7 Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. 8But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. 10 So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.
Children of God
This is one of those passages that can easily be misunderstood or misquoted if one is not careful. It’s important to know what it isn’t saying as much as what it is saying.
It’s not saying that our good behaviour is what makes us children of God. After all, that would contradict the entire message of grace. Either we can’t earn God’s acceptance or we can. I believe the Bible is very clear that we are accepted by God because of what Christ did for us and not because of anything we’ve done. And so, John is not saying that you have to do good things in order to be a child of God.
What he is saying is that there should be evidence – fruit – that you have turned your life over to God. There should be a difference in those who claim to be followers of Christ. Our lives should show that we are no longer living for ourselves but for God’s purposes. If there is no evidence to point to that change, then has there really been a change?
Of course that leads to the question of what that evidence should be. Are we moving toward that “list of sins” again? No, we’re not. John suggests that the evidence of a life changed by God is a turning away from sin. And, as we discovered yesterday, sin is whatever keeps me from loving God and loving others.
So, a child of God – one who has experienced the transformation that comes from accepting the gift of grace – should demonstrate that change by striving to love God and love others every day. And, there should be evidence of that love for God and others in how we live.
My prayer: Lord, help me to live my life as one who represents what it means to be a child of God. I pray that in every thing, I will bear the fruit of someone who loves you and loves others. Amen.
Until tomorrow.
