Lesson 11: Practicing Righteousness

1 John 3:4-9 · The Moral Test in Light of Our Sonship

John has just declared the staggering truth: we are children of God right now, and we will be like Christ when He appears. But that truth raises a question: if we are children of God, what should our relationship with sin look like? John answers with some of the strongest language in the entire letter. He draws the sharpest possible line between the one born of God and the one who keeps on sinning.

Read the Text

⁴Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. ⁵You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. ⁶No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. ⁷Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. ⁸Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. ⁹No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.
— 1 John 3:4-9 (ESV)

The Definition of Sin

John begins with a definition: "Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness" (v. 4). The word anomia (lawlessness) does not simply mean "breaking rules." It means a spirit of rebellion against God's authority — living as if there were no law, no standard, no Judge. Sin is not merely a mistake or a weakness; it is the creature raising his fist against the Creator.

Notice that John says "makes a practice of sinning" (poiōn tēn hamartian) — a present participle describing habitual, characteristic action. He is not talking about the believer who stumbles and confesses (1:8-2:1); he is describing someone whose life is defined by a pattern of unrepentant sin.

Why the Son of God Appeared

Verse 5 gives the theological anchor: "You know that He appeared in order to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin." John grounds the moral test in two facts about Christ:

His work: He appeared to take away sins. The purpose of His coming was to deal with sin at the cross — to remove its guilt, break its power, and ultimately erase its presence.
His nature: In Him there is no sin. He is not only our sin-bearer but our sinless standard. He could take away sin because He had none of His own.

Then the inescapable logic of verse 6: "No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen Him or known Him." John states this twice — positively and negatively — so there can be no misunderstanding. The one who abides in Christ does not continue in a pattern of sin. And the one who continues in a pattern of sin demonstrates that he has never truly known Christ.

Misunderstanding John's WordsJohn is not teaching sinless perfection. He has already made it clear that "if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves" (1:8). The difference is between occasional stumbling (which the believer confesses and is cleansed from) and habitual, unrepentant sinning (which characterizes the one who does not know Christ). The bent of the life matters more than the occasional failure.

The Deception of Cheap Grace

Verse 7 is a pastoral warning: "Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as He is righteous." Someone was teaching that you could claim to know God while living in unrighteousness. John calls this deception.

His antidote is straightforward: righteousness is not the cause of being righteous but the evidence of it. The phrase "as He is righteous" compares our righteousness to Christ's — not equal in degree, but the same in kind. A righteous life reflects the righteous One.

Practice vs. PerformJohn uses poiōn (practice, do habitually) over and over in this passage. He is not looking at isolated acts but at the settled direction of a life. A tree is known by its fruit, and a person is known by the pattern of his life. The question is not "have you ever sinned?" but "what is the general direction of your life — toward righteousness or toward sin?"

Two Fathers

Verse 8 introduces a stark contrast: "Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning." John divides all of humanity into two families — the children of God and the children of the devil — and the determining mark is what you practice.

The devil has been sinning "from the beginning" — not from the beginning of creation but from the moment he first rebelled. Sin is his native language, his settled pattern. Those who belong to him share his nature and his practice.

But then comes the triumphant declaration: "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil." This is the whole purpose of the incarnation in a single sentence. Christ came to undo everything the devil has done — to break the power of sin, to crush the head of the serpent, to liberate those held captive by fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-15). The Son of God appeared, and the devil's works are doomed.

The Seed of God

Verse 9 is the climax: "No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God."

This is the most debated verse in the passage, but John explains it himself. "God's seed" (sperma autou) is the divine life implanted in the believer at the new birth — the new nature, the indwelling Holy Spirit, the life of Christ Himself. This seed abides in the one born of God. It is not a temporary influence but a permanent reality.

And because this seed abides, the believer cannot keep on sinning. Not "will not" but "cannot" — it is a matter of divine impossibility. The new nature cannot produce sin any more than an apple tree can produce thorns. The believer may fall into sin (1:8), but he cannot live in sin because the life of God within him contradicts it.

ReflectionAdrian Rogers said: "The new birth gives you a new nature. You don't quit sinning to be saved; you quit sinning because you are saved. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives inside you, and that power is greater than the pull of sin." If you have been born of God, you have a new family, a new nature, and a new power — and sin has lost its throne.

Key Terms to Remember

Lawlessness (anomia) — Rebellion against God's authority; living as if there were no law. John's definition of sin's essence.
Sin (hamartia) — Missing the mark; in John's usage, anything contrary to God's character and commands.
Practice sin / Practice righteousness (poiōn) — Habitual, characteristic action; the settled direction of a life, not occasional acts.
God's seed (sperma autou) — The divine life implanted in the believer at the new birth; the indwelling Holy Spirit and new nature that makes a life of habitual sin impossible.
Destroy the works of the devil — Christ's purpose in appearing: to undo everything sin and Satan have done.

Check Your Understanding

1. According to verse 4, what is sin?

a) A mistake or weakness

b) Breaking arbitrary religious rules

c) Lawlessness — rebellion against God's authority

d) Only the most serious offenses

c) Lawlessness — rebellion against God's authority. Anomia is not merely breaking rules; it is a spirit of autonomy, living as if there were no God and no standard. John defines sin not as a list of bad behaviors but as an attitude of rebellion. This is why he takes sin so seriously — it is not weakness but mutiny.

2. How does John's teaching in verses 6 and 9 (that believers do not keep sinning) fit with 1 John 1:8-10 (that we sin and need confession)?

John distinguishes between occasional stumbling and habitual practice. In chapter 1, the present tense of "confess" implies ongoing confession for ongoing cleansing — the believer who walks in the light still needs the blood of Christ. In chapter 3, John uses the present tense of "practice" (poiōn) to describe the habitual, characteristic direction of a life. A believer may fall into sin (and confess it), but a believer cannot live in sin because the seed of God abides in him. The bent of his life is toward righteousness.

3. What does "God's seed" (v. 9) refer to?

The divine life implanted in the believer at the new birth. This is the new nature, the indwelling Holy Spirit, the life of Christ Himself that permanently abides in everyone born of God. The seed is not something that can be lost or removed — it "abides" (present tense, permanently). And because it abides, the believer cannot continue in a pattern of sin. The new nature and habitual sin are incompatible, like light and darkness, life and death.

4. What is the relationship between verse 8 — "the Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil" — and the Christian's struggle with sin?

Christ's victory is the foundation of our victory. The Son of God appeared for a purpose: to destroy the devil's works. That means sin's power has been broken at the cross. The believer is not called to fight FOR victory but FROM victory. We do not struggle against sin in our own strength; we live out the victory Christ has already won. Every time we choose righteousness, we are putting the devil's defeated works behind us and walking in the reality of Christ's triumph.

Primary Resource

Read: Adrian Rogers, "Practicing Righteousness" — the sermon covering 1 John 3:4-9. Rogers calls this passage "the believer's family portrait" — the family resemblance of those born of God.

Read: 1 John 3:4-9 in at least two translations (e.g., ESV and NIV or KJV). Notice how different translations handle the present tense: "keeps on sinning" vs. "commits sin," and "makes a practice of sinning" vs. "does sin."

Before Next Lesson

Read 1 John 3:10-15. Ask: If righteousness is the family resemblance of God's children, what does it look like when someone is not part of the family — and what does Cain teach us about ourselves?

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