Simple Truths

SCRIPTURE: 1 John 3:5-10
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. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 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. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

OBSERVATION: I love this epistle! John states the truth in very simple terms. If you love God, you cannot continue to sin. If you continue to sin, you are not of God but of the devil. Jesus came to destroy the devil's work. We can tell who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are. The former do what is right and love their brothers and the latter do not do right and don't love their brother. Simple.

APPLICATION: Paul tells us in Corinthians to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. Obviously, then, it is possible for us to deceive ourselves about that issue. John gives us some very simple truths by which we can measure ourselves to see if we are truly in the faith. Do I love my brothers and sisters? Do I do what is right according to God's Word? Do I come to Jesus and ask Him to do His work in destroying any hold Satan has on me in the form of a besetting sin? If so, I'm in good shape and can have confidence toward God. If not, I need to repent. Simple.

PRAYER: Father, thank You for Your Word. I wish everything in it were as simple as these verses. Help me to always ask the right questions of myself and to have the Holy Spirit shine light into my soul and reveal any areas of darkness. I ask You, Jesus, to do Your holy work and destroy the works of the devil in my life and in the lives of all my loved ones. Make Your Body pure and give us all love for one another. In Jesus' Name, Amen.