Exploring 1 John: Practicing Lawlessness
Exploring 1 John: Practicing Lawlessness
1 John 3:4-5 - Be different in this world - stop practicing lawlessness!
“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.”
1 John 3:4-5 NASB1995
In these two verses and the ones that follow (through 1 John 3:10), John reiterates, over and over again, why the believer does not practice sin but practices righteousness.
So now imagine the voice of someone that you are talking to who is seriously skeptical about salvation and Christianity in general: Here we go again. Another fuddy-duddy long-dead apostle is yammering on and on about sin. Christians are so boring and monotonous and obviously never have any fun in their lives. What’s the point in being good when there are so many things that YOU call bad that are so much fun! Sin feels good! What’s wrong with feeling good?
You can just hear the voice and see the eye-rolling. It’s so passé in this everything-goes, my-truth era to talk about sin and lawlessness. If you’ve accepted Jesus isn’t that enough to get you into the perpetual harp club? Well, it is true that you are justified if you sincerely believe, but a believer does not practice sin (doing sins over and over again and not being bothered or aware of those sins). If you accept Him and turn right back to enjoying all the lawlessness that you can possibly do without repentance (believing salvation to be a one-and-done grace), then you are truly risking that salvation and at the very least will have an incredible trial by fire. Believers should know that!
Let’s do a word study on lawlessness: This comes from the Greek word ἀνομία or anomía with the following Biblical usages; Strong’s G458 is used 15 times in the New Testament:
the condition of without law
because ignorant of it
because of violating it
contempt and violation of law, iniquity, wickedness
I have studied the word sin before (Hamartia), so John’s use of this term (lawlessness, anomalia) is a way to expand the concept. We sin (practice lawlessness) because we are ignorant of the law, we choose to violate the law or we hold the law in contempt in our wickedness. Jesus came to take on the burden of all of our sins on the cross and in Him there is no sin.
Here is what Enduring Word says about this passage (great commentary):
Sin is lawlessness: John defines sin at its most basic root. It is a disregard for the law of God, which is inherently a disregard for the law Maker, God Himself.
We often fail in the battle against sin because we won’t call it for what it is: lawlessness, an offense against the Great Law Maker, God. Instead, we say things like “If I’ve done anything wrong… ” or “Mistakes were made… ” and so forth. Call it for what it is: sin and lawlessness. “The first step towards holy living is to recognize the true nature and wickedness of sin.” (John Stott)
You know that He was manifested to take away our sins: John here defined the mission of Jesus Christ at its most basic root – to take away our sins. The angel Gabriel promised Joseph regarding the ministry of Jesus: you shall call His name JESUS, for He shall save His people from their sin (Matthew 1:21).
Jesus takes away our sin in the sense of taking the penalty of our sin. This is immediately accomplished when one comes by faith to Jesus.
Jesus takes away our sin in the sense of taking the power of sin away. This is an ongoing work in the lives of those who walk after Jesus.
Jesus takes away our sin in the sense of taking the presence of sin away. This is a work that will be completed when we pass into eternity and are glorified with Jesus.
He was manifested to take away our sins: This is the work of Jesus in our life. It is a work we must respond to, but it is His work in us.
We cannot take away the penalty of our own sin. It is impossible to cleanse ourselves in this way. We must instead receive the work of Jesus in taking away our sin.
We cannot take away the power of sin in our lives. This is His work in us, and we respond to that work. Someone who comes to Jesus does not have to clean himself up first, but he must be willing to have Him take away his sin.
We cannot take away the presence of sin in our lives. This is His work in us, ultimately accomplished when we will be glorified with Him.
In Him there is no sin: Jesus had no sin to take away; therefore, He could take away our sin, taking it upon Himself.
I love the three phases described in this commentary for the sinner and am repeating them here:
When we first believe in Jesus, the penalty of sin (death) is taken away. We cannot do this ourselves.
Jesus takes away the power of sin in our lives. This is an on-going work throughout our lives of repentance as we are sanctified. We cannot take away that power of sin on our own.
Jesus will take away the presence of sin in our lives. This is accomplished when we are glorified with Him after we die.
Lawlessness is glorified in our culture, not Jesus. People actually brag about the sins they commit and many tourist destinations (I’m looking at you, Las Vegas) are even set up to help them sin in new and different ways. How do you know if something is a sin against the Law of God? Well, interestingly, the Holy Spirit convicts you immediately when you sin (swear at someone, use God’s name in vain, drink too much, tell a little lie, flare up in rage, admire another man or woman, etc.). When we do our intercessory prayers following the ACTS model (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) here is the list that we consult for confession; for me, confession of immediate sins usually comes first. And, yes, this can take a while.
Pray for the general forgiveness of your sins.
Matthew 6:12- “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
Assess each of these sin areas and confess sins that you know that you committed:
Envy (wanting what someone else has)
Pride (arrogance, knowing better than God, too much focus on your own accomplishments, fishing for compliments)
Gluttony (too much food, too much drink, too much indulgence of any kind)
Greed (being tightfisted with our money saving it for us rather than for God - It is His, after all)
Wrath (we have another whole section in supplication about battling anger)
Lust (admiring other men and women or even fantasizing about a relationship; lust can also be about wanting to do that fun trip or fun thing and daydreaming about it - I am VERY bad in this area).
Sloth (laziness, inertia, too much mindless entertainment, speaking swear words without thinking)
Anxiety (feelings of anxiety tell us that we don’t trust God)
Distractions (lots of fun things to do in this world that aren’t sinful, but are enjoyable and take us away from His purposes)
Worldliness (concerned too much with the state of the World)
Hatred (truly despising another person or persons)
Impatience (a big one for me)
Hard-heartedness and selfishness (this is also a BIG one for me in particular)
Pray for protection from the evil one
Matthew 6:13- “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Pray that you might not fall into temptation.
Matthew 26:41 - “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
From my Psalm 22 devotional I found an article that was extremely useful on how we can block God through our sins:
We don’t feel that God is near because we have a hardened heart. What are the symptoms of a hardened heart?
Feeling disconnected or alienated from God
An inability to empathize with others
Difficulty in pressing forward in spiritual maturity
Difficulty in understanding the meaning of God’s Word
A lack of hope and a constant state of anxiety
Restlessness
Why we hold on to hardened hearts:
Wrong teachings about God
Doubt and mistrust about God’s character
Confusion about salvation and God’s grace
Inbred defense mechanisms (the following bullets are quoted directly from the article):
Cover up, denial, self-deceit, suppression: “Everything is fine. I am doing all the right things as a Christian. (I won’t ask the Holy Spirit to show me if there is any sinful attitude in my heart).”
Mistrust: “I have been hurt by people and don’t trust others easily. I don’t truly believe I can trust God. (I will re-make God in the image of man, rather than see God for who He is.)”
Displacement: “This is causing me a lot of stress. (Instead of pouring my heart’s anxieties to God,) I will surf the internet / play online games / exercise / go to sleep / watch pornography etc.
Shutting down: “There is too much going on in my life right now. I need to escape and sleep this off (instead of crying out to God and waiting on His help and healing.)”
Pride, comparison: “I am doing fine, I am a better / nicer / wiser person than most people in this world. (Instead of comparing myself with Jesus and following Him, I use the patterns of the world as my guide.)”
Projection: “Yes, this is ungodly but I don’t think I have a choice. They made me do this. (I won’t model Jesus who denied Himself and the world’s pressures to follow God’s will.)”
Deceived by the lies about sin
Personal commandments and beliefs
Idol worship and spiritual blindness
If you do this often (several times a week or even every day or the moment you know you have sinned) then you will certainly remember the little sins that are no different to God than the big sins. My confessions go directly to Him - I can do this comfortably at home or anyplace we might be, rather than have to rely on (and travel to) an intermediary confessor. We are to follow Him as Savior AND Lord, having His work in us bring us closer and closer to His Glory.
My next devotional examines 1 John 3:6 - He who abides in Him does not sin.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - I am convicted of my sin now more than ever, thanks to You guiding me in sanctification. Help me to be aware of sin, even if I don’t see something as sinful. Your Law is beautiful and perfect. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
The Blue Letter Bible was accessed on 5/7/2024 to review the lexicon for lawlessness.
Commentary from Enduring Word by David Guzik is used with written permission.