Imitating Jesus in Community

On Thursdays, I have been sharing a little bit about what I have been learning as I read through 1 John.

Recently, we began a section in 1 John that explores the idea of identity.  John identifies that some are children of God and others are children of the devil.  Key to identifying either has to do with their conduct and relationship to sin.

“Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray.  The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.  The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.  The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.  Those who are born of God will not continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.  This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are:  Those who do not do what is right are not God’s children; nor are those who do not love their brothers and sisters.” 1 John 3:7-10 TNIV

John says a lot in these four verses.  As I read through each verse, a different thought or question came to mind about what it looks like to receive or respond to his words.

What stands out to me in verse 7 is what the Voice describes in its translation “The one doing the right thing is just imitating Jesus, the Righteous One.”  The one doing the right thing abides. 

It makes me pause to consider the relationships I have.  Am I surrounded by the kinds of people who do the right thing?  Will they encourage me to do the right thing? 

This is what I want in friendship.  This is the kind of friend I want to be. 

I do have these kinds of relationships with my husband and with my closest friends.  I am thankful for this.  I want to commit to continuing to live this way, mindful of it.

As I look at verse 8, I notice the contrast John makes between the devil and Jesus.  The devil has been sinning from the beginning.  The word beginning has to do with “the origin or the active cause of a person or thing” (VINE’S Expository Dictionary).   The devil is about sin.  Those who do what is sinful are aligned with the devil.  On the other side, you have Jesus appearing to destroy the work of the devil—to destroy sin.  He himself is righteous. 

The two are very much opposed to one another. 

I marvel at the idea of righteousness. “It is a state of being right or of right conduct.  It is said of God designating perfect agreement between His nature and His actions.  It is a standard for all men” (VINE’S Expository Dictionary). 

On the other side, sin is not the opposite of this righteousness.  Instead, it is a picture of “missing the mark.”  It is the idea of distorting that which was meant to be good.  It is just all wrong.  Things are not as they should be.  The active cause of the devil is sin—missing the mark.

To me, this verse really sets up the ideas within verses 9 and 10—a contrast between those who are children of God or children of the devil.  This is where I can begin to identify myself with one category or the other.  I am a child who lives righteously or I live as a child who misses the mark.

I like the way the Voice translates this.

“Everyone who has been born into God’s family avoids sin as a lifestyle because the genes of God’s children come from God Himself.  Therefore, a child of God can’t live a life of persistent sin.  So it is not hard to figure out who are the children of God and who are the children of the diabolical one:  those who lack right standing and those who don’t show love for one another do not belong to God.”

It makes me think about how I approach sin in my life.  Do I allow sinful habits to form?  Or am I repentant and seeking accountability for my actions when I struggle? 

As a child of God, with God’s “seed” remaining or abiding in me, I will be in the latter category.  Any other response is an indicator that I have never really been born of God. 

An honest response to these thoughts should not scare me; instead, it should help me honestly consider what God desires and what I want my response to Him to be. 

I want to be in right standing.  I want to leave a sinful lifestyle behind. 

This is a good place to be. 

I think about Andy Stanley’s Community study.  In it, he talks about commitment and conviction and how they can be in the right place and we can still fail to live up to them.  He talks about the need for community to step in and remind us of these things and help us when we struggle. 

He writes, “You can deceive yourself, but if there are people who know what’s going on in your life, you can’t deceive them as easily.  Self-deception is a powerful force but it loses its power in community. […]  Too many good people have drifted horribly because there was no one in their lives to help keep them on course.  It can happen to any of us” (33-34).

I need to make choices to surround myself with people who will help me—brothers and sisters who are seeking the same things.  I need to surround myself with friends who will encourage me in doing the right things.  I need friends who will help me to imitate Christ.

When we live in the midst of community who supports us, as we pursue Christ, we will not be led astray.

***

Grace and peace be ours in abundance as we pursue Christ, surrounding ourselves with community that will support us and hold us accountable.  May we find that we become more like Christ and that our friends do as well.

Jessica :)

Abide With Me

On Thursdays, I have been sharing a little bit about what I have been learning as I read through 1 John.  You can catch up with these posts, starting with the most recent, here. 

Last week, we began a section in 1 John that explores the idea of identity.  John identifies that some are children of God and others are children of the devil.  Key to identifying either has to do with their conduct and relationship to sin.

“Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.  But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins.  And in him is no sin.  No one who lives in him keeps on sinning.  No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.”  1 John 3:4-6 NIV

We move from the idea of being children of God, from last week, to exploring the idea of sinfulness in this passage.

John writes, “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact sin is lawlessness.”

Sin is lawlessness. 

John Stott writes, “Lawlessness is the essence, not the result of sin.”  

The Greek nearly repeats itself here.  The first phrase is something akin to “The one who sins (literally “misses the mark”) does what is lawless.”  The second follows up simply, “Sin is lawlessness.”

I like the way the Common English Bible translates this verse.  It gives a good picture using slightly different language:  “Every person who practices sin commits an act of rebellion, and sin is rebellion.”

This is the state of man apart from God.  Rebellion.  Sin is an act of rebellion against God.

We rebel against the law—like Adam and Eve.  Like Israel.  Yet, there is another way to live.

John continues, “But you know that [Jesus] appeared so that he might take away our sins.  And in him is no sin.  No one who lives in him keeps on sinning.  No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.”

The sinless Jesus came to take away sin. The one who lives in Christ does not continue to sin.  The word "lives" here is menō making another appearance.  Abide.

 

When we do not abide, sin is the natural result.  When we are not connected to God, we live separated from him, essentially in rebellion.    In this state, we live as though we have neither seen Christ nor known him.

I am once again reminded of the importance to abide.  When I abide I do not live in sin.  Instead, I live obedient.  I live in line with God’s will and purposes.  I live surrendered.  It is when I do not live in the flow of the Spirit, out of touch with God’s will and obedience that I sin.  It is like I don’t even know Christ; because if I did know him, wouldn’t I realize that he requires my obedience?  Wouldn’t I realize that he wants me to live each moment surrendered to his plans and purposes for my life?

This is the struggle.

It is a daily one.

Let’s ask him to abide with us?

Grace and peace be ours in abundance as we abide with Christ.  As we cling to him—learning to discern the Spirit’s voice and living in obedience to God—may we trust that just as Jesus came to take away our sin, so we live.  We live in the goodness of His life and claim the present reality of what He promises to do in us.

Jessica :)

Where Cravings Are Satisfied

On Thursdays I have been sharing a little bit about what I have been learning as I read through 1 John.

1 John is a letter written to the believers in Asia Minor.  John has been giving examples of what a believer who walks with God looks like.  He has been contrasting these believers with those who say that they walk with God, but whose actions and beliefs do not support their claims.  He calls these people liars and says they walk in darkness.  John wants the believers to be able to recognize the difference between that which is true and that which is false.  He pauses in this endeavor to encourage the believers he is writing to by reminding them of the joy, the power, and the faithfulness they have received from Christ.

Last week, we looked at the first of three verses about the world.  This week we look at the second.

John writes, 

“Do not love the world or anything in the world.  If you love the world, love for the Father is not in you.  For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful people, the lust of their eyes and their boasting about what they have and do—comes not from the Father but from the world.  The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”  1 John 2:15-17 TNIV

 

It says it right in the opening words of Genesis: 

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

As creation unfolds, it is God who brings everything into existence. 

John knows this.  Yet, choosing his words carefully, he says, “Everything in the world comes not from the Father but from the world.” 

It makes me stop.  If everything in the world comes not from the Creator God, but from the world, what is John talking about? 

I think the key to uncovering what he is trying to say can be found in the word for “world.” Last week, we read that the Greek word kosmos has to do with “the present condition of human affairs in alienation and opposition to God” (VINES Expository Dictionary).

This human condition in opposition to God comes not from God, but from man. (The definition of kosmos in the second instance of the word “world”is slightly different).  This idea brings to mind a picture.

I imagine the command given to Adam in the Garden.  I imagine the scene where the command is broken.  It is here the present condition of the world begins.  Man is alienated from God.  Adam and Eve choose opposition to God.  Left unto myself, I choose this too, everyday.  It is my default.

At its best, “The world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions” (NLT).  At its worst, the world is full of hunger, slavery, and all kinds of brokenness—all the fruit of trying to be like God, apart from God.  Yet, even the best the world has to offer is empty, because it is never enough.  The cravings are never satisfied. 

It seems to me that nearly every American probably relate to this picture.  We are driven by cravings.  It seems to me that our economy depends on the cravings of the consumer.  Commercials tell us every day that what we have is not enough, and we believe it.  We see the newest piece of technology and we are sure that we couldn’t be content without it.  We go shopping just for fun, not because we need something.  If we are truly honest, sometimes the things we say we need are really just things we want.  We seek to get ahead in our careers—to get promoted, be in charge, to buy a bigger home, and to make more money in order to get more of something someone has convinced us we need.  We want more and more and it is never enough.

When we see the world with eyes of scarcity rather than eyes of abundance, what we have is never enough.

John says the things of the world are not from the Father. It makes me wonder, what is from the Father?  
I begin to imagine the kingdom He inhabits.  What might that be like? 

Could it be that His kingdom is a place where cravings are satisfied?  A place where there is humility in achievement?  A place where possessions aren’t a priority, because all we need is provided?  What might it be like to live in that place?

I believe such a kingdom exists. 

I believe it comes through Jesus—who showed us how to live, who humbly accomplished his work on the cross, atoning for our sins, and defeating death in His resurrection—by grace. 

I believe it involves surrendering to God's will and living in obedience.  It begins with choosing loving obedience through Christ rather than living in willful disobedience with Adam and Eve.  As we begin anew we start to discover that in Christ our cravings are satisfied; we learn to trust that His humble example is better than the world’s pride; and we see that all we need will be provided in Him.

***

Grace and peace be ours in abundance as our eyes are opened to the scarcity of this world and the abundance of God’s kingdom.  As we seek Him may we find our cravings are satisfied, humility is indeed better than pride, and that all we need is provided as we pursue obedience to Christ.  May our eyes be open to see the grace that is poured out on us each day, so that we never cease to be amazed by the abundant goodness of God.

Jessica :)

P.S.  We will continue to look at this kingdom next week.  I believe it is closely tied to the last verse (v.17) about God's will.  I hope you will join me next week :)



An Advocate

I’ve been reading through 1 John lately and sharing a little bit about what I’m learning here on Thursdays. 

Here’s a little recap about what has been going on:

John has just finished writing about the difference between those who walk in darkness and those who walk in the light.  He has shared that all sin.  He has reminded the believers that God is faithful to keep His covenant promises to forgive our sin and just in the act that procured the forgiveness, Christ’s blood. 

Now he writes:

“My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.  He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.” 1 John 1:8-2:2 NLT

There is a tension in Scripture between taking sin seriously and yet understanding that forgiveness is available to all who come repentant to Christ.  This is grace.  Yet, this grace is costly.  We see it here.  We also see Paul write about this in Romans 6, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”  If you look you will find it elsewhere too.

We struggle with sin in this world.  It is the way of the world we live in...brokenness.  And we are called to submit our brokenness to the Lordship of Christ, to surrender these patterns we have lived in for a long time.  I am called to lay down my pride, the way I compare myself to others, my eating habits—these places where I have lived in patterns of sin—and I am called to walk a new way.

Yet, a new way of living doesn’t happen all at once.  John realizes this.  He gives a reminder of Good News:  “But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father.”

An advocate.  The word in Greek is paraklētos. 

It means “’called alongside’ and describes anybody summoned to the assistance of another.  It was particularly used in the law courts of a barrister, whose responsibility it is, as counsel for the defense, to plead the cause of the person on trial” (John Stott’s Commentary on The Epistles of John by Tyndale).

So, who is our advocate?  “He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.  He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.”

We could not have a better advocate.  He himself is the atoning sacrifice for sin.  Our sin.  The world’s sin.  My sin.  In Him, the justice of God is satisfied. 

So when the accuser stands before the Father accusing me, of all the things I have done, I am guilty.  There’s no doubt about it.  Yet, the day I lay down my life before Christ, having come repentant, Jesus stands before God saying “She’s mine.”  I have paid the price.  And God is satisfied.

This is a picture of what Jesus does when we trust Him.

This is grace.  Undeserved.  Costly.  Joyous. 

This grace calls us to respond.

To change the direction of our lives. 

To orient our lives toward Christ.

To love God.  To love others.

To live obedient.

***

Grace and peace be ours in abundance as we stand in full assurance that Jesus is our advocate.  May we receive this grace and never fail to be changed by it as we remember His atoning sacrifice.  May we be drawn to surrender our lives, to take up our cross and follow in this humble way of life, a life of loving obedience.

Jessica :)


P. S.  Another interesting thing about the word paraklētos is that it is only used in one other place in Scripture.  John uses it in the the Gospel of John to describe the Holy Spirit.  So while Jesus is our advocate before the Father.  The Holy Spirit is Jesus' advocate here on earth.  "He pleads Christ's cause before a hostile world" (John Stott's commentary on The Epistles of John).  May we respond be sensitive to the Spirit's leading.