1 John 2:1-6 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. 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.”
The goal of our faith in Jesus Christ is not just to be
forgiven our sins so that when we die we can go to heaven. The goal of our
faith should be to die with Christ to sin so that we can live to him and to his
righteousness. The goal of our faith should not be to feel that we now have the
freedom to sin without consequence. The goal of our faith should be that we
cease with deliberate and habitual sin and that we walk in obedience to our
Lord’s commands.
So, just because we have an advocate to the Father, Jesus Christ,
should we sin, that is not to be taken as free license to continue living in
sin. For he is only an advocate to those who have been crucified with Christ in
death to sin and who are now living to God and to his righteousness, in his
power and strength. Might we still sin? Yes! Should we sin? No! Are we still
forgiven if we do sin? Yes, if we are walking by faith in Christ and not in
sin.
And how do I know this? Because it is what the Scriptures
teach. For they teach that the way in which we know that we have come to know
Christ, in truth, is if we are those who are keeping (obeying, safeguarding,
observing, following) the Lord’s commands (New Covenant), in practice, though
not necessarily in sinless perfection. For if sin is what we obey, it ends in
death. But if obedience to our Lord is what we obey, it ends in eternal life.
And then it says that if we say that we know God/Christ, but
we do not keep (obey, put into practice) his commandments (under the New
Covenant), then we are liars, and the truth is not in us. So, we can’t be in
genuine relationship with Jesus Christ and still live in sin (see 1 John 1:5-10),
and we can’t be in relationship with Jesus Christ and not obey (follow,
practice) his instructions to us who claim to follow him with our lives.
So, it is not those who profess to know God only with their
lips who truly know the Lord as Savior and Lord of their lives. But it is those
who are walking (in conduct, in practice) according to his commands, but not
the Old Covenant liturgical, ceremonial, sacrificial, purification and dietary
laws and restrictions, but the ones taught us in the New Testament under the
New Covenant relationship we now have with Jesus Christ by faith in him.
And by this we may know that we are truly “in Christ” by
genuine God-given and God-persuaded faith in him, if we are walking (in
conduct, in practice) in the same manner in which Jesus conducted his life. For
he is our model for how we are to live our lives. It is not demanding sinless
perfection, but what the Word teaches us is that we must be walking according
to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh, and sin should no longer be
our master.
Now we are to be living holy lives, pleasing to God, and we
should be serving him with our lives. Our lives should be dedicated to the Lord
to following him in his ways and in his truth, and not to living in sin and
doing whatever we want to do to please our flesh. And we should be spreading
the truth of the gospel to the people of this world, and we should be examples
of what it looks like to live godly lives, pleasing to God.
Seek the Lord
An Original Work / July 20, 2012
Based off Isaiah 55
“Come to Me all you
who thirst; come to waters.
Listen to Me, and
eat what’s good today,
And your soul will
delight in richest of fare.
Give ear to Me, and
you will live.
I have made an
eternal covenant with you.
Wash in the blood of
the Lamb.”
Seek the Lord while
He may be found; call on Him.
Let the wicked
forsake his way, in truth.
Let him turn to the
Lord, and he will receive mercy.
Freely, God pardons
him.
“For My thoughts are
not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My
ways,”
declares the Lord,
our God.
“My word that goes
out of My mouth is truthful.
It will not return
to Me unfulfilled.
My word will
accomplish all that I desire,
And achieve the goal
I intend.
You will go in joy
and be led forth in peace.
The mountains will
burst into song… before you,
And all of the trees
clap their hands.”
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