1)
Behold,
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called
the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not,
because it knew him not.
2)
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we
know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as
he is.
3)
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
4)
Whosoever committeth
sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the
transgression of the law.
5)
And ye know that he was manifested to
take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
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he people of God must come to understand the meaning of the word “in” connection with Christ, God and the Lord. Very simply, it means “in union with.” In that He becomes the controlling factor in our lives when we receive Him, it is to be our “natural” state of affairs to have such a relationship with Him.
Because
one in union with another takes on his characteristics, we are to be without
sin. One of the biggest problems with the Church world, today, is that though
its members profess salvation, they are living in sin. At the very least, this
is confusing to the unsaved.
The
only way for anyone to be able to “beat the flesh” is to stop following its
dictates. This is possible only through the Holy Ghost—and then, only if He is
heeded.
A
reality of the Holy Ghost is that what is on the inside is what will guide
one’s behavior. Yes, one can house the Spirit of Life, yet not exhibit that behavior
because He is not one’s controlling factor.
It
is the purging process which allows sinlessness.
During this process, all of the “oldness” is worked out of us that we might be
remolded and reshaped by the Lord. All that He allows to come our way after
salvation is for the purpose of changing us into “new” men.
The
greatest tragedy of mankind, today, is that the very One Who has been sent for
his “liberation” is the One Who is rejected. He is left behind when one commits
sin. Yes, the scriptures say that “…(He) will never
leave you, nor forsake you,” but it does not say that we will never leave Him.
The
only “confusion” that we ought to cause in the unsaved and fleshly saints who
are confused is when we operate by the direction of the Spirit. Doing the
“right thing” should be puzzling to those without the point of reference of the
Holy Ghost.
In
our text, we see that those who saw Paul after his conversion had no means by
which to understand him but by what they knew of him. Therefore, this is how
they dealt with him. The problem is a common one and because it is not
understood by most, it causes a problem. One of the most frequently heard
complaints of the people of God is about how “people” always “bring up” their
past sins and transgressions. Well, what most people do not like to face is
that often, they are scrutinized because there is no difference seen in them.
Simply “feeling” as if one has changed is not enough. If things are truly
different, there will be some sign.
Verse
two of our text refers to the fact that Jesus was not seen as He really was.
Actually, it was impossible at the time and even now, we are not blessed with
that privilege. What we can know, however, is who Jesus is and this knowledge
is that which blesses us to know who we are.
The
subject of sin is one largely not seriously dealt with. It is talked about, but
not necessarily shunned. Those who sin have no hope of seeing God while “in”
their sin. If one is ever to have hope of being with the Lord, he must purify
himself. No one is big enough or bad enough to do as he please—and be pleasing
to God.
It
is the “old life” and its nature to sin that necessitates being “born again.”
When this becomes the reality of the believer, he is able to rebuild “from the
ground up,” so to speak. It is the cessation of sin itself,
that brings joy to the life of the believer. Continuing in righteousness
allows one to get to the place where he is able to praise God at all times!
“In
(Jesus) is no sin” because He possessed a singleness of purpose—and that purpose
was to do the will of the Father. One is “led away” from that purpose only
if he finds himself loving something more than he loves God. At all times,
in all things, the Lord is to be considered first! He comes before friends,
family and even one’s brothers and sisters. He will never be found in second
position and those who profess to know Him, but persist in occupying their
own “thrones” will find their lives a “mess.”