God-centered resources from the ministry of John Piper

This week's sermon: "No One Born of God Makes a Practice of Sinning"

Being born again doesn't mean being sinless. In fact, no Christian is sinless. That's why we have an Advocate in Jesus (1 John 2:1).

How then are the born again to deal with their sinfulness?

Many oscillate between two dangerous extremes. One extreme is presumption. We may slip into a lukewarm, careless frame of mind about our own sinfulness. We start to coast or to become indifferent to whether we are holy. We lose our vigilance against bad attitudes and behaviors—and start to settle in with sinful patterns of behavior.

The other extreme is despair. We may sink down in fear and discouragement that our righteousness, our love for people, and our fight against sin are just not good enough. Our conscience condemns us, and our deeds seem so imperfect that they could never prove that we are born again.

But there is redemptive power in God's word. By God's word and the work of his Spirit, the born-again person is awakened to the dangers of presumption and despair and flies to Jesus, our Advocate, for mercy and forgiveness and righteousness.

Embrace the warning and the comfort.