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The Daily Word of Righteousness
The Goal, #11
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. (I John 3:2,3—NIV)
Notice the comment of the Apostle John.
Our hope is to be like the Lord Jesus when He appears and to see Him as He is. But if we really have this hope in us we must purify ourselves just as He is pure.
Several verses that follow, in Chapter Three of First John, tell us how important righteous living is in the Christian life.
For example:
But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. (I John 3:5—NIV)
We can see readily from the above verse that Christ did not come just to forgive our sins but to take away our sins. This is probably one of the most important truths that we Christians are to embrace in the present hour.
No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. (I John 3:6—NIV)
This passage, First John 3:6, alone condemns present-day Christian teaching and preaching.
No person who is dwelling in Christ continues to sin.
If we continue to sin we have neither seen Christ nor known Christ.
Think of it! How far we have gotten away from the doctrines of the New Testament! We claim we are saved by grace apart from righteous behavior. What we are teaching is Gnosticism, it is not the Christian salvation. Our current doctrines are actually heresy. We need to repent!
He 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. (I John 3:8—NIV)
The above verse does not mean that when a Christian sins he has not been saved or that he or she is possessed by the devil. Rather, John apparently is reacting against those who were teaching in his day the "lawless grace" message being presented in our time. John is saying that a true Christian is pressing into Jesus Christ and overcoming sin. When he sins he confesses his sin, takes his forgiveness and cleansing, and presses forward to victory.
The Son of God did not appear to forgive the sins of the devil, the sins we Christians commit. The Son of God appeared in order to destroy the works of the devil that come forth from our personality.
We Christians are preaching and living that which is not scriptural!
There is no doubt that the grace of forgiveness has been greatly overemphasized in our country. The grace of the ability to purify ourselves and to keep the commandments of Christ and His Apostles has been neglected, I believe.
Let as many of us who will, now turn back to the Lord and begin to serve Him as a disciple should. By so doing we shall attain to the resurrection into eternal life in the body. (from The Goal)