August 1

Read: I John 3:1-6

Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not (I John 3:6).

In Him Is No Sin

In Magnificent Obsession, Lloyd Douglas has Robert Merrick testifying to his grandfather, “I’m tied up to the Major Personality!… like a beam of sunshine to the sun!… I’ll not lose my power unless He loses His!”

The goal of Christian holiness is a life above sin. But our source of power is continual contact with God. “Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not.” If we have fallen short of our goal, it is because we have not yet found the full secret of abiding in Him. As I look back, can I locate the point where I ceased to abide in Him and moved across the line into the area of self-dependence?

Perhaps it was only minutes before my sin. I felt a check of the Holy Spirit but I failed to pay attention to Him. At that instant my abiding in Him ended and His promise to keep me from sin ceased to be effective. Perhaps the point of departure was further back and less conscious. I started the day late and in a hurry; I did not make time to let God speak to me from the Bible. I did not take time to tell Him of my love and to feel again the reassurance of His presence as I prayed.

There is no promise to keep me above sin except as I abide in Him. There is no way to abide in Him once and for all time. There is a way to come to Him in a decisive moment of commitment and cleansing. But the commitment of that hour is only the beginning of a life that commits every hour. The faith for cleansing is a faith to be cultivated daily and to be exercised in every hour of need. Full freedom from sin depends upon abiding in Him every conscious moment. “In him is no sin.”

His will I have joy in fulfilling, As I’m walking in His sight; My all to the Blood I am bringing. It alone can keep me right.

— Ballington Booth