6.24.14

1 John 2 — Walking with Christ

“Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” 2:6 There are many bold statements about walking with Christ in this chapter, most of them feel impossible. If we love Christ, we must live as he did, being ever truthful, without hate, in the light. Certainly a tall order, especially for the new Christian. I don’t think John is suggesting that our only path to Jesus lies in our perfect behavior. I think the point IS that its impossible, alone. He writes in the first part of the chapter: “…if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense — Jesus Christ, the righteous one.” 2:1 Obviously we won’t be without sin, there will be times when we exhibit ALL of the behaviors carved out here as leading to separation from God. But the good news!: We have an advocate who has made our way. The great LIE is we have to be clean to come into fellowship with God. The liar is always telling us that if we aren’t living righteously, then God wants nothing to do with us. But that lie is a denial of the power of Christ. The power of Christ for us is that he advocates for us to the Father, making our way to him sure!