Imagine with me an archery range – or if bow and arrow is too strange to you, imagine a firing range and a gun. Let’s say you’re new to the sport and you’re trying to hit a target. This target is not a nickel nailed to a tree 300 yards down range, it is a clear, good sized target within reasonable range. Are you with me?
You notch up an arrow, aim and let it fly. Being inexperienced, you may end up missing the mark. You may miss the target altogether at first, but you’re trying. With each shot your aim gets better. In time you are hitting the target every time, and many land close to the bull’s eye, if not in it.
The target is in front of you but if you consistently aim 20° to the right of the target, you will not hit the target. You cannot avoid missing the mark. And you are not hitting the target because of a willful act. In doing this you cannot claim your failure is just bad aim.
1 John 3:6 (NKJV)
6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
It is vitally important that we understand that the word “sin” used here is the Greek word hamartia (hamartia is the English translation of the Greek word which I can neither type nor pronounce) which when used as a verb refers to a pattern of habit or lifestyle born of errant inward conviction. Literally, it means “missing the mark”.
What the above passage is saying is: whoever is obedient to and in harmony with Jesus lives a life which aims at being like Jesus in all ways. Anyone who deliberately continues living a sinful life after “accepting Christ” is deceiving themselves, if not everyone else. That person does not know Jesus.
In our illustration, every action we take, every statement we make is an arrow sent zinging down range. If we are aiming well, we will hit the target.
This does not mean that the saved never stumble. We do. Sometimes some furry creature may brush against our leg as we take aim, or perhaps some shiny thing off to one side catches out attention and our shot goes wide. But, when we do we will recognize it and take steps to correct the problem so we will again be aiming for the bull’s eye.
1 John 3:8 (NKJV)
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.
Again the word here is hamartia: “He who willfully lives a sinful life is of the devil”. Jesus was made flesh, lived among us, taught us, allowed himself to be put to death, and was resurrected for the purpose of breaking the devil’s hold on humanity. When we trust Him and follow Him, the Holy Spirit empowers us to turn away from our sinful ways and make a new life. If we choose to.
This change is sometimes instantaneous, but not always. Sometimes a new follower is embroiled in a sinful life in such a way that it is not possible to just walk away from it immediately. An addict may need rehab. A prostitute may be “owned” by her pimp. But with conviction and with help from other followers, the old life can be left behind, the old life must be left behind.
To continually, willfully miss the mark is an admission that you are not willing to follow Jesus. You may see the need, but have not committed to doing so. You choose to pursue your own path and are still under the influence of the devil. Jesus does not force anyone to change: the choice is ours. But with the choice come the consequences.
