1 John 3:19-24

1 John 3:19-24

Those who are farthest from Christ are the least aware of their sin. Those who are drawing near the Lord have a more profound understanding of both their sinful nature and the individual sinful acts that they commit. A deep awareness of sin can lead a serious, faithful disciple to a worrisome situation or state of mind, asking, “Do I love God and my fellow man? Am I at all in a right relationship with the Lord?” John’s comments in verse 19 look back to verse 18. We can answer the question of the hypersensitive conscience this way: “Do I love my God, my fellow man, and the truth of the gospel message and express that love in action, specifically meeting the needs of fellow Christians?” How we live is a pretty good reflection of our inner heart’s condition. Do we genuinely want to serve Christ by meeting the needs of our fellow believers because of our faith? That is a very good indication of our heart's condition.

Versus 20-21 brings us a point of concern. “If I am trying to love God and man and to serve Him, but I'm still bothered by what I've done, what shall become of me?” These verses are both a warning and comfort. God is greater than our conscience, so if we are pleading for His grace and living faithfully, God is bigger than our falsely guilty conscience. He knows our true heart. If we are indifferent to the truth and the needs of other believers and are unconcerned that our conscience never bothers us, that very likely indicates a serious spiritual problem. Such a soothed conscience doesn't mean God is pleased with us. Our conscience is a useful, but not perfectly reliable guide. It may give us general directions, but it can never give us the complete address.

The first phrase of verse 22, taken out of context, sounds almost like a magic wand. The promise of answered prayer is only in the context of doing the things that please God. To ask for God's power, grace, and blessing to occur in loving Him, our fellow believers, and helping our brothers and sisters in their need is different than asking for a sports car because I like to drive fast. When the agenda of our life is to love God and our fellow believers and express that love in practical service and obedience, our hearts are set at ease. If for some reason they aren’t, we know God is greater than our hearts. And God is actively giving us our heart's desire to love, serve, and give.

“Lord, give me the grace to practically serve my brothers and sisters in Christ because I love You. AMEN”