It is impossible for a professing ‘believer’ to abide in God’s peace, a peace that passes all understanding, while at the same time they continue to practice ‘sin’. If anyone tells you differently, they are lying to you. We simply cannot have both.

And if...you claim to be a ‘follower of Jesus’, and you have been led to believe this Jesus ‘gets you’ and understands that you are ‘not perfect’ and will just encourage you to try harder next time to do better, but no worries...all remains well with your soul, then there is a good chance you might be following...’another Jesus’. (2 Cor. 11:4; Matt. 24:5)

Now please here me out on this next statement: Continuing to practice ‘sin’ does not change God’s love for you, as His love for the whole world is unchanging and unconditional. (John 3:16).

But it changes everything else when it comes to His promises that are...conditional.

We are told that “the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but He is longsuffering toward us, not willing that ANY...should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Pet. 2:9)

Jesus made it known, after addressing some tragedies that had taken place in the region there where lives were lost...”unless you repent, you will all likewise...perish...”. (Luke 13:1-5). These were not threats; they were warnings...given in love to whoever had ears to hear.

I think that if you ask the average church member who professes to believe in Jesus what the word ‘repent’ actually means, they probably can give you a decent and simple explanation: it means to ‘turn’ or have a ‘change of direction and thought’.

I also think we are much better at defining that word, than we are at actually doing it.

When Jesus first began His public ministry, He did not show up telling everyone: “Hey Y’all...believe in me so you can go to heaven when you die.”

We are told that “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’.” (Matt. 4:17)

So when Jesus taught that we were to ‘repent’, a message echoed by the early church fathers, (Acts 2:38; 17:30), it was not a suggestion; it was a command. And just what were we to repent, or turn from?

Hopefully, your answer to that is simple and to the point- sin. We were to repent and then ‘go and sin no more...or something worse might happen to us.” (John 5:14) Sin...is breaking God’s commandments. Sin is ‘lawlessness’. (1 John 3:4). And do you know why a bunch of religious folks will be turned away and denied entrance into the kingdom of heaven? Jesus answers that: “They continued to practice lawlessness”. (Matt. 7:23).

They obviously did not fully understand the meaning of the word ‘repent’.

I know that there is a ‘softer’ definition of the word ‘sin’ that gets offered up in church circles that explains the root meaning of the word ‘sin’ and how it means ‘missing the mark’ as an archer might do. And when I say ‘softer’, it tends to take the edge off of us feeling any conviction or responsibility because nobody ‘hits the bullseyes’ every single time. My concern here is that we can dilute God’s word just enough so that it diminishes the impact and effectiveness of what it was intended to do in us. It can be so subtle...sort of like what Satan did back in the garden and Paul later warned might happen to us as well. (Gen . 2:17; 3:1-5; 2 Cor. 11:3-4)

Sin is breaking God’s commandments. Period. And if you really ‘want to know’ if you are abiding in Christ, then John tells us all how we can truly ‘know’ – We will ‘keep God’s commandments”. (1 John 2:3-6) You don’t need a degree from seminary to see that either.

John doubles down in the next chapter and makes it as clear and as simple as he can: “Whoever abides in Him does not sin.” (3:6).

He elaborates even further when he writes: “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin , because he has been born of God.” (9)

Then, he adds this promise: “We know that whoever is born of God does not sin...and the wicked one does not touch him.” (5:18). Amazing, is it not...how clear it is for us to see?

Those verses are clearly marked and included in your bible, are they not? Please...don’t try to resist or deflect or explain away those verses. I ‘get’ how they are hard to receive, process, and digest...given all we have been taught and seen and experienced. But instead of trying to dismiss them or water them down, how about we just agree...Yep...God has that written down for us all to see...now maybe He can explain how this is even remotely possible. Hence...the drive behind my blogging here that began over two years ago. (Today is post # 883)

There is absolutely no rhyme or reason as to why Jesus would have come and even hinted...that we could ‘go and sin no more’ or ‘be perfect as the Father in heaven is perfect’, if He did not have a plan and way for us to do this. (John 8:11; Matt. 5:48). And why would John taunt us by writing that ‘whoever says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6), if this was impossible for us to do?

Friends...I’ve said it before, repeatedly, and I will say it again: We’ve been deceived, as in ‘lied’ to. And Jesus came that we might know the truth and that the truth would set us free....”whoever commits sin is a slave to sin and a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son/child abides forever.” (John 8:32-36)

And please...remember...Jesus did not come to condemn us...given we were ALL sinners in need of a Savior. (John 3:16; Rom. 3:23). He tells us plainly...”I have come... to call the sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:21). He came to save us from our sins and the consequences that follow sin which is wrath and condemnation and death. So one might rightfully conclude that if we have been ‘saved’ from our sins...then we ought not to be continuing to practice sin. Because that is what true repentance is...a turning away from, which means we don’t do those sins anymore.

Now...if you are still having a problem with this message...and feeling a mix of anger and frustration with a touch of condemnation sprinkled in....let me ask you this, if I may. Chances are, you continue to struggle with and fail repeatedly in some areas of your life which makes reading all these verses difficult. So my question is...what ‘sin’ that you have failed to overcome in your life and fully turn away from...has proven to be a match for the precious blood of Jesus, that is simply not powerful enough to cleanse and free you from?

Or is it remotely possible that there might be some areas of sin in your life that you are unwilling to repent of...maybe because you love that ‘sin’ more...than you love God? It would not be unheard of given what Jesus taught in John 3:19. And of course, let’s not forget the rich young ruler who was at least honest enough to make his choice known. (Matt. 19:21-22)

I’ll give you a moment with that one.

Which takes me back to my opening statement. We simply cannot abide in His peace that we are to be led by if we continue to practice sin. He has done all He could possibly do to free us from all sin.

Here’s a sobering thought: IF you remain steadfast and refuse to believe what the word has declared about not sinning, then you will never be set free from sin. There were many people who were never healed by Jesus because they refused to believe they could be healed.(Matt. 13:58) And if you continue to sin, which is the opposite of repenting, then you will perish, just as Jesus said we would. (Luke 13:3,5)

John the Baptist warned early on...the need for ‘producing fruits of repentance’...or else... (Matt. 3:10). Now...if you recall my message from yesterday, I talked about this ‘hedge of protection’ that we enter in to when we turn to Jesus with all our heart. That does not mean your heart has been purified and made perfect yet, but you have simply agreed to the terms and conditions of what it means to come to Jesus and then abide in Him. This is such a beautiful display of His mercy and grace; but...you have to continue on with Him. (John 15:1-8). If you don’t, then no ‘good fruit’ will be produced in you, which is...how the Father is glorified. (John 15:8).

This has always been the way of God...promises of blessing and provision and protection IF...we heed His commands...and, the consequences if we don’t. God means what He says and I cannot stress enough and underscore...how serious this all is. Everyone talks about God’s coming ‘judgement’ while forgetting at the same time who will be ‘judged first’. (1 Pet. 4:17). If you took the time to go look that last verse up (which I pray you did), would you please, now turn to and read Isaiah 5:1-5, 13). Again, leaving you with a bit of a somber passage/message here, but that can be a good thing when the word comes in to break up fallow ground. God usually does that when He’s about to send a good rain. ;-) (Hosea 10:12). See you tomorrow.