Hi Laurie,I was out of town last week, so I'm a bit behind on the letters.I just wanted to let you know that I absolutely agree with your assesment below.Maranatha!Amy Van Gerpen
Laurie Hane (11 Apr 2012)
"Greg and Amy V"
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.
<snip> since I am saved and I KNOW I sin, what was wrong with the picture that was coming to my mind over these verses. Then I thought, could these verses be stating that that which the father has given birth to within me (spiritual salvation), that spirit could not sin. And yet the old sin nature of my soul which was not reborn during my spiritual salvation experience, can still be subject to sin. If I sin, then it is not the new life that is sinning, it is the old nature that still resides in me. My husband then reminded me of the scripture where Paul states that those things which he would do, he does not...and those things he would not want to do, he finds himself doing. And yet he states it was not him, but the sin that resided in him that did those things. Even Paul recognized that he sinned, but since he was a new creation and willingly living his life in that new realm, he was still subject to the things of the flesh until they slowly passed away by the washing of the word and through the power of healing that comes through fellowship with the father.
I had an "a hah" moment. So in a sense you are both right. Greg, you are right in that your new nature cannot sin. Amy you are also correct in that all christians will sin because we are yet bound to this body of death. That is why our great hope of redemption of both the body and the soul are yet future and provide a great incentive for us in living a full christian life.