1 John 3:10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
Looking at the verses we have covered so far, we have seen the principle of being a child of God. Those who are in Christ are to be perfect (sinless). This is a matter of practice and the work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in our lives. Jesus came to take away sin (see verse 5) and destroy the works of the devil (see verse 8). John has laid out what our hope in Christ should produce, sinless perfection. We have talked about how we are unable to achieve this on our own, it is the free gift of Christ. But that doesn’t mean we are inactive. The call of this passage is to practice righteousness, to live according to the pattern and teachings of Jesus. Verse 10 makes this point, How can we tell if we are children of God? How do we see Christ living in us? By practicing righteousness. God is the one who saves us and transforms our lives. We have been completely justified by Jesus’s righteousness. This is the ultimate Christmas gift. And what do you do with Christmas gifts? You use them. What good is having a gift and not using it? We are to put it into practice now what we look forward to the coming of God’s kingdom. Horatius Bonar but these truths into his hymn ‘Not What My Hands Have Done.’
1. Not what my hands have done
Can save my guilty soul;
Not what my toiling flesh has borne
Can make my spirit whole.
Not what I feel or do
Can give me peace with God;
Not all my prayers,
And sighs and tears
Can bear my awful load.
2. Thy work alone, O Christ,
Can ease this weight of sin
Thy blood alone O Lamb of God,
Can give me peace within.
Thy love to me O God,
Not mine, O Lord, to Thee
Can rid me of
This dark unrest,
And set my spirit free!
…
5. I praise the God of grace,
I trust His truth and might
He calls me His, I call Him mine,
My God, my joy, my light
’Tis He Who saveth me,
And freely pardon gives
I love because
He loveth me,
I live because He lives!
We are to live as Jesus lived. Practically, what is that to look like? This verse from 1 John introduces the theme of loving our brother. We will talk more about this in the days to come. As we come to this topic. let’s ask ourselves: what are the practical ways I am to practice righteousness? Do I know the Bible’s teachings put them into practice?I got the lyrics form here
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