As He is, so are His Followers

Illustration: Hunter’s shooting course…you want clarity of the target and what is beyond the target....

What does John mean by, “…every one that doeth righteousness is born of him” () or “…he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous...” () and “…whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God...” ()?

Potential Conflict in Scripture, if we don’t understand this correctly

Why does this question matter? Is this saying that if someone does righteous works then they are saved? It matters because, if we get the wrong understanding of this, there is a conflict that is created. For example, teaches us that salvation is by grace through faith. Is becoming a child of God by grace through faith or by righteous works?

Potential Confusion about someone’s salvation, if we don’t understand this correctly

Another reason this can be confusing is because, if we don’t get the right understanding, we may be prone to thinking that just because someone does righteous deeds, this shows that he is actually a child of God. Is this saying that if someone does good things, then they are saved? This seems to be what the passage is saying. There are many people in our world today that believe that if they do good and morally pure things, then God will accept them.

Illustration: Recently, I was listening to a Jewish individual debating a Christian, and the Jewish individual stated that he would be saved because of his confession to God in the car on the way to work.

Is this the kind of righteous deed that John has in mind? What about scriptures that teach that all our righteousness are as filthy rags ()? What do we do with passages like this? Is John contradicting the rest of the Bible or is it that we need to have a clear understanding of what it means to do righteousness from John’s perspective?

Potential Cheapening of salvation, if we don’t understand this correctly

Why else does this question matter? What if someone prays a prayer but they are comfortably living in sin with no evident righteous works? Are they really born again? Thus, it is not merely a conflict with the rest of scripture if we wrongly understand this; but it appears that salvation is directly attached to this. Someone who does righteousness is born of God. Someone who does not do righteousness is not born of God. It is therefore critical that we understand what is meant by doing righteousness.

As John seeks to give rock-solid assurance to these beloved children, he has to draw real clear lines. In so doing, we (in this century) have to accept or reject what the scripture says here, regardless of how our friends, family members, loved ones, or anyone else may define these terms.

Proposition: So, we must know and believe that those who do “righteousness” are born of God, but we must know what it means to do righteousness!

(1) Doing righteousness means living a life that is consistent with the nature of Jesus Christ () - “he is righteous”

The word itself has to do with perfection, equity, and fairness. Jesus Christ is absolutely righteous in every way possible. He is perfect in heart. He is perfect in thought. He is perfect in his living. A look back at confirms that this is who Jesus Christ is.

Thus, whatever it means to be “righteous”, it means nothing less than the very being/nature of Jesus Christ.

RECAP

(2) Doing righteousness means that God has lovingly saved us ()

The emphasis on this is on the manner of love of the Father. This passage is where John first brings out the new birth analogy. The activities of the Christian life cannot be accomplished apart from this new birth. The righteousness of which John is speaking is evidence that God has actually saved, regenerated the individual.

New Birth Righteousness

This means that when the scripture says, “he is righteous” it is saying something powerful about what this righteous one is able to do…specifically, He is able to recreate people and empower them to live according to His very own nature. There exists no other righteousness that is capable of doing this...

Illustration: You all are familiar with the lottery. As you listen to interviews of people who pay into a lottery and they win…they will say something like this, “I am going to start over” or “this is a brand new lease on life” but what that money cannot do is make a person to be in right relationship with their Creator, change their nature, or force them to stop wanting the vices/sins that they once wanted. In deed, it has been evidenced that the love of money actually aids in the pursuit of sin and the exploitation of the human heart. But because “Jesus is righteous” in a very unique way, He is able to save and re-create. He gives new affections.

This also implies that this “righteousness” does not begin with the effort of man, but this kind of righteousness begins with the life-giving God, Why? because it requires a “new birth”.

Old Man Righteousness

Thus, there may be some works that appear to be righteous externally, but that is a different kind of “righteousness”. That is not a “righteousness” that begins with the new birth but a righteousness that looks the same but actually is dead. helps us to understand that doing righteousness, of which here is spoken, begins by submitting to the righteousness of God.

This means that the nature of the divine God has been imparted through the new birth to those who are able to do righteousness. The very sperma (, ) seed of God, his very life has been implanted within you.

RECAP

(3) Doing righteousness means that God has lovingly and meaningfully named us ()

This doing of “righteousness” is thus rooted in our very being. The identity is such that these are called the “sons of God”. God has called us “sons of God” which means: (i) the world cannot and does not relate to us or this kind of righteousness. (ii) this specific righteousness will be perfectly MANIFESTED when Jesus returns. (iii) this future state of perfect righteousness, at Christ’s return, leads us in a practical pursuit of righteousness now.

So:

What does John mean by, “…every one that doeth righteousness is born of him” () or “…he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous...” () and “…whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God...” ()?

John means

(1) You will be confident as you behave according to who you’ve believed Jesus to really be ()

This has a way of objectively confirming in your life that you are born again. You can look at your current loves/desires/activities to find confidence that GOD has and is working!

Know that if God has lovingly birthed you, you must remain in the truth of Christ’s righteousness

You have been graciously given the Holy Spirit to continually teach you this.

Question:

Is God evidently working in your life? Are you striving to live under the rulership of Jesus? Does your life show a striving for righteous living? How are you laying down your life for the brethren?

(2) You will do righteous behaviors because you are righteous by new birth.

Know that if God has lovingly birthed you, you will show evidence of this in how you live

(3) You will have hungers/thirsts/appetites that are distinct from the world.

Know that if God has lovingly birthed you, you will be distinct from the world -

(4) You will have a life of confession rather than cover up.

Know that if God has lovingly birthed you, you will live a life of perpetual cleansing

Illustration:

My concern is that many Christians often judge whether they have been born of God based upon a prayer they said…it is much like the early 90’s edition movie of Dennis the Menace. Mr. Wilson is cultivating a rare orchid that blooms one time at the 40 year mark. They have gathered a party at their home and they are waiting for this orchid to bloom. As it begins....Dennis interrupts, distracts, and the bloom comes and dies. True Christian professions will manifest themselves in ways that perpetually show signs of life.

It would be more like a sunflower.

but John gives a test will reveal the genuineness of that prayer (not by how you felt in that moment).

Scientists have answered a burning question central to the charm of sunflowers: Why do young flowers move their blooms to always face the sun over the course of a day?

And then: Once sunflowers reach maturity, why do they stop tracking the sun and only face east?

In a newly-published article in Science, the researchers say the young plant's sun-tracking (also called heliotropism v. paraheliotropic) can be explained by circadian rhythms – the behavioral changes tied to an internal clock that humans also have, which follow a roughly 24 hour cycle. A young flower faces east at dawn and greets the sun, then slowly turns west as the sun moves across the sky. During the night, it slowly turns back east to begin the cycle again.

"It's the first example of a plant's clock modulating growth in a natural environment, and having real repercussions for the plant," UC Davis professor and study co-author Stacey Harmer says in a press release from the university.

The researchers found that the plant's turning is actually a result of different sides of the stem elongating at different times of day. [https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/08/05/488891151/the-mystery-of-why-sunflowers-turn-to-follow-the-sun-solved]

The reason I say there is more similarity here is that there is something inside of the believer (a seminal work of God) that responds actively to the Lord Jesus Christ. The activity is so evident that it cannot be denied.

Conclusion:

Thus, this kind of righteousness, of which John speaks is one which only God can produce inside of you. It is a moral perfection, fairness, and equity that He begins to work inside of you. Everything else is the fruit of your own labor.

Illustration: Is the illustration of Cain, whose works were evil. He killed his brother. His brother, who believed God, manifested this by doing righteous works.

Therefore, it is righteous living that is deeply rooted in the righteousness of Jesus.

It is righteous living that is rooted in the new life.

It is righteous living that cannot take any kind of self-credit because it is produced by the work of God.

It is living a life that is full of good works because of complete satisfaction found in Jesus Christ.

It is a life that has a joy that is full.

It is a life that does a lot, but does not have to wonder if it is enough because they know that what Jesus did is enough.

It is a life that works a lot of righteousness but does so freely.

It is a life that is so secure in Jesus, that when they do a lot of righteousness they are free to love those who don’t do everything that they do.

Thus, proactively doing righteousness is the mark of this new life. This proactivity is chiefly seen in the intentional love of brethren, which means this is NOT something you simply do in private. More on this in the next lesson.

(1) Have you been truly born again? Have you been made the righteousness of God in Jesus?

(2) If so, does the way you are loving your brethren give you confidence before Jesus Christ at His coming?

(3) Do you have cravings for the exaltation of Jesus, and are you living according to these cravings?

(4) Is your life one of continual confession or one of cover up?

As He is, so are His followers....”If you know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him.