See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
When a person understands that God cast out an arch-angel in the person of Satan, and brought the judgment of certain death to Adam who sinned in the garden, then how amazing is it that God has received recipiants of Jesus Christ's grace and children of God? As the apostle has declared, because God has declared it, then it is so! The writer makes a big deal out of what people practice. Practice demonstrates the will of the person. If one practices justice and righteousness, even if he fails and sins, this one's sins are forgiven and is credited for the righteousness that he practices. To the one who practices evil, this one does not know Jesus and therefore is not covered by his grace and will be condemned and is no child of God, but one of Satan. Therefore the intentions of your mind and hands are everything when it comes to your standing before a holy God.
Daily Prayer: Lord, perfect my inner-man so that I have no intentional sin within me. Cover me with your grace and help me to be an example to others of the love and grace of Jesus and the changes it can make in the way we believe and live. Amen.
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