We have all heard people misinterpret 1 John 3:9a. The verse says, “Whoever has been born of God does not sin…” Many Bible teachers add the word continually. A believer, they maintain, can sin, but not continually. You can sin a little, but not too much. A person who is genuinely a Christian does not “continually” sin.

That is a sad interpretation. It distorts the gospel of grace and leads to pride. Those who teach this way recognize that they sin, but they convince themselves that they don’t sin “continually.” This salves their guilty consciences and allows them to judge those whom they believe do sin continually.

I recently heard one of these teachers apply the same interpretive principles to Matt 5:28. Jesus says, “Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” This teacher said that the context shows that the one who commits adultery in this manner will be cast into the lake of fire. A true believer cannot look at a woman lustfully. The key to understanding what the Lord is saying is the same as it is for 1 John 3:9.

The preacher said that one commits adultery in one’s heart only if he “continually” looks at a woman in lust. All heterosexual men are attracted to women, but that’s OK as long as it isn’t too bad. He said that seeing an attractive woman on the street and appreciating her beauty is not a sin unless you dwell on it.

I wish I were sufficiently mature spiritually to be sad over such a statement. It twists the meaning of Scripture as severely as is commonly done with 1 John 3:9. In that sense, such an interpretation is heartbreaking.

But sadness was not my strongest emotion when I heard the preacher say what he said about Matt 5:28. I laughed. I found it extremely funny. A comedian would have a field day with that message. The jokes write themselves.

Imagine a wife asking her husband if he was attracted to a pretty woman who walked by. What would happen if she asked, “Honey, did you just look at that woman?” Then imagine her response if he said, “Yes, honey. I lusted after her. But I didn’t do it ‘continually.’ I only noticed that she had a very beautiful face, and I really liked her neck. But I only looked for about thirty seconds. I didn’t even notice her red dress and her high-heeled black shoes. So, I didn’t really lust after her.” My guess is that there’s not a woman alive who would accept that definition of lust.

A more gracious person would not laugh at what this teacher said about Matt 5:28. They would conclude that he is simply mistaken. He’s sincere, but hasn’t been taught well. I’m not that gracious; I’m way too cynical for that. I think he’s justifying his sin. He knows he looks at women lustfully, but excuses his sin because he doesn’t look too long. He can make the word continually mean whatever he wants it to mean. I see that as being very convenient.

Those who understand the gospel of grace realize that believers can continue to sin. They know that a man can look at a woman lustfully for longer than thirty seconds and still be a child of God. John was saying that when we sin, it always comes from the flesh. Sin never springs from our new nature in Christ as believers. Jesus was speaking of the seriousness of the power of sin. Our actions can be sinful, but so can our thoughts. We need to treat sin seriously.

Most teachers reject the grace view of 1 John 3:9 and Matt 5:28. They say that the doctrine of grace is heretical, antinomian, and will lead to a false assurance of eternal salvation. Instead, they—like the preacher I heard speaking on Matt 5:28—say we need to tell people that if they continually sin, they will burn in hell forever.

Sure, such teachings are sad. They are tragic. But you have to admit, they sure lead to a lot of funny jokes.