1 John, Day 2
Fellowship of Righteousness (1 John 2:28 – 3:9)
“Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:4 – 9)
I became a Christian at a young age, and I remember that even by age 6, God was calling me into the ministry. As I grew up, I attended church weekly and even went to a Christian school. I was a leader to other children and I willingly and happily served God whenever I could. But when I was around 17 years old, I decided that I no longer wanted to be a part of God’s family. I had had enough of being “good,” and I began serving myself instead of God. This decision lasted for about 3 months before I could no longer accept myself and my new lifestyle. Why? Because I was a child of God and as such, I was unable to live in sin for very long before I was convicted of my actions. That is exactly what this passage is talking about.
Does this mean that I do not sin any longer? I wish! What it does mean is that I am unable to live in sin because I have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and He cannot and will not live with sin. Christians will have a desire to be righteous, even though they will fail at times.
Last week, I used an illustration of how frustrating it can be to work with immature baseball players when they should be mature. Today, I’d like to use baseball again as an illustration but in a different way. Would you consider a player who makes accidental errors as a part of the team? Yes, I would hope so. Now, would you consider a player who purposefully makes errors in order that their team loses as part of the team? Absolutely not! How long would the coach keep him in the game? The same thing goes for Christianity. If somebody who claims to be a Christian sins, would we say they are not saved? I hope we would not come to that conclusion because we still sin. Now, if somebody who claims to be a Christian is living in sin without guilt or desire to change, would we question their salvation? Probably. Now, while it is not our place to decide who is saved and who isn’t, according to the Bible, a Christian cannot continue to live in sin. Eventually, they will return.
A great biblical example of this is the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11 – 32). Did the son leave his family and indulge himself in a sinful lifestyle? Yes. Did it get so bad that he had to be with the pigs and longed for their food? Yes. Did he stay with the pigs? No. He came to his senses and returned to his father. Did his father reject his son because of his past? No. His father welcomed him back with open arms.
Let that be a reminder to all of us. Are you living in sin? Are you as disgusted with yourself as the Prodigal Son was with himself? Do you need to return to your heavenly Father? Remember, He is there waiting for you with open arms. Don’t make Him wait any longer. Go back to Him.
Pastor David Guenin