Articles
The Life of Faith
The Life of Faith
John wrote in 2 John:4-6: 4 I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do from the Father.
5 Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.
6 And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.
How disciples live: a brief survey reading of 1 John will show that he is teaching and emphasizing an active life of faith:
• We are to be walking in the light - 1:7f
• We are to be confessing our sins - 1:8f
• We are to be doing the will of God - 2:17
• We are to be keeping His commandments - 2:1-2, 5:3
• We are to be confessing Jesus - 2:23
• We are to be keeping His word - 2:5
• We are abiding in Him - 2:27, 28
• We are to be letting what we have heard (the word of God) abide in us - 2:24, 27
• We to be practicing righteousness - 2:19
• We are to purify ourselves as He is pure - 3:3
• We are to be loving the brethren - 3:11,
• We are to be abiding in God in that we are keeping His commandments - 3:24
• We are to be testing the spirits to discern truth from error - 4:1
• We are to be believing that He is the Son of God - 5:5
In addition to the positive statements, John includes some negative ones, activities we are to not be doing:
• We are NOT to be practicing sin - 3:4-6
• We are NOT to be loving the world or the things of the world - 2:15
The point of this is simply that these are active verbs that indicate an ongoing continuing action. Even things often thought of as 'once and done', such as confessing Christ and believing that He is the Son of God, are lifelong and continuing actions. The opposite of these are also not 'once and done', thankfully. He that does NOT believe can, with exposure to the evidence, turn and begin believing that Jesus is the Son of God. Those who have denied Him, can begin confessing that Him.
This point was strongly made in Robert Shank some years ago in his book "Life In The Son". There he shows that life is to be found only in relationship with Jesus, but such relationship is co-extensive with our faith. The same with the condemnation of being out of Christ; such is true UNTIL one changes and is in the Son. This 'in Christ' relationship is not then a once-and-done relationship. As a commentator wrote: "The Lord is seeking disciples, not decisions" (sorry I don't have the source).
John was warning believers concerning the false teachers who were trying to deceive them. These warnings emphasize the need of living the life of faith - and the warnings are real. Is your faith producing a life like John describes?
Hugh DeLong
