The Direction of Jesus (August 2011)

Last month we saw that, in regards to sin, we can’t hope to be good enough on our own. That kind of worldview makes God out to be less than God is. When we lessen what our sin is, we also lessen the great redemption of God in our minds, and God won’t put up with that. We also must avoid fatalistic thoughts about our sin that will lead us to another possible response to sin. We could give up and sin unashamed because we cannot be without sin. But scripture tells us we neither sin more to increase God’s grace to us (Rom.6:1-2) nor to admit that we can’t be without sin (1 John 1:8)! The Bible is full of examples of God using the imperfect to accomplish His purposes, so leading lives pock-marked with sin is no cause to give up the fight, to stop the race mid-stride.

Take a moment to read 1 John 1-3:10 – it’s long but key to understanding a life lived in God. The first image given is walking in the light or the darkness. The image is one of action, of practice, of will and direction and continuation and process. The same John that writes 1:8-10 also wrote 3:4-6. What looks fatalistic in Chapter 1 looks legalistic in Chapter 3. Is John confused? I don’t think so. We are not to give up because we struggle with sin. Giving up will show what we’re walking in: light or darkness. We struggle toward that pinnacle of perfection in Jesus, reach for that level of purity (3:3). If we truly belong to God in Jesus, we cannot sin without the Holy Spirit waking us up to what we’re doing. To know God means we will walk in the Light of Christ – not perfectly, not without incident, and not without our wills sometimes leading us astray, toward the darkness. But our direction will be toward Jesus, the One who forgives, and cleanses us from, all sin (1:7,9), serves as our advocate (2:1), appeases God’s wrath in His death (2:2), and gives us the example to follow. Not one, but THE example.

This month consider your steps, your momentary interactions with others, and be honest about whether you are walking in the Light of Life, or the darkness of death. Follow Him and you will practice the righteousness you witness in Jesus… moving from lost to found.