January 27, 2016
Scripture Reading: 1 John 3:4-6; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
4Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Questions for Reflection:
In this passage from 1 John, we have a clear picture of our need for the gospel, the power of the gospel and the impact it plays on our life. Toward the beginning of 1 John 3, John crafts two parallel arguments that are laced with truth and power. Today we’ll look at the first of these two statements.
What does John say that everyone who sins is guilty of? When we violate the law of God, we sin. John actually uses the term “lawlessness.” When you think of a lawless society what do you picture? Do you ever view yourself in that condition? Why or why not?
According to 1 John 3:5, why did Jesus Christ appear? How does John describe him at the end of that verse? What is sin? Why is it significant that Jesus Christ was without sin? Paul writes to the church in Corinth and says that God reconciled (made right) all things through Jesus Christ. In fact, Paul writes that “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Theologians have called this the great exchange. What’s so great about this exchange? When you think about God’s work in your life, does it seem great to you? Why or why not?
John goes on to say that when we recognize the value and the length that God went to demonstrate His love toward us that it will fuel our desire to not sin. CS Lewis wrote that God needs to change our fundamental desires:
Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
When we fully understand the depth to which Christ Jesus sank so that we could have grace, it changes you. Gary Burge writes “Holiness becomes an imperative fueled not by fear of jeopardy but by a heartfelt response to the security that God’s love gives to us. Cosmetic changes appear in our lives in response to threat. Permanent changes comes to us when we are safe and assured in God’s love; this safety must be anchored in the objective work of Christ on the cross.” How does the cross serve as an anchor in your life? How does it help keep you from danger? How does it change the direction of your life?