More Than Words

1 John 3

If we live in such a way as to maintain fellowship with Christ, we will be confident to stand before him when He returns. God loves us enough to call us his children on earth and to promise us glorified bodies when He returns. In light of our relationship with God, we should want to be holy just as he is holy.
 
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” 1 John 3:1–3 (ESV)
 
According to Warren Wiersbe, 1 John 3 describes deliberate sin is serious, grieves the Holy Spirt and grieves God’s people. He says, “When you deliberately sin, you grieve the heart of the Father who loves you and has a wonderful future planned for you. You grieve the Savior who died for you and delivered you from the power of Satan.”
 
“Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 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. 9 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. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.” 1 John 3:4–10 (ESV)
 
Dr. Tony Evans writes, “John said “there is no sin in” Christ. Therefore, whoever remains in him does not sin either. Since believers are called to remain in him, we sin only because we’re not remaining in Christ. John says, “Everyone who has been born of God does not sin. The reason is that God’s seed remains in him. When you placed your faith in Jesus Christ, God gave you new life—which John describes as God’s “seed.” Every Christian is born again. This new spiritual life or seed is from God, so it is pure and sinless.”
 
He then asks, “Why, then, do we still sin in thought, word, and deed even though we’d prefer not to? Because the old part of us is still contaminated by sin. Paul calls our unredeemed humanity “the flesh,” and he wrestles with this in Romans 7:13–25. The new life of Christ is planted in us in seed form, but we still bear the damage of sin in our souls. When Christ returns, the flesh will be completely eradicated, and we will be without sin. Until then, we must continually repent of sin, submit to God’s Word, and walk with the Spirit so that the seed of the new divine nature may grow.”
 
Don’t be deceived. The one who does what is right is righteous. The one who commits sin is of the devil according to verse 8. How, then, can a believer do what is right and commit sin in the space of a few seconds? Consider Peter. He boldly confessed that Jesus is the Christ, and Jesus blessed him because God had revealed it to him. However, in no time, Jesus told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan,” when he denied that Christ must suffer.
 
Dr. Evans writes, “Throughout each day, your actions will either be influenced by God or the devil. Satan can’t make you sin, but he can entice you. So, to whom will you listen? Will you be of the devil so that he gets credit for your deeds? Or will you live by the truth, come to the light, and do works for which God gets the credit (see John 3:21)? Do what is right and love fellow believers in submission to the Holy Spirit”
 
“For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” 1 John 3:11–15 (ESV)

Deliberate sin grieves the Holy Spirit who lives in you and gave you new birth. You have a new nature and a new Father; therefore, you should live a new life. To John, lack of love is the same as hatred; and hatred is the moral equivalent of murder.

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.” Matthew 5:21–26

“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.” 1 John 3:16–24 (ESV)

Lack of confidence is a tremendous stumbling block to prayer. But when you love others and act as an answer to their prayers, you can be confident that your Father will put things in motion to answer your prayer according to his will.

Deliberate sin also grieves God’s people because we cannot minister to them as we should if we are not walking in love and in the light. We must strive to have a heart that is right before God and men.

Today, Ask God to use you to be an encouragement and help to others. Love is more than a matter of words. Beware of merely declaring your love with your mouth. What your lips proclaim, your life must support.

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