Righteousness

He who practices righteousness is righteous…1 John 3:7

He who practices lawlessness (sin, verse 4) is rejected by Christ, Matthew 7:23. He who practices righteousness does not sin, 1 John 3:9: 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. This is a bold statement. It expands upon John’s statement in verse 6: Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

To fully understand these bold statements, we have to understand all of what Paul wrote in Romans, chapter 7. Concluding with verse 25: So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. Which we will save for another time. Meanwhile, we concentrate our thoughts on 1 John, chapter 3. 

There are three ways of looking at John’s bold statements. First, we consider them as they are written in the KJV and NKJV: Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Does not, because he cannot for he has been born of God.  Or, we can consider them as they are translated in other Bibles: No one who lives in him keeps on sinning, NIV. No one who remains in Him sins continually, NASB. Third, we can consider them in light of Paul’s explanation of sin in Chapter 7 of Romans. 

Bottom line: He who practices righteousness is righteous, 1 John 3:7. This is who you are: righteous in Christ. Therefore, your practice should be righteousness because you are born of God. Don’t allow sin to interrupt your fellowship with Christ; practice righteousness.