Lesson 2:
The Price of Sin
Lesson 3:
The Preventives of Sin
The Price of Sin
• Jesus paid the price for our sin
– Because of our sins, “God has sent His only
begotten Son into the world, that we might live
through Him” (1 John 4:9).
– Only Jesus was qualified to be our sacrificial
lamb, because “in Him there is [was] no sin”
(3:5).
– Jesus’ atoning work was done voluntarily – “He
laid down His life for us” (3:16).
The Price of Sin
• Jesus paid the price for our sin
• The purposes of Jesus’ death are outlined
– To “take away our sins” (3:5) – lifting that
burden/load from us so as not to be crushed
– To “destroy” the works of the devil” (3:8) –
abolishing/nullifying the free activities of the
devil & the fruits/consequences of his efforts
(including pain, sorrow, misery, death—1 Cor.
15:54-55, 2 Tim. 1:10, Rev. 21:4)
The Price of Sin
• Jesus paid the price for our sin
• The purposes of Jesus’ death are outlined
• Prompted by & motivated by God’s unconditional & undying love (4:7-11), to give us:
– The propitiation for our sins (2:1-2; 4:8-10)
• Appeasing God’s holy character – Is. 59:1-2; Ep. 2:1-10
• Propitiation is a work of God Himself (not man) to
appease His character and satisfy His justice (4:8-10).
• Propitiation was made possible by and only by the
redeeming blood of Jesus (4:8-10).
• The propitiatory work of Jesus reveals to all of
humanity the righteousness of God (1:9).
The Price of Sin
• Jesus paid the price for our sin
• The purposes of Jesus’ death are outlined
• Prompted by & motivated by God’s unconditional & undying love (4:7-11), to give us:
– The propitiation for our sins (2:1-2; 4:8-10)
– The advocacy of Jesus Christ (2:1-2)
• Jesus has been “called to one’s side to assist or plead
his cause or serve as his intercessor”
• Jesus represents us, the sinner, before God. Jesus
has a unique relationship with God & with man.
• He acknowledges our sins & guilt before God, then
presents His vicarious death as grounds for acquittal
Lesson 3:
The Preventives of Sin
The Preventives of Sin
• The prevention of sin begins with our new
birth (3:9; 5:18).
– Once we are born again, sin will no longer
control our lives nor will it be a habitual activity
– One who is born of God will:
• Strive to “practice righteousness” (2:29)
• Labor to “keep” himself from sin (5:18)
• Always endeavor to love his Christian brethren (4:7-8)
• Be victorious over the world (5:4)
The Preventives of Sin
• The prevention of sin is accomplished
through our abiding in Christ (3:5-8; 4:13).
– Jesus “was manifested to take away our sins”
(3:5), and our sins are taken away when we are
“born again” (Jn. 3:3-5) and placed “in Christ.”
– Sin remains out of our lives and will not be the
ruling principle of our lives when we commit
ourselves to “abide” in Christ
• Abide = “to be rooted in, continue in, settled down”
• Conveys the idea of an intimate relationship, which is
maintained & nurtured when we choose not to engage
in habitual, sinful activities (3:5-8)
The Preventives of Sin
• The prevention of sin is accomplished
through our abiding in Christ (3:5-8; 4:13).
– If we choose to “practice” sin:
• Our intimate relationship with Jesus is broken (3:6)
• Our allegiance reverts back to the devil (3:8)
• We overtly choose to rebel against what is right (3:10)
– Serving both Jesus & the devil, walking both in
light & darkness, abiding in Christ & practicing sin
are each and all impossible (1:5-7; 3:5-9; Mt.
5:24; 2 Cor. 6:14-17; Rom. 6:16-18).
The Preventives of Sin
• The prevention of sin is perpetuated when
God’s word abides in us (3:4-9).
– One “born of God” chooses not to “practice”
(NASB) sin (3:9).
• Practice = “to adopt a lifestyle that expresses itself
through various actions or activities” (cf. Mt. 7:21-23)
– A Christian chooses not to practice sin because
“His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin”
(3:9; cf. Luke 8:11; Psa. 119:11).
• A seed determines the nature of what is produced
• If the word of God “remains” in us, our daily lives
(attitudes, actions, words) will manifest the nature
and likeness of God (Hab. 1:13; Matt. 4:1-11).
The Preventives of Sin
• The prevention of sin is achieved through
our humble obedience to God’s expressed
commands (2:3-6; 5:3-4).
– “…keep His commandments” (2:3).
• Keep = “give heed, observe, obey”
• Present Tense = continually obey God’s commands
– One of the Christian’s greatest challenges –
consistently practice our allegiance to God
• Remember, “His commandments are not burdensome”
(5:3)
• Our obedience manifests our genuine love for God
(5:2-3)
The Preventives of Sin
• The prevention of sin is achieved through
our humble obedience to God’s expressed
commands (2:3-6; 5:3-4).
– When we “keep” God commandments, He
promises us a multitude of blessings:
• Knowing God (2:3-5)
• The perfecting (maturing) of God’s love in us (2:5)
• Walking (living) like Jesus (2:6)
• The certainty of answered prayer (3:22)
• Genuine happiness (Luke 11:28)
• Anticipation & certainty of eternal life (Matt. 19:17)
The Preventives of Sin
• The prevention of sin is realized when we
walk in the light (1:6-9; 2:3-6).
– “Walk” = the activities or manner of one’s life
– How we walk or live is a choice
• We can choose to “walk in the light,” choosing to live for
God as Jesus did (1:7, 5; 2:6), with blessings like:
– Fellowship with God & all Christian brethren (1:6-7)
– Promise of perpetual cleansing from our sins (1:7, 9)
– Having our sins forgiven (1:9)
• Or we can choose to “walk in darkness,” choosing to live
antagonistically against God (1:6), manifested in:
–
–
–
–
A poor relationship with Christian brethren (2:9-11)
A persistence in doing evil (3:9)
A refusal to practice the truth (1:6; 3:7)
Perpetual deceit (1:6)