The Presence and Practice of Piety

1 John 3:9–"No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God."

There is something profound, if not outright provocative here.  John and the Holy Spirit that inspires him are saying at least two conjoined and challenging things.  The first is that the believer, in whom God's seed (the Holy Spirit) abides, no longer has to sin.  Even more so, though, they are saying that the believer cannot keep sinning because he/she has been born of God.  In other words, not only will the one who is born of God no longer make or develop a practice of sinning but they will not even be able to keep sinning because God's seed is abiding in them as they are born of God.  There is so much here, more than the space of this particular blog will provide.  I highly suggest that you take time today to read the whole chapter and see how seriously, how sincerely John exhorts believers that they are no longer sinner but have been transformed into children of God.  It is about identity as much as it is about the practice of piety, which is really about recognizes who we are in Christ.