Surely you know that Christ showed up in order to get rid of sin. There is no sin in him, and sin is not part of his program.
Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of 1 John 3:5
BC / AD
God’s Word says, “All who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure” — 1 John 3:3
BC —
Before Christ,
we reckon backward.
Just as the years
count down to one,
the measure of our life
gets smaller and smaller
until at last life comes to naught.
AD —
but, anno Domini,
in the year of the Lord,
what need have we for BC ways?
We and the calendar repent;
the years get fuller and fuller,
adding and adding more,
until at last life overflows in Him.
Devotional poem © 2016 Michael Himick. Used with permission.
All Who Have This Hope in Him
God’s Word says, “All who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure” — 1 John 3:3
The cross is the agency of sanctification as well as the means of forgiveness — saving grace to save us from the world, saving grace to help us everywhere and in everything for our salvation, and saving grace to help us to conquer our self-will.
Alexander MacLaren
Salvation is a wonderfully comprehensive term. It is a great mistake to suppose that it is merely a synonym for forgiveness. God is as much concerned with our present and future as with our past. His plan is first to reconcile us to himself, and then progressively to liberate us from our self-centeredness and bring us into harmony with our fellow men.
John Stott
Jesus Makes a House Call
God’s Word says, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness” — 1 Peter 2:24
“Jesus, hear my cry and save me
from the fatal poison of my sin,
for I cannot save myself!” —
Immediately, the doorbell rings.
I open, and stand face to face
with the Antidote of God.
He does not bring a cure;
He is the cure.
The crucified and risen Christ,
Lord of All, Love Itself, smiles
and wraps me in an embrace.
His arms are carpenter-strong;
His words speak to deepest need:
“Child, you are forgiven.
Your house is full of poison,
but I will set you free.”
Jesus quickly brings in his bag
and says He’s moving in.
Now, day by day, my Savior
goes through all my house,
and when He cleans an area up,
He marks it with a cross.
Often He wrenches open
secret doors I’d keep shut.
But when again that cross appears,
I know the sin He’s rid me of
so I can live and learn to love.
Devotional poem © 2016 Michael Himick. Used with permission.
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