Being good vs evil

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by

Amy
in

I need a little help on this one

Scripture: 3 John 11

Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.

Observation: Only follow and do as those who know God do. Do not follow and do as those who do not know God do.

Application: The first part of this is pretty straightforward, but it’s the last part that is throwing me.  I can follow the instruction as to who and what to imitate.

The last sentence has me a bit stumped when it comes to me. I make lots of mistakes and sin, so I am doing evil. But I know God through Jesus Christ. Soooo does this mean that he (or she) who does evil without the cleansing that only comes from Christ is then evil? Or is it saying that if you know God, and truly follow God, then you will be inspired to do better things, and you are forgiven for those you ask forgiveness of?

(You might have thought I’d just pick an easier verse so write about. But this is what struck me today so here I am. And there you are. Do you have any insight to share? I think I need to get some commentaries. But I digress.)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing me to your truth and for washing me clean of sin. I am a little confused here, though. Please guide me as I work through this verse today… and send me insight. Show me how to study your word the way you intend for me to study. And thank you for this community you have brought to me. Please help us to guide each other in truth alone.

Comments

2 responses to “Being good vs evil”

  1. Somebody's Mimi Avatar
    Somebody’s Mimi

    Thanks for the scripture, the question, and the answer. And yes it does make sense…now.

    Reply
  2. Toni Avatar
    Toni

    Mom-
    I am not sure I totally understand your question, but let me give you my perspective. The bible clearly teaches us that we are all sinners.
    Romans 3:23
    for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
    Romans 3:10
    As it is written:
    “There is no one righteous, not even one;
    But the bible also teaches that once we have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior we are a new creation.
    2 Corinthians 5:17
    Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

    Accepting Christ as your ruler is called regeneration.

    Then there is justification. This is something only God can do for us. Not only does he forgive all of our sins, past, present and future, but he justifies us. Justification is where we (sinners) through the blood of Jesus Christ are declared righteous. That is something no human can do for another.

    Finally there is sanctification. I took this definition from Bible.org because it seemed to sum it up best.
    “Sanctification, then, is that sovereign act of God whereby He sets apart a person, a place, or an object for Himself in order that He might accomplish His purpose in the world by means of that person, place, or object.”

    This does not mean that we will never again sin. What I think it means in a nutshell in growing and maturing your relationship with Christ.

    Those who do not know Christ, have not been forgiven nor justified. On judgment day, their sins (though probably the same as our own) carry the burden of being unforgiven.

    I read a little bit about this passage in a few commentaries and if you take this verse in context, John is actually warning people about Diotrephes quest for leadership and power in the church. This verse is actually a specific reference to a person.

    So after all my rambling, I would say
    1. We are all evil
    2. As Christians we are forgiven
    3. As humans we will continue to do evil
    4. The difference is our belief in Christ.

    Can non-Christians do good things, yes, can Christians do bad things, yes…

    Clear as mud????

    Reply

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