PT-3 "Victory over Sin" (1 John 5:18)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/7/2025 8:51 PM

 

My Worship Time                                                                        Focus:  PT-3 “Victory over Sin”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                         Reference:  1 John 5:18

 

            Message of the verse:  “We know that no one is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.”

 

            I will continue to quote from John MacArthur’s commentary in a moment, but I just want to write something about this title “Victory over Sin,” and say that I don’t think that true believers would ever want something more than to never sin, but because we have the flesh in us (some call it the old nature), that goal is not untenable, but that does not mean that we should give up, but continue to read, study, and memorize the Word of God, and remember that once we get our new bodies, which will happen at the rapture, then the battle will be over, and I have to say that truly will be the best day of my life, and for that matter for every other believer too.

 

            “But John sees here God’s work of supernaturally preserving His people, which is as guaranteed as His justifying of them.  The promises of God constitute the first guarantee.  Paul wrote in Philippians 1:6: ‘For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.’  To the Thessalonians he wrote, ‘Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass’ (1 Thess. 5:23-24).  Nearing the end of his life, with martyrdom looming, Paul still confidently affirmed, ‘The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heaven kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever.  Amen’ (2 Tim. 4:18).

 

            “Second, the power of God guarantees believer’s security; what He promised, He can deliver.  In Romans 5:10, Paul points out that since God has the power to do the greater work of redemption, He is certainly powerful enough to do the lesser work of preservation:  ‘For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.’

 

            “Third, God’s eternal, unchangeable purpose to save the elect (Matt. 25:34; Eph. 1:4; 2 Thess. 2:13; 2 Tim. 1:9; Rev. 13:8; 17:8) guarantees their preservation.

 

            “Fourth, the prayer of Christ, ‘Holy Father, keep them in Your name’ (John 17:11b), prompts the Father to preserve the elect.

 

            “Fifth, believers’ inseparable union with Christ (Rom. 6:3-5; cf. 1 Cor. 6:17) guarantees their preservation.

 

            “Sixth, the high price that God paid to redeem the elect—the blood of His Son (Acts 20:28; Heb. 9:12)—guarantees that He will not lose them.

 

            “In Romans 8:31-39, Paul eloquently sums up the absolute certainty that God will preserve His own:

 

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written, "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED." 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

            These are verses that all believer should go over from time to time, and should memorize them in order to be reminded nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  To understand this frees one up to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord, which in turn will bring glory to the Lord.

 

            Looks like tomorrows SD will be short, and then the next one will be bit longer, which will finish our study of 1 John.  Next after that we will begin to look at 2 John, and finally 3 John after that.  I am looking forward to looking at the remainder of 1 John, and then move onto 2^nd and 3^rd John.

 

4/7/2025 9:16 PM