WHY WAS JESUS MANIFESTED?

4 WHOEVER COMMITS SIN ALSO COMMITS LAWLESSNESS, and sin is lawlessness.
5 AND YOU KNOW THAT HE [Jesus] WAS MANIFESTED TO TAKE AWAY OUR SINS, AND IN HIM THERE IS NO SIN.
6 WHOEVER ABIDES IN HIM DOES NOT SIN. WHOEVER SINS HAS NEITHER SEEN HIM NOR KNOWN HIM.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. HE WHO PRACTICES RIGHTEOUSNESS IS RIGHTEOUS, just as He is righteous.
8 HE WHO SINS IS OF THE DEVIL, FOR THE DEVIL HAS SINNED FROM THE BEGINNING. FOR THIS PURPOSE THE SON OF GOD WAS MANIFESTED, THAT HE MIGHT DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL.
9 WHOEVER HAS BEEN BORN OF GOD DOES NOT SIN, FOR HIS SEED REMAINS IN HIM; AND HE CANNOT [habitually live in] SIN [make a practice of sin], BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN BORN OF GOD."
1 John 3:4-9 (NKJV)

Some people, so-called believers, are beginning to ratify or approve sin and give credibility to wrong doings in the church of Christ Jesus. But in the passage of the Bible being used as our text, we could see that whoever is habitually living in sin could not have been of God (1 John 3:6).

Certain points are made clear:
a. Jesus manifested to take our sins, the sins of mankind, and in Him there is no sin (1 John 3:5).
b. Whoever abides in Christ Jesus does not sin. And whoever is habitually living in sin has neither seen Him nor known Him (1 John 3:6). In other words, whoever claims to be born-again would not be wallowing in sin and be saying Jesus has paid for the believers' past, present, and the future sins thus living in sin does not matter (Romans 6:1-8). If what the Bible passage says is considered, whoever is saying such a thing or has such a mindset does not know God and have not had an encounter with Him (1 John 3:6).
c. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous (1John 3:7). In other words, It is a deceit for anyone to claim that he or she knows Christ Jesus when they do not live right. One of the proofs that you belong to God is the change in the way you live—righteous living.
d. Whoever is living in sin is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning (1 John 3:8). Whoever habitually lives in sin is of the devil, because Jesus came purposely to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). Thus, you cannot have the devil's property in your custody or life, which Jesus Christ had come to destroy, and at the same time claiming to be of God. The power to live above sin is given when you acknowledged Jesus as your Lord and Saviour (1 John 3:9).

The issue many believers are having on this is their inability to discipline or mortify their flesh (Colossians 3:5). Most problems being attributed to the devil are of the flesh—inability to mortify or discipline the flesh or stop indulging the flesh.

Before the devil would work in your life, as a believer, he must have seen the weakness of your body. The devil would work and tempt you in the areas where you have weaknesses. That is why Apostle James in his epistle says:
13 LET NO ONE SAY WHEN HE IS TEMPTED, “I AM TEMPTED BY GOD”; FOR GOD CANNOT BE TEMPTED BY EVIL, NOR DOES HE HIMSELF TEMPT ANYONE. 14 BUT EACH ONE IS TEMPTED WHEN HE IS DRAWN AWAY BY HIS OWN DESIRES AND ENTICED. 15 THEN, WHEN DESIRE HAS CONCEIVED, IT GIVES BIRTH TO SIN; AND SIN, WHEN IT IS FULL-GROWN, BRINGS FORTH DEATH" (James 1:13-15 NKJV).

If a believer succeeded in constantly dealing with the flesh, the issue of habitually living in sin would be a thing of the past.

Another question is how do you deal with the flesh?
I. Dealing with the flesh is about denying the flesh whatever it might be demanding for (Galatians 5:24).
II. Dealing with the flesh also means not feeding the flesh with the things that can arouse or stimulate or stir the flesh for sin.
a. This has to do with things you feed your mind with—things you watch, read, hear or listen to.
b. The people you associate with.
With the illustration here we could see that it is a work or duty on a believer's part; It takes a discipline and consecration, for a believer not to compromise and live like the people of the world. This aspect of work, discipline and consecration, is what many believers find difficult to do.

There are some who are born-again quite all right, but they have problem with the indulging or satisfying of the flesh—they want to give to their flesh whatever It demands for. And until that is dealt with, they cannot live a life that is pleasing to God (Galatians 5:24).

Whoever is born of God: "NO ONE WHO IS BORN OF GOD [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] PRACTICES SIN, BECAUSE GOD'S SEED [His principle of life, the essence of His righteous character] REMAINS [permanently] IN HIM [who is born again—who is reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose]; AND HE [who is born again] CANNOT HABITUALLY [live a life characterized by] SIN, BECAUSE HE IS BORN OF GOD AND LONGS TO PLEASE HIM" (1 John 3:9 Amps).

What is being shared in this verse 9 is whoever claims to be born-again would not be longing for sin and would not be habitually living in sin. The temptation to commit sin may come but the believer who indulges or gratifies NOT his or her flesh would not easily fall into the temptation.

Why would he or she not fall into the temptation? Because they are watchful.
a. Such a believer flees from every appearance of evil—they do not walk at the brinks of sin (1 Thessalonians 5:22).
b. They do not have overconfidence or false confidence of themselves (2 Corinthians 3:5).
c. Also, they know that If they are not circumspect and watchful they could fall into the trap of sin and be a prey for the devil, thus they are watchful and circumspect (1 Peter 5:8).

Note: as long as you are still on the earth and still in the flesh, you would always be tempted, because the flesh is not redeemed or changed or transformed yet; although we have a promissory note as regards the redemption of the flesh (Romans 8:23). But presently until the time of the redemption of the flesh, believers would have to be watchful and circumspect; always flee or abstain when there is any appearance of evil (1 Corinthians 6:18; 10:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:22; 1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:22). Appearance of evil means a situation that could make a believer commit sin. Not only on sexual sin, but on any form of evil. Flee from lying, from colluding with others to do evil, and from whatever you do that would be inconsistent with, or contradictory to, the Bible principles. Peace.

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