1 John 5:18 (NKJV)18We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself,

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1 Introduction The little book of 1 John has served as a treasure trove for the Christian seeking to live in sweet fellowship with the Lord and with fellow believers. John has provided us with a series of tests, proofs, evidences that we really know God (2:2-29); that we really love God (3:1-4:21) and that we really believe God (5:1-21). There is the test of being born again (5:1-5); the test of believing the witness provided by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and the Word of God concerning Jesus (5:6-15); and now the test of living free from the enslaving bondage of sin (see vv.16-21). Are we living free from sin? John reminds us that if we are living in righteousness we are free from sin. The Christian is not free to live a life-style of sin and rebellion. How do we live free from sin? John has already given us permission to confront one another over sin and pray for one another when we find ourselves in sin (vv.16-17). How else do we live free from sin? We recognize and appreciate all we are in Christ and have in Christ. Now John provides a kind of confession of faith. A confession about sanctification (v.18); a confession about belief in regeneration (v.18) we know that we are of God and a confession about the incarnation (v.20) and we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding. John makes it clear that true believers obey the Lord s commands in His Word (see 2:3-6; 2:28-3:10; 5:2-3); love the Lord and fellow believers; and embrace a life-style of love that is recognizable (see 2:7-11; 3:11-18). Christ followers believe in the truth of the Gospel Message that Jesus is the Savior (see 2:18-27). We cannot defeat sin or experience victory over sin apart from the presence of Jesus in our lives and the power of the Holy Spirit. The famous Puritan John Owen was right when he said, Every system which attempts to deal with sin without Christ and the Holy Spirit is legalistic and miserable. Keep Yourself From Sin (v.18a) 1 John 5:18 (NKJV)18We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, We are to keep ourselves from sin and all unrighteousness. John does not leave these things to speculation or guesswork. John says; We know...that whoever is born of God does not sin. The knowledge rests in the character of God and the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. The NLT translates this; We know that those who have become part of God s family do not make a practice of sinning, for God s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot get his hands on them. 1

2 Does the passage teach Christians never sin? That can t be right. In I John 1:8 we read; If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. John affirms the presence of the principle of sin. Verse 9 speaks of the denial of particular sins and verse 10 the denial of personal sinning. Christians are not sinless but we should sin less. There are two readings; based on what scholars call a textual variant which means there are two Greek manuscript families that provide two different readings. The expression born of God is sometimes rendered God s Son which means two schools have two different objects; in one the object is the Son of God and the other the Child of God. If this means a Christian or a Christ follower the Christ follower must hold themselves securely and keep from sinning. The other reading is that the Son of God keeps the believer from sin! What does all of this mean? The sinner who repents and becomes a true believer is delivered from the penalty of sin (in the past). We are provided power in order to experience victory over sin (in the present) and one day we are guaranteed removal from the presence of sin (in the future see 1 John 3:1-3). We must be born again. We must place ourselves in the keeping power of the Lord Jesus Christ. Williams translates the verse; We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He (the Son of God) who was born of God keeps him and the evil one does not touch him. We know that every person has sinned and is guilty of sin. What does this mean in practical terms? John encourages us to remember that we have been born again by the Holy Spirit and are no longer under the jurisdiction of sin. We are born of God. All our sins are forgiven. We can walk in freedom and not in guilt. Jesus has taken our sin upon Himself. We are chosen, adopted, accepted in the Beloved. But what about our current sins and all the sins we have committed since we received Christ as our Savior? We confess our sin. We admit our struggle with sin (1John 1:9). Keep Yourself From Satan (vv. 18b-19) and the wicked one does not touch him. The word touch is a Greek word (hapto) which means lay hold of or grasp or grip! The idea seems to include the absence of ability to cause permanent harm to the believer. Does Satan have the ability to cause temporary harm? I am going to suggest that whatever harm Satan is able to accomplish must first go through the plans and permission of the Lord. Do you remember Jesus told Peter; Satan has asked for you. To sift you like wheat! We are under the keeping power of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are protected by His love and His blood! 2

3 Satan is clever and determined. Satan will target the mind (Eve); the body (Job); the will (David) and the heart and conscience (Joshua). Clearly Satan s weapons include lies; suffering, pride and accusation. But we are given tools to work with and weapons to fight with. Our weapons include the inspired Word of God; the imparted grace of God; the indwelling Spirit of God; and the interceding Son of God. 19We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. John does not use wickedness in the abstract sense (poneria). Once again we must rely on a basic understanding of language. The Greek text uses what is called the dative masculine of the adjective poneros and so is translated here the wicked one (in the NIV and NASB the evil one ). The wicked one is Satan. Satan introduced sin into the universe and Satan s judgment is certain (Rev.12:7). God will one day sentence Satan to spend eternity in hell (see Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:10). In what way does the whole world lie under the sway of Satan? The world in not free to obey Christ. They are under the sway and control of Satan. The Believer is no longer in bondage to Satan to but free to obey Christ. The world does not share our freedom. We live in a fallen world, a broken world, a corrupt world. We live in a world subject to disease and disaster and destruction. This world will pass away. In one sense the world is that mind-set that sets itself in opposition to God. In another sense it is the physical universe and all that this material and physical world contains. Because we are of God we are not of this world we do not share this world s values or outlook or affections. The unbeliever and the make-believer remain in Satan s grip. The unbeliever and makebeliever who refuse to come to Christ and receive and trust Christ have no choice but to obey Satan. Obey Satan in every way? Let me be clear. Sin takes many forms. The most heinous and grievous sin is unbelief. There is no middle ground; either people belong to God and obey him, or they live under Satan s control (Life Application Commentary; p.119). How do we steer clear of sin? The answer shouldn t surprise us! Surrender to Christ. Stay away from Satan. We stay close to Jesus. Keep Yourself In Spiritual Understanding (v.20) 20And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. 3

4 The text is full of ripe offerings for the starved student. John repeats the words And we know. What do we know? The Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true. The false teachers had done their best to set aside the Bible s teachings concerning the nature of Jesus and the mission of Jesus and the person of Jesus. The false teachers imagined a world where they could know God apart from Christ and the Gospel. John s message in part is knowledge of God apart from Christ is impossible. The Lord Jesus Christ came to the earth to reveal the true God and eternal life. But as they say in the cheesy TV commercials; but wait there s more! Jesus comes to enable those who by faith believe Jesus and receive Jesus to experience a real and personal relationship with the God of Heaven. The Holy Spirit has given believers true spiritual understanding so that we can know the true God. The Holy Spirit points people to Jesus and Jesus points people back to His heavenly Father! What does John mean when he writes; and we are in Him who is true? No mystery there! We are in His Son Jesus Christ! What does it mean to be in Jesus Christ? It means more than I can possibly say but let me say at least a few things! It means we are in the Father (the true God) and that we are the present possessors of eternal life. Let s put it another way. If we are united in the Son we are united to the Father. The Father is the source of eternal life and the Lord Jesus Christ reveals that life (John 1:4; 14:6). Jesus is eternal life. Only through the death and resurrection of Jesus is eternal life made available to sinful human beings. How does this knowledge keep us from sin? The Bible teaches we are adopted into a new family (Rom.8:14-23) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Jesus has redeemed us; purchased us from the market place of sin; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God (Rom.3:24-25). The word propitiation means a new covering of sins (Rom.4:7). We have grace (new favor with God); we have an imputed righteousness (a new record in heaven) and reconciliation ( a new union); substitution (a new sacrifice). Walter Hilton said, When you attack the roots of sin, fix your thought more on the God you desire than on the sin you abhor. How do you fix your thoughts on the God you desire than the sin you abhor? You must learn to abhor sin. You must learn to desire the Lord! Through out the letter John has given us a picture of Jesus. What we think about Jesus will effect our thinking, our speaking, our living, our teaching. How do we keep ourselves from sin? 4

5 Augustine wrote, Sin is believing the lie that you are self-created, self-dependent, and selfsustained. Martin Luther said, Sin is essentially a departure from God. Sandar Singh said, Sin is to live according to one s own will and cast aside the will of God. Recognize it. Hate it. Forsake it. There are lots of reasons to recognize, hate and forsake sin. What happens when the Christian sins? It results in a loss of light (1 John 1:6); a loss of joy (1 John 1:4); a loss of righteousness (1 John 3:4-10); a loss of love (1 John 2:5, 15-17; 4:12); a loss of fellowship (1 John 1:3, 6-7); a loss of confidence (1 John 3:19-22); a possible loss of health, even life (see 1 John 5:16-16 and 1 Cor.11:30). Keep Yourself From Idols (v.21) 21Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. Once again John refers to his readers as little children. This is a word filled with affection and tenderness. John loves his reader each one in their struggle against self and Satan and sin. It would appear that idolatry is a temptation for believers. Paul told the Corinthians (1Cor.10:14) Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. We may have a hard time comprehending idolatry. But idol worship was a big problem among the Gentiles in the first century. But idol worship remains a big problem even in our own world. Idols are anything that can serve as a God substitute. God substitutes are anything that take the place of the God of the Bible for worship, fellowship, relationship. What does John have in mind in these words for his original audience? The false teachers invited the people in their world to accept their false teaching and false images of Christ as God substitutes. John wants the reader to know if we embrace the false teachers, their false teachings about Jesus and about salvation is the same as turning from God and turning to idols! An idol is anyone or anything that takes the place that rightly belongs to Jesus in your life. An idol is anyone or anything that you place before God in your life. Martin Luther wrote; Whatever man loves, that is his god. For he carries it in his heart; he goes with it night and day; he sleeps and wakes with it, be it what it may wealth or self, pleasure or renown. What is the first thing that you think about in the morning? What is it that you live for throughout the day? What is the last thing that lingers in your mind when you lay your head on the pillow? Beware. It could be an idol. Conclusion 5

6 How do we steer clear of sin? Surrender to Christ. Stay away from Satan. We stay close to Jesus. Pursue righteousness. Seek wisdom. Avoid all God substitutes! The unbeliever is invited to believe in Jesus. The believer is invited to confess their sin (1 John 1:9). John told us his reasons for writing (5:13) I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. How do you know? Have you passed the tests? Do you enjoy fellowship with Christ and the saints (1Jn.1:3)? Do you walk light or in the darkness (1Jn.1:6-7)? Walking in the light does not mean you never do wrong but it does mean you find your way back to the light. Do you admit and confess your sin (1Jn.1:8)? Are you obedient to the Word of God (1Jn. 2:3-5)? It sounds cliche to say that the Bible will keep one from sinning but sin will keep one from the Bible! But I think it is true! The Bible is the great source of information that keeps us from sin. But we are also provided the intercession of our Savior (Luke 22:32; John 17:15; Rom. 8:34). And the presence of the Holy Spirit! Does your life send a message to family and friends that you love the Lord rather than this world (1Jn.2:15)? Does you long to do what s right in your life (1Jn.2:29)? Do you seek purity (1Jn. 3:3) and a decreasing pattern of sin in your life (not the absence of sin!)? Tell me about your life, your conscience, and your victory over sin! Do you desire to live in victory over sin? Surrender to Christ, stay away from Satan, stay close to Jesus, pursue righteousness, wisdom and avoid God substitutes! 6