The Evidence of Spiritual Life
We attended church this morning and walked out after the service into a light rain. It let up after a while and it seems Mason’s baseball practice is on as scheduled.
Today has been a more relaxing day and after an exciting game of video basketball and lunch it was nice to take a nap. We did get a group picture after Mason’s game yesterday…so here it is.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “…We should love one another. Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and your know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.” 1 John 3:11-15
John who in his gospel descries himself as, “the disciple who Jesus loved” writes about the importance of love in his first letter. This includes love for God and love for others. He says our love and life in Christ is demonstrated by our obedience to Christ and living as He did. (1 John 2:3-6) He says it is also reflected in our love for “our brothers”. Hate is the opposite of love and spiritual life.
This admonition from chapter 2 is elaborated on in chapter 3. In doing so he makes reference to the first brothers Cain and Abel. Cain’s hatred for his brother was driven by jealousy because of Abel’s acceptance to God; or perhaps out of conviction because Abel’s obedience revealed Cain’s heart. The later is reflected in John’s reference to being “hated by the world.”
Love is reflected in a spiritual life of righteousness and a proper response to correction. Scripture admonishes us to “spur one another on to love and good works.” (Hebrews 10:24) Hatred is revealed in rebellion against God and hatred toward those, whose lives of dedication and obedience challenge us in our actions and attitudes.
The evidence then of our life with Christ is our security in our relationship with Christ that does not reduce our life in Christ as a “spiritual competition” with others.
Here is what John says is the key to loving each other from a position of security in Christ’s love for us.
“Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.” (1 John 3:21,22)
Our actions and attitudes reveal our spiritual condition. Do they reveal us as living in spiritual death or life?