Do we seek His judgment? Do we come to the light, to have our deeds revealed? Are we even taught to do this, and if we are taught, do we believe that this is something we should do to mature in Jesus Christ?
John wrote in His letter to christians, followers of Jesus Christ, to three stages of maturity in Jesus. Little children, young men, and fathers. How he describes each of these is an instruction on how we are to grow in maturity to the fullness of Jesus. If you are interested, I will elaborate somewhat.
Little children are described as having their sins forgiven, but for a very specific purpose, a sake. And that is for His name's sake. Why is this so important to the baby christian? Well, today, the purpose has been mostly lost, and the for His name's sake has become for the sake of the little one. Jesus is concerned with how we abide, how we live in Him, how well we walk in His Spirit and follow His leading. But if one is constantly aware of their sins, and is not sure that they are forgiven, then they are ashamed and tend to be unwilling to draw near to God, to consider themselves as one that God wants near Himself. So, it is for the sake of Jesus' name, whose name these little ones have taken on as their identity, as christians, that the fact of the forgiveness of their sins is central to their heart and mind. If possible, it is the responsibility of those more mature to remind these of this wonderful fact, and encourage them to draw near to God and to walk in the leading of the Spirit.
Young men have the word living in them. They are said to have overcome the wicked one. Many think that this means that they have overcome sin. This is not the case however. Even Paul, who must be considered as a father in Christ, proclaimed himself the chief of sinners, near the end of his life. And John wrote that if anyone says that they are without sin, that the truth is not in them and that they are a liar. So in what way have these young men overcome the wicked one? They have established a viable and growing relationship with God. The devil does everything he can to keep this from happening, because he hates us and he hates God, and when we are separated, there is pain and misery for both us and God. He loves us so much that He gave His only Son, that we might be reconciled back to Him.
Fathers are characterized as knowing Him who is from the beginning. Not to much needs to be said about this. Moses would have been a father. John and James and Peter and Paul were fathers. Anyone who wants to know God in this way can. All who believe in Jesus are called to this, for this is the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Jesus could say with absolute confidence that He and His Father are one. He prayed that we might become one with each other and with Him. To be a father christian is to know God!
What does all of this have to do with seeking God's judgment? The only way that we grow from little children, to young men, to fathers; is to seek God's face. And as we draw near to Him, as we come into the holy place within the veil, we will see the light, and we will be judged by that light, like we have never been judged before. And the more we come into this light, the more we will grow in Jesus, and the more mature we will be in Him, and the more we will be able to reflect Him in and to the world. But our faults keep us from this fullness. God will not contend with us. He asks us to seek Him.
Finally, as we come to the light, we learn to walk in the light. And what the light will eventually show us is when we do not walk and speak and act in God's love. This is the most severe judgment of God because when we do not walk in His love we are in opposition to Him. John puts it best, saying;
And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in the world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts our fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love because He first loved us. If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this is the commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.
Perfection is the standard, because Jesus is the standard, but the perfection is in love. God's love.
In Christ,
John wrote in His letter to christians, followers of Jesus Christ, to three stages of maturity in Jesus. Little children, young men, and fathers. How he describes each of these is an instruction on how we are to grow in maturity to the fullness of Jesus. If you are interested, I will elaborate somewhat.
Little children are described as having their sins forgiven, but for a very specific purpose, a sake. And that is for His name's sake. Why is this so important to the baby christian? Well, today, the purpose has been mostly lost, and the for His name's sake has become for the sake of the little one. Jesus is concerned with how we abide, how we live in Him, how well we walk in His Spirit and follow His leading. But if one is constantly aware of their sins, and is not sure that they are forgiven, then they are ashamed and tend to be unwilling to draw near to God, to consider themselves as one that God wants near Himself. So, it is for the sake of Jesus' name, whose name these little ones have taken on as their identity, as christians, that the fact of the forgiveness of their sins is central to their heart and mind. If possible, it is the responsibility of those more mature to remind these of this wonderful fact, and encourage them to draw near to God and to walk in the leading of the Spirit.
Young men have the word living in them. They are said to have overcome the wicked one. Many think that this means that they have overcome sin. This is not the case however. Even Paul, who must be considered as a father in Christ, proclaimed himself the chief of sinners, near the end of his life. And John wrote that if anyone says that they are without sin, that the truth is not in them and that they are a liar. So in what way have these young men overcome the wicked one? They have established a viable and growing relationship with God. The devil does everything he can to keep this from happening, because he hates us and he hates God, and when we are separated, there is pain and misery for both us and God. He loves us so much that He gave His only Son, that we might be reconciled back to Him.
Fathers are characterized as knowing Him who is from the beginning. Not to much needs to be said about this. Moses would have been a father. John and James and Peter and Paul were fathers. Anyone who wants to know God in this way can. All who believe in Jesus are called to this, for this is the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Jesus could say with absolute confidence that He and His Father are one. He prayed that we might become one with each other and with Him. To be a father christian is to know God!
What does all of this have to do with seeking God's judgment? The only way that we grow from little children, to young men, to fathers; is to seek God's face. And as we draw near to Him, as we come into the holy place within the veil, we will see the light, and we will be judged by that light, like we have never been judged before. And the more we come into this light, the more we will grow in Jesus, and the more mature we will be in Him, and the more we will be able to reflect Him in and to the world. But our faults keep us from this fullness. God will not contend with us. He asks us to seek Him.
Finally, as we come to the light, we learn to walk in the light. And what the light will eventually show us is when we do not walk and speak and act in God's love. This is the most severe judgment of God because when we do not walk in His love we are in opposition to Him. John puts it best, saying;
And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in the world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts our fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love because He first loved us. If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this is the commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.
Perfection is the standard, because Jesus is the standard, but the perfection is in love. God's love.
In Christ,