The Christian and Sin (1 John 3:4–10) from South Woods Baptist Church on Vimeo.

Deception has been part of human existence since the serpent asked, “Has God said?” With that catastrophic deception in the Garden through which humanity fell into sin, deception continues in every generation. The devil has not changed his tactics. Paul warned the Corinthians about the devil’s deception that would lead them away “from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Cor 11:3). He also warned them about the deception that sin is not that big of a deal regarding one’s eternity (1 Cor 6:9). John declares the devil as the arch-deceiver of all who rebel against God (Rev 20:10). So deception can ensnare any of us.

I can trace points of deception that affected me. In my early Christian life, thinking that a profession of Christ guaranteed heaven rather than the certainty of the new birth, kept me from the joy of perseverance in Christ. Deception led me down a path of legalism by which I thought that I found favor with God by my rigid practice. Hearing various theological ideas without anchoring them in the Word deceived me into wrong doctrine that led to sloppy Christian living. By failing to grasp the power of the redemptive work of Christ, deception snared me in long periods of doubt and unbelief. I could go on but simply want to reinforce, deception continues its attempts to blind us to the fullness of Christ.

That’s why John wrote this epistle. Some deceived themselves by thinking they had no sin (1 John 1:8). Others listened to the allurement of false teaching and seemed to be heading down the path of deception (1 John 2:26). Now he warns of deception a third time, using one of the rare imperatives in the letter, “Little children, make sure no one deceives you” (3:7). He calls for action in three areas of deception. But we can only act if we understand to some degree how we’re being deceived.

We must guard against deception concerning Christ’s work and the Christian walk. John set the stage for teaching on this painfully difficult subject by lifting us into the stratosphere of God’s love for us. He ends that doxology by contemplating how it affects us, “And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” How does that purity or holiness work out in practice? We’ll look at it in three parts.

I. Let no one deceive you concerning the work of Christ (vv. 5, 8)

With the exhortation to “let no one deceive you” set in the middle of this paragraph, it serves as an anchor for exploring how deception snares us. Keep in mind that John wrote to the Ephesian church that a generation earlier had profited from Paul’s three-year stay, and further by Timothy’s faithful ministry. But faithful teachers and good foundation did not make them immune to deception. They, like us, had to be on guard for the enemy’s deceitful tactics. Here it is found concerning Christ’s work.

1. Jesus deals with sins (v. 5)

So many think that Jesus came to make them happy. Consequently, the epitome of life centers on how they feel rather than who they are before God. Others think that Jesus’ only concern is getting us to heaven, so as long as they believe that’s settled then paying attention to patterns of sin is not an issue. This happens so often in Baptist churches where there is a distorted understanding of the believer’s security. Rather than that security resting upon the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, the deception comes in relying upon an outward profession of faith and baptism. I can’t even count the times that I’ve heard parents and grandparents excuse the sinful practices of their children and grandchildren because they rely upon the faulty security of a childhood profession of Christ.

But John could not be clearer: “You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.” John uses “appeared” in this case to refer to the coming of God the Son in the Incarnation (cf. 1:2) with the purpose to [...]