1 John 2:1-2
"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:1-2
These are a couple of my favorite verses for several reasons. John communicates the importance of living a righteous life. He states that one of his purposes for writing this was that the reader would not sin. He understands the importance of not sinning! Sin separates us from God period! It hinders our relationship because it is an offense against the God we are trying to relate to. John also communicates grace and hope in these verses. "But if anyone does sin..." I can relate to this can you? When we sin, we need to recognize that its not the end of the world. Jesus Christ is our defense attorney who appeases the wrath of the judge. He appeased that wrath by taking upon Himself the sin of the world. He took my punishment and shame before the Father, and in exchange, He gave me His righteousness. So now I stand before God as completely righteous, not because of what I've done, but because of what He's done! Because my relationship with God depends on the work of Christ and my faith response to Him, it is easy to fall into the trap of doing whatever you want under the often said, "well, God will forgive me." We can't fall into that trap! God, help me to be a person who strives after righteousness! I want to experience unbroken fellowship with you without my sin getting in the way. Thank you for Jesus, who speaks in my defense when I do sin! God, I do not want to take advantage of your grace, but rather I want to be completely Yours. Jesus, you are my atoning sacrifice... may I be your living sacrifice.
These are a couple of my favorite verses for several reasons. John communicates the importance of living a righteous life. He states that one of his purposes for writing this was that the reader would not sin. He understands the importance of not sinning! Sin separates us from God period! It hinders our relationship because it is an offense against the God we are trying to relate to. John also communicates grace and hope in these verses. "But if anyone does sin..." I can relate to this can you? When we sin, we need to recognize that its not the end of the world. Jesus Christ is our defense attorney who appeases the wrath of the judge. He appeased that wrath by taking upon Himself the sin of the world. He took my punishment and shame before the Father, and in exchange, He gave me His righteousness. So now I stand before God as completely righteous, not because of what I've done, but because of what He's done! Because my relationship with God depends on the work of Christ and my faith response to Him, it is easy to fall into the trap of doing whatever you want under the often said, "well, God will forgive me." We can't fall into that trap! God, help me to be a person who strives after righteousness! I want to experience unbroken fellowship with you without my sin getting in the way. Thank you for Jesus, who speaks in my defense when I do sin! God, I do not want to take advantage of your grace, but rather I want to be completely Yours. Jesus, you are my atoning sacrifice... may I be your living sacrifice.
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