Would you drink poisoned water? What if it’s just a splash of poison in there? The poison is clear. No one can tell by looking at it that it’s dangerous for you. No one would know as it burned it’s way through your esophagus and into your stomach. It’s internal, right? (*PSA* do NOT drink poison!)
But now that I’ve got your attention, how much sin is “safe” for you to ingest? Just a little splash? After all, maybe no one would be able to see it anyway. John is very clear about this, there is no place for continual sin in the life of a believer. When we choose to walk with God and receive the Holy Spirit, we want to honor God. We walk in obedience to God by doing what is right, inside and out. Our spiritual family and community will see us holding our heads high with clear moral conscience. We will show love to all of God’s children. What if you don’t want to? Simply put, whoever does not love his brother or sister abides in death. If you’re with the Lord, we cannot be hating brothers and sisters, especially within the body of Christ. Mere humans won’t be able to express the true agape love of our Heavenly Father, but that is the level of humble excellence that we are called to pursue. Don’t just talk about it, walk out your actions. Actually love them, actually embrace them, actually tangibly bless them. God knows our hearts, He sees when we are freely giving and when we are selfishly withholding. God is greater than my heart, I pray that He sees, knows and exposes my heart until I am fully aligned in Him. When we fully surrender to His will, our obedience will yield spiritual fruit in this life.