The Radical Redefinition of Sin and the Christian Life
Stewart begins by claiming that the truth of the New Testament is “radically different than we have supposed.” He asserts that the key to understanding the entire New Testament lies in correctly interpreting passages like those in 1 John 3:4-10, which state that “No one born of God commits sin.”
The Shocking Premise: A Sinless Life
Stewart presents a dramatic and unsettling conclusion, claiming it is the literal surface truth of the New Testament:
- The Shock: “If anyone ever sins, he is not a Christian at all!… If anyone ever sins, by so doing he has proven… that you do not know God and that you never did know Him.”
- The Demand: “I can and must lead a totally sinless life. Totally. Sinless.”
- The Rationale: Stewart argues that this is not an impossible demand because “dead men don’t sin.” He connects this to Romans 6:7, which states, “For he who has died is freed from sin,” and insists that this death is the New Birth and the cross in the believer’s life now.
- The New Birth: The New Birth is not merely receiving a perfect “new child” entity within oneself (which he dismisses as “idiocy”), but the old self (Stewart, the human being) being made alive and dead to sin. He shockingly declares that for 25 years of ministry, he was “nothing but a sheep,” not a Christian, and would have gone to Hell if he had died six months prior.