Continue in Him

“No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.” 1 John 3:9 (NIV)

Continue to live in Him so that you will not live in sin. As a child of God, when you choose to yield to temptation you are no longer acting consistent with your new identity in Christ. To practice sin is to operate out of character as a person redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

If you are born of God it means that you have experienced the divine transaction of transferring your trust from yourself to Jesus alone for salvation. To be born of God means to be regenerated. Your sins have been removed and you received the imputed righteousness of Christ. Christ is now in you and He is the hope of glory!

John is not referring to occasional acts of sin. You will periodically step into a pothole of sin as you live in this fallen world. However, as a child of God, your life is not to be characterized by sin. There should be no established and continual patterns of sinful behavior present in your life. You cannot abide in Christ and choose the way of sin simultaneously. You cannot walk in the Spirit and embrace sin at the same time. As a follower of Christ, you have to deliberately choose to rebel against Jesus in order to facilitate even a fraction of sin.

Continue to live in Him by anticipating His return, by starving the flesh, by feeding the Spirit, and by practicing His presence. Choose to bring honor to God by living in alignment with your new identity in Christ. Continue to live in Him by making no provision for the flesh, by confessing sin, and by guarding your heart. God’s seed remains in you!

Pursuing God,

Stephen Trammell
Lead Pastor
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