I've enjoyed watching the Olympics the last few days. My favorite sport so far has been the equestrian events. Watching the beautiful horses doing the sport jumping was fantastic. The diving was good too. That was what my Mom liked to watch the best. She liked the Winter Olympics because her favorite sport to watch was the figure skating.
I had an interesting visit with a businessman this week that turned into a witnessing opportunity. Out of the blue this man began asking my opinion about various theological subjects. He began by telling me that he didn't believe in the doctrine of the Trinity. I tried to explain this belief to him which led us to a discussion about the deity of Christ. He also rejected this idea. We also discussed the necessity of trusting in Jesus Christ alone for salvation apart from good works. I hope that at the end of our discussion he continued to ponder these matters. Please pray for this man that he might come to know Jesus as his Savior. Hopefully, I will have more chances to be a witness in the future.
One more thing, this particular individual has been a church member for over 40 years. He has also served on a church board. As I've said, there are many people who go to church, but they have no understanding of doctrine or who Jesus really is or who He claimed to be.
In last week's message, we examined the greatness of the love of God. I talked about how God loved us so much that He sent Jesus into the world to redeem this world from sin through His death and resurrection. Not only that, we saw that God loved us so much that He calls those of us who believe in Jesus the children of God. We also saw that those who are in Christ will be like Jesus when we see Jesus face to face. I am looking forward to seeing Jesus in Heaven.
John goes on in verse three of chapter three to urge his readers who have hope for Heaven based on their relationship with Christ to purify themselves even as Jesus Christ is pure.
Because we love Jesus, it should be our desire to want to be like Him in all we do and say. It is our duty as Christians to study the life of Christ and conform our attitudes and actions to Jesus' attitude and actions.
The next section of chapter three is basically a reiteration of the main themes we have studied so far in I John. In verses 4 through 10, John once again drives home the point that the true follower of Jesus does not live in continual sin. One of the distinguishing points between those who are the children of God and those who are not is a lifestyle of righteousness versus a lifestyle of unrighteousness.
Let us remember, however, that John doesn't say that Christians are always absolutely 100 percent perfect in everything that they do. John tells believers in chapter one that we are to confess our sins to the Lord who will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
John is talking about sin as a way of life. He is also speaking about someone whose will is not fixed on living for God but is fixed on fulfilling the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life.
Someone who is true follower of Jesus has undergone a transformation. He has become a new creature in Christ Jesus. All of the old is dead, and a new person has taken the old man's place. That new person is not a slave of sin. He is committed to following the Lord Jesus Christ.
A good example of this is my own Dad. My Dad didn't become a Christian until he was 40 years old. I was two years old at the time. Before my Dad became a Christian, he drank heavily, got in bar fights and cursed frequently. After my Dad came to know Jesus as Savior, his life was turned around completely. The people who knew him were astonished. My Dad became active in the church, gave up drinking and was one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. My half brother, who is a lot older than I am, said to me at our Dad's funeral that the Dad he grew up with was very different from the Dad I knew. Jesus made the difference.
A person who is not a follower of Jesus is not transformed and does not have the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit in his life. He is still dead in trespasses and sin and is therefore a slave of sin. This is clearly manifested in his actions.
John then moves on in chapter three to once again point out the importance of loving our brothers and sisters in Christ. This also distinguishes the children of God from the children of this world.
In verse twelve, John compares those who do not love their brothers to Cain. Cain killed his brother because Cain was enraged that God accepted Abel's offering and rejected Cain's offering of the fruit of the ground.
In verses 17-18, John puts the love of the brethren down in practical terms. Verse 17 states, "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?"
John asks a great question. How can someone really call himself a follower of Christ when he sees a world that is filled with so much misery and need and not do anything about it?
If we know someone who is a Christian and they are experiencing a financial problem, if we have the resources, we should put them to use and help our brothers and sisters in Christ.
As I've said before, if we in the church would help each other, we could eliminate many needs. For instance, if there is someone in the church who needs food aid, the other members of the body should help the other member to have what is needed. A church member having to seek public assistance from the government should be a last resort if the church can't come up with enough. However, and this is sad, many churches just won't help out. How can this be among Christians?
This week, let us work to be more like Jesus in thought, word and deed. Let us seek to do good to our brothers and sisters in Christ and make the world the best it can possibly be. Amen.
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