Biblical contradictions?

1 John 5:18
We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.

Now here’s an interesting piece of information that is seemingly a huge inconsistency in the Bible, one that seems to void all other scripture and prove the existence of God to be a farce! Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be “born again” in order to see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3). This rebirth is what happens when a person acknowledges the deity of Christ and accepts His sacrifice on the Cross. When a person becomes a “born again believer”, then he is being born of the Spirit of God, and is starting a new life in Christ.

As Christians, we accept this gift of rebirth and claim it for our heavenly inheritance, but do we stop sinning? I am a faithful believer in Jesus Christ. I know that He lived a perfect life, died on the cross for me, and rose from the dead, but I sin daily! How can this be? If I were truly born of God, then I would no longer sin; right? Perhaps I’m not a real believer. Perhaps the Bible is wrong.

Nope! Here’s the simple truth. The sin that I am no longer capable of committing is the sin of ignoring the existence and deity of Jesus Christ. This is the sin that is referenced here in 1 John, not the casual earthly sin that we so often commit. It is also the sin that Christ speaks of in Matthew 12:31, calling it “blasphemy against the Spirit”. Stealing, lust, envy, cursing, speeding, driving on a revoked license, and countless other things are earthly sins, but to ignore Jesus Christ is the one spiritual sin.

Jesus Himself said that the Holy Spirit would come to convict the world of sin. A lot of people, a lot of churches, stop there, but Christ went on to clearly state the sin to which He was referring. (John 16:8-9 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me;) I don’t think He could have made it any more obvious what He was talking about. The sin that the Spirit is going to convict the world of is their refusal to believe in, and acknowledge, Jesus as Lord.

So, good Christian, the truth is that being a child of God, you are no longer a sinner. According to scripture you stopped sinning the day that you professed faith and belief in Jesus as Lord. Mistakes or “sins” will still be a part of your life, but they aren’t a determining factor for your eternity! Your faith in Jesus Christ makes you perfect!