9.2.2012
1 John 1.5-10 5 This is the message we have heard from him
and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If
we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not
practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we
have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us
from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth
is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not
sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. ESV
Let’s read this passage this way:
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to
you, that God is right, and in him is
no wrongness at all. 6 If we say we
have fellowship with him while we walk in wrongness,
we lie and do not practice the right.
7 But if we walk in the right, as he
is in the right, we have fellowship
with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all wrong. 8 If we say we have no wrong, we deceive ourselves, and the right is not in us. 9 If we confess our wrongs, he is faithful and just to
forgive us our wrongs and to cleanse
us from all un-rightness. 10 If we
say we have not wronged, we make him a liar, and his right is not in us.
To us (me included) right can be power – depending on where
one stands. We can use right to club others over the head – to whip them into
submission; to manipulate them. But right is not a weapon; it’s a way of
thinking and doing that’s in perfect harmonious synchronization with the Living
God.
Let’s try the passage again, but this time…
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to
you, that God is love, and in him is
no un-loveliness at all. 6 If we say
we have love with him while we walk
in un-loveliness, we lie and do not
practice the love. 7 But if we walk in
the love, as he is in the love, we have love with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us
from all un-loveliness. 8 If we say
we have no un-loveliness, we deceive
ourselves, and the love is not in us.
9 If we confess our un-loveliness, he
is faithful and just to forgive us our un-loveliness
and to cleanse us from all un-loveliness.
10 If we say we have not un-loved, we
make him a liar, and his love is not
in us.
Love is never a weapon – love and weaponry are not
compatible. Selfishness can be a weapon but love is always a gift, if it’s
freely given – anything outside of love freely given is love with condition and
that isn’t love. And God has given us love freely in the gift of His right. His
right is not compatible with our right because of the purity of His and the
impurity of ours. And this is found in His light – the illumination of Who He
is and what He does…and how He operates. Light, right, and love. Freely given.
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