Litmus Test

Litmus Test
Words of Faith 5-22-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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1 John 3
[7] Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. [8] He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. [9] No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. [10] This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

John will never be accused of being soft on sin. Never. Ever. But when we read this collection of verses, we also have to remember the context. False teachers had invaded the church and were destroying the lives of believers. John has already pointed out several ways you can spot a false teacher. Now, he points out that there is a warning sign in their actions.
Of course, habitual sin is a sign of trouble. A lifestyle of hidden sin is a burning flare of warning. These are signs that no fundamental transformation has taken place. An unchanged heart cannot long be kept in hiding. Christian history is littered with the private perversions of cult leaders and the retched abuses by church leaders. If only someone had spoken out. These secrets are not easy to keep. Someone must look the other way for institutional abuses to continue.
But what about the good leaders? Does that mean that good leaders are perfect and never sin? No, that cannot be. After all did not David, a man after God's own heart, fall in the worst of ways? And what of Peter, who denied Christ three times?
There is a crucial difference between the cult leader, the false teacher, or the predator who has private perversions, and the genuine Christian leader who falls into sin. What is the difference? The difference is called "repentance." David confessed and genuinely repented of his sin. The false teacher will cover up.
A man or woman after the heart of God is so grieved by their own sin that they will seek restoration at any cost. The false teacher covers self at any cost. The false teacher will make excuses or create a new theology supporting their sin. A man or woman of God who falls will face squarely the pain of their actions and seek to make things right before the mercy of God. The false teacher privately flaunts sin and mocks God.
The litmus test? Righteousness. Righteousness is not perfection. It is walking in repentant humility with God, wearing the righteousness of the Lord Jesus. And love. The false teacher is so self-absorbed that even as they spout their "truth," there is no genuine love for others. Walk close to God today, brother and sisters. Walk close to God in humility and love.

Lord, I give you this day, which You gave me. I confess my sin before You. Cleanse me that I may walk in purity and truth with You. Lead me to repair any breach I may have caused. Give me the grace to forgive any wound I have received. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.