1 John 5:18

Memory Verse

We know that everyone born out from God does not habitually sin, but the one born out from God guards himself, and the malignantly evil one cannot touch him (1 John 5:18).

The Apostle John recognizes that we may sin (1 John 1:9). We sin because we are not walking in the light and applying the truth in our lives (1 John 1:6). Therefore, John is not saying it is impossible for a Christian to sin. In the original Greek, the verb “sin” in this passage denotes an ongoing, continuous action. This is impossible for a grace believer because in salvation God’s seed was placed in him (1 John 3:9). This seed is incorruptible (1 Peter 1:23). Since the new birth happens in the spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17), when a Christian is using the new mind they now possess as a result of the spirit being saved, he will cease from sin (Ephesians 4:23–24).

When a Christian is guarding himself, he will use the things provided in salvation that relate to life and godliness. This type of mindset stems from the belief that God’s commandments are valuable. Thus, the believer will seek to love other saints and to abide in Christ, as he has been commanded to do (1 John 3:23–24; John 13:34).

Satan cannot touch a believer. He cannot physically harm Christians the way he did Job and other pre-resurrection saints. Those of the Church are the Holy of Holies (1 Corinthians 3:16). God’s temple does not share space with idols, nor is Satan greater than God (2 Corinthians 6:16). Since a Christian cannot be demon possessed, Satan can only manipulate the mind (Ephesians 6:12). However, when a Christian has his mind set on things above, he can quickly identify an attack from Satan (Colossians 3:1–3). He can then defend himself by putting on the armor of God and standing firm (Ephesians 6:10–18; James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:9).

When a Christian is sinning, it is because he is not walking in the light by applying the truth. He is not recognizing that in Christ he has died and been raised to walk in the newness of life (Romans 6:4–5). This imputation of Christ’s death and resurrection renders the sin nature ineffective (Romans 6:6). The saint who acknowledges the reality of his relationship with God and Christ will attribute to himself the fact that he is no longer a slave to the sin nature (Romans 6:11). Since he is now a slave to righteousness, he will yield his members to righteousness (Romans 6:13). Yielding requires walking by the Spirit. The Spirit’s desires are opposed to the desires of the flesh, making it impossible for sin to be worked out in the believer’s life when his conduct comes from the desires of righteousness the Holy Spirit is producing in him (Galatians 5:16–17). As the saint continues to walk in the light, the blood of Christ keeps on cleansing him from sin, and he has fellowship with other saints (1 John 1:7).