THE BASIS FOR ABIDING IN CHRIST - 1 JOHN 3:6

Verse 6: No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.

If you have not already noticed, abide happens to be a favored word of John’s. In fact, he uses it more than any other writer of the New Testament. The Greek word means to remain or continue in the realm or sphere in which a person dwells.1 Throughout John’s writings, he seeks to express the unceasing permanence of the believers’ divine relationships: God’s Word, John 5:38; 15:7; 1 John 2:14; life, 1 John 3:15; love, 1 John 3:17; truth, 2 John 2; anointing, 1 John 2:27.2 Take a moment to look back at 8 of the 11 occurrences in chapter two alone: abide in the light (v.10); the word abides in you (v.14); the anointing abides in you (v.27); abide in Him (vv.6, 24, 27, 28); abide in the Father (v.24).

  No one who abides in Him sins is a simple declarative statement, for it is not God’s ideal standard that believers involve themselves in sin. It is the opposite of God’s objective for the Christian to have continuous fellowship with Him. This verse expands upon John’s instruction in chapter 1 concerning our fellowship “with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1:3). The word fellowship means “an association involving close mutual relations and involvement.”3 It is the essential aspect of our abiding in Him. To sin is to “walk in darkness” (1:6); hence, the converse is to “walk in the Light” and have fellowship with Him (1:7).

In the past, Bible scholars have proposed that this verse was the criterion for determining if someone is indeed a believer. However, Dr. Daniel Wallace offers a logical alternative. He reasons that since the immediate context declares “that it is the last hour” (2:18) and the expectancy of Christ’s return (2:28), John is anticipating more than ever at this time, that believers not yield to sin but instead endeavor to produce godly living (2:28–3:9) in their advance to spiritual maturity.4

John will clarify and expand upon this matter in verse 9.

Our Perception of Him

John now develops the present issue with the following phrase: no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. John observes that the believer who yields to sin has two spiritual deficiencies. First, they fail to see Him. From the Greek word for see we get our English word horizon, the idea being that of understanding the big picture. The sinning believer has overlooked the big picture of the holy character of Jesus Christ and therefore, the intended results of having seen Him are not realized. For if they truly had seen His holy character then the effects of what they saw would have continued to be an influence for them not sin. But John has previously given us hope because “we will see Him” at His appearing (3:2)—not just in His eternal physical body, but in His complete holy and sinless perfection. We should remember Our Lord’s words to Thomas:

Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” (John 20:29)

A person believes in Jesus Christ, not just for eternal life after death, but for eternal life now, in order to represent Him by holy living. The Apostle Peter expands upon this as the test of our love for Christ:

And though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory. (1 Peter 1:8)

Thus it should be our objective to consistently emulate His sinless character. Again, the Apostle Peter proclaims:

For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth. (1 Peter 2:21–22)

Second, he fails to truly know Jesus Christ. This implies that the believer lacks an intimate relationship of fellowship with Jesus Christ. He should be the center of the believer’s entire being—the most significant person in his life. With this in mind, W.E. Vine aptly states that: “to know Him is to acknowledge and appreciate His character and to live in the practical enjoyment of relationship to Him.”5 However, this can only be accomplished when the believer observes the essential elements of the Christian’s moment-by-moment walk of faith: an intensive understanding of His Word, the consistent communication of prayer and a life that intentionally avoids sin. As explained by R.B. Thieme, Jr.:

 It is the Father’s purpose that the Son “will come to have first place in everything” (Colossians 1:18b), that we follow the model Christ set on earth, think the way He thinks, and set Him apart as more valuable than anything else in life.6

The Apostle Paul encouraged his readers to be imitators of him (1 Corinthians 4:16; 11:1; Philippians 3:17) and specifically, to aspire to understand and know Jesus Christ and what is required in order to develop intimate fellowship with Him.

More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death (Philippians 3:8–10—emphasis added)

Confronting the Issue

We need to recognize that there is a definite connection between our knowledge of Jesus Christ and how we regard sin. If we are endeavoring to know Him we would despise sin, by avoiding temptations and striving for victory over sin.

How diligent are we in seeking to know Our Lord? Do we study His Word and pray daily? The lack of constancy in study and prayer will be evidenced by believers who demonstrate indifference to emulating the sinless perfection of Jesus Christ by their lives.

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[1] Arndt, W., Gingrich, F. W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (1979). In A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, p. 503.

[2] Hauck, F. (1964–). μένω. In Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich, Eds.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 4.574-576.

[3] Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains. New York: United Bible Societies, 1.445.

[4] Wallace, D. B. (1996). Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics - Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament. Zondervan Publishing House and Galaxie Software, pp. 524–525.

[5] Vine, W. E. (1996). Collected Writings of W.E. Vine. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1 John 3:6.

[6] Thieme, R.B., Jr. (2022). Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary, Houston, TX: R.B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, p.183.

 

© 2025 David M. Rossi

 

THE HINDRANCE OF HEARING SOUND DOCTRINE

 

 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession (Hebrews 4:14) 

 Jesus Christ, Our Great High Priest

Our Lord is presently at the right hand of the Father in heaven (Hebrews 1:3; Ephesians 1:20), this is termed theologically as His present session. The writer of Hebrews discusses at length the function of Our Great High Priest in chapters 4-9. He outlines the similarity of Jesus Christ’s priesthood (5:5; cf. Hebrews 2:17) with the priesthood of Melchizedek, which predated the Levitical priesthood of Aaron  by over 400 years (Exodus 28).

This is an extremely important doctrine which the writer to the Hebrews is attempting to communicate regarding the present high priestly ministry of Jesus Christ and that it supersedes the Old Testament Levitical priesthood. This particular doctrine is equally pertinent for us today, for twice he notes that Our Lord’s present ministry is to intercede on our behalf (7:25; 9:24). This is not an isolated truth, for Paul also mentions this in Romans 8:27, 34 (cf. 1 Timothy 2:5) and John declares that He is our Advocate with God the Father (1 John 2:1). However, in Hebrews 5:11-14, the writer expresses that there is a problem in communicating this truth to his readers. This difficulty “arises not wholly from the nature of the subject, but rather from the unpreparedness of the readers.”1

Dull of Hearing

Concerning Him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. (Hebrews 5:11)

The indictment upon the recipients of the letter to the Hebrews is not that they are simply dull of hearing, but that they have actively become dull of hearing and continue to remain in this state of mind. The Greek word for dull means: “slow, sluggish, indolent.”2 The word obtuse3 comes to mind, meaning one who is simple-minded, “lacking quickness of perception or intellect.”4 It indicates that they are making no effort to hear, or they are lacking in concentration.5 Thus the very nature of the word infers that the individuals are disabled from the “activities of the mind or spirit.”6 To put it bluntly: they are simply apathetic and have no interest in learning God’s truth.

He proceeds to chastise them for being dull of hearing:

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. (Hebrews 5:12–13)

He asserts that by now they ought to be teachers, capable of conveying Biblical truth by their words and manner of life. But instead they need to be taught the elementary principles of the Christian faith. And like infant babies, they now require milk, which implies the necessity of a refresher course of the oracles of God, referring to the basic doctrines of “Christian instruction.”7 He makes it clear that it is milk that they need and not solid food—the deeper truths of the Word8—stating emphatically that infants are not accustomed to solid food. The phrase not accustomed is one word in the Greek and means “unskillful,”9 thus they are unable to “know about or put into practice”10 the deeper truths of the scriptures to achieve the necessary skills for spiritual maturity by learning the word of righteousness.

The Crux of the Issue

But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. (Hebrews 5:14)

Next he exhibits the benefit of solid food which empowers the mature believer to counteract the negative results of their apathy towards spiritual advancement. This particular Greek word for practice appears only here in the New Testament and indicates an acquired skill.11 With sound doctrine believers are able to obtain the essential skills for Christian living, namely, by having their senses trained. What the writer means by senses is the believers’ spiritual faculty of perception12—their mind. And since we are rational, thinking creatures, the believer needs to have the mind trained; just as a gymnast, who by self-discipline, exercises to build up muscle in order to successfully compete.

What is the principle that the writer of Hebrews is advancing? That spiritual maturity can only be achieved when the believer implements a steady and consistent regimen of a daily intake of solid food provided by Scripture. This is the process of building up, as it were, spiritual muscle, in order to obtain these indispensable skills for discerning good and evil (cf. Colossians 2:7; Jude 20). The Apostle Paul advocated this in Romans 12:2, that we should submit to the Scriptures’ transforming process for the “renewing [renovating] of your mind.” To possess these skills enables the believer to determine if they are performing divine good and to readily identify personal sin.

Something to Consider

We need to honestly ask ourselves: Have we become dull of hearing and apathetic to learning God’s Word? Are we endeavoring to attain spiritual maturity?

It is important that we remember the significance of our hearing since it is the beginning step of our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Also, note the emphasis upon hearing in the synoptic gospels, as Our Lord commands us to observe His words: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8; 14:53). And not to be overlooked is the Apostle John’s entry in Revelation of this same command as He advises the seven churches: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22).

Therefore, we should examine ourselves to determine exactly what distracts us from the discipline of studying God’s Word. For many it’s the overindulgence in the details of life: jobs, entertainment, friends, etc. Even church work can sidetrack us from our vital spiritual life-source—the knowledge of His truth. And there are some who either cannot concentrate on studying or mistakenly believe that Scripture is too difficult to understand. They are unaware of the Biblical fact that believers are aided by the Holy Spirit, Who “will teach you all things” (John 14:26), enabling us to comprehend God’s Word along with all believers (Ephesians 3:18f; cf. 1 Corinthians 2:12f).

 If we truly desire to achieve spiritual maturity, we must realize that a mere sermon on Sunday mornings is simply not enough; it requires the consistent daily intake of God’s Word. Regard this appeal as Job pleaded his friend:

“Please receive instruction from His mouth

 And establish His words in your heart.” (Job 22:22; cf. 23:12)

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[1] Dods, Marcus (1990). The Expositor’s Greek Testament (Nicoll, W. Robertson, Ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 4.291.

[2] Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). In Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 2.180.

[3] Preisker, H. (1964–). νωθρός. In Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich, Eds.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 4.1126.

[4] The American Heritage College Dictionary, 4^th Ed. (2007). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., p. 960.

[5] Waugh, R.M.L. (1953). The Preacher and His Greek Testament, London: The Epworth Press, p. 88.

[6] Trench, Richard (1975). Synonyms of the New Testament, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, p. 383.

[7] Arndt, W., Gingrich, F. W., & Bauer, W. (1957). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 4^th Ed., Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, p. 149.

[8] Ryrie, C. C. (1995). Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. Chicago: Moody Press, p. 1951 note, 5:12.

[9] Vine, et al., 2.218.

[10] Ryrie, p. 1951 note, 5:13.

[11] Arndt, W., et al., p. 275.

[12]  Dods, 4.292.

 

© 2025 David M. Rossi

 

ST. VALENTINE: WHO WAS HE? -- REVISITED

“The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2)

Valentine was a Roman priest born c. 226 A.D. and was said to have been martyred c. 270 A.D., on February 14^th. He is regarded a saint by virtue of his martyrdom, for the Roman Church had no formal canonization process until the 10^th Century A.D. 

The history of Valentine is very sketchy to say the least. The following is from the Lives of the Saints (1959):

 St. Valentine, a Roman priest, together with St. Marius and his family, assisted the martyrs who suffered during the reign of Emperor Claudius II in the 3^rd Century.1

Other accounts of his life state that he would secretly perform marriages for soldiers so they would be deferred from military service. The emperor believed married soldiers would not fight as well as single men. For this he was placed under arrest and during this time the judge, Asterius, tested Valentine’s faith by asking him to heal his adopted daughter’s blindness. Valentine succeeded and found favor with Asterius and converted him and his household.

He later was arrested again for evangelizing and sent to the Emperor Claudius II. Again he found favor with the Emperor until he tried to persuade Claudius to embrace Christianity. Claudius commanded that Valentine renounce his faith, when he refused, Claudius ordered that he be beaten with clubs and then was beheaded.  

Legend has it that just prior to his death, he wrote to the girl who he had restored her sight and signed it “from your Valentine.” However, there is actually no historical evidence to this legend. But what may have arisen from this was the institution of February 14^th as the feast of St. Valentine in 495 A.D. by Pope Gelasius I. The Pope’s strategy was to suppress the ancient Roman festival, Lupercalia, a pagan celebration of love and fertility honoring the goddess Juno Februata. The highlight of the festivities included the pairing of boys with girls by a lottery—the drawing of names in honor of the goddess. The Lives of the Saints account describes the Pope's tactic:

To abolish this heathen practice the names of saints were substituted on billets [notes] drawn upon this day. The custom has nothing to do with St. Valentine, except that the feast precedes February 15^th, the day on which the goddess Februata Juno was honored in this manner.2

Apparently Pope Gelasius’ scheme took root over the centuries and transformed a pagan fertility festival for Juno Februata into merely a day of expressing love for beloved ones.

In 1382, the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer, author of The Canterbury Tales, wrote a poem for the first anniversary of King Richard II and his wife Anne. Titled “Parliament of Fowls,” it paid  homage to the annual event of birds choosing their mates. The opening lines state:

"For this was on Saint Valentine's Day

When every bird comes there to choose his match.”

After much research, it was concluded by Jack Oruch, that there is no suggestion in literature between Valentine and romance prior to Chaucer, and that Chaucer is most likely "the original mythmaker” of the modern correlation of romance with Valentine’s Day.3

So now we have a holiday of children, passing heart decorated cards to one another with the wishes of "I'm Yours" and “Be My Valentine.” And adults exchanging candy, flowers, gifts and sharing romantic settings.

But this seems far from the original intent of commemorating St. Valentine. And maybe the Roman Church came to realize that hearts, cards and flowers have nothing to do with what little is known of Valentine, the martyr. And even today most do not even know who he was or why the day was even established. For in 1969 the Roman Church removed St. Valentine from its calendar of feast days. Since then, February 14^th has been known throughout our culture as simply “Valentine’s Day”, minus the "St." Referring now to the Valentine cards and not to the saint for whom it was originally attributed.

St. Valentine may not have had an awe inspiring life as St. Patrick or St. Francis of Assisi, yet what is known of Valentine is that he was a staunch advocate for the Christian faith and encouraged others who were about to be martyred for their faith in Jesus Christ. It would have been better if the virtuous love which Valentine had for his Savior and for those he comforted in the 3^rd Century A.D. had been emphasized as the reason for honoring him on February 14^th.

On A Personal Note

St. Valentine’s Day has always been a special day for me—it just so happens my birthday falls on St. Valentine's Day every year! My mother spoiled me by making a heart shaped cake and serving White House Cherry ice cream—a tradition that my wife has carried on to this day.

It was also the birthday of my godfather and great uncle, Valentine Betancourt (1913-1981). He lived in Mobile, AL, but I would see him frequently in the summertime when he traveled north for his business of procuring Christmas trees. In the late 1950's, in preparation for the Catholic rite of Confirmation, we were instructed to claim a saint’s name as our patron, and of course, I chose Valentine.

 

Source Material

• Butler, Alban (1903). The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints, New York, NY: Kenedy, pp. 413-414. 
• Hoever, Hugo [Ed.] (1959). Lives of the Saints, New York, NY: Catholic Book Publishing, p. 75.
• https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/St._Valentine [Retrieved February 9, 2023]
• https://www.history.com/news/6-surprising-facts-about-st-valentine [Retrieved February 6, 2023]
• https://catholicism.org/saint-valentine-269.html [Retrieved February 6, 2023]
• https://www.livesofthesaints.com/saint-valentine/ [Retrieved February 6, 2023
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day#Folk_traditions [Retrieved February 8, 2023]
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Valentine [Retrieved February 8, 2023]
• https://www.britannica.com/topic/Valentines-Day [Retrieved February 8, 2023]
• https://www.answers.com/Q/When_was_Saint_Valentine_canonized [Retrieved February 8, 2023]
• https://literarysum.com/the-parliament-of-fowls-a-brief-overview-by-geoffrey-chaucer/ [Retrieved February 4, 2025]
  

 

[1] Hoever, Hugo [Ed.] (1959). Lives of the Saints, New York, NY: Catholic Book Publishing, p. 75.

[2] Hoever, p. 75.

[3] Oruch, Jack B., "St. Valentine, Chaucer, and Spring in February", Speculum, Vol. 56, No. 3 (July, 1981), p. 565.

 

 

© 2025 David M. Rossi

 

PRACTICE OF SIN AND LAWLESSNESS - 1 JOHN 3:4-5

Verses 4-5: Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.

Now John’s discussion turns to the inconsistency of the believer who continues a sinful life. Lenski correctly sums up John’s stance in verse 4 that “This is a fact, and there are no exceptions.”1 It stands to reason that practicing righteousness, as John stated in 2:29, is the opposite of practicing of sin.

As stated in 2:29, this word ‘practice’ is not exactly the same as someone practicing a musical instrument or rehearsing their lines for acting. The doctor practicing medicine when tending to a patient is nearer to John’s meaning of practice. The meaning of this word ‘practice’ implies “any external act as manifested in the production of something tangible.”2  The inference here is that a believer’s life that is evidenced by consistent production of habitual sin is in contrast to a life which should be producing righteousness.

So, what exactly is sin? The Greek word, as defined concisely and literally, means “to miss the mark.”3 The ‘mark’ is the established commands of God, the indicators for us to aim for—to obey His commands (John 14:15; 15:10). When believers are in violation of His commandments (2:3-4) they miss the mark and sin against God, for every infraction of His commands is sin.

We sin because we have an old sin nature. We are born with the proclivity to sin as a result of Adam’s sin (Romans 5:12ff). The Apostle Paul describes our old sin nature as our ‘old self’ (literally: old man):

That, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind. (Ephesians 4:22–23)

Dr. Ryrie explains that the old self, forever linked to the believer, is

...all that a person is before salvation, which is made “old” by reason of the presence of the new life in Christ. Though separated from its power, its presence has not been eradicated; therefore, we are exhorted to lay it aside.4

We are also commanded to “lay aside the deeds of darkness” (Romans 13:12), meaning all of the sinfulness related to the old self. Since this exhortation is communicated by other writers of Scripture besides the Apostle Paul, this would be an instructive study for all believers. The following verses describe exactly what characteristics of the old self we should lay aside. (Romans 13:12; Ephesians 4:22, 25; Colossians 3:8; Hebrews 12:1; James 1:21; 1 Peter 2:1).

Lawlessness

John advances the issue by asserting that those who produce sin also produce lawlessness—the violation of laws. Our Lord’s commands constitute His laws on how we are to live this life of faith. Their objective is to restrain our evil tendencies so that we might become imitators of Christ (1 Peter 2:21; Philippians 2:5). Therefore, His laws are intended to control the hearts and conduct of men5 (James 2:8; Galatians 6:2; Romans 13:8).

Next is John’s absolute statement that sin is lawlessness. Dr. L.S. Chafer maintains that “sin is, in its essential character, a lawless departure from the purpose and will of God.”6 This describes an active revolt against God, illustrated by man choosing his will instead of the prefect will of God. This is evident today in our culture and churches by those who are doing what they have determined to be right in their own eyes. A study of the period of the Judges demonstrates that this same spirit of anarchy resulted in chaotic conditions (Judges 17:6; 21:25; cf. Proverbs 21:2-3).

The Apostle Paul addressed this issue with the Romans and provided the means to resolve lawlessness:

I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. (Romans 6:19)

And elsewhere Paul provides further advice:

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14)

What we as believers need to learn from this is that if we truly desire to live this life of faith according to His will and purpose, it is essential that we endeavor to obey His commands. For us to become slaves to producing righteousness, we must “abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22). This is how we can achieve stability and inner peace during these turbulent times. Otherwise, we will be “tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14).

 An Important Reminder

In verse 5 John reminds us of two very important truths. The first one refers to something which they certainly knew—the reason for the Incarnation of Our Lord. It is denoted by the word appeared, meaning that Jesus Christ, Who existed with the Father in eternity, became manifest in human flesh (John 1:14; 1 John 4:2; 2 John 7) for the purpose of taking away sins. This was the mission which Our Lord was sent by the will of His Father (John 6:38; cf. John 4:34; 5:30; 12:44). Therefore, He becomes our premier example for choosing to pursue God’s will for our lives. By regarding sin nonchalantly and choosing to flagrantly sin, we demonstrate an arrogant disdain for Our Lord’s objective of taking away sins and thus we become “enemies of the cross of Christ” (Philippians 3:18).

Second, there should be no doubt in our minds that in Jesus Christ “there is no sin.” The early Apostles understood this when Peter described Our Lord as “the Holy and Righteous One” (Acts 3:14) and later wrote in his first epistle:

For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth. (1 Peter 2:21–22)

Note that there is sufficient Scriptural evidence to substantiate the fact of Our Lord’s impeccable character:

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15; cf. 7:26)

He gave us the example of how to resist sin when He was tempted by Satan (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13) He refuted him at each point of temptation with His knowledge of Scripture, saying “It is written.”

How well do we know God’s Word? Do we have His truth ready in order to help avoid temptation to practice sin?

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[1] Lenski, R.C.H. (2001). Commentary on the New Testament, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 11.455.

[2] Zodhiates, S. (2000). In The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, G4160.

[3] Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.

[4] Ryrie, C. C. (1995). Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 update+-. Chicago: Moody Press, p. 1799 note.

[5] Zodhiates, G3551.

[6] Chafer, Lewis Sperry (1976). Systematic Theology, Dallas, TX: Dallas Seminary Press 2.263.

 © 2025 David M. Rossi