1 John 3:5: He Appeared In Order To Take Away Sins

1 John 3:5
[5] You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. (ESV)

Many people know that Jesus appeared. Over 2,000 years have gone by since the birth of Christ and we still have a holiday that celebrates his coming. Jesus has come. But why did he come? Not everyone is agreed on that point. Many would say that he came to be a great moral teacher. Others would say that he came to bring peace and justice. Still others would say that his coming is no different than any other person's birth.

The Apostle John says to the believers in Jesus Christ YOU KNOW. You know the purpose for his coming. You know that he came in order to take away sins. This point is not a small one. To deny the truth of this point is to completely miss the purpose of Christ's incarnation, his becoming flesh. Consider the very name Jesus. His name speaks to the purpose of his coming.

Matthew 1:21
[21] She (Mary) will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (ESV)

The great truth is that he came to save sinners. And the other great truth is we are those sinners! We are in desperate need of what Jesus came to do. The world has all kinds of needs. There are wars that continue to rage on. There is hunger. There is poverty. There is all kinds of injustice. But, we need to be reminded that the primary need of man is to have his sins taken away. Nothing is more important. That means that the church's primary focus is on the Gospel, not on the other social issues.

Have you come to Jesus to have your sins forgiven? It is the most important thing that you can do. It is why he came. Share that truth with others.

Comments

Romans 8:18: For I Consider That The Sufferings Of This Present Time Are Not Worth Comparing

Romans 8:18 [18] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (ESV) Perspective. What an important word. Let's be honest. We do not like the idea of suffering. We will do almost anything to avoid any kind of suffering. Some churches have gone so far as to preach against the idea of suffering, declaring it to not be a part of the true believer's life. Paul is not shy about the topic. Paul uses the sufferings of this present time as a means to consider the greater glory that awaits us. Perspective. Paul is not in any way attempting to diminish our suffering. A view toward eternity puts our suffering in a proper understanding. Yes, our suffering is terrible. In the grand scheme of eternity it is not even worth comparison. Maybe you are thinking that Paul does not know what he is talking about when it comes to suffering. In 2 Corinthians 11 Paul describes countless beatings, often near death,

Romans 15:20-21: And Thus I Make It My Ambition To Preach The Gospel, Not Where Christ Has Already Been Named

Romans 15:20–21 [20] and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, [21] but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” (ESV) We need to be reminded continually that the message of the Gospel is intended to move all across the world. Jesus said that his followers were to preach the Gospel, starting in Jerusalem, and continue preaching the Gospel to the whole world. Christians have not always been good at delivering the Gospel message as far and as often as they should. In the first century church it took intense persecution to motivate the disciples in Jerusalem to bring the Gospel to Judea and Samaria. Once the disciples fled to new regions they shared the Gospel wherever they went. Would the disciples have preached the Gospel without the persecution? We may never know. Some probably would have stayed in their co

James 2:18: I Will Show You My Faith By My Works

James 2:18 [18] But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. (ESV) There are certain things in life that go together. Peanut butter and jelly. Double stuff Oreo cookies and milk. Faith and works. James raises the point that someone might argue that faith and works can be separated. "One will say, "You have faith and I have works." Is it ok for works to be separated from faith? James is making the argument that faith and works are not to be separated. James is saying to the one who has faith only, with no works, that he wants them to see his faith by his works. In other words, if you are going to claim to have faith, but have no works, you have no evidence of faith. If I am to believe that a person has genuine faith I can only see that by their works. Faith brings action. There are so many people to claim to have some kind of faith, yet when it comes down to it, their

Every Day Devotion

Search This Blog