If 1 John 3:6 was the only word we had from God, we'd assume that Christians never sin: "No one who lives in [Jesus] keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him."
But it’s not the only verse.
We have a Bible full of passages that talk about Christians regularly examining ourselves, faithfully repenting when we sin, and forgiving our fellow Christians who sin against us (1 Corinthians 3; 1 Corinthians 11:31; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13; 1 John 1:9).
Single verses like 1 John 3:6 are a great illustration of our need to place every verse of Scripture within the context of the Bible as a whole.
When we do this, we understand that 1 John 3:6 is talking about living in continual sin without concern or repentance. A genuine Christian won't live a sinful lifestyle because our conscience and our love for Christ won't allow it (John 14:21). We want to please the Lord, and we know that sin damages our relationship with Him.
We don't take a passage from any other book and expect it to speak for the book as a whole. So let's make sure we aren't doing that with the Bible.
------------
Note: John 3:16 is often considered the full gospel in a sentence, but there are a number of ways it could be misunderstood if we didn't have the rest of Scripture to explain it.
6 Scriptures Used to Promote Universal Salvation
Errors Some Christians Believe: Proverbs 22:6 Promises Godly Children
Proverbs 23:7 Does Not Mean We Become What We Think
Denying Submission - Ephesians 5:21
Boundaries Unscriptural Foundation – 3 passages used incorrectly
A Popular Blasphemy – Proverbs 18:21
Misunderstandings About the Stripes of Jesus - Isaiah 53:5
Teachings that Bear Good Fruit - Matthew 7:15-18
Natural and Unnatural Interpretations - Romans 1:26-27
Thank you for this. In our culture, so many are taking scriptures out of context and building a fake theology or anti-Christian agenda.
ReplyDelete