 says, “No one who lives in him (Jesus) keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.” 1 John 3:9 continues, “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
Let’s just say that I’m going to have to dig way down into this section of scripture! As I read this morning, I was stopped in my tracks because I live in Jesus, but I continue to sin, even though I don’t want to. I am born of God, but I go on sinning although I don’t intend to keep doing so. I feel like the Apostle Paul today when he said in Romans 7:19, “For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do–this I keep on doing.”
How does one overcome this struggle with sin? We can’t. This is our human nature. It’s tough to accept this reality. This is awful news. The further harsh reality is that my sin (and yours) separates me (us) from God.
However, those who are in Jesus have a helper to overcome this sinful nature. 1 John 3:24 brings a comfort when it says, “Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”
I’m thankful for God’s grace that covers my sin! I’m reminded today that I’m dead without Jesus. I’m nothing without Jesus! I’m extremely grateful that I have a relationship with God through Jesus. Because of this relationship, God doesn’t see my sin, He sees Jesus covering me. And if that’s not enough…Through Jesus, God has given me a helper (the Holy Spirit) to overcome my daily sin struggles.
There’s so much to dig into here and contemplate. However, the bottom line is that I am alive in Jesus! I am no longer a slave to sin because of Jesus! I have help through the Holy Spirit because of Jesus! I am an overcomer because of Jesus! For all that, today I’m thankful!
