© 14 Colin Melbourne
All or Nothing Jesus
The Holy Ghost writes in 1 Jn. 3:6 KJV;
Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
All or Nothing Salvation
From this plain word we see that abiding in Christ means living free of sin, by knowing Christ as LORD and Saviour.
Any person claiming to follow Jesus who continues to sin and disobey Him, has neither known Him, nor been born again.
They deceive themselves, but not God.
All or Nothing Repentance
In order that we embrace this basic teaching of the Gospel, 1 Jn. 3:9 KJV makes it emphatic;
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.
The word of God declares that those who have been born again, wholeheartedly repent of all sin, and prove it by their new life.
That is why we encourage seekers, and new believers, to keep reading only John’s Gospel and First Epistle for the preliminary six months of their Bible study.
By establishing the Bible basis of wholehearted repentance, and faith in Christ, they build on The Rock, instead of on sand.
When God permits the storms of life to come, these believers stand firm, and do not choose to live in sin along with the world.
Those who have been born of God delight to turn away from every sin; but we cannot repent of sins (plural) until we have first repented of the sin of unbelief in Christ as LORD.
The only act of repentance that saves, is repenting of the sin of unbelief in the LORD Jesus Christ. (Ro. 10:8-13)
People who try to repent of their sins (plural) before they are born again always fail, because they remain ruled by their sinful human nature. Only when they have been born of God do they receive the divine nature, with power to walk in obedience to the Lord.
All or Nothing Christianity
Wholehearted repentance is as basic to Christianity as wholehearted faith in Christ.
That’s why the half-hearted miss the mark.
Christ often preached about this; it was the theme of the parables of the sower of seed, building on rock, and the point of denying yourself taking up your cross and following Him.
People who are not serious about repenting of all sin, who claim to have accepted Christ as Lord, and call themselves Christian, but continue living as before, are not born again, not saved, not Christian.
They haven’t wholeheartedly repented of sin, not had a change of mind and heart.
They accept the Lord on their terms, of partial repentance, not on God’s terms of genuine repentance and faith in Christ.
They say they believe in Christ, but continue living in sin, proving He’s not their Lord at all.
For them giving up sins is problematic, “difficult”, a constant struggle. They have not been converted in heart, they experience only counterfeit conversion because they still love sin more than they love Jesus. They delude themselves, and may dupe the Church, but they never fool God, who knows their heart.
They contort scriptures such as Romans 7 and Hebrews 12:4 to claim they are striving against sin. But Romans chapter seven is talking about the unsaved man before coming to Christ, not the born again believer; and the striving in Hebrews 12:4 is against sin in the world, not within the believer’s own heart!
For a genuine new believer turning from sin is a joy and delight, empowered by the presence, and confirmed by the witness, of the Holy Ghost in his heart.
Believers don’t depend on pastors preaching at them to repent of sins, because just a nudge from the Holy Ghost is sufficient.
Cannot commit a single sin?
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.
Does this scripture mean that if a Christian commits a single sin they are not born again?
No, of course not, because we read other scriptures instructing Christians what to do if they fall into sin, and many verses urging Christians to abstain from sin, notably First Corinthians.
Christians are free from sin: Not bound to sin.
Sinners are bound to sin: Christians are set free of sin by Jesus’ Blood.
If we do stumble, God, in His mercy, has made the perfect way for us to be washed clean.
But sin is abnormal: Not the rule.
Holiness and righteousness are our standard, not repetitive sin and wretched failure.
Love: Not Law
New Christians discover by the inner witness the joy in repentance from sins. They receive an inner satisfaction by turning away from sin and following the Lord.
They obey the Holy Ghost leading because they love Jesus, not because of rules, creeds, and imposed doctrines.
Obedience motivated by love makes this all-together different from the legalism, guilt, and bondage found in many “Christian” fellowships.
If this is new to you, I encourage you to re-read John’s Gospel and First Epistle for yourself, and ask the Lord to show you the joy of repentance.
He’ll delight to do so, and soon you will discover the truth of the divine cannot of this beautiful scripture;
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.
The key to Smith Wigglesworth’s success in miracle ministry was maintaining his intimate fellowship with the LORD.
Smith lived in God’s Presence, abiding in Christ, available and anointed with power all the time, to do the will of God. He lived holy, and walked in holiness so that God’s Power was released to work wonders. You’ll learn a lot from Smith Wigglesworth on Manifesting the Divine Nature.
© 14 Colin Melbourne
