Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Epistle Lesson just read, from 1 John 3. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- Our text presents some difficulties for us. Take the statement: “no one who abides in Him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen Him or known Him.” Yet earlier in this same epistle John wrote: “If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” It seems, if we take the statement in our text at face value, and also the earlier passage about our ongoing sin, we would have to conclude that no one is “abiding in Him” and that no one has “known Him.” This obviously is not what John intends.
- Likewise, in this same passage John writes that “everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure.” But if we no longer keep on sinning then what need is there for ongoing purifying of ourselves? And John asserts that Christ appeared “to take away sins,” and that as a result “in Him there is no sin.” If Christ has taken away our sins then why should we even worry about whether or not we “keep on sinning”?
- These difficulties are at the heart of our deepest inner conflict and turmoil – the war between our sinful nature and the new man created in Christ Jesus within us. Theologically and pastorally, it is a matter of the proper application of Law and Gospel. And what is at stake is of the utmost importance!
- For we can fall from faith and completely under the influence of our sinful nature in two ways: first, we can lose sight of and forget that we are already fully and completely justified, forgiven of all sin, cleansed from all unrighteousness in what Jesus has done for us in His suffering, death, and resurrection, and fall into unbelief and complete rejection of God. Second, we can assume that the Gospel covers all of our sins, and therefore we can go ahead and do whatever we want to do, and this also leads to loss of repentance and therefore loss of true and genuine faith. And it is certain – for those who have genuinely repented of their sins – that nothing that belongs to God can remain committed to sin, wickedness, and unrighteous thinking, speaking, and behaving.
- So God wants us to know that:
I. We Are Righteous Children Of God In His Love And By His Love
A, Because Jesus Has Taken Away Our Sin
Text: “You know that He appeared to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin.”
John 1:29 “Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world.”
Eph. 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
1 Jn. 1:9 “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
B. If We Have No Sin Accounted To Us Then We Are Accounted To Be Righteous, And We Appropriate This Blessedness By Simple Faith In God’s Love And Gracious Forgiveness
Rom. 3:21-15 “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it – the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith.”
Statement: So there can be no question in our minds in regard to the fact that we are already “righteous” in the sight of God, solely and completely by His gracious gift. The Scripture is clear that we cannot become “righteous” by our own works and efforts, for as Paul wrote: “we know that a person is NOT justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” [Gal. 2:16]
Application: With the matter of our status in the sight of God resolved, John also addresses the issue of the demeanor and behavior of those who know and believe God’s redeeming and cleansing love for us in Christ – those who are justified by faith in Jesus Christ, those who are “RIGHTEOUS CHILDREN OF GOD.” And we also have dilemma over this in our own lives, reflecting upon our own behavior, and also as we observe the lives and behaviors of those around us who claim to have faith and identify themselves as children of God. And it is a painful problem that John addresses, the observation that:
II. The Reality Of What We Are – Righteous Children Of God – Is Not Yet Fully Or Unambiguously Apparent, But That It Will Be When Christ Appears In Glory
Text: “The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. 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.”
Statement: So our being and behaving provides an ambiguous witness to the reality that we are already God’s children through faith in Jesus and God’s gracious forgiveness and cleansing away of our sin and guilt. The only real proof we can give is that we acknowledge our sin, confess it to God rather than denying it, and that we hold onto the promise that “God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Application: It is true that we also do our utmost to avoid “practicing” sin; repentance includes the desire and commitment to NOT “keep on sinning” and TO “practice righteousness.” But it does not yet appear what we shall be – our life of sanctification is fraught with discontinuity and ambiguity. So we must have faith that we are children of God even in the face of what we observe – and this is what John is encouraging, so that we do not give up and just capitulate to our sinful nature. John makes it abundantly clear that:
III. As Righteous Children Of God We Are Bearing Good Fruit Even Now In This Life
A. First And Foremost That We Are Honest In Confessing Our Sins – As All Children Of God Do; But Unbelievers Refuse To Do This
1 Jn. 1:8-10 “If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned we are calling God a liar and His Word is not in us.”
B. As Children Of God We Do In Fact Shun Sin And Lawlessness [through repentance, God’s forgiveness, and reorientation to what is good and right]
So children of God are just the opposite of the description of John:
Text: “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.”
C. Rather, As Righteous Children Of God We Practice Righteousness – Just As God Is Righteous
Text: “Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as He is righteous.”
Statement: There is a great deal that could be said in explaining all of the dynamics included in this last simple statement of John. But our practice of seeking to do what is good and righteous demonstrates that we believe in God’s gracious mercy and forgiveness, His declaration that we are already perfectly righteous through faith in Christ. Therefore, our practice of what is good and right – coupled with our life of repentance and joyful faith in God’s forgiveness and mercy – is proof that we are children of God. It is also proof of the power of God’s love, that all who know and believe God’s love are renewed in heart and growing in compulsion to truly love others.
Application: So it is that those who are “RIGHTEOUS CHILDREN OF GOD” remain sinners, but not by choice. Yes, our sinful nature compels us to all kinds of sin and wickedness – which we mournfully repent of, and rejoicing in God’s gracious forgiveness and mercy we set out to “sin no more” and to rather practice righteousness, in conformity to God’s law, and to genuine love. This is our commitment and our deepest and most heartfelt desire – and we abhor the fact that there is ambiguity in our witness to the goodness, kindness, righteousness, and blessedness of our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ and eagerly await His appearing when we shall be like Him.
But there are two things that we will not allow, and that our Heavenly Father will not allow. First, that the heavy reality of our sin and guilt should destroy our faith and trust in God’s gracious forgiveness, and in His declaration that we are already His righteous children through faith in Jesus Christ. Second, that the strength of our sinful nature and the reality of our sin should move us to give up trying to resist sin and to practice righteousness – so that we simply capitulate to sin. We must never allow this to happen! We are “RIGHTEOUS CHILDREN OF GOD,” and although it does not yet appear what we shall be, we joyfully look forward to that day when “we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is.”
Conclusion: So let us keep these realities clearly in mind, and not become confused and disoriented, and so that we never allow the devil to crumble our joy in God’s love or our commitment to righteousness. True righteousness is continuing in repentance for our sins and faith in Jesus Christ!
Such righteousness of faith compels us to conformity to the commandments of God, and laying down our lives in service to God and one another, loving one another just as God has loved us in Christ Jesus. So we will not harbor or display malice, or accuse, attack, slander, or seek any harm to anyone – and if we do we will surely repent. Neither will we be arrogant, hypocritical, or don “superiority” toward others, but rather will remain committed to considering others to be more significant than ourselves [Phil. 2:3] – for this is the mind of Christ. And if our pride does get the better of us we will surely repent.
The world will never know the “RIGHTEOUS CHILDREN OF GOD,” but hopefully we will be discerning enough to recognize true children of God in their repentance and faith, and in their commitment to righteousness, and also in their “ambiguous” practice of righteousness. Let the wise take note of all of this; but the fool will continue in his foolishness and ignorance. Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.