If you ever are used to colours, you would agree with me that on no occasion would you mistake red for blue, isn't it? Even if someone says that what you're seeing is blue instead of red, you will beat your chest and say to the person that he or she is lying, right? This means that the one who can be easily deceived is the one who knows nothing of that which he is being deceived of. It will be difficult for anyone to deceive you if you have adequate knowledge of that which he tries to deceive you of.
We are still in the book of 1 John and last time in our study, we saw that in Christ is no sin and that he was manifested to take away our sins, isn't it? It then became necessary to say that if in him is no sin, then we who are in him should by the help of the Holy Spirit live a life that is void of offence towards God. Hallelujah. We shall be continuing from where we stopped in our last study, particularly in chapter 3. Glory to God.
Today, we shall be considering quite a lot of lessons and I trust the Lord himself to minister to our very hearts. You see, it is expedient to guard our hearts against teaching that contradict the teachings of scripture. Any teaching that exalts unrighteousness is not of God, has never been and will never be. Let's see the passage of scripture below,
"[7] Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. [8] He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. [9] Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God" ( 1 John 3:7-9).
In our previous study in the book of 1 John 3, that is, about two days ago, it was stated that anyone who is truly or genuinely born of God does not continue in sin after being convicted by the Holy Spirit. Such a one if he is convicted seeks to make his way right by seeking forgiveness from the Lord such that his fellowship with the Father is restored. Glory to God. This is a follow up on the previous lesson, that whosoever abides in him sins not. It begins by saying, "Little children, let no man deceive you". This may mean that it is possible to be deceived but then, our responsibility as believers is to see to it that no man is able to deceive us. This means that we must be conscious of what we accept, and what we decide to believe since there are many who are out there to deceive many. Hallelujah.
The truth remains that he that does righteousness is righteous even as he (God) is righteous. Anything outside this is deceit and should be discarded completely. He who commits sin is of the devil because he sins from the beginning and for this very purpose, the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil. Does that mean that the believer does not sometimes show signs of weakness being in the flesh? Yes, of course. Is he then a child of the devil because he errs? No is the answer.
The passage however can be understood thus, that anyone who continues in the act of sin without a desire to repent is of the devil. Christ however was manifested that no one continues in sin perpetually ( he was manifested to liberate men from the works of the devil). As a result, for the believer who errs, he seeks the face of God for forgiveness and is restored and for the one who never believed, he cries to him for mercy and is saved to the end that no man continues to live in sin. Glory to God. It then emphasizes the point again in the ninth verse. He who is born of God does not commit sin, and although he errs, he doesn't remain in it (1 John 2:1). May the Lord cause his word to dwell richly in our hearts. Amen.
Thought for the day: Let no one deceive you. Any teaching that does not exalt righteousness is not of God.
Gospel Today is a comforting, exhorting, edifying and inspiring devotional published by the Delightsome Land Christian Ministry. For questions, enquiries/testimonies, please call/WhatsApp: 08174915361, 08053662272 or Email: [email protected].
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