1 John 3:4-10
1. The nature of sin, v. 4
“lawlessness”- the rejection of God’s authority and the exaltation of the autonomy of the self.
2. The person and work of Jesus, v. 5-8
Sound doctrine is a summary of the Bible’s teaching that is both faithful to the Bible and useful for life.
-Bobby Jamieson
Two foundational truths...
a) the incarnation
b) the sinlessness of God
v. 6- “in him…in him”
v. 7- “is righteous…as he is righteous”
v. 8- “makes a practice of sinning…has been sinning from the beginning”
3. The agency of the Holy Spirit, v. 9
“seed”-whatever possesses vital force or life giving power; of divine energy, of the Holy Spirit operating within the soul by which we are regenerated.”
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”
-Romans 8:1-11
4. Biblical doctrine provides clarity, v. 10
The evidence…
a) practice righteousness
b) love others
Three things to consider in loving hard to love people…
Do I want to forgive this person?
Do I believe things about them that are not true but you like believing them?
Do I really know them?
Mental worship…
What, if anything, is evident about your faith?
What was your attention drawn to in the sermon today?
How often do you experience the life of the Holy Spirit in you?
Is there one doctrine/belief in Christianity that you want to better understand as a result of what you heard today?
Who is the hardest person for you to love right now?