In 1 John 3:6, we read: "Whosoever abides in Him sins not; whosoever sins has not seen Him, neither known Him." How can that be? Are we to conclude that everybody who commits a sin has never known anything about the Lord? Peter had certainly seen the Lord many times, and knew Him, yet he sinned in denying Him.
There you go, after the usual manner of men, reading a verse of Scripture, and straightway beginning to argue against it, trying to prove that it is not true, and then wondering why you cannot understand it. Why not rather accept it as true, and then begin to study it? It is by faith, not by doubt, that we understand. You think that you believe it, I know, but faith does not interpose doubt.
The statement is plain and unqualified: "Whosoever sins has not seen Him, neither known Him." (1 John 3:6)
Yet we must of course consider the connection. Read the verse before: "You know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin." (1 John 3:5)
Now the question is: "Is He able to do that for which He was manifested? or did He die in vain?"
Which do you say? Does He bear the sin of the world? Is He able to cleanse from all unrighteousness? You dare not say, "No;" very well, say "Yes," and don't follow it with a "but." Stop with the plain "yes," and then we shall make progress.
The Scriptures assure us that: "No man can say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." (1 Corinthians 12:3)
Now we know very well that in the day of Pentecost Peter received the Holy Spirit in a way that he had never dreamed of when Jesus was yet with the disciples, not even when he had said: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16)
We must remember that the Scripture never calls a half the whole, and that an occasional glimpse of the truth is not the knowledge of the truth. The student does not know his subject, simply because it has now and then opened up before him with wonderful brilliancy while the professor was lecturing on it. When he knows it, he knows it all the time, and so well that he cannot forget it. Even so we do not know God until we can recognize Him everywhere He is revealed, and until we know Him every moment, without occasional lapses of memory.
This is in harmony with the teaching of the text, that: "Whosoever abides in Him sins not." (1 John 3:6)
Is not that easy enough to believe? Can you conceive of such a thing as one sinning while dwelling in God? No. Very well, then if he abides in God, he will not sin at all, will he?
You see the apostle is speaking of things absolute,--of full and complete knowledge, and not half knowledge. He is speaking of an experience altogether beyond that of the majority of professed Christians; but we must not say that it is impossible, simply because we have not had it.
Now as to seeing God. Who see Him? "Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God." (Matthew 5:8)
None others can see Him. But purity of the heart must be a constant thing. The pure heart is not the one that is occasionally clean, but one that stays clean by the constant flowing through it of the cleansing stream, the pure river of water of life. "No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him." (John 1:18)
The only begotten Son, then, is the only One who has seen God, and He sees Him, because He is in the bosom of the Father. But He gives to us the power to become sons of God, and then we too shall abide in Him, and see Him.
The great difficulty in understanding such texts as this, lies not in the texts themselves, but in our sin-loving hearts. We do not like to have the Scriptures mean that it is possible for us to live absolutely without sin in the world, for that would mean that we ought to live without sinning, and we do not wish to have it so. We do not wish to have the gate shut entirely. We wish a little gap left, so that we can hold to some few little, long cherished sins, without being made to feel uncomfortable. But that will not do. "He that says he abides in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked." (1 John 2:6)
And "in Him is no sin." (1 John 3:5)
When we let go, and surrender everything, we shall find that there are possibilities in the Christian life, so vast that it will actually seem to us that we have never before known anything of the Lord. And we shall not be puffed up by the sight and the knowledge, and will not think of boasting about our own righteousness. Far from it. In fact, we shall then, more than ever before, know the sinfulness of human flesh.
Job was a man who feared God, and eschewed evil; He had served God conscientiously for many years; yet, when he had the full revelation of Divine power and goodness, he said: "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You; wherefore I abhor myself." (Job 42:5)
It is while we confess our sins, that He cleanses us from all unrighteousness; so a continual confession of weakness will be accompanied by constant cleansing. "Sin shall not have dominion over you." (Romans 6:14)
Instead of being discouraged at the thought of our own weakness and sinfulness, we shall rejoice, we cannot help rejoicing, at the knowledge of the fact that we are in touch with the mighty power that can work righteousness even in such sinful flesh as ours.--Present Truth, September 13, 1900.
The question asked and answered last week has special significance because the sender, to our personal knowledge, has been a sufferer for many years. Those in this week's "Private Corner" are from persons who sincerely desire help.
We never take any pleasure in answering questions of mere curiosity; but it is always a joy to us to sit down by the side of one who is in soul trouble, and help him to find the light of life. We hope to be permitted to have many such precious seasons in our quiet corner.--Present Truth, September 13, 1900--Back Page.