As He Is
1 John 4:15-17 (NASB) says, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, we also are in this world.”
There is so much to glean from these few verses. Our confession of the divinity of Jesus brings us straight into close connection with God. That love is made complete in us. I can hardly put words this morning to the power of this truth.
God has infused my mortal and dying flesh with eternal love and strength. His love consumes me until it is perfected in me. I have no fear of the coming of Christ and the imminent judgment of right and wrong. I am not afraid but at peace!
As Jesus is, so am I in this world. The Father makes no distinction now between Christ and us on the earth. We are the representation of God to the world. We are the light of the world.
Of course, this is only possible because of the promise of God! Remember verse 16. “God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.” It is not because we are capable of divine perfection on our own, but that the abiding love of God transforms us from sin-bent and wayward humans into love-sick and devoted children of God.
I want us to see the weight of this promise and obligation. Christ has given his precious blood on the cross to justify us before God and send the Holy Spirit to live inside me and inside of you, causing us to become righteous, holy, and brilliantly bright beacons of light into the world.
So what will our response be? Will we learn what it means to be children of God? Or will we continue to keep a safe distance from our lighthouse calling?
If you find yourself unsure of your ability to live like this, I want to assure you that you see this rightly. In our own strength, we are unable to demonstrate Christlikeness, but a surrendered heart always magnifies Jesus. Part of abiding daily is learning to receive this radical promise of God's love and discovering how to live it out every day.
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