SOAP 01/02/2017; 1 John 5:5

Today's reading: Genesis 3, 4, 5; Luke 2*

S) "⁹ Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"

1 John 5:5 (NASB)
*This verse was highlighted before I kept these entries online, so I wrote a new entry

O) What I love about this verse, is the way that John echoed what he heard (and recorded) from Jesus in John 16:33. The simple choice to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, aligns us with Him in such a way, that we are sharing in His victory over the world. Jesus warned us that we'd have difficulties in the world, and John certainly came to understand that firsthand. However, the wonderful promise is that Jesus has overcome the world first, and that with Him, we also overcome the world.

A) Sometimes, it feels like there can be a burden of faith. It can feel like I need to muster my faith to a certain point in order to see healing, prosperity, obedience, or victory in my life. However, that isn't really what is revealed in this passage. The simple choice to believe that Jesus is who He said He is, that He is the Son of God - that choice to believe is an act of faith that delivers victory in my life. Because I am with Jesus - because He is the Son of God - I am allied with the Victorious One. I overcome the world, with all it's threats and pitfalls and temptations, when I am submitting myself to the truth of God's Word, revealed in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God.

P) Father, thank You for such sweet, simple victory, Lord God! You have done all the work for me, and that grace simply cannot be overstated. Even the faith You require of me, it is so much less than the faith I imagine that I need, sometimes. My victory was secured in Jesus, who first overcame the world so I didn't have to. Now I can overcome the world with Him, simply by believing that He is Your Son. Thank You for opening my eyes and ears, to know and understand the truth of the gospel, Father God. Let my every victory bring glory and praise to Your name. Let Your kingdom come, and Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 01/02/2017; 1 John 3:9

Today's reading: Genesis 3, 4, 5; Luke 2*

S) "⁹ No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; he cannot sin, because he is born of God."

1 John 3:9 (NASB)
*This verse was highlighted before I kept these entries online, so I wrote a new entry

     

O) This verse is not saying that Christians will never sin. The key to understanding this verse (and the passage as a whole), is understanding the term, "practices," as it is used here. When we practice something, we are setting out to become better at it. We make efforts, plans, and sacrifices in order to accomplish the goal of the doing the thing. Christians do not practice sin. The seed within us, as it is written here, is the Spirit of Jesus residing within the believer. That same Holy Spirit is why our flesh is combative within us (see Galatians 5:17). The believer no longer makes plans, trying to get better at sinning, but quite the opposite.

A) This is a promise, because I am not alone in this struggle. God's seed is within me. The words, "he cannot sin," is less definitive than descriptive, I think. I do not desire to sin. My desire for obedience is so high, and my willingness to tolerate sin is so low, that I say, "I cannot sin," the same way I tell my children, "You cannot talk to Your mother that way." But again, the promise to me is that I am not alone in this fight. God is with me, strengthening me, confirming within me the desire to obey Him.

P) Father, thank You for rescuing me with the gospel. Thank You for changing my heart, that I would desire to please You. Each day, let me resist the temptations that come before me, and to pass the tests that You allow into my life. Help me to practice righteousness so that my obedience is pleasing to You. Be glorified in my life, as I forsake my sins every day. Let people around me understand that I have not become a more moral person by loving You, but that my love for You directs my steps to obey Your commands. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.