NOTES for Jo1 3:7-10
7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. |
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. |
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. |
10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. |
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These are astonishing words. They give us hope and at the same time condemn us. After all, we enter the new birth, birth from above, by faith in Jesus Christ. This means that in us, who believe in Him, the seed of God already abides, perhaps still very small, no larger than a mustard seed, but capable of growth. From this it follows that we do not sin. But we do sin. And whoever says that he does not sin is a liar (see 1 John 1:8-10). What is this, another contradiction? No, as always, it is not a contradiction but a paradox. To the extent that God's presence, the "seed," acts in us, to that extent we do not sin, because we cannot sin. To the extent that we ignore it, fail to take it into account, and do not give it freedom in us, to that extent we sin, because we cannot help sinning. So there is enormous hope: we can live outside sin, and this possibility has been given to us. But there is also the heaviest condemnation, because we make so little use of this possibility.
Readings for 4 January 2025
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