John Cooper (@no_mark_ever)

Evidences of the new birth If there has been a live birth, then there will be evidence of life. First as a suckling, then as a weanling, then as a toddler, then as a young child, then as an older child, then as a teenager, then as a young adult, then middle-aged, and then preparing for one's reward whatever that may be. So it is with the new birth. John's first epistle gives us several reality-checks concerning the new birth. 'If ye know that he [Christ] is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is BORN OF HIM' (1.John 2:29). The word 'doeth' here is a present active participle in New Testament Greek, which gives the sense of an action which is ongoing or habitual. The trend of the life of a person who has been born again is one of righteousness. You would therefore expect that at least for most of the time their actions would be on the right side of the line between good and evil. It would therefore be reasonable to suspect that if someone claimed to be born again and did not exhibit this tendency, that they were self-deceived. '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' (1.John 3:9). The phrase 'he cannot sin' is a present active infinite in Greek, which gives the sense of the habitual or usual state of this person. This person almost certainly prays the Lord's Prayer, including the bit about 'forgive us our trespasses', recognising that they are not perfect. No Christian is perfect - 'the thought of foolishness is sin' (Proverbs 24:9). 'If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man' (James 3:2). 'Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin' (James 4:17). So none of us is sinless, even though those who are born of God sin less, and increasingly so, as they progress along the narrow way. The reason why these people CANNOT SIN is because they regularly allow the word of God to recharge their spiritual batteries. The 'seed'/the word of God (1.Peter 1:23; Matthew 13:23) remains in them, and in such a state, the very thought of deliberately sinning against God is alien to them. We are, of course, encouraged to continue to 'let the word of Christ dwell in us richly' (Colossians 3:16), and, 'if ye abide in me, and my words abide in you...' (John 15:7), and, 'ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one' (1.John 2:14). 'Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is BORN OF GOD, and knoweth God' (1.John 4:7). The word 'loveth' is a present active participle in Greek, which expresses an action which is continual or habitual. The born-again person is overall a loving person. This means that their tendency is to wish well and to do good to others, especially fellow-believers. Christians are repeatedly reminded of this obligation in the New Testament, which suggests that it has to be worked at. 'For whatsoever is BORN OF GOD overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?' (1.John 5:4,5). 'The world' in the negative sense is all that is in the world that is opposed to God and his will and his ways - James 4:4. The word 'overcometh' in verse 5 is a present active participle in Greek, which conveys the sense of continuing to overcome, due to the continuing to believe (also present active participle) in the same verse. 'Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world' (1.John 2:15,16). Christians who live for this world are sometimes called 'worldly', and rank unbelievers are sometimes called 'worldlings' in Christian slang. 'We know that whosoever is BORN OF GOD sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not' (1.John 5:18). Christians still have the ability to commit sins, but they keep themselves. They are careful. They resist the Devil instead of yielding to him - James 4:7. The means of grace are found in the Scriptures. The truly regenerate use them and so the tenor of their life is that they overcome. 'For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, THEY ARE THE SONS OF GOD' (Romans 8:14). See Romans chapter 8 for more details. The promises at the end of the chapter apply to those who have completed the course.