1 John 5 begins with another characteristic of a genuine believer. V.2 stuck out to me as I read (and re-read) it. We know we love God's children when we love God and keep His commandments. Chew on that. We can be assured that we love God's children (which is a test we looked at previously) if we love God and keep His commandments.
A way that we demonstrate the love we have for people is by walking closer with God. Loving God is not only confessional (something we say), but is also practical (something we practice/do). This brings a second consideration to mind: For those who might live as though the commandments of God are abolished/fulfilled/no longer applicable...this text was written to New Testament believers and would seem to refute that.
To say that we love people and not walk with God is contradictory. To say that we are with God and not love His people is contradictory. (Breathe...I know it sounds like I am spinning my wheels...but I am not.:) ) vv.3-4 shed light on it. Loving God is keeping His Word which is not burdensome (but helpful/profitable/and leads us to abundant life). This we know by faith.
God's commandments are not a burden, but a roadmap and a safeguard to us. We may find that keeping these seems burdensome or difficult or even illogical...but we do it because we have faith in the Giver of these that they lead us to fulfilled/ abundant living in Christ.
vv.6-8 speak of the proof offered to show us that following God in the way John speaks here...is the course to abundant life. The water (Christ's baptismal confession) testify of who He is. The blood (His sacrifical and atoning death and subsequent resurrection) testify of who He is. The Spirit (the inner conviction in our hearts) testifies of who He is. We have three witnesses that speak of Christ and His worthiness for our "followship." [Sidenote: There is a parallel here with the confessional/practical aspect of loving God/loving people we just discussed].
v.13-15, John tells us that he wrote these things to give us assurance of who Christ is...that we would KNOW. And, in KNOWING we would confidently live in community with Christ and pray KNOWING that our prayers are heard and answered. That we would love one another and help one another to walk in the love of God (not sinning) (v.16-17).
In v.18 John closes by answering the question that would arise from his statement about the sin unto death in v.16b-17. (I can't unpack all of that here...maybe later). Some would say, "Maybe sin has just overtaken this brother and the enemy has just snatched him away." John assures the reader that the enemy has no ability to do that... and if anyone abandons the faith and chooses the "dark side," then they do it willingly. No one who is of God can be taken away from God ever. Those who abandon, never really were.
Proverbs 24:27 is my takeaway today. (It was difficult since I had 3 that stuck out). "Prepare your work outside and make it ready for yourself in the fiedl; afterwards then, build your house."
When I read this, I am mindful that wise people put in the hard work before they rest. They plan for the growing season before they make their bed. They labor now so that they can enjoy later. From this, I am reminded that we must be diligent to choose "best" over "good" when we decide how to spend our time. We must live for something beyond today. If we only live for today...we will experience ruin tomorrow, due to our unwise actions.
Grace,
Showing posts with label 1 John. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1 John. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Take Two: 1 John 4, Proverbs 23
1 John 4 give us some key considerations as Christians. While we could pick apart the chapter verse by verse...there seem to be two primary elements to the chapter.
In vv.1-6 we see that we must be discerning. Not everything is from God. Not everyone who claims to have a relationship with or a words from God actually does. John gives us a criteria to discern by..."What do you do with Jesus." As I have encountered many religious people with varying views...I have found that this is the fundamental question for all of them. The JWs and the Mormons sound pretty good. The Eastern religions sound pretty good. Even Islam sounds okay. At the end of the day though...Jesus is the litmus test...and all of them deny the uniqueness of Christ as God's only Son, and as the only means of Salvation by God's grace through our faithful response. Now discernment is not as difficult with the big things. Do I step into moving traffic or wait on the sidewalk? We can say without a lot of help that unless we are playing "Frogger" stepping out into traffic is bad. Discernment is trickier when we have to choose between two seemingly good things. (Remember that the enemy goes about like an angel of light.)
vv.7-21 tell us that we are to love people. We don't love people because they are loveable...or because we are so loving...but because God loved us. We were loved by Him when we were unlovable (vv.10-11). He has charged us to love one another. As we have received love, we are to be purveyors of love. All of this is summed up in vv.19-21. One cannot say that they love God (who they have not seen) and hate their brother (who they have seen). To love God...is to love what/who God loves. Now you may say...ok. I am cool with that except for that one guy in my life who really hurt me! I don't have to love him do I? Man have I asked that question of myself.
Here is the NY answer. Yes. Yes you have to. If you don't you're a liar and the love of God is not in you. Now for the Florida answer (which is the same...only more gentle and sweet). You and I will never move forward and become what God has called us to become as long as we refuse to deal with the past and learn to love unlovable people. Not because they deserve it...but because God deserves it...from us. The Scriptures teach us how to go about this...but the method is never to just ignore it and try to move on. We have to settle the issue in our heart to a point of satisfaction SO THAT we can love as God loves. For me...this is difficult, but possible with God's help. The same is true for you.
Proverbs 23:10-11 is the takeaway today. "Do not move the ancient boundary or go into the fields of the fatherless (orphans). For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their case against you."
Moving boundary stones was a cheats way of stealing land from others. Sneaking onto another man's land to steal his harvest was possible and slimy...since who can see what is happening on the backside of the field. The thrust I took from these two verses is to stay away from seemingly secret sin or taking advantage of those who are unable to care for themselves. This can be something obvious...or as subtle as manipulating and leading people astray who are immature in the Lord and developing your own little flock. Either way...their Redeemer is watching. He is not ignorant or powerless against you...and He will defend them.
Grace,
In vv.1-6 we see that we must be discerning. Not everything is from God. Not everyone who claims to have a relationship with or a words from God actually does. John gives us a criteria to discern by..."What do you do with Jesus." As I have encountered many religious people with varying views...I have found that this is the fundamental question for all of them. The JWs and the Mormons sound pretty good. The Eastern religions sound pretty good. Even Islam sounds okay. At the end of the day though...Jesus is the litmus test...and all of them deny the uniqueness of Christ as God's only Son, and as the only means of Salvation by God's grace through our faithful response. Now discernment is not as difficult with the big things. Do I step into moving traffic or wait on the sidewalk? We can say without a lot of help that unless we are playing "Frogger" stepping out into traffic is bad. Discernment is trickier when we have to choose between two seemingly good things. (Remember that the enemy goes about like an angel of light.)
vv.7-21 tell us that we are to love people. We don't love people because they are loveable...or because we are so loving...but because God loved us. We were loved by Him when we were unlovable (vv.10-11). He has charged us to love one another. As we have received love, we are to be purveyors of love. All of this is summed up in vv.19-21. One cannot say that they love God (who they have not seen) and hate their brother (who they have seen). To love God...is to love what/who God loves. Now you may say...ok. I am cool with that except for that one guy in my life who really hurt me! I don't have to love him do I? Man have I asked that question of myself.
Here is the NY answer. Yes. Yes you have to. If you don't you're a liar and the love of God is not in you. Now for the Florida answer (which is the same...only more gentle and sweet). You and I will never move forward and become what God has called us to become as long as we refuse to deal with the past and learn to love unlovable people. Not because they deserve it...but because God deserves it...from us. The Scriptures teach us how to go about this...but the method is never to just ignore it and try to move on. We have to settle the issue in our heart to a point of satisfaction SO THAT we can love as God loves. For me...this is difficult, but possible with God's help. The same is true for you.
Proverbs 23:10-11 is the takeaway today. "Do not move the ancient boundary or go into the fields of the fatherless (orphans). For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their case against you."
Moving boundary stones was a cheats way of stealing land from others. Sneaking onto another man's land to steal his harvest was possible and slimy...since who can see what is happening on the backside of the field. The thrust I took from these two verses is to stay away from seemingly secret sin or taking advantage of those who are unable to care for themselves. This can be something obvious...or as subtle as manipulating and leading people astray who are immature in the Lord and developing your own little flock. Either way...their Redeemer is watching. He is not ignorant or powerless against you...and He will defend them.
Grace,
Monday, September 22, 2008
Take Two: 1 John 3, Proverbs 22
1 John 3:1 is one of my favorite in the Scriptures. "What manner of love" or "how great a love" speaks of the type and nature of the love the Father has shown that He has for us. This is not a statement of quantity or amount (I love you this much...), as it is a statement of type/nature (I love you this way). I think the chapter begins this way because this kind of love is the template that overlays the rest of this chapter (and book) as we discuss the love we have.
The kind of love John speaks of results in God's adoption of us as sons. As far as I know, adoption is a free choice on the part of the one adopting. He does it for his own purpose. It also speaks of the benefit to the adoptee. The new son inherits the Name of the Father and the status as a son. Now many Christians can relate to being taken in (like little orphan Annie) but have a difficult time understanding their new position in Christ...as sons/daughters of God. The last phrase in the verse "and such we are" speaks to this. It is a present tense reality that we are in fact sons of God if we are Christians. We (in the present) have the Name of God and the authority of sons of God in the here and now. We are not waiting to receive our name or our power...we have it immediately upon being justified (moment of salvation).
So who has this new status/nature as a son of God? John gives several characteristics which serve us by providing criteria by which we can discern for ourselves.
v.3. As sons of God we are constantly purifying ourselves in anticipation/hope of seeing God.
v.4-7, As sons of God we practice righteousness and reject sin/lawlessness. (Another reference to purifying ourselves). Why? Because sin/lawlessness is the activity of the devil and his sons (v.8) and Christ came to destroy this work (v.8). It is contrary to the nature of a Christian to continue in sin (v.9) since the son of God has been reborn to walk in the new nature.
In v.10 we see that a person's practices (sin or righteousness) are the only indicator that John has given to this point. He says that by a person's "practices" it is evident who their father is. Then we see another outworking at the last part of verse 10. "loving ones brother" is a characteristic that goes into the mix now.
If one hates his brother, then he is a murderer and he is not a son of God (v.15). A son of God lays down his life for his brother as Christ did for us (v.16). Now it gets crazy here: "Who is my brother?" Is he the fellow believer who is in my church, somewhere else in the Kingdom, or...is this referring to other people who have yet to become sons of God?
Now you are probably waiting for me to give you the answer.... but let me do this like Jesus might. Rather than answering straight up...let me say this: "Who did Jesus die for?" "Did He die for those who were righteous or for the unrighteous?" "Did He only love those who would become Christ followers...or did He love the whole world?" (Now-- Go and do likewise.)
DOES THIS SHOCK ANYONE ELSE? How unreasonable of God to want us to love unloveable people? Doesn't God know how difficult it is to love difficult people? Answer-- Yes. He demonstrated that He does know...by loving us while we were in direct defiance and rebellion against Him (Romans 5:8).
How do we love? Do we say it, pray for people, and hug everyone? No. We serve them in whatever way we can, as agents of reconciliation/ sons of God (v.17-18).
John tells us that this kind of love as a priority and practice in our lives is sufficient to give us assurance/confidence in our salvation (v.19-20). Our heart will convict us as we apply this standard.
Why is it necessary for us to have standards to evaluate/discern spiritual condition? Simply stated: Because we are easily self-deceived and easily self-convinced. We sometimes accept good presentation as spirituality...which we will discuss more in depth tomorrow.
Proverbs 22:3 is my takeaway today. "The prudent sees evil and hides himself, but the naive go on, and are punished for it." Wisdom is displayed when we respond properly to the environment around us. All throughout the day, we receive little cues and signals about things we are about to experience. When the first alert signals come up...wise people change course; whereas, the naive proceed through. Why? Because they have yet to learn to practice wisdom.
Grace,
The kind of love John speaks of results in God's adoption of us as sons. As far as I know, adoption is a free choice on the part of the one adopting. He does it for his own purpose. It also speaks of the benefit to the adoptee. The new son inherits the Name of the Father and the status as a son. Now many Christians can relate to being taken in (like little orphan Annie) but have a difficult time understanding their new position in Christ...as sons/daughters of God. The last phrase in the verse "and such we are" speaks to this. It is a present tense reality that we are in fact sons of God if we are Christians. We (in the present) have the Name of God and the authority of sons of God in the here and now. We are not waiting to receive our name or our power...we have it immediately upon being justified (moment of salvation).
So who has this new status/nature as a son of God? John gives several characteristics which serve us by providing criteria by which we can discern for ourselves.
v.3. As sons of God we are constantly purifying ourselves in anticipation/hope of seeing God.
v.4-7, As sons of God we practice righteousness and reject sin/lawlessness. (Another reference to purifying ourselves). Why? Because sin/lawlessness is the activity of the devil and his sons (v.8) and Christ came to destroy this work (v.8). It is contrary to the nature of a Christian to continue in sin (v.9) since the son of God has been reborn to walk in the new nature.
In v.10 we see that a person's practices (sin or righteousness) are the only indicator that John has given to this point. He says that by a person's "practices" it is evident who their father is. Then we see another outworking at the last part of verse 10. "loving ones brother" is a characteristic that goes into the mix now.
If one hates his brother, then he is a murderer and he is not a son of God (v.15). A son of God lays down his life for his brother as Christ did for us (v.16). Now it gets crazy here: "Who is my brother?" Is he the fellow believer who is in my church, somewhere else in the Kingdom, or...is this referring to other people who have yet to become sons of God?
Now you are probably waiting for me to give you the answer.... but let me do this like Jesus might. Rather than answering straight up...let me say this: "Who did Jesus die for?" "Did He die for those who were righteous or for the unrighteous?" "Did He only love those who would become Christ followers...or did He love the whole world?" (Now-- Go and do likewise.)
DOES THIS SHOCK ANYONE ELSE? How unreasonable of God to want us to love unloveable people? Doesn't God know how difficult it is to love difficult people? Answer-- Yes. He demonstrated that He does know...by loving us while we were in direct defiance and rebellion against Him (Romans 5:8).
How do we love? Do we say it, pray for people, and hug everyone? No. We serve them in whatever way we can, as agents of reconciliation/ sons of God (v.17-18).
John tells us that this kind of love as a priority and practice in our lives is sufficient to give us assurance/confidence in our salvation (v.19-20). Our heart will convict us as we apply this standard.
Why is it necessary for us to have standards to evaluate/discern spiritual condition? Simply stated: Because we are easily self-deceived and easily self-convinced. We sometimes accept good presentation as spirituality...which we will discuss more in depth tomorrow.
Proverbs 22:3 is my takeaway today. "The prudent sees evil and hides himself, but the naive go on, and are punished for it." Wisdom is displayed when we respond properly to the environment around us. All throughout the day, we receive little cues and signals about things we are about to experience. When the first alert signals come up...wise people change course; whereas, the naive proceed through. Why? Because they have yet to learn to practice wisdom.
Grace,
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Take Two: 1 John 2, Proverbs 21
1 John 2 is packed full of theology on what seems like a number of fronts. When I follow the flow of thought, I have to read it a few times...because I imagine that John was looking at how much paper he had on hand and started to write feverishly and succinctly.
vv.1-2 are key elements for me. V.1 speaks of the fact that we have an advocate before the Father to stand for us when we sin. The concept of an advocate is like that of an attorney or an appointed representative. We have a voice in the heavenly court...His name is Jesus.
v.2 is very critical for those of us who think of missions. It is a verse where John points out that Christ satisfied our sin debt (propitiation)...and not ours only, but also the whole world. That is key because-- if He satisfied the sin debt of the world, then it must have been necessary. So, those who say that being an earnest Buddhist or Muslim should be enough...misunderstand that if so, Jesus' "propitiation" was made available for people who did not really need it.
vv.3-11 speak of a consistency of "confession" and "lifestyle." It is not enough to say we are with Jesus...we demonstrate who we are with by what we do. If we live in rebellion, then we are not followers.
Now we must be careful here. Look at v.3. We know that we know Him if we keep His commandments. We do not know Him BECAUSE we keep His commandments. Our lifestyle reveals our alliance. Our lifestyle (walk) does not cause our alliance with Him.
Some may ask-- how can I be confident of my salvation when I catch myself sinning all the time? Great question. (See 1John 1:8-9, 2:1 again). My oldest son shared with me several years ago that he was struggling with his security (bible word for confidence in Salvation) because he kept having thoughts and circumstances that did not honor God. As we discussed it-- he offered one of the best solutions to the question posed here. He said, "I suppose if it bothers me that I sin and I am not honoring God...and I act on that to make it right...then there is no issue with my security. If I were lost, why would I care enough to fix it?" He's right. As Christians, it does bother us when we sin. We attribute that to the Holy Spirit's work of Conviction in our lives. What is referred to in these verses deals with our response. Do we "walk in His commandments" or "do our own thing?"
vv.15-17 reminds us that we are a different breed. Others we know may pursue the things that are glorified in this world. We are called to pursue things that glorify God. We do that by doing the will of God (v.17).
vv.18-24 gives the litmus test on true believers. Do they PERSEVERE or are the PRESERVED. (That is funny if you are into the Calvinism debate.) We are called to be discerning people. As such we must grasp that not everyone who claims to be a Christian actually is. John deals with a specific heresy in His day. Some questioned if Jesus was really the Messiah (the Savior). Some even left the faith and started their own thing. They walked away from Orthodox beliefs and began to pursue a man's perspective (Same argument can be made for the LDS church or JWs). John said, they left us because they were never really truly of us (v.19).
In the closing verses of the chapter (vv.25-29), John shares that He is writing because of the danger of the influence of the false teaching in their midst. He encourages them to stand firm in what they have known, rejecting the false teaching that has arisen, and to do so in order to face Jesus without shame one day.
Proverbs 21:3 is my takeaway today. "To do righteousness and justice is desired by the Lord more than sacrifice." It is not that God does not want "sacrifice." He does. The fact is...it is not and either/or, but a both/and. To sacrifice without doing righteousness and justice...is to give without truly knowing who God is and what God truly wants.
Grace,
vv.1-2 are key elements for me. V.1 speaks of the fact that we have an advocate before the Father to stand for us when we sin. The concept of an advocate is like that of an attorney or an appointed representative. We have a voice in the heavenly court...His name is Jesus.
v.2 is very critical for those of us who think of missions. It is a verse where John points out that Christ satisfied our sin debt (propitiation)...and not ours only, but also the whole world. That is key because-- if He satisfied the sin debt of the world, then it must have been necessary. So, those who say that being an earnest Buddhist or Muslim should be enough...misunderstand that if so, Jesus' "propitiation" was made available for people who did not really need it.
vv.3-11 speak of a consistency of "confession" and "lifestyle." It is not enough to say we are with Jesus...we demonstrate who we are with by what we do. If we live in rebellion, then we are not followers.
Now we must be careful here. Look at v.3. We know that we know Him if we keep His commandments. We do not know Him BECAUSE we keep His commandments. Our lifestyle reveals our alliance. Our lifestyle (walk) does not cause our alliance with Him.
Some may ask-- how can I be confident of my salvation when I catch myself sinning all the time? Great question. (See 1John 1:8-9, 2:1 again). My oldest son shared with me several years ago that he was struggling with his security (bible word for confidence in Salvation) because he kept having thoughts and circumstances that did not honor God. As we discussed it-- he offered one of the best solutions to the question posed here. He said, "I suppose if it bothers me that I sin and I am not honoring God...and I act on that to make it right...then there is no issue with my security. If I were lost, why would I care enough to fix it?" He's right. As Christians, it does bother us when we sin. We attribute that to the Holy Spirit's work of Conviction in our lives. What is referred to in these verses deals with our response. Do we "walk in His commandments" or "do our own thing?"
vv.15-17 reminds us that we are a different breed. Others we know may pursue the things that are glorified in this world. We are called to pursue things that glorify God. We do that by doing the will of God (v.17).
vv.18-24 gives the litmus test on true believers. Do they PERSEVERE or are the PRESERVED. (That is funny if you are into the Calvinism debate.) We are called to be discerning people. As such we must grasp that not everyone who claims to be a Christian actually is. John deals with a specific heresy in His day. Some questioned if Jesus was really the Messiah (the Savior). Some even left the faith and started their own thing. They walked away from Orthodox beliefs and began to pursue a man's perspective (Same argument can be made for the LDS church or JWs). John said, they left us because they were never really truly of us (v.19).
In the closing verses of the chapter (vv.25-29), John shares that He is writing because of the danger of the influence of the false teaching in their midst. He encourages them to stand firm in what they have known, rejecting the false teaching that has arisen, and to do so in order to face Jesus without shame one day.
Proverbs 21:3 is my takeaway today. "To do righteousness and justice is desired by the Lord more than sacrifice." It is not that God does not want "sacrifice." He does. The fact is...it is not and either/or, but a both/and. To sacrifice without doing righteousness and justice...is to give without truly knowing who God is and what God truly wants.
Grace,
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Take Two: 1 John 1. Proverbs 20
For the next few days, I want to look at the three letters that John wrote which come ALMOST at the end of the New Testament.
vv.1-2 have a similar "feel" to the first chapter of the Gospel of John. Christ was from the beginning speaks of His eternality. The Son of God did not just come into being 2,000 years ago. The God-man Jesus Christ was manifested at that time...but the Son of God (or as some scholars like to differentiate-- the 2d person of the Trinity) has always existed. In v.3, you see the "witness" element of the Christian Life. If v.3-4 are true, then many Christians live daily without being fulfilled. They fail to share daily that which they have seen and heard of Christ...so that THEIR joy would be full.
v.5-10 are pretty pivotal in my life. In v. 5 we see that God is not at all a "mised bag." He is all light, all good, all perfect, all faithful. We are not. We, as Christians, are a mixed bag at best. Sometimes...we want to "impose" our nature onto God as a way of understanding Him better. While this is not an unreasonable approach...we cannot define God by who we are. When compared with us...we see just how "other worldly" God really is.
v.6-7 then gives us a template to measure whether we (and others) are with God or not. Now John is speaking some to the "introspective" in the crowd. We should to. But...as we will see soon, he also is giving us this template to examine others by. We first look inward...then on to others.
If we walk with Him we are redeemed by the blood of Christ. If we say that we are with Him but walk in darkness...we lie. There is no gray area here. It is cut and dried. Now what does it mean to walk?
In focus is not the person who makes a mistake that is abnormal to their course of life. v.8-9 address that. To "walk" is to speak of the lifestyle we have chosen and pursue. "I do what I want, I choose what I want, I give what I want, I receive what I want, I live for what I want..." These are all statements of people who are walking in darkness. We serve, we give, we go, we act, we love...not because we "necessarily" want...but because we are walking with Him and He says to do so. As Christians, we have already submitted ourselves to His will and way.
v.8-10. These verses helped me get on track one day. I shared some in my last post about standing in front of the church. The sermon came from v.8-9. If we say we don't sin...we lie. All believers sin. We all mess up. It is a fact that will not change until heaven. We are not to become comfortable with it and just do it...we are to discipline ourselves to choose God over self. But when we sin, we are called to confess that to God. We cannot hide it from Him. We cannot trick him as it were. We simply and earnestly confess the sin and ask for forgiveness. This seems too "easy" to some.
The reason it is easy (if you will) is because our justification (right standing before God) is not based on our actions but on His actions. God is the faithful one. We will always fall short. We will always miss the mark. We just will. But...God is always faithful to forgive (consistent) and to cleanse from all our unrighteousness. He starts us fresh in His sight. He is faithful to forgive. We must be/become faithful to confess/agree with Him about our sin and receive His forgiveness/cleansing/restoration. What an incredible story to tell. No wonder it made John's JOY COMPLETE to do it!
Proverbs 20:13 is the takeaway today. "Do not love sleep or you will become poor; open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with food." Sometimes folks like to pull the "sovereignty card" with me in all the wrong places. They tell me that they have absolute trust that God will provide their needs. He does meet the needs of everyone who trust and follows Him. It is important to remember though...that God often meets the needs we have through the ability He has given us to till the land, cultivate the soil, perform a task, etc. To use sovereignty as an excuse for being lazy is to mischaracterize God and to miss what it really means for God to be Sovereign.
Grace,
vv.1-2 have a similar "feel" to the first chapter of the Gospel of John. Christ was from the beginning speaks of His eternality. The Son of God did not just come into being 2,000 years ago. The God-man Jesus Christ was manifested at that time...but the Son of God (or as some scholars like to differentiate-- the 2d person of the Trinity) has always existed. In v.3, you see the "witness" element of the Christian Life. If v.3-4 are true, then many Christians live daily without being fulfilled. They fail to share daily that which they have seen and heard of Christ...so that THEIR joy would be full.
v.5-10 are pretty pivotal in my life. In v. 5 we see that God is not at all a "mised bag." He is all light, all good, all perfect, all faithful. We are not. We, as Christians, are a mixed bag at best. Sometimes...we want to "impose" our nature onto God as a way of understanding Him better. While this is not an unreasonable approach...we cannot define God by who we are. When compared with us...we see just how "other worldly" God really is.
v.6-7 then gives us a template to measure whether we (and others) are with God or not. Now John is speaking some to the "introspective" in the crowd. We should to. But...as we will see soon, he also is giving us this template to examine others by. We first look inward...then on to others.
If we walk with Him we are redeemed by the blood of Christ. If we say that we are with Him but walk in darkness...we lie. There is no gray area here. It is cut and dried. Now what does it mean to walk?
In focus is not the person who makes a mistake that is abnormal to their course of life. v.8-9 address that. To "walk" is to speak of the lifestyle we have chosen and pursue. "I do what I want, I choose what I want, I give what I want, I receive what I want, I live for what I want..." These are all statements of people who are walking in darkness. We serve, we give, we go, we act, we love...not because we "necessarily" want...but because we are walking with Him and He says to do so. As Christians, we have already submitted ourselves to His will and way.
v.8-10. These verses helped me get on track one day. I shared some in my last post about standing in front of the church. The sermon came from v.8-9. If we say we don't sin...we lie. All believers sin. We all mess up. It is a fact that will not change until heaven. We are not to become comfortable with it and just do it...we are to discipline ourselves to choose God over self. But when we sin, we are called to confess that to God. We cannot hide it from Him. We cannot trick him as it were. We simply and earnestly confess the sin and ask for forgiveness. This seems too "easy" to some.
The reason it is easy (if you will) is because our justification (right standing before God) is not based on our actions but on His actions. God is the faithful one. We will always fall short. We will always miss the mark. We just will. But...God is always faithful to forgive (consistent) and to cleanse from all our unrighteousness. He starts us fresh in His sight. He is faithful to forgive. We must be/become faithful to confess/agree with Him about our sin and receive His forgiveness/cleansing/restoration. What an incredible story to tell. No wonder it made John's JOY COMPLETE to do it!
Proverbs 20:13 is the takeaway today. "Do not love sleep or you will become poor; open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with food." Sometimes folks like to pull the "sovereignty card" with me in all the wrong places. They tell me that they have absolute trust that God will provide their needs. He does meet the needs of everyone who trust and follows Him. It is important to remember though...that God often meets the needs we have through the ability He has given us to till the land, cultivate the soil, perform a task, etc. To use sovereignty as an excuse for being lazy is to mischaracterize God and to miss what it really means for God to be Sovereign.
Grace,
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