1st
John 3: 6 Whosoever
abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known
Him.
Abide - means to
continue permanently, or in the same state; to be firm and immovable. (Webster)
In other words, you are in for the long haul. You have committed yourself to
your new life in Christ and you will no longer practise living a lifestyle that
is contrary to His teachings, as outlined in the Word of God. If you continue to
practise a lifestyle that is opposite to the teachings of Jesus Christ, then you
do not have relationship with Him.
1st
John 3: 7a Little children,
let no one deceive you:
Little children refer to new
Christians. John wants the new Christians to understand clearly that there are
people out there who pretend to be a part of the body of Christ. Unfortunately,
their sole purpose is to deceive or mislead them down the path to hell with
Satan and his angels and deprive them of an eternity with God.
1st
John 3: 7b He that doeth
righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous.
The mark of a true Christian
is the mark of righteousness and being righteous is living according to the
teachings of God, as outlined by Him in His word.
The
character or quality of a righteous person
The character or quality
of a righteous person can be determined by the type of fruit the person bears.
If a person bears the fruit of the Spirit, you know that person is a true
Christian and is displaying the character of God. (You can find the listing of
the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians
5: 22-23).
The
character or quality of an unrighteous person
The character or quality
of an unrighteous person can also be determined by the type of fruit the person
bears.
If a person is not bearing the fruit of the Spirit, they are manifesting or
displaying the works of the flesh and are displaying the character of Satan.
(You can find the listing of the work of the flesh in Galatians
5: 19-21).
Observation
You cannot identify
what you don’t know. If you don’t know the word of God then you can’t
identify the lies of Satan.
I leave the words of Paul with you today, as written in 2nd Timothy 2: 15.
Study to show thyself
approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing
the word of truth.
A
Prayer to Receive Salvation
Dear
God, I confess that I am a sinner. I believe that Your Son Jesus Christ died for
my sins. I ask Your forgiveness of my sins and accept Your Son into my life as
my personal Lord and Saviour. I believe that You
raised Him from the dead and because of this, I know that I can live a
victorious new life in Christ. Thank You for my salvation.
Now
complete the process of salvation by being baptized.
Acts
2: 38
...Repent
and be baptized … in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your
sins….