How holy can a Christian expect to be?

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How holy can a Christian expect to be?

• Looking at the Epistles of John

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Focusing on 1Jn 34-9

• What did John teach?
• (Not What squares with my idea of Christian
  holiness?)
• Consider first 18, 10 21 33.

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1. A too-narrow definition of sin?

• A Christian cannot commit serious crimes (!)
• A Christian cant offend against love (Luther).
• A Christian cant commit mortal, only venial sins
  (RC teachers).

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2. Gods special regard for Christians?

• God looks at believers and unbelievers in a
  different way

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3. The old and new nature?

• The old nature may continue to sin but the new
  nature does not
• But consider Gal 517 and Roman 717

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4. Not the reality but the ideal?

• Alford John is speaking of the ideal reality of
  the life of God and the life of sin as absolutely
  excluding one another.
• Consider Enoch 58

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5. It is possible not to sin

• Dusterdeick Noneof all the expositors, who in
  any way has recognized the ideal character of St
  Johns view has overlooked the fact that even in
  the actual life of all that are born of God there
  is something which in full verity answers to the
  ideal words they cannot sinjust as in
  proportion as the new divine life,
  unconditionally opposed to all sinis present and
  abides in them.
• Bede In quantum in ipso manet, in tantum non
  peccat. (John 151f).
• But compare v6 and v9 in 1 Jn 3.

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6.Wilful and deliberate sin

• Ebrard To the truly regenerate man, it is
  altogether impossible willingly and wilfully to
  do that which he knows it is forbidden to do by
  God.

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7. Persistent and habitual sin

• Plummer Although the believer sometimes sins,
  yet not sin but opposition to sin, is the ruling
  principle of his life.
• Calvin Son does not reign in him, for the
  Spirit does not let it flourish.

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Summarising the argument

• 2 symmetrical sections 4-7, 8-9
• Each shows the gravity of sin.
• SOURCE V4 it is lawlessness, v8 its source is
  diabolical.
• PURPOSE v5 to take away sin, v9 to destroy the
  works of the devil
• MORAL OUTCOME does not sin (v6) v9 cannot
  sin
• Theological conclusion Findlay The whole
  passage is a keen concise demonstration of the
  inadmissiblity of sin.
• Smith The key is the present continuous tense
  The believer may sin but he will not walk in
  it.