Against Idols

This prayer that they offer for their brother or sister will have the impact of giving the believer life. That God will work in them to help them in their struggle against sin.

This is part of loving one another is caring for the walk of other believers lives. To not neglect how our brother or sister is walking in the faith.

The way for us to deal with the sin in other peoples lives is to pray and to know that God hears it.

We know that all sin leads to death, but those who turn from sin and instead go to obedience to Jesus are no longer in this death but God gives life to them. But the one that continues on in sin, they will go to death.

But forgiveness in Christ leads to life if we ask for forgiveness through Christ.

The question it asks is how much do we care for our friends? Do we care about them enough to pray for them when they are struggling? Do we think that they can win their fight against sin on their own? Do we think we can stop them from sinning? Both of those would be wrong.

We can’t stop another person from sinning, they can’t do it on their own. But God can help them. We can care about them enough to go to the Lord. If there is a person who you don’t like seeing here, someone you think has wronged you or is acting “foolish” then pray! That is why we pray, because God can change things that we can’t!

John isn’t saying that we shouldn’t pray for the person dealing with these sins.

-First this doesn’t refer to physical death but spiritual death.

-This probably refers to those who don’t believe in Jesus and show that with their actions. A believer can’t continue on in unrepentant sin. Those who demonstrate they have never been true believers.

Although some may say they are believers they show by their actions they have never been our brothers and sisters.

-What I believe John is trying to say is that what we need to worry about with these people is not the individual sins of this person but rather for their salvation. They are not going to be repentant if they are not a believer. Their salvation should come first.

So who do you know that isn’t a believer? That is walking the road to death? Are you praying for their salvation? Praying that God would change their hearts? Do you care about them enough to do that?

Keeping ourselves from sin.

John says the one who is born of God doesn’t continue in sin because we are no longer tempted in the same way the world is. We know the world is taken to sin easily because that is the way that they live. But we, as believers have the understand to recognize sin and stay away from in. We can have this assurance.

John has talked a lot about us knowing “we are of God” and are “born of God”. He has told us our assurance is based on God’s testimony about His son Jesus, that Jesus saved us from our sin. That those who truly believe in Christ will not walk in sin but will walk according to the Spirit. Jesus has delivered us from sin and the power of sin.The believer doesn’t persist in habitual, or “live in”, sin. But as those who have been born again we have new behaviour. And if we are seeking to obey God in our life then we can be confident in our salvation (not that we are perfect but that we are growing). This obedience means we love one another and that we love God. Our assurance is also upheld by our prayer to God that he helps us in our obedience and that if we ask anything according to His will He will give it to us.

Our assurance is not based on subjective criteria. We “feel” like a Christian. “I try to be a good person.” “I just know”. Rather it is based on tangible information. Our belief in Jesus as the Son of God who came and died. Our actions that are obedient to God’s commands. And our love for God and others.

That is because we know where true life comes from. The rest of the world is searching for life, they are searching for the thing that will “save” them, that will make them feel important, that will give them purpose in life.

Often time we look for that purpose in others. We search for purpose in how a sports team does, we follow a certain influencer or celebrity and if they have success then we feel gratification from that, we buy their merch and their albums or watch their movies. We have a certain political stance and we feel happiness when we “prove” others wrong or attack others with opposing views. Whatever our lives revolve around is something that is an idol in our life.

But Christ gives us understanding, He makes us aware of the devils schemes.

We are to follow the “true God” and the “eternal life”. Not the imposters, not the fakes, not the deceivers. But the true salvation.

What John ends with, the last thing he wants them to know is that they should guard themselves against idols. “Reject the false and embrace the real.”

He is telling them that the most important thing they could do for their faith is be wary of what may be trying to take our attention and faith away from God. You who know the true God, in whom you have eternal life, must keep yourselves away from the teachings of the heretics which lead only to eternal death. In the manner of those who made idols in the place of God, the heretics have corrupted the glory of the incorruptible God by their wicked doctrines which bear the stamp of corruptible things.

To be careful about what is pulling on our hearts to believe in or to follow. It is a constant battle. A battle we can win one day and lose the next. A battle we can forget we are fighting at some points. A battle we can think we are winning and then when we look at our lives we are actually losing.

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