A Sinless Nature or Righteousness Imputed

“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)

How I long to be free from sin in my experience! There was a day when it was not so, being yet dead in sin, without the life of God in me, by His Spirit. However, since God graciously crossed my path with the Good News of Christ’s death and satisfaction for sin and the Spirit of God brought me from darkness to Light, I am more aware of sin in me now than ever before. On the one hand, I can understand, because now with the Spirit of God in me, as the Light, it exposes what I truly am by nature- a sinful, wicked, wretch. Like a cancer, I long to be rid of it and be free forever from its deadly effects.

Therefore, when I read that “whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin,”I wonder how this can be? I hear different ones explaining their theories that if born again, there is a ‘sinless nature’ that we have that is created in us, that does not sin. However, as I have questioned these about this, I can never get a straight answer as to exactly how this keeps me from sinning. Some say that it is by this ‘imparted righteousness’ that we can actually love God as we ought, and pray, witness, believe, etc. And yet, when I ask those who claim to have such a nature to tell me one instance where they have prayed a sinless prayer, or done a perfect work, or believed as they ought, they “hem and haw.” For any who are honest and indeed troubled by their sin, I believe there is a clearer explanation that John is writing of, under the inspiration of the Spirit. He wrote earlier in 1 John 1:9 that if we say that we have not sinned [having sinned in Adam with continuing, ongoing effects], we make God a liar. Then again in 1 John 2:1, John affirms the necessity of Christ’s ongoing role as Advocate because of our bent to sin. If there were a sinless nature imparted to us at regeneration, what then would be the need for Christ’s ongoing advocacy? Why the call of Scripture to be transformed by the RENEWING OF OUR MIND, Romans 12:2?

The only answer I can find is that it refers to our standing in Christ and His IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS through His obedience unto death. If I am born of God, it is because Christ has already put away ALL my sin in His death, His wrath is removed and I am thereby JUSTIFIED and acquitted of ALL charges against me, Acts 13:39. Yes, I acknowledge that ongoing, unchangeable sin nature within me, which the Spirit of God causes me to confess continually before God. However, in so doing, I have the assurance that He is faithful and just to continue to forgive and cleanse me of all my unrighteousness because of the death of His Son on my behalf, 1 John 1:9. The renewing of the mind then is by the Spirit of God causing me to look away from my sinful flesh to the ONLY righteousness of God, that was already imputed to me at the cross and by which God continually looks upon me as sinless, Heb. 8:12;10:17. “...for where no law is, there is no transgression.” (Romans 4:15) Christ satisfied the law, therefore, there is no more sin to condemn those He redeemed by His shed blood, Romans 10:4.

When John writes of His Seed remaining in one who is born of God, that Seed is the very Word of Christ, revealed to the soul through the Gospel, 1 Peter 1:23. Also, in 1 John 1:10, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and HIS WORD is not in us,” is not referring to some seed of righteousness implanted in us, but the revealed Word of God, which remains in one born of God and causes them to see themselves as JUSTIFIED before God by the imputed righteousness of God in Christ.

What hope can I have that it is so for me? Having been born of God, I know that He gave me Life because He has already declared me perfect through the death of His Son, Heb. 1:3. In that I rejoice and look to the day when I shall indeed in my experience be completely rid of my sin, through the changing of this body and my final glorification in HIM! Phil. 3:21; 1 John 3:2; Romans 8:30.