How to know your a child of God (part 2)
One of the things that begins to occur in a person who comes to know Christ and is born again is the struggle against sin. We label it a lot of things like baggage, bad habits, issues, etc. When you are born again, you receive a divine nature in your spirit which creates in you a desire to please God. I’ve encouraged many new believers over the years as they have gone through the their own personal struggles against sin. I remember my own struggles agains sin after I came to Christ. Sin or baggage as we say, or bad habits, or the issues in our life don’t magically disappear. We have to learn to overcome them by growing spiritually. Here is the good news though, we have an advocate, someone who is in our corner praying for us as we face the battle against sin! His name is Jesus!
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. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.—1 John 2:1-3
We know we are His children because we keep His commandments, there is a desire to please God on the inside of every believer! When we fall short and fall into sin that is the time to draw close to Jesus and recognize that He is our advocate. Don’t fall into the trap of self-condemnation, learn to forgive yourself, then acknowledge that You are righteous in His sight. Begin to confess, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ, there is no condemnation for those who believe and I believe!” Recognize all your sin has been dealt with 2000 years ago and give God thanks and praise that He has (past tense) forgiven you!
When you recognize that Jesus is your advocate, that He as acquitted you and justified you in His sight forever, then self condemnation will be a thing of the past. The word propitiation means that Jesus work on the cross completely satisfies God’s requirement for judgment against sin. Jesus identified with our sin and we identify with His righteousness! I’m so glad I have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous! Keep His Word in your heart and you will grow and overcome the old habits and issues, that old baggage will be left behind because your advocate Jesus will love you through all your failures and mistakes, yes all of your sin!
Finish Strong! 