Who’s in darkness?
Who’s in light?
How does darkness become light?
Who loves others perfectly? Nobody, but Jesus. The bright hope we have is, He and His Father sent the Holy Spirit to adopt us into the Church Family where we’re welcomed to hear about the power of God’s grace turning us from darkness to living in Light. God unconditionally loves us even though we haven’t loved Him back. Our Savior’s total-act-of-giving rescues us from the corruption of sin and its consequences. He didn’t have to do this and we didn’t deserve it. Christ’s birth, innocent human life, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension puts us in a right relationship with Our Father in Heaven. In the Light, we show our love for God by loving other people.
1 John 1:8
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| If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:8 |
We cannot free ourselves from our sinful nature.
Not owning up to our sinfulness is like calling God a liar, because His Word clearly states that we are sinners. Everyone in the world is self-centered to one degree or another. Complications show up when, rather than confessing Truth, asking for forgiveness, and praying for strength to trust Jesus alone, we
- wrongly make excuses for selfishness
- unjustly blame another person for our own problem
- fake ignorance to all the ways we fall short of God’s standard of perfection
- are mislead by ideas of false doctrine
- disregard what He’s given us to know, even at the most basic level
- pick only what we like, not caring about the full context of God’s Word
- try to add our good work as a way to earn salvation, as though Christ’s work isn’t enough
- shirk responsibility to follow advice of true doctrine
- attempt to usurp authority
- devise our own schemes
- falsely claim our ideas are superior to the fullness of God’s Word
- manipulate others to agree with out-of-context twisted ideas, then criticize whoever objects to doing things my way
The Holy Spirit forgives and opens eyes of faith for us in the water of Baptism.
Jesus, God’s Word and Grace for us brings Truth, repentance and forgiveness.
Human nature would minimize, deny or ignore our own problems. People falling for worldly plots are focused on satisfying selfish desires at all costs. Anti-Christs in the world reject their accountability to Christ; they’re always trying to tell us God is not love and the Church is unnecessary.
To avoid being sucked into lies, it’s essential to hear Truth over-and-over. The Spirit stirs us to listen and speak God’s Word, also, love and pray for enemies by the grace of God. By faith, we have genuine conversations about how situations in our lives connect to the Word of God. The Church is
established to teach the faith and administer the Means of Grace. Thankfully, God is faithful to bless people who confess Truth the Bible teaches. Jesus finished the work necessary to take away guilt. He cleanses us from damaging words and deeds committed against us, too! By the faith given us, we long to be truthful about what sin is. Getting spiritual, mental, emotional and physical help we need is a step to take. Confident the work and suffering of is Christ for us, frees fear of the day of judgement. The faith keeps us from looking down at our own navel; instead, points us to recognize opportunities to love people with focus upward and forward to forever in eternity with our Lord.
1 John 1:8-9
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| If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9 |
Grace and forgiveness is God’s answer for dealing with our messiness.
More than giving up His place in heaven to be born as a human to take
the punishment on the cross, dying for the sins of the whole world,
Jesus is currently interceding for us as our advocate with the Father. If we reject Jesus, we choose God’s merciless wrath. Christ is the singular necessary appeasement to Our Father’s disgust over imperfection. The Holy Spirit sustains the faith we must have to be rescued. Receiving God’s mercy shows we belong to Him and are open to the Holy Spirit working in our lives by fighting against sin.
Perfectly keeping God’s ways is done in Christ who is sufficient for our salvation. We’re free to acknowledge our desperate need for help to grow up and act like we should. Striving to live as though we really care about everything the Good Lord’s telling us, we want to do better. We do not want to make a practice of habitual sin. By the faith the Spirit provides, we learn to be thankful, praying for opportunities to promote the Gospel, and that the Holy Spirit will open hearts. We long to see the people we love in heaven, place them in the Lord’s loving care, and trust His promises. The Counselor guides everyone who desires help by effectively revealing the Word throughout the world. By grace—love, joy and peace flow from Christ through us.
1 John 2:2
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| He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2 |
Pride isn’t inline with our Creator’s design.
Not receiving Christ’s help because of pride is the most dangerous sin. Pride works hard to distract people from the faith. There will be a time we will meet our maker, when no more healthy choices are available, no more opportunity to turn to Jesus in repentance. When we die, or on the Last Day, all people will bow and answer to whether they trust Jesus or not. Being proud, in various ways, is tied to falling for lies circulating among the rulers, authorities, cosmic powers over this present darkness, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. When our pride isn’t repented in the faith, it reveals the fact that we’re fine with the idea that we think and act like we know better than God. Prayers said in this faithless state-of-mind are ineffective. God looks past the arrogant who depend on their good deeds to earn a place in heaven, as well as those who flippantly sin without regret. Faithlessness ruins His generous loving plan for us through Christ. There’s no in-between or half-way connection to salvation—we either trust Jesus or trust ourselves. Thankfully, it’s not our place to make a statement on where anyone else stands with God. In His patient timing, He’ll judge whether, or not, there’s saving faith in our hearts.
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. 1 John 3:23
1 John 4:4
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| Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4 |
God is love; the devil is overcome by the blood of Jesus.
Since we can’t see spiritual things on our own, the Righteous Light that’s already shining through Jesus, clarifies it for us. In our darkness (which everyone still has), we either come to know God as a dear Father, use His Word to show us sin, recognize it as a condition to humbly request mercy; or, we fear punishment—gladly indulge and celebrate sin, plus, affirm the way of lies. We wander from living in love when we hold pride of life, bitterness, resentment and grudges. The Lord desires we look to the cross of Christ. The faith has power to transform and bring us back again-and-again, every time we fail and repent. He doesn’t force it; if we refuse Him, that’s on us.
Satan is a killer, a liar who’s always trying to bring eternal death by tempting, blinding and steering us away from Truth of Christ’s grace. Test what you hear and see in this world against the Truth of God’s Word. Don’t be surprised when people hate you for remaining in God’s grace. If the devil can get us to hate, he can motivate us do things which are against the compassion Christ is trying to work in us. When God’s Word is abiding in us and we repentantly stick with Him and the Church, Satan’s minions can’t trap us in the evil claws of perpetual sin, squash the faithful spirit given in Baptism, or steel the certain joy of Christ’s victory for us.
1 John 4:19
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| We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19 |
Love and certain hope of eternal life.
All who receive spiritual eyes of faith believe Jesus laid down His life for us. The Holy Spirit is at work reminding about gifts of the faith: Baptism in Christ and The Lord’s Supper. Those who are humbly living in Truth, seriously embrace the Word of God as an extraordinarily excellent way to be pointed toward caring about what Jesus did for us. God’s love empowers us to, gratefully, lovingly be generous with gentle respect toward others.
Love is perfected in us when we turn, in love, toward others—ready to be hated by those who refuse the Gospel—praying the Holy Spirit would fill everyone with the faith which sees each person as one for whom Christ died. Constantly repenting and turning toward God for strength to do this, we back away from harmful thoughts, words and deeds. The faith helps us recognize and resist evil in this world. Refusal to make a practice of sinning is for our own good and the good of others. God answers each plea for mercy and gives all good things for us when we ask according to His will.
The Gospel doesn’t make us sinless—it lights the path securely grasped onto God who is love. The Spirit of Truth gives us repentant confidence in mercy. Free to take cover in His protective peace, we press forward to a day when all sadness, pain and sin is removed. Seeing Jesus face-to-face, we’ll take on His full glory. The faith excites us about loving each other now into everlasting life! Content being held by Christ’s scarred hands, we’re calmed, comforted by our Creator who is always caring about us. Energized with a purpose to smile, we breathe in grace and breathe out the Spirit of encouragement to others.
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