filthy rags #flickr https://t.co/9I5cWEcs39— Dave Macpherson (@davmacit) January 4, 2018
The relationship of those in fellowship with God to sin is declared dualistically in the First Letter of John.
* [3:9] A habitual sinner is a child of the devil, while a child of God, who by definition is in fellowship with God, cannot sin. Seed: Christ or the Spirit who shares the nature of God with the Christian.The recognition of Jesus as Messiah is the motivation to join His mission in the Gospel from John.
* [1:41] Messiah: the Hebrew word māśiâh, “anointed one” (see note on Lk 2:11), appears in Greek as the transliterated messias only here and in Jn 4:25. Elsewhere the Greek translation christos is used.Larry Hopp urges us to focus on Jesus and take example from Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton as the message from the texts today.
It is possible to keep our focus upon Jesus and to live our lives according to His holy example. We do not need to worry about perfection in that pursuit, since Jesus has already paid the price for all those times when we falter.The nature of how we live life in the best relationship with Jesus has been a lively discussion for hundreds of years among Christians. The Gospel Coalition quotes John Piper and cites the Westminster Confession on the question of the value of our works.
And if all this were not enough, we are blessed today with the memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. Her life is honored today as a perfect example of what a life lived in righteousness can look like – that it is actually possible regardless of the challenges and heartbreak that we experience throughout our lives.
In a similar fashion, the Westminster Confession offers a wonderfully balanced perspective on how God views the good works of his people:The dilemma sin and being righteous by our works is addressed by Pastor Ford Porter in a Simple Plan Of Salvation By Grace Through Faith Plus Nothing.
Yet notwithstanding, the person of believers being accepted through Christ, their good works are also accepted in him; not as though they were in this life wholly unblameable and unreproveable in God’s sight; but that he, looking upon them in his Son, is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere, although accompanied by many weaknesses and imperfections (WCF 16.6).
God’s Simple Plan Of SalvationPray — you talk to God.Read your Bible — God talks to you.Witness — you talk for God.
Don Schwager notes that Saint Augustine of Hippo reminds us that it is God, our Creator and Redeemer, who seeks us out, even when we are not looking for him. He quotes John Chrysostom (349-407 AD) in an example of how the call may come to us.
"Andrew, after having stayed with Jesus and after having learned what he did, did not keep the treasure to himself but hurries and races to his brother in order to let him know the good things Jesus has shared with him. But why hasn’t John mentioned what they talked about? How do we know this is why they 'stayed with him'?... Observe what Andrew says to his brother, 'We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.' You see how, in a short time, he demonstrates not only the persuasiveness of the wise teacher but also his own longing that he had from the beginning. For this word, 'we have found,' is the expression of a soul that longs for his presence, looking for his coming from above, and is so ecstatic when what he is looking for happens that he hurries to tell others the good news. This is what brotherly affection, natural friendship, is all about when someone is eager to extend a hand to another when it comes to spiritual matters. Also see how he adds the article, for he does not say 'Messiah' but 'the Messiah.' They were expecting the Christ who would have nothing in common with the others." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 19.1)Friar Jude Winkler notes that the text from the First Letter of John is very dualistic in the contrast between good and evil. There is no inbetween.., we belong to Christ or the devil. It is not gray whatsoever but pastorally, we live with a little of one a little of the other. Peter, in the Gospel of John, is contrasted with the Beloved Disciple and the author may be portraying his attitude in the negative characteristics of a rock.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, observes that our life is a dance between the loneliness and desperation of the false self and the fullness of the True Self,... The spiritual journey is a path of deeper realization and transformation; it is never a straight line, but a back and forth journey that ever deepens the conscious choice and assent to God’s work in us.
It’s not about being privately correct; it’s about being fully connected. It’s not about fulfilling requirements; it’s about a trusting relationship. It’s not so much about what we do; it’s about what God does. God and life itself eventually destabilize the boundaries of the small self so we can awaken inside of the Large Self. This usually happens through experiences of great love, suffering, or the forms of prayer that allow the private ego to collapse back into the True Self, where we gratefully shout with Jacob, “You were here all the time, and I never knew it!” (Genesis 28:16).The doctrinal disputes that have been in our history have motivated change in our preaching and practice. We humbly attend to the call of the Lord to “come and see”.
References
(n.d.). John 1:35. Retrieved January 4, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/john/1:35
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved January 4, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(2014, August 13). God Does Not View Your Labors as 'Filthy Rags' - The Gospel Coalition. Retrieved January 4, 2018, from https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/ministry-god-does-not-view-your-labors-as-filthy-rags
(n.d.). God's Simple Plan Of Salvation - Lifegate, Inc.. Retrieved January 4, 2018, from http://www.godssimpleplan.org/gsps-english.html
(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved January 4, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/
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