Practice Makes Perfect

May 14

Read: 1 John 3:1-10, focus on 4-10

Practice Makes Perfect

We will abuse God’s love, grace, and mercy if we are not reminded of HIS righteousness and our need to walk in OUR newness of life in Christ. In other words, the experience of God’s love, grace, and mercy cannot take place while we continue to “PRACTICE sin”. “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.” (v.9)

What does it mean to “practice” something? To practice is to seek to become better at something. It means doing something over and over again in an effort to become more effective at doing it. Are you “practicing sin”? Are you doing something - sinning - over and over again and trying to become better at doing it? Maybe you are trying to continue to do it and become more effective at HIDING it? Do you think that if you do one sin or another more “effectively” or long enough that it will bring you life or satisfaction? IT NEVER WILL! Sin will only destroy. It will NEVER bring life or true satisfaction. This is “practicing sin” : to knowingly and actively continue to sin, desiring to sin, seeking to be better at executing that sin and hiding that sin, and hoping it might finally start to satisfy you and bring you the life you hunger for. No amount of practice will make you good enough at sinning to have it bring you what ONLY CHRIST can give.

Some of us know all too well our sins. We long to be set free from them. We know the sting of disappointment and death that comes every time the sin that remains in us surfaces. This is NOT “practicing sin”. John has laid out for us in the beginning of 1 John the truth that we are “beloved” and “children of God '' who have had our sins “taken away” and have been “cleansed” by Christ. (cf. 1 John 1:7,9; 2:1,2,7; 3:1) Take heart, for the one who dwells in you seeks to DESTROY sin. This is God’s plan and desire for you: that you would be strong, abide in Christ, have the knowledge and power of the Holy Spirit manifest in you and that you would OVERCOME THE EVIL ONE. (cf. 1 John 2:13,14, 24,27,28) This is precisely what the Lord came to do: “You know that he (Jesus) appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin…The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” (v.5,8) For everyone who longs to be set FREE from his son - Christ has come to do just that for you!

I think out of a fear of “legalism” or becoming the dreaded “Pharisee’s” we have lost sight of the plain teaching of scripture. The words here in 1 John are not obscure. They are clear. We must not allow the enemy to heap guilt and condemnation upon the children of God for being in the process of rooting out sin and seeking holiness… we are in the process of being made like Christ and into his image. That being said, we must not condone, tolerate, embrace, or become resigned to sin or sinning! We CANNOT normalize sinful behavior. We cannot pretend that a “child of God'' who is “beloved”, has been “cleansed”, forgiven, set free, and is abiding in Christ is going to willingly go on “practicing sin”. “No one who abides in Christ keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him…Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning…No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.” (v.6,8,9)

So what do we “practice”? We practice RIGHTEOUSNESS. “Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as Jesus is righteous.” This is what we seek to do over and over again to become better at. This is what we hope to be more effective in. This is what we seek to bring us the life and satisfaction promised in Christ. We link arms with Christ and we practice righteousness. We seek to become better at using the righteousness that has been given to us by Christ. Christ has paid the price for our sins and has given us his perfect righteousness. This is what we have available to us. We need practice at using it and living into it in our everyday lives! The people of God actively seek to avoid sin while also seeking to practice using their righteousness and newness of life in Christ. Do not become complacent in sinning. Do not be “lulled” into normalizing sinful behavior that is all around us. Do not become “duped” by the ways that sinning has become normal and accepted even amongst God’s people. In this way, the people of God are being deceived by the one who masquerades as light! There is great victory and hope in Christ! I love you guys. - JDP