I John 5:5:8 states, “And
there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the
blood: and these three agree in one.” There
are three things that indicate that we are God’s children in the world. As we saw in the previous post, the water
refers to the physical life or lifestyle. Even that life style is a result of the Holy
Spirit working in the person.
In John 16:7-8 Jesus said, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go
away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I
depart, I will send him unto you. And
when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of
judgment.” One of the things the Holy Spirit does in
the world is to make us aware of sin and its consequences. Romans 1:32 tells us that those who are not
of God reject the Holy Spirits warnings.
“Who knowing the judgment of God,
that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same,
but have pleasure in them that do them.”
The Greek word translated
commit means to practice repeatedly.
Those hardened sinners understand that those who live such lifestyles
deserve death, but continue to practice them, and encourage others to get
involved as well.
I John 3 accentuates the difference between those who are of
God and those who are not. I John 3:2-3
states, “Beloved, now are we the sons of
God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he
shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him
purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” People who have the hope of Salvation in
themselves believe that one day they will appear before God with their sins
forgiven. As a result they make an
effort to eliminate sin form their lives, emulating Jesus Christ.
I John 3:4 states, “Whosoever
committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the
law.” Any sin involves breaking God’s
law. and as Romans 3:20 tells us, “…for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Many today believe the law no longer
applies, but in Matthew 5:17-18, Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not
come to destroy, but to fulfil. For
verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall
in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” As long as the earth remains, God’s
standard of right and wrong will be in effect.
Societal values may change but
right and wrong does not.
With that in mind, I John 3:5-10 continues. “And ye
know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not:
whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he
that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 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. 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. 0 In this the children of God are manifest,
and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God,
neither he that loveth not his brother.”
Jesus came to take away sin, and there is no sin in
him. People who live in sin do not know the
Lord. We are not allow ourselves to be
deceived that a person can live a sinful lifestyle and be satisfied. If the
Holy Spirit is there, he will be constantly reminding the person he is doing
wrong until the person finally gives up their sin. He cannot continue to practice the sin
repeatedly because the Holy spirit is there.
As Romans 8:9 tells us, if he does not have the Holy Spirit, he is not
God’s child. A person’s way of life is a
clear indicator of whether he is really a Christian or not.
II Corinthians 5:4-9 expresses the same idea. “For we
that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be
unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame
thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing
that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are
confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be
present with the Lord. Wherefore we
labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.”
Real Christians are not just looking for their sins to be
taken away, but for God to replace teir sin with something better. They are not just looking to avoid hell fire
and go out of existence as some religions teach. Instead, they look forward to obtaining
eternal life in heaven with God.
Because they have the Holy Spirit as proof of their salvation, they have
the confidence to do what is right, in an effort to please him rather than the
world around them. They will resist the
world’s efforts to get them involved in sin.
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