Does Not Sin
Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor knows Him (1 John 3:6). Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God (1 John 3:9). We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps Himself, and the wicked one does not touch him (1 John 5: 18).
Apostle John was one of Jesus’ “inner circle” disciples who learned closely from his Master about the Kingdom of God. His writings in the Gospel of John and his epistles were to prove conclusively that Jesus is the Son of God and that all who believe in Him will experience who God is and have eternal life. It was written to seekers (searching non-Christians) who want to examine the life of Jesus Christ; and to new (“baby”) Christians, believers, who would be strengthened in their faith.
Those who are seeking Christ need encounters with “true” born-again Christians in order to (i) encounter the Word of God with its life-changing transformative call to repent and follow the Love they so desperately long to experience; (ii) to get their questions answered with the truth that only comes from sound doctrinal biblical teaching, not man’s convoluted interpretations of scriptures, but from the born-again heart of matured victorious Christians who know their God and do exploits in life; and (iii) after their encounter and getting their solutions to the “how” and “why”, the seeker is compelled to respond: either to repent and submit to Love, or to stay in sin and reject Love.
True repentance is an act that is evidenced by the testimony of the repentant and the actions that follow his or her repentance. “Is there such a thing as permanent repentance?” The “seed” of the Triune God--our Father, His Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit indwelling the repentant after letting Jesus into his or her heart--is planted in the soul that is born of God and that becomes the DNA, or genetic makeup of the believer in Christ Jesus. Just as a father’s seed (sperm) is joined with the mother’s egg (ovum) and produces children of his likeness, so too does God’s seed produce children of His likeness, who do not sin because GOD DOES NOT SIN. He is holy; He is love (1 John 4:8, 12, 16). That which is born of the flesh is fleshly or carnal living in the lusts of the psycho-physical body; and that which is born of the Spirit of God is godly or holy, divinely set apart for his or her Master’s use: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons [and daughters] of God (Romans 8:14).
If a seeker of Christ asks, “Is there such a thing as permanent repentance?” is it because he or she has not experienced being born-again. The great Jewish teacher Nicodemus, the ruler of the Pharisees, the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, went to Jesus at night and asked, “How can these things be?” Nicodemus was a seeker, but after his encounter with the Word of God, Jesus Himself, and after getting his questions answered with sound doctrinal truth, he responded by repenting (of unbelief, doubt, pride, etc.) and submitting to Love by allowing Jesus into his heart becoming born-again.
If a Christian asks, “Is there such a thing as permanent repentance?” then the question follows, “Are you maturing in Christ?” Prophet Elijah spoke, “I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.” After executing every one of them (1 Kings 18:22, 40), he himself received a death threat from queen Jezebel that made him flee for his life in exhaustion and despair, “Now, Lord, take my life, . . .!” (1 Kings 19:4). And the Lord said to Prophet Elijah, “Yet I have reserved seven thousand . . ., all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” The Lord made Elijah realize that he was not the only one believer, and that were 7000 other believers, also called the remnant of the Lord.
It is this remnant of the Lord, of truly born-again Christians, who seekers must encounter today to hear the Word of God, to get answers to their perplexing questions which bring doubt and unbelief in the “how” and “why” of the life of Jesus, and who need a church home to dwell in which reflects the kingdom of God after they respond in repentance by submitting to their Saviour.
A mature Christian is a victorious Christian, who has battled through tough afflictions with the forces of evil, and has prevailed over all the power of the enemy by keeping himself or herself in the secret place of the Most High God where Satan has no power to utterly destroy him or her. Yes, the mature Christian is on the battlefield as a soldier for the Lord in pursuit of winning souls into God’s kingdom. Satan throws his blows to stop him or her, but the righteous is delivered out of all their troubles. The matured Christian understands and lives in his or her true genetic makeup, in holiness and does not sin being fully aware that sin opens the door to his or her own spiritual death and physical destruction.
“Yes, there is such a thing as permanent repentance.”
Once you have turned away from sin and self and returned to God keeping yourself in His secret place, you become a resident of the kingdom of heaven while living on earth. You live in a different dimension than unbelievers. You have an intimate relationship with the Triune God expressing reverent fear in Him. He gives His remnant spiritual perception to “know” when the tempter is near and what plans he has in store for harm. The remnant are those who make conscious intentional efforts to not sin; and when we err (or make mistakes) because we are also flesh, it is not habitual, nor intentional, but accidental, God’s hand picks us up, and with our sanctifying prayer, keeps us pure.
Permanent repentance is not for the weak, lukewarm, cold, or nominal (by mouth, but not by heart) Christian. It takes losing everything (and sometimes somebodies) you hold dear in this world to secure this station in spiritual life because the haters of God are everywhere. As Elijah was the greatest of prophets, just one word from Jezebel (the greatest hater of Jehovah God), he lost confidence in man's commitment to serve the living God, but he did not lose hope in who God is. He did not sin which requires repentance. He fell in despair, and God lifted him up again. Permanent repentance does not mean we are perfect. Permanent repentance keeps our soul ever conforming into the image of Christ which is our purpose here on earth until He comes back again.
A biblical definition of repentance is to make a change of mind, heart, and action, by turning away from sin and self and returning to God (1). The Wycliffe Bible Dictionary gives the Greek metanoia which denotes that inward change of mind, affections [feelings/emotions], convictions, and commitment, rooted in the fear of God and sorrow for offenses committed against Him, which, when accompanied by faith in Jesus Christ, results in an outward turning from sin to God and His service in all of life (2).
This journey shall take us on the paths of psyche and conscious, or the thought processes, towards permanent repentance as found in Romans 12:1-2: Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern [ways] of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
© 2024 by Patience Osei-Anyamesem. All rights reserved. Published by The Light In Me Enterprise. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews or other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Unless otherwise stated, all scripture quotations are from The New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
2. Pfeiffer, C.F., Vos, H.F., and Rea, J. (eds). (1975). Wycliff Bible Dictionary. USA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.
The artwork depicted in the blog article is carefully selected to draw out the points made for healing of the soul, and by no means promote any ideologies from the various artists unless they are found in the center of God's perfect will.