“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.” (1 John 2:1-6 ESV)
It is critical to correct biblical interpretation always that we read Scriptures in their context. It is a good practice to read the whole context of a Bible book or a biblical passage in order to not take Scriptures out of context and to get a false impression of what they are teaching. So many lies are being taught as truth these days because they are teaching Scriptures out of context and they are twisting them to say what they do not say if taught in the correct context. So, let’s look together at what this is saying.
Who is this written to? It is written to the church, to those professing faith in Jesus Christ. And the author is God, via the apostle John. And the subject matter is that we may not sin. He wrote these things to those professing faith in the Lord Jesus that they may not sin. For that is the goal of our faith, that we should die with Christ to sin and be raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as servants of righteousness in walks of obedience to his commands.
But even though it should be our goal that we no longer sin, we are still human beings who live in flesh bodies, who still have the propensity to sin, and who will be tempted to sin, and who may, at times, sin against the Lord, sometimes without forethought. But if our faith in Jesus Christ is God-gifted and God-persuaded faith, and we have died with Christ to sin, and we are walking in obedience to him, in practice, he is our advocate to God the Father. His sacrifice for our sins covers us so they are not held against us.
For Jesus Christ (God the Son, the Son of God) gave himself up for us on that cross so that when he died, our sins died with him, and when he was raised from the dead, he rose in victory over sin, death, Satan, and hell, on our behalf, so that we would now die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness, by his grace, and in his power and strength. So, by faith in him, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him now as slaves to God and to righteousness.
But what if all we do is make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, but we don’t ever die with him to sin, and we don’t walk in obedience to his commands, in practice? Is Jesus Christ still our advocate? Not according to what comes next, and not according to what was taught in 1 John 1 and 1 John 3 and in the books penned by Paul and by the other apostles. And not according to what Jesus taught, either. For if sin is what we practice, and not righteousness and obedience to God, we don’t have salvation from sin.
For we read in 1 John 1:5-10 that if we say that we are in fellowship with God/Christ, but while we walk (in conduct, in practice) in darkness (sin), we lie and we do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light (truth, righteousness, godliness, Jesus Christ, the gospel), then the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. And we read in 1 John 2:3-6 that if we claim to know God/Christ, but if obeying his commandments is not our practice, the truth is not in us, and we don’t really know God/Christ.
So, we cannot read 1 John 2:1-2 and stop there and assume that no matter how often we sin, even if sin is our practice, and if we do so deliberately and premeditatedly, without conscience, that Jesus is still our advocate. And this is why context is so critical, for many professers of faith in Jesus Christ are still living in deliberate and habitual sin while claiming Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and forgiveness of all sins and heaven as their eternal destiny. But if sin is our practice, we are not in fellowship with God.
And if we claim that we know God, but we do not obey his commandments (New Covenant), in practice, we are liars. We don’t know God, and heaven is not our eternal destiny. For whoever practices righteousness is righteous in the eyes of the Lord, and whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil (1 John 3:4-10). So, we have to be people for whom sin is not our practice, but for whom obedience to our Lord is our practice, all by the grace of God and in his power, as we surrender our lives to do his will and purpose.
[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg
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