WORD: OC's 60-Day New Testament PlanSample

Living in the Light A lot of people think that if you are a Christian you must be completely without sin. We tend to keep score with ourselves, and even with others, and add a checkmark for each sin we commit. What I love about 1 John is that he seems to make the case that if we are viewing our relationship with Christ and His body as a list of checkmarks, then we have completely misunderstood the meaning of Christ's death, grace, and mercy. John states in Chapter 1 that if a person says they follow God but they don’t act that way, they do not live in the light. But, if a person lives in the light the same way Jesus did, then Christ's blood cleanses them from every sin. This made me realize that it's not about always getting everything perfect. The book of John explains that what living in the light truly means is loving others and obeying God's commands. It means that when we realize we have actually won the victory through Christ, we make that decision to continue, "winning the victory" everyday by recognizing other believers who are in need and helping them. That's the kind of love that God gave us. We might not live perfectly, but that's not the point. His mercy isn't so that we can keep on sinning, it's so we can show that same love and mercy to others. My favorite part of this book is the last part of Chapter 2:14, "I've written to you, young people, because you are strong and God's Word lives in you. You have won the victory over the evil one." Written By Kayla Cook Student, Oklahoma Christian University