We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. (1 John 5:18 NASB)

I really want to share this insight into this scripture tonight…

I was involved in a Christian Forum (which is presently closed) last year and this point was debated at some length…

A brother corrected me and I went back to the Greek and confirmed for myself and had the witness of the Holy Spirit that this verse – the interpretation of this verse – was as the brother was sharing…

I believe he understood what I now understand this verse to be meaning…

I believe he did…

The understanding is this…

No one who is born of God = the new self of no one who is born of God…

sins; = it is impossible for the new self to sin, i.e. the new self does not commit sin…

but He who was born of God = Jesus Christ, God in Human Flesh…

keeps him, = keeps the new self, i.e. so that the new self cannot sin…

and the evil one does not touch him. = the devil can’t touch the new self, i.e. the devil can’t taint the new self or “turn it to the dark side”…

God Protects His own…

Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. (Luke 22:31-32 NASB)

So what does this mean?

From a legal perspective, i.e. from the perspective of Satan accusing an elect of God (someone who has been given a new self into which the Holy Spirit has been placed as a deposit), there is nothing to look at under the “sin file” of that person because that person is already sinless…

No matter how hard Satan looks that person’s old self has died and from a legal perspective – before the Throne of God – all that person’s old self’s sins are buried in the depths of the sea never to be remembered any more…

They are gone from God’s Mind – from a legal perspective – and not recorded in the books as that one has crossed over from death to life…

When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. (Colossians 2:13-15 NASB)

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:1-11 NASB)

When the Lord enters our lives He removes the penalty of sin from us – He removes it…

It is gone, we are justified in His Sight…

No one can ever call us guilty again…

God has declared us innocent and innocent we stand no matter what our old self does after that point…

Because our old self is no longer us…

Innocent we stand in the Sight of God…

The devil can tell us we are not innocent when we (our old self, i.e. ‘sin within me’ as Paul says) sin but he is lying to us – he is not our conscience – he is a liar from the beginning – and our conscience has been cleansed with (I believe) the Blood of the Lamb and our conscience knows that we (our new selves – which is what God defines us as) are innocent – innocent of great transgression…

Because of what we are – we become what we are…

Sin falls off us in the practical sense…

As long as we don’t know what we are and believe the devil’s lies to us we do not rise to become what we are and what we have been made to be in Christ…

It really is by faith that the Lord shows us what we are and starts to enable us to believe what we are…

Yes, as we see sin in our old selves we repent of this sin – we are sorry for this sin and the Blood of Jesus God’s Son cleanses us from this sin and our new self “takes over” in this area and in every area where the Lord brings us to true repentance in that specific area…

Sometimes there are layers and layers of sin in a certain area but we see the Lord peeling them back layer by layer – Praise His Holy Name…

Sometimes whole roots are removed instantaneously – Praise His Holy Name…

The point is that any saint, i.e. anyone who has been born of God, overcomes the world because they are not under the Law but under Grace and any saint even in the act where their old self is right in the middle of committing a sin – is just as righteous before God – positionally and in terms of their acceptance and acceptability before God in the Blood of Jesus – which was given them as a one time act when God declared them righteous and will never be taken away from them (because of the Faithfulness of God) – as the one who is in the middle of praising and worshipping God without a thought of malice or bitterness in their hearts towards another human being but who is captivated by God and focused solely on Him…

That’s not fair you’ll say…

That’s right…

It’s not fair – it’s Mercy…

It’s not fair – it’s Grace…

How would you rather be treated by God?

In Justice or in Mercy?

In Justice or in Grace?

When we ask God to bring Justice on those who have wronged us – unless we’re praying in Righteous Anger – then we’re really wishing on others what we would never wish upon ourselves, correct?

I can’t do that anymore…

I have been guilty of bitterness…

I thought I had forgiven others but the more and more I see, I see that I have insulated myself from others who have hurt me so that I will not be hurt again…

I can do this no longer…

I thought I knew this but I have seen today – from early this morning – that I have not…

The pain which we go through in being misunderstand and abused by others is necessary to form the Character of Christ in us…

The crushing of forgiveness reminds us of the crushing of Christ when He was on the cross…

He didn’t preach a sermon from the cross about how He was Right and they were all wrong – cos they were – and He was the only One who was Right – but He shut His Mouth and in silence bore their false opinions about Him without correcting them, Loving them all that time and bearing each and every one of their sins as He hung His Head and endured the cross…

I want to be like Jesus…

I am not like Jesus…

But I want to be like Him…

He was silent…

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. (Isaiah 53:7 NASB)

I am sorry Lord for demanding my “rights” to be right and to demand apologies from others for hurting me…

I have no right for them to apologise…

I have no “right” to be seen to be right…

I am sorry Lord, release me from this pit of bitterness which I have fallen into…

In the last couple of days…

Pull me out Lord…

Thank You Jesus…

Love You Lord…

Let me be what I am…

Righteous in Your Sight…

Forgiving others just as in Christ God forgave me…

Hallelujah!!!

Thank You Lord…

Bless my wife, bless my family, bless my work colleagues and all my associates – let them see You – Your Death – through me…

Let them see Your Death through me…

Apologies Lord for the way I’ve been with that one particular work colleague who has been a demanding Client and I have been bitter towards – I’m sorry Lord…

I forgive this Client and surrender to do a good job for this Client even though their demeanour really annoys the “beep” out of me…

Take out of me Lord all my “prickliness” and no matter how I’m treated please Lord do not let it “get under my skin” – let me hold my peace – Thank You Lord…

Thank You Lord…

Thank You Jesus that You meet me where I am…

You meet me where I am and You are true to me as I am true to You about how I feel about the situations which I find myself in…

Thank You Lord…

Thank You that even on my worst days – and today was one of them – or headed that way anyway – I am still Accepted in the Beloved because of the Blood of Jesus and the Pronouncement of God – “Innocent” – over my life – O Thank You Jesus for the Blood of Jesus – I am so unworthy of Your Pronouncement over my life but I know it’s real and I feel it – like a joy springing up in my soul – when I proclaim it – Praise Your Holy Name…

Sin shall not be your master…

Hallelujah!!!

You (your new self) are not under Law but under Grace…

Hallelujah!!!

So is sin an issue in the life of a believer?

Yes, sin distresses us…

But we know God is removing it practically from us – it is removed from us in that God has changed us – literally replaced the “old us” with a “new us” – so that “us” is not what it used to be – but it is also being removed from us day by day…

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16 NASB)

The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. (Proverbs 4:18 NIV)

We are in Good Hands…

The Hands of the Lord…

Let’s Praise His Name that His Heart is for us and that no one will ever be able to put us to shame…

Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:33-39 NASB)

Thank You Jesus… 🙂