Substitute and Example
1 John 1:7 - But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 2:6 - He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
1 John 3:6 - Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
1 John 3:9 - Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
1 John 2:6 - He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
1 John 3:6 - Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
1 John 3:9 - Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
John is clear about some critical truths: God is in the light, and we can walk in that light. If we abide in Christ, we will walk as He walked. Since Jesus never "walked" in sin, when we abide in Him, neither will we. If we are born of God, we cannot sin.
If you're looking for Christ as our Example, you will find it all over John's first epistle. Jesus did not commit sin, and if we remain "in Christ" we cannot commit sin.
But that's not the whole picture.
1 John 1:8 - If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1 John 3:5 - And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.
1 John 3:5 - And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.
If we read those two verses carefully, we will find two facts:
If you're looking for Christ as ONLY our Example, you will not find it here. No matter how hard you look, only for Christ can it be truthfully said that "in Him is no sin." There is a significant difference between Christ and everyone else. These two verses set forth this critical truth: Jesus is our Substitute.
How can these things be? It boils down to our definition of sin. Is sin a choice? Is sin a state of being? The answer is Yes on both counts.
When considering sin as a choice, Jesus is our Example. As He chose to always obey God's voice, so can we. If we want to follow the Lamb wherever He goes, we cannot veer from God's word because the Lamb never does. Therefore, the true Christian cannot sin.
When considering sin as a state, Jesus is our Substitute. In Him is no sin; never has been, never will be. If we ever think that such a statement is true for anyone else, no matter the state of sanctification, we are deceived, and the truth is not in us.
All of us have sinned and fall short (that's the present tense) of the glory of God. Jesus never fell short of God's glory; He was God's glory incarnate. And as our substitute, He took upon Himself our sin and bore our stripes. That is how we are healed; and only after being healed can we walk in newness of life.
Let's revisit a familiar statement.
Men who have lived the nearest to God, men who would sacrifice life itself rather than knowingly commit a wrong act, men whom God has honored with divine light and power, have confessed the sinfulness of their nature.(AA 561.1)
These men, and I think Enoch is included here, would rather die than choose to sin. In that sense, they cannot sin. They have Christ as their Example.
At the same time, these holy, sanctified men confess the sinfulness of their nature. In that sense, they fall short of God's glory and need Christ as their Substitute.
We must accept Christ as our Righteousness. He did take our place. Because we are not sinless, He must be our Substitute.
Once that becomes a reality, then Christ will work in us to will and to do His good pleasure. We will "do righteousness" as He is righteous. We will follow in His footsteps. When we are born of God, Jesus is our Example.
Jesus is our Substitute and our Example. The trick is to know how each truth applies to each aspect of life.