“Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.” (1 John 3:4-10 NASB1995)

The first thing I want to state here is that this is not teaching that we will never sin or that if we do sin at all that we will lose our salvation (see 1 John 2:1-2). It is also not teaching that we can never fall back into sin and need to repent of our sins (to leave our lives of sin behind us) and to be renewed in our walks of faith, in obedience to our Lord (Hebrews 3:13; Galatians 6:1; James 5:19-20; Revelation 2:1-29; and Revelation 3:1-22). It is teaching what is taught all throughout the New Testament that those who walk in sin, who do not obey God in practice, are not born of God. They are not saved.

So, if you make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, and you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, that is not the totality of the gospel message. You need to read all of the book of Romans and all of the New Testament teachings on what it means to believe in Jesus Christ.

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God the Father who is in heaven (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

And the apostle Paul taught that by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

God’s grace to us is not freedom to keep walking in sin and in disobedience to God’s commands. God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus’ return. For Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared for us to walk in them. (See Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10)

Therefore, if sin is what we practice, in lifestyle, in deliberate and habitual sin against God, and if obedience to God and to his commands (New Covenant) is not what we practice, in lifestyle, then we do not have salvation from sin, and we will not inherit eternal life with God. God’s word says.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Jesus, Rescue Me

Based off of Romans 7:7-25 thru Romans 8:1-39
An Original Work / September 18, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Jesus, rescue me today.
Listen while I bow and pray.
I need Your help to obey You;
Live for You always.
Meet me in my hour of need, Lord,
As I pray to You.
Help me walk in fellowship, Lord,
Living in Your truth.
Jesus, how I long for You to
Change my heart anew.

Father, God, my heart’s desire
Is to live for You this hour
In Your Holy Spirit’s power
Living in me now.
Teach me to walk in Your love, Lord,
Guiding me each day.
Help me to show love and kindness
To the lost, I pray.
Father, teach me to love others
As You love always.

Holy Spirit come in pow’r.
Revive our hearts in this hour.
Change our hearts to be like You, Lord;
Live for You each day.
Help us to forsake our sins, Lord,
As we humbly pray.
Teach us how to live for You, Lord,
Obey You always.
Holy Spirit come in power,
Revive us today.

The One Who Practices Sin
An Original Work / April 6, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love