“No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.” (1 John 3:6)
To our politically correct culture which demands tolerance of all religions and lifestyles not matter how bizarre or immoral, these words of John will seem extremely offensive. John tells us that those who continue to live and advocate for sinful lifestyles have no fellowship with God, even if they claim to be Christians. This would include many so called righteous people who boast about their good works and their love for others. The fact that they are boasting and/or seeking recognition or fame for what they do shows that they lack are sinners for they lack the humility of Christ. Often the only reason they do good deeds to exalt self, to be liked and respected and so no one will notice their “insignificant” faults and “minor” indiscretions. They think that even God won’t mind because their good so outweighs their bad.
What John calls sin is not within their vocabulary because it smacks of Christian intolerance for the rights of all people to choose their own lifestyles. Yet the lifestyle of the Christian should bear witness to the truth of the gospel and at the same time convict the people in the world of sin. They will hate us because of this. This hatred is demonstrated by a desire to exalt self and abuse others. Love, on the other hand, is a positive regard for other people, not just those who love us, not just our relatives and friends, but our enemies as well. Love is shown by self-sacrifice and taking care of the needs of others. Jesus manifested such love by dying on the cross. He expects us to do the same, but knows we can’t and so equips and enables us to do so.