I John Review: What to Do, Part 3

April 01, 2016

What to Do...

Walk in the Light Purify Yourself Do Right Love, It's What We Do Grow up Listen to the Apostles Overcome the World Stop Sinning Test the Spirits Keep It Keep from Idols Love One Another Pray for Them Keep Yourself Safe

When we understand the heart of God found in his word, we want to live it out. There are many things to find there and to try to do all of them is a overwhelming task. Satan can use this to burden us and throw us off, and we begin to focus on the work of God instead of the God of the work. Now I do not see this to be a problem in today's church, but it has been an issue in the past and can easily return. One of the things that the Brethren in Christ and many others have done is to focus on the main point of the Bible and to add in the smaller things as we mature. I concur with this only if we do not minimize the smaller things as being less important. We need to see that the smaller truths of the Bible help us understand how to live out the major truths.

There are a few themes, so let me mention some and then concentrate on John's theme for today... God is slow to anger and abounding in love... Christ is the only way for forgiveness of sin... Love the Lord with all your heart and love you neighbor as yourself... And John's (which most churches do not mention)... Be Different than the world.

To stop sinning, we must overcome the world, Christ did. He was not like the world nor did he sin. We find nowhere in the Scriptures that Jesus went to the public baths, partied in the Roman temples, or went to the plays at the theater. If we are to overcome sin, we must separate ourselves from the world. Now what that does not mean needs to be understood. When Christ prayed for his disciples, he prayed that God would not take them out of the world, but that he would protect them from the evil in the world. We only separate ourselves from the practices of the world not the people of the world. What gives them pleasure should not be what brings us pleasure. The things associated with sinfulness, we should disassociate ourselves from.

There is a big and growing movement that says we don't need anyone to teach us what is right and wrong because the Spirit will tell each one. After all, the Bible even says in both the Old and New Testament that I will place my words in their hearts and that his Spirit will teach them. This movement is dangerous and will lead many astray. The problem? Too many will trust any feeling that inspires them. Without holding value to being "separate from the world" to check the authenticity of the spirit, they are mindlessly following anything and calling it Spirit inspired. John says to test the spirits, so we are not led astray. This is done through careful comparison to the Word of God.

A and K, flee the pleasures of this world. Its music, its ideas of fun, and its ways of finding happiness. These are fleeting and will bring sin to your door, and Satan will use it to trap you. When you are caught up in their ways, it will be hard to resist the temptation they brings. I have found that when temptations are the strongest, I have become too close to the things of the world. TV and the internet bring the world into our lives without any effort on our part. It diminishes our resistance and tears down our holiness. I delete objectionable posts on Facebook, things like objectionable pictures, bad language, including abbreviations, and the like to help sinful things from being common to me. What will you do to overcome the world and to keep sin from your infiltrating your lives. Test yourselves and the spirits that tells you things of this world are good, so you can keep from sin.

~Dad