Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. . . . In him is no sin. (1 John 3:4–5)
Expanded Passage: 1 John 3:4-5
My dad has always been a fan of Westerns. Leave it to him to choose a movie and it will certainly be something set in the Old West. One trope in Western movies is that of hapless townsfolk, inhabitants of a lawless frontier town overrun with bandits, who call for the help of a brave sheriff to restore order. Despite this trope being rehashed with different characters and alternate locations, it has held up surprisingly well over the years.
We can all relate to the townsfolk in an old Western because each one of us finds ourselves powerless to win the battle over sin. We are all in need of a hero to step into our story and restore law to the lawlessness of our hearts. The good news is that Jesus is the hero we need, and he’s already dealt with the bandits in our hearts. He conquered the power of sin and the whispers of temptation from the enemy that plagues our spirits. He could do this because “in him is no sin.”
Jesus is the “good sheriff” we’ve longed for, the one we’ve needed all along. He rescues us from sin and restores God’s law in our hearts. We can’t live free from sin on our own power! We can trust in the One that loves us and came to free us.
Allow Jesus to chase the lawlessness of sin from your life.
Chris McFadden is pastor of Cherry Street Wesleyan in Ottawa, Kansas. He is married to his beautiful wife Suzanne and has two wonderful daughters.
© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
