The Existence of Sin

^{1 John 3:24}
Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

1 Thessalonians 1:5
because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.

1 John 3:21
Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God ²²and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. ²³And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.


When the Holy Spirit resides in us, He draws us out of sin through conviction.

What does conviction mean?

1.	a fixed or firm belief.

2.	the act of convicting.

3.	the state of being convicted.

4.	the act of convincing.

5.	the state of being convinced.

Meaning of condemnation:

1.	the act of condemning.

2.	the state of being condemned.

3.	strong censure; disapprobation; reproof.

4.	a cause or reason for condemning.

Notice that conviction and condemnation are exactly opposites?

Conviction is done out of love. Condemnation is done out of blame.

How we actually know if sin exist is through condemnation in our hearts. When we make the decision to repent, we are drawing out the sin from our hearts, into our minds/conscience (this is the part we become consciously aware of our sins and therefore can then decide to repent), then out of our mouth through the act of proclamation through the words we speak. When our words holds God's conviction in them, it translates into action, which is an outward proclamation of faith/confidence/repentance.

This is what it means to live in the presence of God and for God to live within us.