Washed Clean...

We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.
1 John 5:18

A friend asked me to explain this verse this morning. After some consideration, I realized that this verse speaks to the fact that we are covered by the blood of Christ through His atonement for our sins, and for all sins for all time. Therefore, we are born of God, and our sins... past, present AND future... are washed clean and forgiven. In the eyes of God, we sin no more. This is only from His perspective, because he sees us now at the beginning, middle and end of our lives, all at once.

As for the second part of the verse, there is a song that speaks to the statement about the evil one no longer having the ability to harm. The song is called "The Problem," and was written by a band called Downhere. It says that there are those among the believers who would say "the devil made me do it" to explain transgressions. However, the issue with that statement is that once Christ inhabits you, the devil has lost! The only person in control at that point is... well, YOU! You have the richness of the Kingdom within you, and the knowledge of what is right and wrong, but you can still decide to make the wrong choice. However, as the song states, there is no purpose in blaming the devil; if you are still under his influence, then you have not received Christ.

One other point, though, is that each and every sin are equal in the eyes of God. It has been said that death is the great equalizer, because everyone dies. However, I would submit to you that SIN is the great equalizer, because none of us (NO NOT ONE) are capable of escaping it. In death, the Christian has victory and eternal life! Those who do not believe and follow Christ do not experience this, so death is absolutely not equal for all. And make no mistake, murder, in the eyes of God, is totally equal to dishonoring your mother by sneaking a cookie before dinner, even though you were told not to.

Please take heart in your victory today, precious ones. Spend a few moments in prayer, reorienting and confessing your sins and transgressions to the Lord.

God bless you all!!!