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Introduction
What is a Christian?
For many centuries the Christian church believed that all those who were baptized as infants were christians.
Infant baptism in many traditions is called “christening”, for by it you are made a Christian.
In Church history, there were periods where if the ruler/king/prince of the realm were a Christian then you automatically became a Christian.
In our tradition, where we do not practice infant baptism, many people think you are made a Christian by the act of baptism, praying the sinner’s prayer, or walking the aisle.
1 John teaches us in five chapters what a true Christian is really like.
He gives us certain tests that if we apply them to our lives we can understand whether we are Christians according to the teaching of God’s word.
Being a Christian is not something subjective.
It is not something that you feel.
Being a Christian is serious because we are dealing with eternal matters.
We are dealing with matters of heaven or hell.
We are dealing with peoples souls and their eternal destiny.
Today we will consider:
Jesus’ work on our behalf
Test #1 - Obedience to God
I. Jesus’ work on our behalf
I. La obra de Jesús a nuestro favor
Last Lord’s Day we considered the importance of having a right understanding of sin.
If we walk in darkness we cannot claim to have fellowship with God.
We have all sinned.
Those who deny they have sinned make God to be a liar.
Sin is serious because it separates us from God.
The reality is that even as believers we continue to sin.
Why?
We continue to sin because of our flesh.
Our flesh continues to be affected by the effects of sin.
We are tempted in many ways.
Some are tempted through money, fame, fortune.
Others are tempted by drugs, adultery, gossip.
We will continue to struggle with our sinful nature until the day when the Lord takes us home to our heavenly reward.
Although we have been forgiven by God and have been granted salvation, we will struggle with temptation and sin this side of glory.
Many of John’s hearers could have been greatly discouraged because they realized how much they continued to sin.
In fact, even the Apostle Paul speaks of his own struggle with sin:
How much do you and I continue to sin?
It is a struggle for us all!
It is for this reason that John addresses this concern by reminding us what Jesus has done for us:
John 2:
The exhortation is clear.
We are called to flee from sin.
We are called to resist sin.
We are called to stay as far away as we can from sinning against God.
But - if we do sin, there is hope for us.
This hope comes to us because of what Jesus has done for us.
This hope is because Jesus is our advocate before the Father and he is an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Jesus is our advocate.
This term was used to describe someone who presents a defense or intercession on behalf of another.
This term can also be used to describe someone that comes alongside another person as they walk together.
Thi
Jesus is our advocate means that when we do sin, Jesus comes before the presence of the Father and intercedes on our behalf.
Jesus comes before the Father and pleads our case before him, on the basis of his death which has granted us forgiveness.
Because of Jesus’ role as our advocate is that we can have comfort that we cannot loose our salvation because Jesus is our eternal advocate before the Father.
He will not fail.
He will not loose his case.
Notice how the Bible calls Jesus, not only our advocate, but also the Righteous One.
He is called the Righteous One because he is not bribing the Father to let us off the hook.
He is not asking the Father to be lenient because there something good in us.
He is called the Righteous One because he knows God must punish sin - and yet he gave is own life on our behalf.
He knew the terms of God’s justice and determined to be sacrificed for our forgiveness.
Jesus is our atoning sacrifice.
Jesus died on our behalf.
His sacrifice was necessary for the forgiveness of our sins.
The wrath of had to be satisfied.
Our sin offended the holiness of God.
God cannot ignore our sin.
If he were to ignore our sin he would be accused of corruption, of injustice, of favoritism.
Jesus went to the cross to experience the punishment for our sin.
He took the punishment for our sin.
Why would God require such an awful death?
Jesus’ death was truly tragic, gruesome.
After all, it was death by crucifixion!
Many who ask why Jesus’ death was necessary do not understand the seriousness of sin.
Sin is an affront before the face of God.
Sin is the breaking of God’s law.
Sin is man shaking his fist at God. Sin is hatred of God.
For this reason, Jesus had to die because of the hideousness of man’s sin.
Jesus became the sacrifice for our sin, and for the sin of the whole world.
This does not mean all of humanity will be saved!
This means that Jesus’ Christ sacrifice is sufficient to save all those who believe.
Jesus sacrifice is sufficient.
There is nothing else we can do to add to what Jesus has done for us.
All we must do is believe and accept his forgiveness!
II.
Test #1 - Obedience to God
II.
Examen #1 - Obediencia a Dios
How can we know we are truly God’s children?
How can we know we are saved?
How can we know we have experienced the work of regeneration in our life?
John lays out the first test to understand if we are children of God - Do we obey God’s commandments?
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The test is very simple - do we obey his commandments?
Obedience to God’s commandments does not refer to obedience to the Mosaic law.
Otherwise, we would have to stop eating pork, shellfish, we would have to keep the Sabbath, etc.
Obedience to God’s commandments is obeying the law of Christ.
But what is the law of Christ?
Obedience of God’s commandments can be summed up with the words: “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”
We cannot claim to be saved if we walk as pagans.
We cannot claim to be saved if we live as godless family.
We cannot claim to be saved if we fail to apply the words of Jesus to our marriage, to our work life, to our finances, to how we raise our children, to our spiritual life.
The church of Christ must be characterized by obedience to the word of God.
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