{"id":505,"date":"2017-08-15T04:34:08","date_gmt":"2017-08-15T12:34:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=505"},"modified":"2017-08-15T04:34:08","modified_gmt":"2017-08-15T12:34:08","slug":"devotion-1-john-18-22-sure-thing-believe-and-receive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=505","title":{"rendered":"Devotion\u00a0\u00a0 1 John 1:8 – 2:2\u00a0\u00a0 Sure Thing \u2013 Believe and Receive!"},"content":{"rendered":"

1 John 1:8 \u2013 2:2 <\/strong>\u2013\u00a0If we claim to be without sin,\u00a0we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.\u00a09\u00a0If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins\u00a0and purify us from all unrighteousness.\u00a010\u00a0If we claim we have not sinned,\u00a0we make him out to be a liar\u00a0and his word is not in us.\u00a0 1 My dear children,\u00a0I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate\u00a0with the Father\u2014Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.\u00a02\u00a0He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins,\u00a0and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.<\/span><\/p>\n

If we claim to not need forgiveness of sin because we have not been born with original sin, then \u201cwe deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us<\/span>.\u201d\u00a0 Those who delude themselves to not believing that original sin is within us all when we are born, have deceived themselves (Psalm 51:5, Ephesians 2:3<\/strong>).\u00a0 They have gone beyond lying about what they know to be true.\u00a0 What started as a lie to oneself, and others, then often repeated, becomes a lie that we delude ourselves into believing.\u00a0 We see it around us in those who tire of being repentant, or of feeling guilty, and so decide that will conclude that they are not guilty and so will not be repentant or ashamed.\u00a0 When God touches a soul, the soul can respond in a couple different ways.\u00a0 It can respond in a right manner and yield to God.\u00a0 Or it can respond in a wrong way and rebel against God (Genesis 4:6-7<\/strong>).\u00a0 It is the rebelling that creates a calloused, hard heart that, if persisted upon, leads to a hard ground that will not accept seed from heaven (Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

The Gnostics of John\u2019s day denied that they sinned.\u00a0 They believed they had esoteric knowledge that freed them from the guilt of sin. They believed that, though in physical bodies, they no longer were physical beings, but now spiritual beings.\u00a0 Since who they really were, they believed, was spiritual beings, their physical sins were no longer part their responsibility, because they were spiritual and not physical.\u00a0 They taught that all matter was evil and they were beyond that.\u00a0 In fact, they deny that Jesus came to earth and took the form of man because then he took on matter, which they believed was evil, and Jesus had no evil in Him.\u00a0 Yes, the most powerful lies are mixed with truth to come up with the wrong conclusion.\u00a0 While it is true that the righteousness of Jesus was imputed onto us and our filth was put onto Him, it is not true that we are guiltless of the sin we do.\u00a0 We are clearly called to repent and turn away from sin.\u00a0 The deception the Gnostics clung to came from putting into the Hebrew law and Christian Gospel what they wanted to believe and not receiving from them what they actually said.\u00a0 Yet, it was a powerful deception that was a supposed threat to the early church.\u00a0 Supposed, because we know that Jesus was watching over His flock.\u00a0 There is no other reason for its survival.<\/p>\n

However, rather that denying our sin by saying it is not sin, or were not born of sin, or the sin that we do is not us and so we are free from the responsibility of it, we do not deceive ourselves but acknowledge the sin that we all do.\u00a0 We acknowledge that though we hate the sin we do, we do it.\u00a0 We know we have corrupt flesh that clings to us and though we have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit within, the flesh calls to us and we still sin.\u00a0 Acknowledging that we have sinned we confess our sins to God.\u00a0 When we first come to God we acknowledge that we were born in sin, and that we have committed sins .\u00a0 After coming to the Lord His precious Holy Spirit is continually working on us to work sin out of us.\u00a0 Praise God!\u00a0 Yet, until we are brought home in heaven, until we our free from these terrestrial bodies and are found in our eternal celestial bodies, we will struggle with sin.\u00a0 Of course, the hold of sin on us should weaken, but on this earth, it will persist.<\/p>\n

We are thankful that the Lord did not forgive only our sins to the time of our conversion, but He also died for every sin we would ever do.\u00a0 So what is V9<\/strong> stating?\u00a0 Is it stating that every time we sin we must again be reborn?\u00a0 Is it saying that we have fallen from grace and need to again be saved?\u00a0 No!\u00a0 Jesus died once for all sin (Romans 6:10<\/strong>).\u00a0 There is no more need of sacrifice (Hebrews 10:18<\/strong>).\u00a0 The one work of Jesus is efficacious for all our lives.\u00a0 Remember that God is omniscient and when Jesus died for our sins, He already knew what all our sins would be.\u00a0 Yup, He died for the \u201cwhole enchilada!\u201d<\/p>\n

If we claim that we have not sinned, that we do not sin, that is clearly against the Word of God.\u00a0 If we refuse to acknowledge the Truth of the Word, then we call God a liar.\u00a0 If we call the Word of God, if we call God a liar, than God is not within us.\u00a0 If He is not within us, then we are not His and we are still lost in our sins (John 14:15-17<\/strong>).\u00a0 Family, we all still sin.<\/p>\n

I remember a time in my walk when I would, at the end of the day, stop to pray and repent.\u00a0 I tell you that I would struggle to remember a sin that day.\u00a0 I was sure I must have sinned, but I could not recall any.\u00a0 So I asked God about that.\u00a0 Oh, He opened my eyes about that.\u00a0 Yes, I was sinning in so many ways.\u00a0 Sins of commission and omission.\u00a0 In fact, sin that was still in my heart would later burst out and cause great harm.\u00a0 Oh Lord forgive me, I am still such a sinner.\u00a0 But, praise God, I am a sinner on the mend.\u00a0 All credit and thanks to our God!<\/p>\n

1 John 2:1-2 <\/strong>are precious. \u00a0They say so much!\u00a0 A paraphrase may be \u201cDear children, don\u2019t sin.\u00a0 Fight it and resist it.\u00a0 However, you will sin.\u00a0 But don\u2019t be discouraged because we have an advocate, our Hero Jesus, who is with the Father.\u00a0 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins.\u201d\u00a0 So, belonging to Him, Jesus already paid the full ransom to bring us into a right relationship with God.\u00a0 He died for all of our sins.\u00a0 And not only ours, but for the sins of the whole world.\u00a0 Yup, though not all will not choose to receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus, the gift was meant for all, though of course, God knew not all would come to Him.\u00a0 Tragic!<\/p>\n

These verses bring us a hope that never fades or perishes.\u00a0 Jesus died for our sins and though we struggle against the desire to sin, and too often fail in that struggle, God, who has accounted for all, has made a clear path to Him by taking everything into account.\u00a0\u00a0 We are called to no longer sin.\u00a0 God knows we still will. See God looks at us the same way He looked at King David, He looks are our hearts (Acts 13:22<\/strong>).\u00a0 He sees that we want to please, but often fall short.\u00a0 It is the heart that is for Him that He wants (Acts 3:19<\/strong>).\u00a0 A heart for Him desires to please Him (Psalm 40:8<\/strong>).\u00a0 A heart for Him cries out and asks God to reveal sin our lives (Psalm 139:23<\/strong>).\u00a0 We ask Him to help us remove it from our lives so that we may please Him and not sin.\u00a0 And the beauty of it is, that He does!\u00a0 He has thought of it all!\u00a0 What that means is that we are safe in Jesus. Jesus who does not change keeps us safe (Hebrews 13:8<\/strong>).\u00a0 We are His and evermore shall be.\u00a0 May our hearts ever more belong to Him.\u00a0 He is always looking at hearts (Romans 8:27<\/strong>).\u00a0 He knows our sin is temporary, He wants our hearts.\u00a0 It is all tied together.\u00a0 Our actions and words reveal what is in our hearts (Proverbs 4:23, Luke 6:45<\/strong>).\u00a0 Let us continue to confess the sins that we surely choose to do.\u00a0 He will surely forgive us.\u00a0 Let our hearts be right with God, and more so every day.\u00a0 God is good all the time.\u00a0 He loves us.\u00a0 Our sins have been forgiven and always are.\u00a0 That\u2019s just how God is.\u00a0 Praise God!\u00a0 He indeed is so wonderful!<\/p>\n

Psalm 150:6<\/strong>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Micah 7:7<\/strong>\u00a0– But as for me, I watch\u00a0in hope\u00a0for the\u00a0Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear\u00a0me.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Micah 6:8<\/strong>\u00a0–\u00a0He has shown You, O man, what\u00a0is\u00a0good; And what does the\u00a0Lord\u00a0require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1 John 1:8 \u2013 2:2 \u2013\u00a0If we claim to be without sin,\u00a0we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.\u00a09\u00a0If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins\u00a0and purify us from all unrighteousness.\u00a010\u00a0If we claim we have not sinned,\u00a0we make him out to be a liar\u00a0and his…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192],"tags":[82,315,1841,1865,104,100,101,94,88,17,551,10],"class_list":["post-505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion","tag-acts","tag-believe","tag-ephesians","tag-genesis","tag-hebrews","tag-john","tag-matthew","tag-micah","tag-proverbs","tag-psalm","tag-receive","tag-romans"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=505"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":506,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505\/revisions\/506"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}