A Child of God Does Not Sin: How Gospel Truth Was Buried, and Why It Must Be Restored

Description

1 John 3:9 says that whoever has been born of God does not sin. In A Child of God Does Not Sin, Ronald Smith asks why one of the New Testament’s plainest statements is so rarely preached, and argues that much of the Western church has settled for a half-gospel: forgiveness without the power to change, and a Christian life in which ongoing willful sin is treated as normal.

Drawing on three decades of personal study, Wesleyan theology and close reading of Scripture, Smith walks through the ground the book covers:

• What the Bible actually means by sin, and how willful disobedience differs from mistakes, ignorance, temptation and human weakness.
• The three traps of unbelief that persuade sincere Christians to accept continual defeat.
• Imputed and imparted righteousness: why God does more than declare a believer righteous.
• The shift from the Old Covenant to the New, from 1 Kings 8:46 to 1 John 3:9, and what Pentecost changed.
• Clear answers on hard passages such as Romans 7, 1 John 1:8 and “judge not.”
• Grace as enabling power for daily life, not only a pardon for the past.

Written for new believers, for Christians worn down by the cycle of sin and regret, and for pastors who want to preach the whole gospel. Includes a foreword by Dave Neckers, M.A. in Pastoral Counseling, a listing of 56 core Scripture references, and an appendix for personal and group study.

About the author

Ronald Smith is a sales and marketing executive who began writing out of frustration with how far the modern church has drifted from the teaching of Jesus. His search began with a question to his pastor in a Muncie, Indiana diner thirty-three years ago, and ran through Scripture, theology and the writings of John Wesley. He and his wife, Nancy, live in Scottsdale, Arizona, and have six children and two grandchildren.

Paperback, 438 pages. Published October 15, 2026 by Audiobook Publishing Services. ISBN 978-1809060297.