God's Kingdom

[NoahK]

Christ tells us to seek first the kingdom of heaven (a kingdom of righteousness). So how have you sought righteousness in your life?

 

[Hopeful 2]

Hey All,
That is not quite what John wrote.
1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
Those who walk in darkness, falsely professing a relationship with Jesus, lie.
But John also said:
1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

It is the same people addressed in verse 6 and 10 !
Those who walk in darkness !
They can not say they have fellowship with God, or that they have so sin, or that they have never sinned.
1 John 2:3-6 also shows that those who walk in darkness cannot say they even know God.

If we, we as in John included, say we have no sin, that is also self deception. We lie to ourselves and the truth is not in us.
So, I ask you Hopeful 2, how is your declaration of "no sin" not a self deception?

I walk in the light, and in God there is no sin !

Based upon John's teachings here, if you declare yourself to have "no sin," you are lying to yourself and subsequently to the rest of us.

Do you think anyone walks in God, who is the light ? (1 John 1:5)

As long as we are new creatures within our sinful flesh, the struggle Paul talks about in Romans will continue.

New creatures don't have sinful skin and bones.
2 Cor 5:17..."Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

John is not denying that struggle in his letter.
1 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
John does not want us to sin.
But recognizes that we, even as believers, will sin occasionally.
Sometimes we will lose the struggle.
And John tells us what to do when we do sin.

In 1 John 2, John is pointing out to those who have already used the Advocate that He is there for those who have not yet availed themselves of Him.

One final note, when Jesus taught the Lord's prayer, did He say don't worry about sin because you have no sin?

Jesus walked among men who could not yet be reborn of His Father's seed.
They all walked in the flesh, and not in the Spirit like we can today.

Or did Jesus say " . . . forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." Matt 6:12

He did say it.
To men who still committed sin.
Jesus' resurrection changed that.
Having been given the gift of repentance from sin, we can now turn from sin permanently !
That gift, plus the Holy Ghost, can keep us walking in the light without end.
Thanks be to God !

Our model prayer recognizes our need for continuing forgiveness.
We get that by asking for it.

If that is your model prayer, you are still in the OT.

I believe God left us in these sinful flesh envelopes so that we never take God's grace for granted.

Well don't believe it anymore, because He didn't.
He made us new creatures, gendered from His own Father's seed.

So I try to do two things every day.
Thank God for my life.
And ask for forgiveness.
As long as I do those two things, I have my joy.
1 John 1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
That is what works for me.

Wouldn't walking in complete obedience to God make you more joyous ?

 

[Exeter]

Called to serve? Are you a pastor? Seems the moderators here are very well-versed in Scripture. My experience has been only pastors have that kind of depth of understanding about Scripture is why I asked.

I have done quite a bit of pastoring, preaching, and administration since graduating from Ministry Training College in 1989. My wife and I are in our 70s now so not as active in leadership as we used to be. I must say all followers of Christ are called to serve in some way, but you know that.