In less than a year, our podcast has gone from an average of 10,000 downloads a month to 50,000

downloads. What made the difference? You leaving us a five-star review. The more positive reviews,

the more the algorithm picks us up. And more people are confronted by the law and gospel of Jesus

Christ. Help us press forward the crown rights of King Jesus by leaving us a five-star

review on your favorite podcast platform. Thanks. There is no state of perfect, sinless perfection

in this life. That state does exist and it is the state of the Christian in the life to come when we see him

we will be like him for we shall see him as he is in what regard how is he sinless righteous

and the very presence not only power and penalty but even the presence of sin on that day will be no more. So what John is saying

is simple. He's not saying, if you're a Christian, you'll never sin again. But what he is saying

is that Christians should not be defined by sin. Christians experience real, progressive, gradual,

visible, tangible improvement in righteousness in this life.

And if there's nothing, if there's no fruit to speak up, I've been a Christian for 40 years,

and in every single category that I can think of I've gotten worse well you're going to hell

you're not a Christian I mean it's really simple right this is an apple tree and every year for 20

years now in season it produces pears how many apples zero lots of pairs great pairs it's my favorite

apple tree well I think it's a pear tree.

So that's what John's saying. Not sinless perfection in this life, but progressive victory over

sin. You are not a slave to sin, and you're not a slave to Satan. Because notice the second half of verse 18,

he doesn't just say that no everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning,

but then he goes on and says that God protects him and the evil one does not touch him. Now that's

the big theme in the text that we're going to see multiple times as we move on to the other verses.

Christians not only are they free from slavery to sin, but they're also free from slavery to Satan.

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