Verse: “Ye must be born again.“
– John 3:7
Quote: “The effective working of the new birth in us is that we do not commit sin, not merely that we have the power not to sin, but that we have stopped sinning.”
Not the immediate reaction to the new birth, but the “effective working” will produce in us the functioning life of Christ Jesus. 1 John 3:4-9 paints a detailed portrait of sin’s role in the life of a Christian: “No one who is born of God will continue to sin.”
Does this mean that if you sin you have never received the saving grace of Jesus Christ? No, what it means is that if you truly accepted God’s free gift of salvation and committed your life to Him, then you would pursue the life of Christ until you are living it out in actuality. God has given us the power over sin, and He commands us not to sin, so it is up to us to act out what God freely gives in the form of redemption.
If we have been born of God, sin is not in our nature; we have been given a new nature where sin has no place. When you sin, you are putting on your old, rotting flesh and parading around like a sheep in wolves clothing. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says that “God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.” This means that when you sin, it is a deliberate act of separating yourself from God and refusing His help.
To live a sinless life after your new birth is commanded, not suggested.
My 5 (almost 6) year old nephew understands this, so it cannot be too difficult to grasp. I wish I could remember the verbatim conversation he had with my brother where he decided he wanted to tell everyone to stop sinning, because it’s what God wants. Great story. Maybe he’ll post it on his blog before long.