Tag Archives: Jesus

Facing the Truth about Sin

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There was no “Delete” key in the first century.  So, when John wrote: “and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 john 1:7b), he needed to clarify what he meant.  John knew people would read that and ask if he was claiming that followers of Jesus become sinless.  So he explained:

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.   (1 John 1:8-9)

There are people who claim to follow Christ and also claim to be sinless.  John says those folks are deceiving themselves.  More than that, he says  “the truth is not in [them].”  It’s important to understand that John is warning such people that they have not truly begun a relationship of faith with Jesus.  How can he be sure?  Jesus gives the Holy Spirit,  the “Spirit of Truth,” to everyone who truly believes and follows Him (John 14:17).  Jesus promised his followers, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.”  (John 16:13a).   Someone who is self-deceived about sin is almost certainly also self-deceived about his relationship with Jesus.

But those who have the Spirit of Truth, will experience His Truth as it pertains to their condition, whenever they sin.  They will be painfully aware that they have sinned again (and again)!

John reassures such people that, as we acknowledge our sin (confess, or agree with what the Spirit has shown us), God is faithful to forgive us.  “Faithful” means we can count on Him to do so.   God also is “just.”  How can it be just for God to keep on forgiving us?  God forgives us with complete and perfect justice because “the blood of Jesus”  (v.7) has paid the full penalty for our sin.  Do you struggle to wrap your mind around that?  Me too.  But it is the truth.

And it gets better:  John says, God, Who faithfully forgives us with justice, then “purifies us from all unrighteousness.”   When you screw up and sin, don’t you feel dirty?  Don’t you feel as though you are smeared with a stain that you cannot wash away?  Despite how you feel, the truth is, God lovingly washes you clean.  He restores you and gives you a clean slate.  It is hard for us to feel clean, and yet, in truth, we are clean.  Amazing…

But, you may be wondering, how often can we expect God to keep doing that for us?  Look back to the quote above and see it for yourself:  He cleanses us from “all unrighteousness.”  The word, all, literally means “each and every one.”   More amazing…

The more the Spirit makes us aware of how often we sin, the more the message of God’s forgiveness, His justice and His washing seems.  Amazing and very, very humbling.  But true.

How You Walk

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“Let’s eat Grandma!”  Put one comma in that disgusting sentence and it makes all the difference for Grandma: “Let’s eat, Grandma!”  What makes all the difference in 1 John is understanding the word, walk, in these verses:

If we claim to have fellowship with him (God) yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:6-7)

John wrote this letter to tell about a special relationship he and others have with God, that he calls “koinonia,” or fellowship (See: Flood Muck and Koinonia).  John wants you to have that same fellowship with God, too.

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:3)

But how do you know if you have that fellowship or not?  John says you can tell by “your walk.”  He says, since God is light, since in God there is no darkness (See: Light Reading), the people who have this fellowship with Him do not “walk in darkness.”

But what does that mean, exactly?  Do you walk in darkness?  Are you a liar?  Have you been fooling yourself?  What does John mean by “walking?”

When John says “walk” he is talking about the regular direction and character of your life.  “Walking in darkness” means living a lifestyle at odds with the direction and character God intended for us humans when He designed us.  “Walking in the light” refers to a lifestyle that is harmonious with what God intended.  For example, one who walks in the light would tend to love those who treat him badly.  One who walks in the darkness would try to get revenge against them.

WATCH OUT!  IT IS EASY TO MISUNDERSTAND THIS!

First, John is not saying that if you try real hard to be good, then you will earn a relationship with God!  Rather, he says that when you have a relationship with God (the one that comes when you trust Jesus Christ), you can tell it by the change in the direction and character of your life.  The “koinonia” relationship one has with God causes him to turn around, and heading toward the light and away from the darkness.

Secondly, “Walking in the light” It does not mean living a totally sinless life, but, rather, a lifestyle that tends to be harmonious with God’s design.  Do you see where he says “the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin”?  Doesn’t that mean we live a sinless life?  No way, and John is going to explain that further in the next verses.  Notice that John does not say the blood of Jesus purified us from all sin, but that it purifies us.  The form of the word he uses means that this purification happens in a continuous way, as we walk in the light but still sin.

You have seen offers online to clean viruses off your computer. But unless you get an antivirus program that continuously does that, keeping your computer clean every time it was attacked, it would quickly become hopelessly corrupted.  That’s how the blood of Christ works to purify us from sin when we “walk in the light.”

So, John wants us to ask, which direction are you walking?  Toward the light or away from it?   Don’t fool yourself or lie to others about this.  If you see that you are walking in the darkness, don’t try to turn yourself around.  Ask Jesus to do it, and trust Him.  You will soon see the difference.  You will see it in your “walk.”

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  John 8:12

Light Reading

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This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5)

What is Light?   To a physicist light is electromagnetic radiation, radiant energy shining out from a source.  If you are lost at night, light is hope.  Artists know light as the ultimate medium.  A philosopher might equate light with truth.  A mechanic needs light to know why your car makes that screeching sound. A prisoner in solitary knows light is life.

John says God is light – completely.  There is nothing of God that resembles darkness at all.  Consider:

Morally, light is perfect righteousness, absolute purity:

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness,  Isaiah 5:20a

God reveals Himself through the prophets as light:

For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life, (Proverbs 6:23)

God sent Jesus as The Light:

I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth, I will also make you a light for the Gentiles that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.  (Isaiah 49:6)

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

John Mayer, singing about his struggle to do the right thing in Gravity, makes this plea:  “Keep me where the light is…   keep me where the light is…”   f

Amen.

Why Bother?

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When someone forwards me an email, if that thing has a guilt trip in it, telling me what a terrible person I am if I don’t forward it to 12 friends in the next 15 minutes, even if I really liked it, I delete it.  I hate the way they try to manipulate you in those things.  Hate it!   No, the only time I’ll forward something, or share it on Facebook is when it has brought me pleasure and I can’t wait for my friends to experience that same pleasure.  Even better is being there when they watch it.  I love watching what happens on their face.

When I experience something really cool, I look for chances to tell somebody else.  (“Hey! you’re not going to believe what they do to a shrimp po’ boy in this place…”)   Why?  It feels good; it increases the joy of having found it in the first place.  I’m just guessing you feel the same way, right?

Well then, you won’t be surprised to read why John decided to write the letter included in the Bible, called 1 John. (We’ve been going through 1 John here.  The first post about it is “Been There, Done That“)   He said:

We write this to make our joy complete.  (1 John 1:4)

A lot of people think the writers in the Bible are going to be shouting at them and scolding them.  That’s why they don’t read it.  They assume it will be about as much fun as going to the principal’s office in grade school.  Or getting chewed out by a cop after they blew through a stop sign.

But that’s not why John wrote.  He’s experienced something with Jesus and he can’t wait to tell you about it.   He wants to see your face light up like his did.  When you read through 1 John, make sure you hear it in that tone of voice.

By the way, if you don’t forward this to 12 people in the next 15 minutes, or share it with all your friends on Facebook, you are a worthless slimeball and all your toenails will turn black.

Flood Muck and Koinonia

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After the flood hit Longmont Colorado,  houses down along the river had 3 to 4 feet of river muck inside and needed to be shoveled out.  Furniture needed to be removed, washed and dried or thrown on giant, growing piles of trash.  Drywall had to be cut away.  Incipient mold had to be treated. Homeowners saw all that needed to be done and despaired.  But then neighbors began to gather and spontaneous groups of volunteers showed up from churches across town.  They grabbed shovels, waded into the muck and began to work.  Others set up cleaning stations.  Food tables appeared and soon were loaded with sandwiches and fresh water.  After a long day of work, those workers, covered with mud, were smiling with exhaustion and satisfaction.Flood Workers

There is a special kind of relationship that is formed when people work together.  The Greeks had a word for it: koinonia.  That word shows up a lot in the Bible.  Most of the time it is translated into the English word, fellowship.  But fellowship is a pretty weak word.  Don’t think standing around chatting and sipping tea.  Think shoveling muck together, struggling, helping, working and laughing.

Now, imagine having a relationship like that with God!  John says Jesus makes that possible:

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.  (1 John 1:3)

Can you picture yourself sharing a smile of satisfaction with God at the end of the day?  John wants you to know about that.  More than knowing, he wants you to have that.  Chew on that…

Been There, Done That

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You remember the scene in the movie, Titanic, where the cocky oceanographer guys were skeptically interviewing Rose Calvert, the fictional character who had survived the disaster?  Once they began to realize she was for real, they presumed to tell her what the sinking would have been like, using their finest computer simulations.  She listens quietly.  Then, with exquisite understatement, she says, “Thank you for that fine forensic analysis, Mr. Bodine.  Of course, the experience of it was somewhat less clinical.“  There is no substitute for personal experience.  No so-called expert or scholar can ever come close to knowing, not like the person who was actually there.

That’s what makes the Apostle John so interesting.  These days, we have self-proclaimed experts and scholars who presume to tell us what Jesus was really like, or even that He never really existed!  Those guys get a lot of exposure in magazines and news shows.  But John was there.  Look at how he begins his letter, the one called 1 John in the Bible:

That which was from the beginning (he’s talking about Jesus), which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. – 1 John 1:1(with my added emphasis and explanation)

Even back in John’s day, there were people who called into question the identity or personality of Jesus, who presumed to redefine Jesus according to their own preconceived ideas.  John said, “Baloney!  I was there; I knew Him, I saw Him, I touched Him.  And I know from first-hand experience that the Man called Jesus, is the “Word of Life!””

Let’s spend several days examining some of the best stuff from 1 John.  I hope you will share this with people you know who may have questions about Jesus.  John knows what he’s talking about: he has been there and done that and got the t-shirt.

What’s Your Gift?

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When the Bible talks about a “gift of the Spirit,” it might sound all spooky and hocus pocus to you.  You might wonder if it involves flipping into a trance and exhibiting weird behavior.  But, in reality, the Bible explains what a spiritual gift is in pretty down-to-earth language:

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:7)

To put that in other words, everyone who has the Spirit living in his or her soul (i.e. everyone who has trusted Jesus) will begin to show the evidence of that Spirit, as He begins to transform their mind, emotion and will (the soul) from the inside out.  Romans 12:2 calls this process being “transformed by the renewing of your mind.”  The evidence of those changes are “the fruit of the Spirit.”

Each of us has been designed by God to show (manifest) the influence of the Holy Spirit in a particular way.  We do not all have the same “gift.”

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. (Romans 12:4-5)

Each of these unique “gifts” do have something in common, however: they serve the common good (of the body of believers).

Paul goes on, in verses 6 through 8, to  illustrate some of the possible ways this gifting will look, such as wisdom, strong faith, leadership, etc.  This is not an exhaustive list, just examples.  However the Spirit transforms what you do in a particularly effective and helpful way is your gift.  Those gifts call attention to Him, not you.  Paul says, when you find your gift, use it!

I know someone whose gift is to provide a calming influence in meetings in which several strong opinions have been expressed.  It is amazing to watch the Holy Spirit work through that man.   I know someone else with the gift of making brownies.   If you ever tasted those brownies you wouldn’t wonder if that was really a spiritual gift.

So, what’s yours?  When you open a Christmas gift, it is fun to experience the anticipation, the surprise and the joy that follows (assuming its not a tie…).  If you keep it simple, “unwrapping” your gift from the Spirit can be a lot like that.  Enjoy!

The Good/Bad Meter

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There is an old electronic meter, hanging on the wall of a recording studio near here.  It’s just for decoration; kind of looks like something out of Frankenstein.  Big old needle that swings back and forth – one side says “Good” and the other says “Bad.”  Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a meter like that in life?

We’ve been talking about what we can expect when we put our faith in Jesus and He installs His Holy Spirit in our souls.  We now have an “online” communication with God, causing us to live more in line with the way He designed us to operate.  Trouble is, we also have years and years of old, deeply ingrained habits, that compete with the Spirit.  Good and Bad, Spirit and Flesh (See: “Can I Do New Stuff?”).  Question is: how do we know when we are operating by the Spirit and when we are operating by our old habits?

The Bible has a “Good/Bad” meter of sorts in the book of Galatians.  Basically, it says you will know whether you are living by the Spirit’s direction or by the Flesh (they call it “sinful nature”), by looking at the end results of our behavior.

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,  idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,  envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. …

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.   (Excerpts from Galatians 5:19-23 New Living Translation)

Can I Do New Stuff?

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Don’tcha love it when the software fairies announce that your computer operating system has just been updated?  Me? I seize up at first, thinking that they have just erased all my passwords and favorite tunes.  But then I go exploring, trying to figure out if, as a result of this new software, I can actually do new stuff.  When you trust Jesus, He gives you a new operating system – the Holy Spirit.  Question is, can you actually do new stuff?  Yes you can!  But, but, but…

At first, you may not notice any big change, because the Holy Spirit has been added to an operating system that has grown accustomed to operating without Him.  But soon enough, we start looking to see if we can do new stuff.

Think of your “self” in three parts: Body, Soul (your mind, emotion & will), and Spirit.  The Body takes orders from the Soul.  But where does the Soul get its information from?  We are designed to have the Spirit (of God) inform the Soul, so it can operate the Body correctly.  If we don’t have the Spirit, the Soul has to get all of its information from the Body (the eyes, ears and Facebook).  That is backwards.

The Bible calls a Body and Soul with no Holy Spirit, “flesh.”  Flesh is the nickname for our old operating system.  When God gives His Spirit to that person, now he has “flesh” and “Spirit.”   We have a new operating system, but we still have the habits we formed when all we had to work with was flesh.  Just like with new computer software, when you have to train yourself not to do things the old way, there is a natural conflict between our old habits (flesh) and our new operating system (Spirit).  It takes awhile to learn to operate (or “walk”) by the Spirit, instead of the flesh.  But that is how we discover the new stuff we can do.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. (Galatians 5:16-17 ESV)

When you first read that, you might think it’s saying you have to stop having fun.  Nope.  It’s saying “Learn to use your new operating system, so you can do new stuff.”

Yeah, But What Can I Really Expect?

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The friend I mentioned in the last post, who wanted to know what to expect from the Holy Spirit, is an engineer. He’s a practical guy, more comfortable with hand tools than he is with theology. “What’s going to happen to me with the Spirit,” he wants to know, “am I going to foam at the mouth; are my eyes going to roll around in my head? What?” He’s kind of like the guys Jesus hung out with. Some of them were fishermen. Probably had rock hard muscles, scarred and calloused hands. Jesus had just told them, “Guess what? I’m going to install my Spirit in you.” (John 14:15-21) Can you imagine saying something like that to your fishing buddies? If they didn’t just toss you into the lake, they would want you to speak plainly and tell them something they could understand.

That is the problem with the Holy Spirit. Even though we have all been designed to have Him living inside us, none of us start out that way. Trying to imagine what we can expect is kind of like a man born blind trying to imagine a sunset. So, when Jesus tried to explain what they could expect, he said it like this:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5 )

Something is lost in translation. The word “remains” means to live in, permanently. “If a man lives in Me and I in him… he will bear much fruit.”

Grapevine

Grapevine (Photo credit: Wikipedia

Jesus’ fishing buddies would all have been able to “see it” when He talked about the vine (in this picture, the part growing straight up) and the branch (in this picture, the part that is attached to the vine and grows out to the right). Because that branch has the “life” of the vine flowing through it, it has lush, green leaves. When the season is right, it produces a couple of clusters of grapes. You can imagine how different the branch would look if you cut the connection to the vine, right? When we want to know what to expect from the Holy Spirit, Jesus says, “Picture what happens to a branch when it is attached to a vine.” When we are attached to Jesus, when we surrender in faith to Him and allow Him to do so, His life will flow through us and transform our lives, producing “fruit.”

But what do we have to do? How does the grape branch manage to produce the grapes? How hard does it have to work? How much does it have to know so it will do the right thing? Nothing! The fruit emerges naturally because it has the life of the vine flowing through it. Jesus said, “When you make your life in Me (His metaphor for believing fully in Him), My life will flow through you (His metaphor for the Holy Spirit.) And, He said, “you WILL bear much fruit.” How will you do so? By doing what a branch does.

But what does this “fruit” look like? Is this the part where I become the church lady? For a branch of grapes, the fruit looks like grapes. For a branch of pumpkins it looks very different. That’s because the design of the branches is different. Your fruit probably will not look like mine. But fruit from the Holy Spirit, like fruit from a branch, tastes good, feels good and refreshes those it is given to. When the life of Jesus flows through a person who has come to live in Him, Jesus causes that person to produce good things that restore and refresh others.

That’s what you can expect. Next time we’ll go deeper on what the fruit looks like.