1 John 2:1-2 ESV
“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”
So, who are these little children? They are not children as in physical literal children who are not yet physical adults, but they are children of God by genuine God-given faith in Jesus Christ. They are children of God via being crucified with Christ in death to sin and being raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So they are those who are walking no longer according to the flesh but who are walking according to the Spirit in the power of God (Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Ephesians 4:17-24).
They are also not children of God by a mere verbal profession of him as Lord and as Savior of their lives. For if they claim to be in fellowship with God while they walk (in practice, in conduct) in sin, they are liars who do not live by the truth. For we aren’t saved from our sins and promised heaven as our eternal destiny based off a one-time profession of faith in Christ. We are saved from our sins, and we have the hope of heaven when we die, because we are walking by the faith gifted to us by God, in his power, and we are no longer making sin our practice, by the grace of God (1 John 1:5-10).
So, this is for us who meet these spiritual qualifications for what it means to be the children of God. John was writing these things that the children of God, by faith in Jesus Christ, might not sin. And this is because, when we die with Christ to sin, and we are buried with him in death to sin, and we are raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, we are to no longer live as slaves to sin. For Jesus delivered us from slavery to sin so that we might now become slaves of God and walk in obedience to him in holiness and in righteousness for the glory and praise of God.
Yet, John acknowledged the reality that we might sin, and so he was comforting us here with the understanding that if we do sin that Jesus is our advocate to the Father, and so that sin will not be held against us, although I do believe it is critical that we repent of any sins when and if we do sin (1 John 1:5-10). And all throughout the New Testament writings we have all kinds of instructions in holy living and warnings against continuing in deliberate and habitual sin, and against falling back into sin and against being deceived into thinking that our sins no longer matter to God.
So, although we can find comfort in knowing that we are not going to lose our salvation every time that we sin, should we sin, we also should be careful that we not think that our sins no longer matter to God or that we will never again be judged by any of our sins. For Christians are warned all throughout the New Testament against falling into that lie, and we are told plainly that if we keep on sinning, and if sin is what we practice, and if righteousness and holiness and obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, that we will not inherit eternal life with God.
[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Pet 1:17-21; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
1 John 2:3-6 ESV
“And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”
And now we get a clearer picture of what I was just talking about in the section above. And this parallels what John said in 1 John 1:5-10 where he told us that if we claim to be in fellowship with God, but while we are walking (conducting our lives, in practice) in sin, that we are liars. And here it says that if we say (claim) that we know God/Christ, but we do not make it our practice to keep (obey) his commandments under the New Covenant, then we are liars, and the truth is not in us.
And then it teaches us here that we may know that we are “in Christ,” not only by the fact that we are obeying his commands to us, in practice, but because we are walking (in conduct, in practice) in the same way, or in the same manner as what Jesus walked. Now, not one of us is sinless like Jesus was, and so we won’t be absolutely perfect until we get to heaven, so we are not going to live sinless lives like he did.
But we can still walk in holiness and in righteousness, and in moral purity and honesty and faithfulness in the power of God. And we are able, in the power of God, to no longer walk in deliberate and habitual sin. For Jesus died to put our sins to death with him so that we might now, by faith in him, die with him to sin daily and walk daily in his righteousness and holiness. And we are to emulate Jesus, and we should be being conformed to the likeness of Christ, by the Spirit, day by day.
So, although we are not sinless like Jesus was, and even though we are being made perfect, we have not yet arrived. Yet, lack of perfection should never be used by us an excuse for deliberate and habitual sinning against the Lord Jesus and against our fellow humans. For we should be children of God who have forsaken our lives of sin to follow our Lord in obedience, and who are emulating the Lord and the things that he did and said, and who are becoming more and more like Jesus each day, as we continue to grow in our walks of faith in him. And that, too, is evidence that we know him.
[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
Wait!
An Original Work / February 8, 2014
Wait for your Lord. Be of courage.
Be strong and take heart today.
God is always watching o’er you.
Trust Him with your life always.
Sing of your Lord. Praise His blessings.
Believe in His sovereignty.
He delivered you from your sin;
Gave you life eternally.
Rest in your Lord. Know His promise.
Beneath His wings rest secure.
Your God has a plan and purpose.
Let your faith in Him endure.
Trust in your Lord. He’ll not leave you,
Because He is faithfulness.
He will lead and guide; protect you.
In His love you can find rest.
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