Doing Right

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER OF JOHN

DOING RIGHT

 

1 John 3:7-10

7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. 9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

NIV

Once again, we are faced with this instruction about sin. Whatever doctrines these false teachers or preachers were spreading included the idea is was alright to keep on sinning. That fact is, as children of God, as people who are born of God, we are to live a righteous life. That is to say, we are not to go about sinning as if we have no relationship with God whatsoever. We should hate sin, yes, even the sin that still creeps up within us at times. Sin is unacceptable, period. It might have been those who lived after the philosophy of Epicureanism who were leading them astray because of how strong John’s language is. It is not alright to follow our passions just because life is short and we should grab all the gusto we can, enjoying the pleasures of life. When left to our old nature, sin would have its way in us. Our old nature was indeed born of the devil, but our old nature died, and we were born again, born of God, so we now live with this new nature which no longer is captive to sin. John makes a very clear distinction here, that if we are born of God we will not continue to go on sinning. However, he does not say that we will never sin, but that we will no longer desire to live a sinful life, but will desire to live a righteous life. Because we are in Christ, we have been set free from the penalty of sin, free to live as children of God. John also adds, which he will develop further that anyone who does not do what is right in not a child of God, nor is anyone who does not live his brother. This doing right is not just about trying not to sin, or checking off a list of things not to do. It is about doing what is right. That could be a whole host of attitudes and behaviors. However, John singles out one very important attitude which controls our behavior, loving our brother. To love our brother carries much meaning. How can we do anything that would harm a brother, or have any ill feelings toward a brother? If we love than we have to always forgive our brother. If we love them, we would always do what is best for them. What we cannot understand is how there can still be cliques within the community of faith. We cannot afford this type of right living as it excludes other brothers. Loving our brother would mean we love all our brothers, and we love them equally without bias, without prejudice, without judgment or condemnation. Loving our brother means we love them, and that would have to fit with how Paul defines love in his letter to the Corinthians. Loving our brothers is not something we can fake, it has to come from our inner nature, which is from God. Certainly, we know God loves us so much that he sent his only Son to die for us. This is how much we should love our brothers. Freely, without reservation, without withholding ourselves, but freely and openly loving our brother. That is doing what is right.