Sinless

We're back, and once again, we're continuing on living your faith and righteousness. Our scripture base is from 1 John 3, and we'll highlight different passages along the way.

Class today has been like a giant link of topics, all related, but different. Our first link in the chain was from 1 John 3: 6 No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. The basic meaning of this verse is that followers of God are pure, and are not sinners. This interpertation of the verse created discussion in our classroom.

As most people would agree, including Christians, it is impossible for one to live without commiting sin. Hence, this passage from 1 John seems contradictory to what most Christians believe. However, this passage simply defines sin differently than what we take it to be. Throughout 1 John 3, John makes it clear that there are, by his definition, two types of people: righteous and of God, and evil under Satan. At first glance, this is difficult to comprehend, as most Christians today believe that people make bad choices, but they are still good people.

The difference between John's definition and modern belief is how John's definition is interperted. If you look at sin, by John's definition, as wrong-doings that you do not repent of, then both his definition and modern belief can match. John writes to say that one can tell the difference between good and bad people not by how many times they do wrong, or what they do wrong, but why we do wrong, and how we feel afterwards. Repentance comes when one seeks forgiveness purely, and fully regrets commiting evil. That is what makes people children of God, and not true sinners. People who do not repent, or go out and repeat their actions with no second regrets, are the kind of people that John labels as 'children of the devil'. 1 John 3: 10: 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.

Our discussion in class, the rest of the chain I was talking about above, was about the discussion. We began to talk about what Christians still debate about, such as what is truly a sin and means of salvation, as defined by different denominations and people. It is not a simple thing to interpert scripture since it can be interperted in so many different ways. For this reason, Christianity can be difficult to understand. However, as I see it, it is best to hear all of the different thoughts and discussions surrounding scripture, such as 1 John, because it is through both our knowledge of scripture and of the different interpertations of it that we become wiser in our faith.