Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not [keeps on sinning]: whosoever sinneth [continues to sin] hath not seen him, neither known him. (I John 3:6)

It never is God's will for the disciple to continue in known sin. We are not debtors to our flesh that we are compelled to live according to its dictates.

Christ continues to loose us so we are free to worship God in the Spirit and according to truth.

The Christian experience is one of power, of love, and of a sound mind. We are not to remain in guilt and defeat. Spiritual strength and courage are founded on the sure knowledge that in Christ we are without condemnation before the Throne of God. Such assurance is necessary if we are to stand up successfully under the searching and cleansing of the Spirit of God, and under the stress of the warfare against Satan.

When the Holy Spirit points out to a Christian a sinful thought, word or deed, the disciple is to name it specifically, acknowledging it to be sin. Ordinarily confession is to be made to God alone.

However it often is helpful (and it is scriptural) to confess our sins to a fellow member of the Body of Christ.

Confession to a group of people may be made if they were injured or misled by our actions. Sometimes the Lord leads and enables us to make restitution, to repair the damage we have done.

When we confess the sin, as the Spirit directs us, the Lord is faithful and righteous to forgive the sin and to purge it from us. The forgiveness and cleansing is the new covenant fulfillment of the Jewish Day of Atonement.

Deception. Many sincere disciples will not sin knowingly and willfully even though they are tempted sorely. Satan's approach to such a believer may come in the realm of deception and delusion.

For example, let us imagine that a voice speaks to you and tells you that you are especially chosen of the Lord and that all Christians in the city in which you live are supposed to obey you and give reverence to you. You are "The Apostle," or "The Prophet" of your area, singled out by the Lord to have spiritual oversight of the particular geographical region.

Another of Satan's commonly-employed snares is in the realm of sexual conduct. You are supposed to have relations with a particular man or woman because in so doing you are illustrating the love between Christ and His Bride. Or, you finally have found the "one" who is meant for you and your present mate was a mistake on your part.

These are fantastic suggestions but they are characteristic of the snares with which Satan fills the spiritual environment. Notice how the one is aimed toward the spiritually ambitious believer, not the disinterested or lethargic. The other is pitched toward the romantic believer who would never seek out a prostitute but who can be snared by "romantic" forms of lust.

The watchful, overcoming disciple will reject the voices at once, since the teachings of Jesus forbid the elevation of a member of the Body of Christ over his brothers in the Lord; and the Lord's rules governing sexual conduct and marriage are explicit and are not to be violated.

To be continued.