Read 1 John 3:4–6
No one who lives in him keeps on sinning.
1 John 3:6
For many months after the close of World War II, Japanese troops
were discovered hidden in the caves and jungles of the Pacific Islands.
Some of these stragglers were living like frightened savages; they didn’t
know the war was over. Once they understood that it was no longer
necessary for them to fight, they surrendered.
Christians may rest in the truth that Satan is a defeated enemy.
Sentence has been pronounced on him, but it will be awhile before
the punishment is meted out. People who know Christ and who have
been delivered from the bondage of sin through Christ’s death on the
cross have no desire to obey Satan and live like rebels.
Counterfeit Christians were trying to convince true believers that
people could be “saved” and still practice sin. John did not deny that
Christians sin, but he did deny that Christians can live in sin. People
who can enjoy deliberate sin and who do not feel convicted or experience God’s chastening had better examine themselves to see whether
they are really born of God.
Something to Ponder
What would you tell a friend who professed to be a Christian yet
claimed to enjoy indulging in a particular sin on a regular basis?