1 John 2:1-6
1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in Him.
5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in Him. By this we know that we are in Him.
6 He who says He abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

What is the test of knowing Christ? It is simply whether we keep His commandments or not! We cannot say that we know Him if we do not keep His commandments. And if we keep His Word, the love of God is truly perfected in us!

Why do we need to keep His commandments even after we are saved? It is simply because we once were lost, and did not know God and His commandments. We were once wilful in our own sinful ways and desires, disobeying and not following Him. Now as we begin to know Him, we will also get to know what He truly desires us to do and to be. To know Christ, we must read and know the Word of God for He is the Eternal Word! How do we know Christ? By primarily reading His Book.

John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Our spiritual journey in Christ is not one-time deal by just saying a sinner's prayer. The transformation process is a lifetime journey from strength to strength, from faith to faith, and from glory to glory. We are not zapped in a few moments from a sinner to a totally God-fearing saint! We are not zapped from a position of not-knowing-about-God to a position of knowing-all-about-God in a few split seconds! We are not transformed from being spiritual babes to spiritual matured people in a day! It takes a whole lifetime!

1 Corinthians 3:1
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.

1 Corinthians 13:11-12
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

Our spiritual journey and walk in Christ will be imperfect initially as we are starting to know more about Him. We were then unable to see things clearly in Christ! When we were children, we spoke, thought and reasoned as little children. But when we grow up, we put away childish things. All that we know now is both partial and incomplete. But one day, we will see Jesus face to face. Then we will see everything with perfect clarity. Look at the disciples of Jesus and even the life of Paul. They were not spiritually matured in the Christian faith at the time when they received Christ as their Saviour and Lord! They gradually grew in faith, and matured in Christ as the years went by!


The salvation of God is given freely by grace through faith in Christ. But that is just a new beginning!

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Anyone who receives Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone, and a new life has begun. What is this new life? It is a life when we become alive to God, and dead to sin!

Romans 6
Dead to Sin, Alive to God
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?
2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
7 For He who has died has been freed from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.
10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.
13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!
16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.
18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The power of sin was broken when Christ died for our sins on the cross. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ. We are now cleansed by the blood of Christ. But it is possible to get polluted again by carry on sinning like a dog going back to its vomit or a washed and clean pig returning to the dirty mud.

2 Peter 2:22
But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”

Should we keep on committing sins so that God can show us more and more of His wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?

We must remember that during our water baptism, we were joined with Christ Jesus in His death. We died, and were buried with Christ by baptism. And that's not the end. Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, we now can live new lives In Him.

As we are united with Him in His death, we are also united with Him in His resurrected life! Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ, we were set free from the power of sin.

Since the power of sin was broken, and sin has now no dominion over us, should we still desire to come under its power and dominion by sinning against God? Should we still let sin control the way we live? Should we still give in to our sinful desires?

When we died with Christ, we should also live with Him by walking in His light and life. When Christ was raised from the dead, He never dies again. Death has no longer any power over Him. When He died, He broke the power of sin. And now He lives, He lives for the glory of God. Likewise we should follow His example. We should consider ourselves to be dead to the power of sin, and become alive to God through Christ Jesus.

We should not let any part of our life to become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, we should give ourselves completely to serve God. We should use our whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. In doing so, we are living the new life in Christ.

Sin is no longer our master. We should no longer come under its power, and live a life that is punishable by the laws of God. We should live under the freedom of God’s grace.

1 Timothy 1:8-11
8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully,
9 knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine,
11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.

The laws of God are perfect and good. His laws are not against people who do what is right. His laws are against people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, and who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy.

Romans 8:1-2
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

Since God’s grace has set us free from the law of sin and death, should we continue to live according to the flesh, and not the Spirit? Should we keep on sinning? Of course not! We must realize that we become the slave of whatever we choose to obey. We can be a slave of sin, choosing our own rebellious ways, which leads to death, or we can be a slave of God, choosing to obey and serve God, which leads to righteous living. Many Christians are tired of walking humbly and righteously with God. Instead of fighting a good fight of faith and pressing towards the Promised Land, they choose to go back to Egypt, the land of bondage and slavery!

Thanks be to God that we were once slaves of sin, but now we are free to live righteously in Christ.

However, our sinful nature remains in us. The old self is always wanting to become alive once more! What if we are tempted, and fall into sins again! We should not sin, but what if we do?

1 John 1:8-9
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we sin, we must come before the Lord and confess our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Jesus is our Advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is truly righteous. He Himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins - and not only our sins but the sins of the whole world.

There is no license to sin, whether believers or non-believers! Sins have repercussions and adverse effects not just on ourselves but also on other people. King David committed adultery and murder. He had to bear some consequences of his sins! And many people suffered as a result of his sins!

Sometimes, besides the confession of our sins, we need to undo the wrongs we have done. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector. And he was rich because he had cheated people on their taxes, But when Jesus came into his life, he did more than just a confession of faith. He gave half of his wealth to the poor, and returned four times as much to those people he had cheated on their taxes. He had encountered true salvation in Christ!

Luke 19:8-10
8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”
9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham;
10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

There are not quick-fixes for sins! We cannot expect some spiritual giants or gurus to do the complete job for us. We should not seek them for their super powerful prayers to zap us and transform us immediately and instantaneously in a moment of time! It is a lifetime process. We cannot be lazybones, expecting others to wash and clean entirely all the lawlessness, messes and sins in our life! Others can help, but we must also do our part! That's why in the Lord's Prayer, we pray:

Matthew 6:11-13 (NLT)
11 Give us today the food we need,
12 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.

To know Him more each day, we need to read our Bread of Life daily. If we sin, we must ask the Lord to forgive us. If others sin against us, we must forgive them. In life, we will always have to face temptations along the way. No special prayer formulae, psychological therapies or spiritual breakthrough ideas can eliminate the power of sins from operating in our life once and for all. Jesus overcame temptations by the Word of God (Matthew 4). He remembered the Word of God, and quoted the right verse at the right moment in time, "It is written...." He was tempted thrice, and yet He did not fall into any temptation. All the verses He quoted were all bull's-eye shots, nothing falling short of the glory of God!

Psalm 119:9-11
9 How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
10 With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.

How can we remain pure and clean in Christ? Simply by obeying His Word. When we delight in His Word, we will hide His Word in our hearts so that we might not sin against Him. His Word will keep us from wandering away from Him! The Lord will also strengthen our hearts so that we will not yield to temptations. He will rescue us from the evil one!

1 Corinthians 15:31
I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

Our walk in Jesus is a spiritual journey from salvation to glorification, walking in His light and life! Dying daily to our sins, and becoming alive in Christ! A daily life of overcoming sins and temptations. A daily life of knowing God more, and becoming more like Christ!

Along the paths of life, there will be slippery roads and unseen pits whereby we may possibly slip and fall. But the Lord will guide us in the way we should go. He will protect those who please him. Even if we fall, we will not stay down, because the Lord will help us up. The important thing is not about slipping and falling, it is about getting up and walking again!

Psalm 37:23-24
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds him with His hand.

Thanks be to God that He has given us His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is both our Helper and our Teacher. He will strengthen us in times of our weakness, and He will teach us everything, reminding us everything that Christ have told us in His Written Word! That's why we need to read His Word daily! Our daily bread!

John 14:26
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

How can we know that we know God? The test of knowing Christ is whether we will obey His commandments or not. By knowing God more each day, we will learn to trust and obey Him more and more. We will also delight to do His commandments. We will also love God and others more!

1 John 5:1-5
1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Loving God means keeping His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all.
14 For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Finally, there is only one thing to say. Have holy reverence for God, and obey His commandments, because this is all that we were created for.

God is going to judge everything we do, whether good or bad, even things done in secret.

Written on 14 August 2021