How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
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. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
My Understanding: A while ago, the Lord gave me an illustration of his love lavished (piled) on us as my blankets that I pile on me at night to keep me cozy and warm. I keep them closely wrapped around my body, I tuck them around my neck, and I curl up inside their comfort and warmth. This analogy not only illustrates his love lavished (piled) on us, but it illustrates what our response should be to that love in taking it upon us, in embracing it, in surrounding ourselves with it, in curling up inside of its comfort, and in wrapping ourselves inside of it, almost as though we were wrapping ourselves in Jesus’ arms.
Does not know us
“The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” The world in this sense is speaking of those outside of Christ, who have not believed in Jesus as Savior and Lord, and who are still walking according to the sinful nature. They might know us as humans or as relatives, friends, neighbors, etc., but they don’t have that kind of intimate knowledge and understanding of who we are in Christ Jesus, of what Jesus Christ truly did for all of us in dying on the cross for our sins, or of what it means to truly believe in and follow Jesus Christ with our lives. So, if we are truly following Christ, they might think us strange, and they might even reject us or persecute us for our faith in Christ, just as they persecuted, mistreated and even killed Jesus, because they did not like who he said he was, or what he stood for, or most of what he taught. The religious leaders of his day were jealous of him, for he threatened their positions of power. So, we may even face this kind of rejection from church leaders or church people who are worldly and who don’t really “know” us, either.
We shall be like him
We know that when Jesus Christ comes back for us - for those of us who are his followers - that “we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.” We shall be like Christ, not in that we shall all be gods, but that we shall be perfectly holy and sinless when Jesus Christ takes us to be with him. I look forward to that day! In the meanwhile, we are to strive in the power and strength of the Holy Spirit of God within us to be holy and to live lives that are not controlled by sin. We are to purify (cleanse; decontaminate) our lives from sin via our cooperation with the working of the Holy Spirit within us, and via repentance (turning from sin) and turning to walk daily in faithful obedience and surrender to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
No one… keeps on sinning
Jesus Christ died on the cross to put our sins to death, and then he was resurrected from the dead in conquering death, hell, Satan and sin. He died to take our sins away, not just so that we could go to heaven one day to be with him, but so that we would not live in bondage to sin any longer while we still live on the face of this earth. In him is no sin. If we are truly living (remaining; abiding) in him, we will not keep on doing sin or sinning. In the Greek, these words – living and sinning - are continuous action words. For something to be continuous, it means that it is incessant; nonstop; unremitting; uninterrupted; and is “continuing without changing, stopping, or being interrupted in space or time” (Encarta). Remaining has to do with endurance; to keep going; stable and constant. Other terms associated with continuing are lasting, enduring, abiding, persisting and/or persevering.
So, to truly be in Christ Jesus means that we are continuing daily in our commitments to turn from our sins, and to turn to walk in faithful obedience to Christ. It means that we daily spend time with the Lord in his word and in prayer, seeking his face, listening to him teach us, and then doing what he shows us to do. It means being in a continual attitude of prayer to where we can hear him speak to us at any moment and we can respond to his voice. In the same respect, to keep on sinning involves this same type of continuous action. Obviously we are not going to reach sinless perfection until Jesus Christ takes us home, so while we are still in these flesh bodies we will still be tempted to sin, and we will still sin from time to time. Yet, a life given over to Christ should be characterized as one who is continuing (remaining; enduring; abiding; persisting) in his or her commitments to fellowship, to obedience, and to a daily walk of following Jesus Christ wherever he leads us. And, it should not be characterized as a life that is persisting and continuing in sin.
Do not let anyone…
John was concerned that the believers might be led astray by false teaching concerning the Christian life. So, he wanted to make clear what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. That is why he addressed this issue of continuing in sin. There must have been teachers in his day, as there are now in today’s church, who were trying to tell the believers that they did not have to repent of their sins or that Christ Jesus did not require obedience of them. Jude describes these deceivers as godless men who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. They speak abusively against what they do not understand (things of the Spirit of God); and what they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals – these are the very things that destroy them. They eat with us without the slightest qualm. They are shepherds who feed only themselves. They follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage. They are scoffers who follow their own ungodly desires, and they are the ones who divide us, because they follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
What is right
John then said that he who does what is right is righteous. Lest we take a free license with this statement, this is speaking of he who does what is right in God’s eyes, i.e. he who does the will of God and who continues (abides; perseveres; persists) in his walk of faith and obedience to Christ, and who does not continue (persevere; persist; keep going) in a life of sin. We are reminded that sin originated with the devil (Satan), and that Jesus came to destroy the devil’s work, so why should we continue in sin? No one who is born of God will continue (persevere; persist; keep going) in sin. He cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. In other words, the Holy Spirit within us will convict our hearts and will make us miserable if we sin, if we truly have the Holy Spirit within us. So, when we do sin, we should humble ourselves before God, we should confess and repent of our sins to those we sinned against and to God, and we should begin again to walk in faithful obedience.
Do Your Best / An Original Work / November 7, 2011
Based off of 2 Timothy 2
Soprano / Bass
Love You, Father, love You, Lord. / Love You, Father, love You, Lord.
Be strong in the grace of Christ. / Be strong in Christ.
Endure hardship for your Lord. / Endure hardship.
Your commander, live to please. / Live to please God.
You’ll receive the victor’s crown. / Receive the crown.
By the rules, run in the race. / Run in the race.
Your Lord, you’ll see face to face. / Live by the rules.
Jesus Christ, raised from the dead; / Jesus Christ was
Of your life, He is the head. / Raised from the dead.
Endure all for the elect. / Endure all for...
Love You, Father, love You, Lord. / Love You, Father, love You, Lord.
If we died, we live with Him. / If we died, we
If we last, with Him we’ll reign. / Will live with Him.
If we disown Him today, / If we last, with
He will have to look away. / Him we will reign.
Even if we faithless be, / Disown Him and
Faithful He’ll remain always. / He’ll disown us.
He cannot disown Himself. / Faithless we are –
He’s our Lord and Savior, King. / Faithful He’ll be.
He will reign o’er ev’rything. / He’s our Savior.
Love You, Father, love You, Lord. / Love You, Father, love You, Lord.
Do your best; present yourself / Do your best as
As one who’s approved by God. / One approved by
Work as one who’s not ashamed; / God; as one who’s
Rightly share the Word of truth. / Not ashamed of,
Wander not from what you know. / And who rightly
Destroy not the faith of some. / Handles the Word.
God’s foundation; it stands firm. / Do not wander
The Lord knows those who are His: / from the truth, nor
Those who turn from wickedness. / Others’ faith kill.
Love You, Father, love You, Lord. / Love You, Father, love You, Lord.
In a house are wood and clay, / In a house are
Gold and silver, all array. / Many items.
Some are noble, some are bad - / Some are noble.
Cleanse your life, and you’ll be glad; / Get rid of bad;
Useful to the Master’s work. / Useful you’ll be
A pure heart - in righteousness, / for the Master.
Pursue faith and love and peace. / A pure heart have -
Bad desires you want to flee. / Pursue the faith,
Gentle servant you must be. / Gentle servant.
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