Scripture Post #1,255: *DEVIL'S WORKS DESTROYED*

1st John 3:8: 

"He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil."

Disclaimer: The image used for this Scripture Post, in its original form, was from an image search engine. It is not an image of my own.

1st John 3:6: "Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him."

V. 7: "Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous."

V. 8: "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil."

V. 9: "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."

V. 10: "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother."

This one's a toughy. 

Many Christians disagree with 1st John 3:6-10. We've been conditioned into believing that sin is equally inescapable as it is inevitable. But that's simply untrue. All the sins I've ever committed were chosen by me to perform. How about you? Did somebody put a gun to your head and make you sin, or did you have say in the matter? You see? Just as we've chosen to sin, we can choose not to. It's up to us. Are we going to believe that CHRIST has destroyed the works of the Devil, or aren't we? We've put a man on the moon, discovered the highest mountain, touched thousands of feet below the oceans surface, cured what was considered incurable, yet we can't cease from sin? If we have faith as small as a grain of mustard seed, we can move mountains, yet we can't quit sinning? We can believe God for millionaire-status, yet we can't stop the sin? We have faith for what we want to have faith for. We put our faith in what we want to put our faith in. Are we going to believe that sin is a choice and that it is not inevitable? No where in Scripture can it be found that mankind must always sin. In fact, we find just the opposite stated:

"For he that is dead is freed from sin." ~Romans 6:7. 

"And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." ~Galatians 5:24. 

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." ~Galatians 5:16. 

"…Ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit…" ~Romans 8:9. 

"Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee." ~John 5:14. 

"She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." ~John 8:11. 

"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." ~Matthew 5:48. 

Don't mean to mess up your theology. Logically, I choose to live by these Scriptures. Because they just make so much sense to me. I know I have options. There's always a choice. I do believe that temptation is inevitable. Even JESUS was tempted. But even in temptation, there's *still* a choice. 

Originally Published: Fri. 2/19/16