No One Born of God Commits Sin
Really? That doesn't sound like me at all. Is there something I'm missing?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful never to sin again? But what if our idea of what sin is is wrong? What if we have the wrong notion of what sin is in the first place? How can I stop doing what I don’t understand?
If you miss the timeless wisdom of how the Church understands what sin is, be ready to feel a lot of shame and expend tons of energy trying to “change” your behavior, and all of that “work” will be completely unhelpful to you!
Sounds like we better get this right.
Look at our Lesson today in 1 John 3:9-22:
BRETHREN, no one born of God commits sin; for God’s nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God. By this it may be seen who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother. For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, and not be like Cain who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not wonder, brethren, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Any one who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But if any one has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth, and reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask.
St. John’s provocative statement declaring that “no one” who is born of God “sins” is shocking, especially since we know we do sin. So, does that mean we aren’t born of God? But he doesn’t stop there with the challenging comments. He then says that someone born of God “cannot” sin! Whoa!
Before you push the panic button, look at the rest of the passage to see what John is trying to communicate to us. John gives us three insights into the nature of sin and what overcomes this sad state in the human heart. Turns out sin is always a symptom of a lack of Love!
Because sin isn’t breaking a rule. It’s missing the mark, missing the purpose of our lives. And that purpose is to love God with all our hearts and love our neighbors as ourselves. A lack of love and a self-centered attitude is behind our weakness in loving God and loving others. So whatever strengthens love makes sin less a controlling power in our lives. Love ASSUMES the best in others. Love seeks the benefit of others BEFORE our own selfish desires. Love even says the sacrifice of my life for another is normal. In other words, God is love because this is exactly how He has acted with us. A Lifestyle of love is free from sin, and a lifestyle of sin is bereft of love. Simple as that!
By the way, if you live this free life, those who choose to indulge their passions will hate you. But they hated Jesus, so no surprise there!
So, a lifestyle of sin (not breaking a rule, but a lack of love) reveals you are still gripped by spiritual death, and you are not participating in God’s divine nature. But a lifestyle of love for others is the Family resemblance of a person becoming “like Christ!”
The practical revelation is that we will forever be spinning our wheels in useless and wrong ways IF we don’t allow the Faith to reorient how we think. Making the mistake of thinking sin is just breaking a rule or that sinning is because you are such a “bad” person is a dead end to any attempt to be a mature believer. This definition of sin is a trick meant to keep you a slave to your passions. But understanding sin as “missing the Mark” of being like Christ then sets you on the spiritually mature path of true repentance, the reorientation of your thinking that trickles down into your actions. This is the true purpose and healthy motivation for all the disciplines of the Church, especially as we approach Great Lent!
I love that the Church calls us today to remember a simple Gardener named Conon. This hero of the Faith lived in the middle of the 3rd Century AD during the reign of Roman Emperor Decius. He grew a garden near his dwelling and received all he needed. His simple and uncomplicated life was a witness to all around him, and even when the local Roman governor sent men to arrest him for being a Christian, he greeted them warmly and from the bottom of his heart. When he was told that the governor wanted to see him, he asked the soldiers why would the governor want to see him since he was a Christian! Brought before the governor, the saint refused to deny Christ, so much so that the governor and all who witnessed the scene became embarrassed by this man’s simple strength. After putting nails in both feet, they force the saint to run before the governor’s chariot. This good man fainted and dropped to his knees in prayer and gave up his spirit to Christ.
Today, what does your lifestyle say about who you belong to in the first place? Your deeds reveal your heart. So, what do your deeds say to everyone around you? It is an active, daily, and consistent willingness to keep getting up every time you stumble that will gradually transform your life into loving and like Christ. It’s why we are called to live a Normal Orthodox life!
P.S. Through the angelic vision that you were granted, you were instructed in the Faith of Christ Jesus and did receive the power to work miracles. Wherefore, you did utterly quell the demons' presumption and did quench deception's flames in the floods of your contest. O righteous Martyr Conon, pray Christ God, the Friend of man to be gracious unto us all.
