1 John 3:7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;
‘Where do babies come from?’ Now, I assume everyone watching has some basic idea of the answer to this, but say you are a parent and your three year old asks you that. What are you going to say? The common response (at least, in America when I was growing up) is some malarkey about a stork. Why do we lie about this? Usually, it is because we know that it is a serious topic that needs a level of maturity to understand and we may not have the time to sit down and carefully think through an age appropriate response. A similarly awkward question for the Christian is, ‘Why do Christians have so many rules?’
It would be really easy to say that we have rules to show us that we need a savior and because Jesus came as our savior, the rules no longer apply. That is to say in essence, ‘Don’t worry about the rules, they no longer apply.’ But that’s not what this verse says. As we’ve talked about sin, purity and hope, I’ve said our purpose is to be like Christ, to grow in maturity. This is a process and something that we are to practice. In this verse, we see that idea confirmed. John calls believers to practice righteousness. We have recorded in the Bible how Jesus interacted with people and called them to faith and obedience. This is our calling as well, to believe in Christ and obey His teachings. Now, the danger is to see this as simply a list of laws to follow. It isn’t just a additional law, it’s a way of life leading to ultimate joy and glory. Jesus didn’t teach an easy path to a good reward. He said, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.’ Nowhere does Jesus teach that following Him is a cake walk.
It’s important to note that these verses in 1st John aren’t saying that my doing good things will make me right with God. Instead they show how God still requires perfection at a level no man can achieve. Who then is the righteous one? It is Christ Jesus. He came showing in His own life the same struggles and pains we have, yet without sin. It is all too easy to be deceived and think that we can either earn salvation, or that because Jesus is our righteousness, we have no responsibility in how we live. We have seen in these verses that as the children of God, Christ’s righteousness saved us and is purifying us. So, as we are thinking about how we are living, lets ask: How am I deceived in my view of Christ? Am I living any old way because I know Christ has saved me? Am I trying to live according to all the rules and regulations so that I can earn salvation and assurance? What does living as a child of God look like?
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