Nov 3, 2009
Sin, Chapter 3
You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. John is devastatingly clear - if we share in God, we will not continue in sin. God help us, in the power of your Holy Spirit, through Jesus' cleansing work, to leave our sin behind.
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Every time I read those verses, it's like a punch in the gut. I am so grateful for ch.2, vs. 1 - that Jesus himself speaks to God in my defense when I do sin. It still leaves me to wonder what those who watch my life would say about how well I know God. I am challenged to love "with actions and in truth" - vs. 18, so that when these questions of my authenticity nag at me, I can "set my heart at rest in his presence", knowing that "God is greater than my heart", which so often condemns me (vs 19,20). Thank God that he is greater than my heart and my sin!!
ReplyDeleteYes! I really enjoyed your comments.
ReplyDeleteWay to keep it real.
I'm learning too that God's heart is not in condemnation, but to bringing us back.
One thing I noticed about reading chapter three is that righteousness and wickedness seem to be symptoms and evidence of which master you serve. If our master is God, we "cannot keep on sinning" because we have "been born of God. (vs. 9) And "whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil" (vs. 8)
ReplyDeleteThankfully, Paul writes that "the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil." (vs. 8) And by destroying the works of the devil in us, we become children of God.
That verse reminded me of Colossians 3:5 (thank God for online Bible search!), which says, "Put to death what is eartly in you." I think we cooperate with Jesus in destroying the works of the devil, in the sense that his death clears our guilt and gives us new life, and by living in the power of the Spirit, we continue to put to death what is earthly in us.