Scripture: 1 John 2:6 – “Whoever says, ‘I abide in him,” ought to walk just as he walked.” (NRSV)
Has anyone ever told you that you were a sinner? Well, you are. People may mean different things by this. To some, it is a moral condemnation, indicating that you may have behaviors or beliefs which clash with established religious or social mores. You may be contrasted with the faithful or the chosen or the saved. But the bible teaches us that we are all sinners in some way because we are all imperfect.
I like to define sin as anything that separates you from God. If someone condemns you for finding and loving God in nature instead of worship service, for example, that is not a sin if it brings you closer to God. Likewise, doing normal social or religious activities, if they make you self-righteous or cruel, are sinful if they bring you away from God and God’s will of love and peace for the world.
Buried toward the back of the New Testament is an epistle called the First Letter of John. This “First John” is different from the Gospel according to John, although many people believe they were written by the same person. First John better than perhaps any other text in the Bible describes God as love, a love which calls us into action. The letter describes how God defends us from sin, using legal language. “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous…” In other words, Jesus knows our imperfections and the fact that we get caught up in the ways of life, in emotions of fear, anger, and selfishness. And through Jesus’ love, we are forgiven of our sins and called back into connection with God.
Okay, now what? To many, salvation is a one-and-done gift, and that afterwards they can do whatever they want knowing that they “abide in Christ.” But First John says that you cannot just talk the talk; you have to walk the walk. “Whoever says, ‘I abide in him,” ought to walk just as he walked.” The letter calls us to follow Jesus’ commandments to love and forgive others and to avoid as much as possible behavior that separates us from God. This is what we have learned from Jesus. And if we are forgiven for our past mistakes, it is easier to live as God wants us too, even if we stumble along the way.
Jesus walked from town to town, healing the sick and preaching a world where the meek inherit the earth. He walked to feast with the righteous and suffer with sinners. He walked a long road toward Jerusalem and the cross. He walked in resurrection joy along the shores of the Sea of Galilee with his disciples, asking them to feed his sheep before he came again. Jesus walked a lot, and Jesus is calling you to walk in similar ways: helping those in need through charity, advocacy, and loving relationships; telling the world why we love him so much; and at times to sacrificing what makes life easy in order to help a world become right.
You have your marching orders. What will be your first step?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me walk with you when times are easy and when times are tough. Amen.
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