No one who keeps on sinning knows God. That is a statement that many today would oppose. Really it is contrary to the message being proclaimed in churches throughout the world. But what Christians need to realize is that it is a statement pulled directly out of the Bible. It is the inspired word of God. A statement that the Lord wanted His people to know and live by. One truly does not know God if they keep on sinning as they always have.
1 John 3:6 (ESV)
6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
There are a couple of key things we need to see in this verse. The first is that in the Bible the phrase “to know” often refers to a relationship. So this verse is saying those who keep on sinning do not have a relationship with God. It is like how you may know of a strange. You know who they are but there is no relationship that goes deeper than basic knowledge.
The Bible teaches that knowing and even believing in God isn’t enough without a right relationship with Him. Stating that demons believe and even tremble but we know they won’t be saved. If they truly knew God they would not continue in their sins. Instead, they would change their ways just as we will when we come to truly know the Lord.
James 2:19 (ESV)
19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
The other key to this verse is the fact that it says “keeps on sinning”. Indicating that there has never been a change in a person’s life. They simply keep sinning as they always have with no thought or care given to what God says about sin. In no way is it saying that those who fall or stumble don’t know God. This verse is not speaking about those who sin occasionally but do their best to stay away from sin. No, it is talking about those who never work to put away their old sins. No change ever takes place in their life.
When we come to Christ a change must take place in our lives. True repentance must be experienced by every Christian. Repenting is not simply feeling bad about what you did or seeking forgiveness from God. True repentance means to turn away from your past sins with no thought of returning to them.
You could say those who truly repent do not keep on sinning instead they make a decision to put a stop to their old sinful ways. This is an important step in salvation and one that all those who truly come to know God will take. Because the Bible calls us to do so time and time again.
Matthew 4:17 (ESV)
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Acts 3:19 (ESV)
19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,
Romans 2:4 (ESV)
4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
2 Peter 3:9 (ESV)
9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
This is not all to say Christians must live a perfect and sin-free life or they don’t know God. That’s an unobtainable goal and as we have already said is not the meaning of the verse. As God also said through John, the goal is that we sin not but if we do we have an advocate speaking on our behalf. God is always willing to forgive us when we fall to sin but we cannot make a practice of sinning.
1 John 2:1–2 (ESV)
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 1:9 (ESV)
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Did you truly repent when you heard the Gospel preached? Or did you keep on sinning like you always have? If you are still living in sin and have never changed then you need to realize that you don’t know God. You may believe you know Him but you must understand that His own word says otherwise. Stating plainly that those who know Him will not keep sinning. You also need to know that those who live a lifestyle of sin will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 6:9–10 (ESV)
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
That’s a scary revelation to have but it is a good one to have now before it is too late. You still have time to repent at this very moment. You don’t have to keep on sinning any longer. Begin to pray and ask God for forgiveness and the strength to turn from your sins. Make the decision today to turn from your past and to do all you can to keep from sinning.
It won’t always be easy but with God, you can put a stop to your sinful lifestyle. Just remember it is those who keep on sinning who don’t know God. So make it your goal to make your future look different than your past. Then you will not be known as one who kept on sinning. Instead, you will be known as one who knows God and you will be granted the gift of salvation.
Make an impact in the life of someone you know by sharing this article. Your share could be the very thing that sparks life-saving change in the life of someone you care about. To share simply click one of the icons below. Thank you for sharing and God Bless!
Visit Justin’s personal website Here. Or see articles from other writers we feature Here. Also, be sure to stop by our prayer wall.
This is something I needed to hear. For many years I have struggled with pornography, and have repented of this same sin over and over again. So much so that I felt as though I didn’t believe that God was hearing my prayers anymore because of this nasty habit in my life. After reading this article, I realize that I never really knew the Lord like I thought I did. Having betrayed His trust on more than one occasion, it’s safe to say that sometime ago God stopped believing my prayers of repentance. Even I did not believe my own repentance. But today, I did what you said. After reading this article, I began to pray again and repent once more for my sin of pornography. I know that I have a long road ahead of me when it comes to building a solid relationship with God. But I’m tired of going back to this same sin over and over again. I know I have to change. I’ve been Apostolic all my life and have lived this way for many years. This life is all I know. However, it is clear that someone who has been Apostolic all there lives can still go to hell if they continue to return to old nasty habits and sins that they once repented of. I realize now that if there is ever to be a drastic change for the better with my relationship with God, I must STOP returning to my old habits and sin. To whom ever the individual maybe who published this article, I personally want to say, thank you. You called me out with the Truth of God’s Word. And I am grateful to you for letting your anointing have it’s day. It’s time to get real with God. Because if I don’t now, I never will. My sincerest thanks to Everyday Apostolic, God bless!