Practice, we're talking practice... anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God

1 John 3:7-24 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

⁷ Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; ⁸ the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. ⁹ No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. ¹⁰ By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

¹¹ For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; ¹² not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.

¹³ Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. ¹⁵ Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. ¹⁶ We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. ¹⁷ But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? ¹⁸ Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. ¹⁹ We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him ²⁰  in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. ²¹ Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; ²² and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.

²³ This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. ²⁴ The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

Romans 3:23-24 says:  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.      In Romans 5:15-20 , Paul writes: ¹⁵ For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. ¹⁶ But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. ¹⁷ So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. ¹⁸ For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. ¹⁹ For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. ²⁰ But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

In today’s text John says: ⁷ Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; ⁸ the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. ⁹ No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. ¹⁰ By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

So we see in both of these texts that there is a critical aspect of sin and unrighteousness, it is the practice of these things which both Paul and John point to as critical to the separation of believer and unbeliever. Practice is defined as: the actual application or use of an idea, belief, or method as opposed to theories about such application or use. (ie to practice medicine) repeated exercise in or performance of an activity or skill so as to acquire or maintain proficiency in it. - perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain one's proficiency. - carry out or perform (a particular activity, method, or custom) habitually or regularly. One who practices sin, does it repeatedly and intentionally. The definition says that we practice in order to acquire or maintain proficiency. We may not realize it but that is a result of practicing sin, we become better at it. The more we repeat the behavior, the more natural that behavior becomes. Just as with athletic practice, where the repeated actions increase our ability and proficiency allowing us to do even more, when we practice sin and unrighteousness, we tend to continue to advance in our level of unrighteousness.

On the other hand living righteously also requires that we be intentional and practice. Even though we have been saved by the grace of God and forgiven of our sins, Christ died once for all (1 Peter 3:18, Romans 6:10, Hebrews 9:28), we still struggle with temptation and sin. Believers in the cross of Christ, receivers all of the benefits of His sacrifice, need to daily choose to practice walking like Him. He died once for all. Jesus says: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. Our daily taking up of our cross is not for us to suffer as Christ did, rather it is to follow Him. Jesus is no longer suffering. He is no longer on the cross, nor is He in the grave. Jesus was resurrected, He lives. Jesus says: “ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)   To have and walk in the abundant life that Christ provides requires that we be intentional, that we repeatedly exercise righteousness.

Those who practice sin and unrighteousness and call it their choice do continue and progress also in their proficiency.  The text says:  By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. The text also says:  Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. As we live choosing to practice righteousness the world which chooses to practice unrighteousness will hate us. Jesus says:  “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.” (John 15:18-19) If we are to truly practice righteousness, we as believers are not to hate them because they hate us. Through Christ we are to love as He loved, to hate and despise sin even unto death, while loving sinners even as they carry out their words and actions of hatred.

For any who believe that righteousness is relative to our culture, subject to change, Jesus says:  “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. ¹⁸ For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. ¹⁹ Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.    Jesus didn’t come to abolish but to fulfill the law. He did not come to accept, tolerate or condone sin and unrighteousness. He came that we might have life abundantly, free from sin, not free to sin.

Today’s text says: We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. If we have any doubt about what it is to practice righteousness or unrighteousness Galatians 5:19-25 , may help us. It says:

 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, ²¹ envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

 Only by the Spirit can we overcome, live abundantly and practice righteousness.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit thank You for making the way for me to live abundantly. Help me to practice living righteously. Help me, regardless of how the world treats me to live and walk in the Spirit, to walk in and practice:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; self control against all : immorality, impurity, sensuality,  idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,  envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I believe in Jesus Christ and in His name I pray.    Amen.