Inspired word for the week.

1 John 3

[6] Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

[7] Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

[8] He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

[9] Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God

The fall of man in the beginning pages of scripture in the account of Genesis 3 meant that man had inherited a totally depraved nature. A nature that by default will not do good, hates holiness and loves unrighteousness, a fallen nature that pushes a wicked agenda to the extreme and so on. A nature which affects everything and in Rom 5:12  its says "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned". This sinful nature inherited from our first parents had dire and severe implication so much that even the Divine asked Eve, what is this thing that thou has done(Gen 3:13). The Psalmist in his confession also rightly said he was “conceived in sin” (Ps. 51:5).

God created man and only God can recreate man.

The only antidote and cure to this imputed sinful nature is a divine remedy. In the garden God made coats of skins, and clothed them to cover their nakedness and that was an act of mercy shown to our first parents. A GOD that knows the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end is not one who is surprised by any happenstance. Omniscience does not learn and so right from the foundation of the earth scripture emphatically said the lamb was slain. The blessedness of the lamb being slained was to impute and impart a new nature. A nature that comes from One that CANNOT sin and in deed was tested and did not sin. In the account of John 3:6 Jesus unequivocally states that "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." Jesus came by an immaculate conception by the Holy Spirit and by that he didnt need a born again experience because he came after the manner of the Spirit. The nature imputed after the fall of Adam is flesh and the one imputed after the resurrection Jesus Christ is spirit.

The Power to live above sin rest in God alone

The regenerated man and the one born after the manner of the spirit is one who is given the power to live above sin. This is possible not by the standard of men but Jesus answered when asked about who can be saved, "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." Matt 19:26

Paul writes in 1 Cor 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. It is a blessing to be made alive by christ and this blessedness saves the believer from the pleasures of sin, the penalty of sin, the power of sin and the presence of sin. So we must by patience and continuance do well to seek for glory and honour by living a life pleasing to God. Our responsibility is to be aware of this divine nature and consciously appropriate faith to walk upright in the standards of Grace. May the Lord grant us Grace live above sin. Amen.