Sermons:

The Sin Unto Death   1 John 5:16-17  by Ed Boggess

Security    Romans 8:31-39    by Ed Boggess

The Spirit God Gave Us   2 Timothy 1:7   by Joseph Horton

          Through the years I have heard preachers say, “Sin is sin. There are no big sins and little sins.” While this is generally true and I have repeated it myself from time to time, I have found a passage that raises a question: 1 John 5:16, 17. In these verses John speaks of “sin that does not lead to death” and “sin that leads to death”. In view of this distinction, I believe we should study this passage and understand what John meant.

          In studying any passage we need to place it in its context. Therefore, before we attempt to answer what the distinction is between the sin that leads to death and the sin that does not lead to death, we will attempt to answer two questions by studying the context of 1 John: first, what does 1 John teach us about sin generally and second, what does 1 John teach us about forgiveness?

          What does 1 John teach us about sin? First, God is not the author of sin, nor did He create man to sin. “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all”, 1:5. The light is righteousness and the darkness is sin. God is good; God is righteous, He is just. Thus, “all unrighteousness is sin”, 5:17. Since God designed us and God has nothing to do with sin, we may conclude we were designed for righteousness, not sin. God’s laws define right doing. If we do what is not right, we break God’s law and sin. “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness and sin is lawlessness”, 3:4. God, who is righteous and loves righteousness, desires righteousness is us and when we fail, we break God’s law and break God’s heart.

          Second, all sin is of the devil, 3:8. Several examples are provided to illustrate this fact. “Cain who was of the wicked one” murdered his brother, 3:12. “And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brothers were righteous.” Another example is all who love this world, 2:15-17. The things of the world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, are not of God. They will pass away but the one who does God’s will, who loves righteousness, will not pass away. Another example is “whoever has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need and shuts up his heart from him”, 3:17. Such a one may profess love for God in word and tongue, but let it be seen in deed and in truth, 3:18! As Jesus has shown us what love is, because He laid down his life for us; may we be willing to sacrifice our lives for the brethren, 3:16.

          Third, everyone of us sins and  falls short of the design of God. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not is us”, 1:8. Furthermore, we make God a liar, 1:10. But someone raises the question, since we all sin, how can anyone know and distinguish who is a child of God and who is not? John provides us the answer. Just as the Continental Divide separates the American land mass into two parts where all the rain that falls on one side flows to the Atlantic and all the rain that falls on the other flows to the Pacific, there is a spiritual Continental Divide in 3:10. “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.” The key word is “practice”. It refers to one’s way of life. It involves our intent and purpose in life. John says, “I write that you may not sin . . . and if anyone sins . . .” 2:1, 2. It is a fact of life that we all sin. The question is, are we trying to do what is right or not?

          What does 1 John teach us about forgiveness? The one thing that John says over and again is that Jesus is the answer to sin! When we do sin, the Christian has an Advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous, 2:2. “He is the propitiation for our sins”, 2:2 & 4:10. “He was manifested to take away our sins”, 3:5; and “to destroy the works of the devil”, 3:8. “He laid down His life for us”, 3:16. Jesus is the answer; He is the solution.

          Forgiveness is flows to all who choose to walk in the light, 1:7. But what does it mean to walk in the light? It cannot mean that we do not sin, because in the following verse, verse 8, to deny our sinfulness is to become a liar! Moreover, walking in the light results in Jesus’ cleansing us from all sin, verse 7. Therefore, walking in the light must mean the same thing as that which distinguishes a child of God from a child of the devil, the practice of righteousness, 3:10. The one who walks in the light is the one who has set his heart on pleasing God and walking in righteousness. He stumbles and falls and sins, but as he does so, the blood of Jesus washes and cleanses him.

          Moreover, I would emphasize that this cleansing is from “all sin”. Look at 1:7 and 1:9: “cleanses us from all sins” and “cleanses us from all unrighteousness”. There is no sin that is too big to be forgiven! “All sin”, “all unrighteousness” – does all mean all? Yes, it means all! No matter what you may be guilty of, the grace and forgiveness of God is greater than your sin.

          That brings us back to our original question: what is the “sin that leads to death” and the “sin that does not lead unto death”, 5:16, 17? First, the sin unto death is a sin for which John says it will do no good to pray for others committing it, 5:14. In view of the power of prayer, this is a remarkable statement, 5:15. This is not intended to imply that forgiveness depends on our prayers for each other. It simply means that praying for one another is an expression of loving one another, of walking in the light and of receiving forgiveness in harmony with God’s will. Thus, the sin that does not lead to death is the sin that is forgiven in harmony with God’s will. Consequently, a brother who is “sinning a sin unto death” must be a brother who is not walking in the light. Since, “all sin” is forgiven, no matter what the sin may be, when we walk in the light, the “sin unto death” is not a specific sin but any and all sin that result from a brother who is no longer intent on practicing righteousness and pleasing God. A number of examples are found in 1 John. In 2:11, 3:13f and 4:20 it is the one “who hates his brother”. In 4:5 it is the one who rejects apostolic authority and refuses to listen to the words of God. It is not that these are sins that cannot be forgiven. It is that when a Christian rejects God and chooses to practice unrighteousness, he no longer enjoys forgiveness of any sin!

          But I will close on a high and positive note. Look at 3:1 – “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God!” If we will only contemplate the wondrous blessing of becoming literally and genuinely children of the Almighty Creator of all the universe, let us cry out “Abba, Father” and He will answer.

          Men, according to the stewardship from God which was given to fulfill the word of God.
 

Security    Romans 8:31-39    by Ed Boggess:

          Have you ever been asked, “Are you saved?” How did you respond? Did you hesitate and say, “I hope so.” I have often heard this response. So why, in view of God’s promises is a child of God uncertain? They reply, “I’m not sure I’m good enough” or “know enough” or “have done enough”. So here we are encouraging others to become Christians so they can be as uncertain and full of doubts as the rest of us! God forbid! That is not what God had in mind.

          Read over Romans 8:31-39 and tell me what tone you perceive. Is it a tone of uncertainty or confidence, full of doubts or full of assurance? If you are one of those treading water in a sea of question marks, it is my intention to lift you to the solid ground of an exclamation point.

          Before we take a closer look at the text, we should put it into context. Paul began Romans with proving that everyone is guilty of sin, chapters 1-3. From there he shows that salvation is through obedient faith, chapters 4-5. In chapters 6-8 he introduces the blessings of salvation. It is in this section we find our text. In the immediate context of chapter 8, verses 1-11 discuss the blessing of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling the Christian, verses 12-17 the blessing of being a child of God and verses 18-39 the blessed triumph of the Christian over all challenges and troubles. So our text comes within the section that assures us of triumph over every challenger.

          First, I ask, as Paul also asked in verse 31, is God for us or is God against us? There can be no doubt as to the answer: God is for us. God wants you saved! Working backward, look at the evidence Paul supplies. In verse 32 Paul reminds us that God “spared not His own Son but delivered Him up for us all. God is for us. Verse 28 assures us that God works all things together for good for His children. God is for us. Verse 15 reminds us that God adopted us as His own children, giving us the right to call upon Him as Father. God is for us. Verse 1 lays the foundation stone: “there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus”. God is for us. How can we conclude anything else? God is on our side! God wants me and you to be saved.

          Furthermore, suppose you are before the Judge on the last day and someone brings an accusation against you. Who might that be? Satan is the “accuser of our brethren, who accuses them before our God day and night”, Revelation 12:10. The accusation is introduced. You sinned. The devil claims you have no right to enter heaven. But remember God is on your side. So verse 33 asks “who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.” Our Father will handle it. Or suppose someone condemns. Verse 34 replies that it is Jesus who makes intercession for us. Moreover there is no natural calamity or military power sufficient to rob us of our salvation. Verse 37 says, “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” On this basis Paul concludes in verses 38, 39 that no power or being in heaven or in earth can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ.

          Second, anytime I have talked about assurance and security, someone raises objections. So I raise some of these that others have raised and offer my answer to each. Someone says, “That sounds a lot like ‘once saved always saved.’” I reply, “No.” This security is to those who are “in Christ”, 8:1 & 39. Those who are in Christ are those “led by the Spirit”, 8:14; those “who eagerly await with perseverance”, 8:25; and those “who love God”, 8:25. However, if we do not remain in Christ, if we no longer are willing to be led by the Spirit, if we refuse to persevere, and if we no longer love God, we forfeit the blessings and assurances connected with them. In 8:5-7 there are two kinds of people introduced: those who live according to the flesh and those who live according to the Spirit. When we live according to the Spirit, security is ours, but if we reject the Spirit for the flesh, we lose that assurance.

          Another objects, “’I am carnal, sold under sin’ and ‘those who are in the flesh cannot please God’, 8:8!” When we are faced with our own sin and failings, we surely feel the weight of guilt. These were the very words of Paul in Romans 7:14. However, 8:9 reminds the children of God who they are in spite of their sins and failings, “but you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit”. How can this be? Look at verse 10. It answers, “because of righteousness.” It is not my righteousness; it is not your righteousness; we have no righteousness of our own! It is the righteousness that God supplies and imputes on our behalf when we accept His Son as Lord and Savior, 4:5f. The difference between living according to the flesh and living according to the Spirit is not that one sins and the other does not. The difference is who are you and I trying to serve. Is our mind set on serving God or the flesh, 8:5?

          Another objects, “But I’m not sure I’ve done enough. I don’t think I measure up.” Have you ever stood beside the casket of a fine Christian and heard someone say, “He was such a good person. If he doesn’t make it, no one will.” Do you know what is wrong with that? Everything! No one measures up. No one does enough. No one is good enough. If we do everything we are supposed to do, we have only done that for which we were designed to do. God didn’t design us to sin! Suppose you have a toaster. If you toaster toasts bread thousands of times, it has simply done what it was designed to do. But let it stop toasting bread and you throw it out. We were designed to do what is right and if we do what is right, we are only doing what we are designed to do. But we, the best of us, are broken, sinful, and guilty. But instead of throwing us out, God is on our side and has provided His own Son as our Redeemer and Savior. Therefore, it has nothing to do with being good enough or doing enough or measuring up and it has everything to do with Jesus. He is Savior, not me or you. It is not about me or you! It is about Jesus! “Jesus Paid It All” is the song we sing.

          Another objects, “But everyone sins, so how can we distinguish between a child of God and one who is of the devil? Can’t we deceive ourselves?” Of course we can deceive ourselves. However, we can also know and be confident. Who is it that deceives himself? It is the one who is careless and unthinking. The very fact that you have concerns and raise objections demonstrates that you are not careless and unthinking but concerned and careful. You do not want to be among those who cry “Lord, Lord” but are rejected. It is a simple matter to take a measure of one’s own heart and to know whether you are trying to serve the Lord or not. If a Christian is genuinely trying to serve the Lord, he is walking according to the Spirit and is in Christ. He should be secure in this.

          I want to leave you with this parting thought. We are “children of God” and thus we cry, “Abba, Father,” 8:14-16. God does not disinherit us every time we sin, even if we momentarily rebel and reject Him. I have children. In raising my children, there were times when they would stomp out of the room, slam the door and even shout, “I hate you!” They rebelled momentarily. Later, they might come back and apologize or resume acting as a child should to his parents. Did I disinherit them? No! Why not? Because I knew that this did not reflect what was really in their heart. Had such rebellion continued and grown to reflect their heart, then I would have had to consider what to do next, but even then anything I might do, would be calculated for their good. I am on their side! So with this thought, think about how much God loves you!
 

The Spirit God Gave Us   2 Timothy 1:7   by Joseph Horton: