READ 1 John 1–5
Borrowing words from a Bible introduction to 1 John, it “reaffirms the core of Christianity, saying that either we exhibit the sound doctrine, obedience, and love that characterize all Christians, or else we are not true Christians. When all the basics of faith are in operation, we not only know joy but can live a holy life and be assured of salvation — even though we are still far from perfect . . . .”
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:5–10)
This passage has become precious to me. Specific words that enrich my understanding. For instance, the first two lines are about living according to the flesh, not listening to or obeying the Holy Spirit. It does not say I don’t know the truth, but that I am not practicing it. Compare this to good manners. I know how to be polite when a telemarketer calls but am not practicing that knowledge if I am rude to them.
Walking in the light is about practicing what I know. When new to the faith, I didn’t know much, but God gives light on a dark path much like a flashlight does— enough for the next step. If I take that step, the light illuminates the next step. If not, then I stop hearing God and need to confess my sinful disobedience. When I do that, the Lord faithfully forgives my misstep and purifies whatever motivated it.
However, spiritual growth needs time and understanding. For instance, an abused child (I am not one) may have difficulty obeying their heavenly Father, stumbling over the idea that a father of any kind can be good. It may take years of experiencing the kindness of God before that instinctive distrust is finally washed away. Other motivations to take our lives back into our own hands takes time as the Lord graces us with His Word and His blessings.
Regardless the mess in my old ways of thinking, this reading says:
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)
This letter was written to help me stop trying to run my own life, which is the essence of sin, and trust Jesus, showing it in my obedience. Those words “we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments” reveal how much my knowledge of God is linked to doing what He says. Obedience is the evidence that I know Him, but also the result of knowing Him — and the way to know Him better. That is, if God tells me to do something that seems strange to my way of thinking (such as ‘love your enemies, do good to those who hate you’) and I obey and do it, I will discover something about God and know Him in a deeper way than I did before.
Today my issue is my eyes. The drops prescribed make them itch, but scratching or rubbing them makes the problem worse. Instead of obeying the experts, I want to scratch or rub — illustrating the principle outlined above. Rubbing my eyes doesn’t seem sinful but it represents the power of self, that “I want to do what I want to do” rather than doing what the Lord says. This eye thing is giving me a vivid demonstration of how strong temptations mess with my determination to obey God.
Lord, this ‘lesson’ isn’t much fun. You ask me to praise You and be thankful, not for the trial itself, but thankful that You are in it and will use it for my good. I need to quit complaining, step into that light, and rejoice that You are my loving Savior and You know what is best for me!
No comments:
Post a Comment