This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, everywhere, every time. Here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the Internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bible-lined website at calvaryoftampa.org. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s message will be a blessing to you and your family.

I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of 1 John, Chapter 3. I want to discuss with you some scriptures that have given me a lot of trouble over the years. I wondered why couldn’t God have made it a little simpler, a little clearer than what he means. Have you ever studied the Bible and wondered why does it look like it’s so confusing? Doesn’t God understand that I’m hard of understanding and I need to have things made simple and clear to me?

Let me show you something here in 1 John chapter 3. Look what he says here in verse 6. Whosoever abideth in him, sineth not. Think about what that verse says alone and you’ll see what I’m saying. Whosoever abideth in him, sineth not. Whosoever, sineth hath not seen him neither known him. Question, do you sin? Whosoever, sineth hath not seen him neither known him. You see why that would cause me a problem? Little children let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

He that committed sin is of the devil. Now wait a minute, are you saved or you lost? Do you commit sin after you’ve been saved? He that committed sin is of the devil. Do you still sin? Are you of the devil or are you of God? For the devil sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God, deaf not commit sin. Have you been born of God?

Do you commit sin? Whosoever is born of God, deaf not commit sin. For his seed remained, and he cannot sin because he’s born of God. Looking verse 10. And this, the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil. Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God. Neither he that loveth not his brother. What if you don’t love your brother? You’re not of God. That ain’t enough to bother you. Let me give you a couple more. Look down in verse 14.

We know that we have passed from death under life because we love the brother. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hated his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer hat eternal life abiding in Him. Now maybe it doesn’t affect you when I owe to. Maybe you don’t see any problem with any of those verses, but I’ll have to admit that bothered me. It kind of gives the impression that if you sin, you’re of the devil, but if you’re born of God, you won’t sin.

Maybe if I look at those verses, maybe that’s why some people say, well, I haven’t sinned in 40 years. I met a person one time and looked at me and said, I haven’t sinned in 40 years. I can’t even say I haven’t sinned in 40 minutes and he will sin 40 years. I had a problem. I want you to take your Bible and look there in the book of Mark, chapter 7. The book of Mark and chapter 7. But the book of Mark, chapter 7.

There’s many people who classify themselves as fruit inspectors. What they do is they always going around inspecting other people’s fruit. And based upon what kind of fruit they find, they try to decide whether or not your seder lost. Because you see, if you smoke, oh, that’s a sign you’re lost. You drink, ah, you’re lost. You dip snuff, you’re lost. And so by the time they get through, there are no Christians left. Now, look what he says here in the book of Mark chapter 7.

And notice what he says in verse 20. And he said that which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man, from within out of the heart of man proceed evil thoughts. Now get what comes out of the heart of man evil thoughts adulteries fornications murders Thefs, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lessiviousness, and evil eye blasphemy, pride, foolishness, all these evil things come from within and defile the men. Where are all these things found on the inside? You see, the problem does not the fruit, it’s the root.

All these comes from an evil corrupt root. And when he makes the statement, whether it’s theft, well, that’s the sin, the crime. Those who do the theft, we call them thieves. A man that commits murder, well, we call them murders. The man that commits adultery, we call him an adulter. Whatever it is, if you tell a lie, we call that person, well, that’s a liar. You see, there’s names for the sins and names of the people who commit the sins.

The Bible says that not even a lie or a liar can enter into the kingdom of God. And he says, and many were you. You did some of those things. You were thieves and liars and murderers and hormongers. He said, that’s what the title that you have because of what you committed. But why do I get this name? Well, because you did this. Well, why did you do that? Because of a root that comes from that old sinful nature that we have.

So you need to understand some of those sins so that when you see them, listen to other places, you’ll know what they mean. Now turning your Bible to the book of Galatians and chapter 5, Galatians and chapter 5. And look there in verse 19. As a person born into the world, we all have a flash birth, a flash nature. Our sinful nature comes from a corrupt root. that corrupt root come from a corrupt seed. So the seed is corrupt.

And that is the corrupt seed that ever since Adam has been passed on down through every generation, we are all born of a corrupt seed. And that seed produces this corrupt root with all these desires within it. And that’s why it says it comes from within a man. Nothing that you put into your body is what corrupts the man the heart of man himself. Now you may defile the body but not the soul or the spirit. Some things can defile the soul and not affect the body at all.

So you need to understand whether you’re talking about the body, the soul or the spirit. So here in the book of Galatians in chapter 5 verse 19, now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these. Here’s the same list of things. adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, various, various emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, endeing, murders, drunkenness, reveling. See, most people don’t call drunkenness a sin, but the Bible says drunkenness is a sin because he has something you do as a choice.

All these are choices that people make. Now it can produce sicknesses and illnesses, but it’s the only the surface problem of a root problem because of sin. If you didn’t drink alcoholic beverages, you couldn’t get drunk. Now, the Bible says that we have this old sinful nature. I want to go back now to the book of 1 John. 1 John and chapter 1. Look up here just a moment. I want to use a simple illustration I’ve used before, but we’re going to use different scriptures, but you still need to understand the basis of where this comes from.

This arm is our flesh birth. This is when we’re born into the world. We all have an old sinful nature. Now with this old sinful nature it came from a corrupt seed. Therefore this root is defiled. And so the root is our problem. The fruit is only the result of the root. So that’s why the Bible says he didn’t come to change this because he can’t correct this problem. He said, I’ll give you a new birth. So the word of God is the incorruptible seed.

So the word of God has incorruptible seeds. And so when you put your faith in those seeds, it creates a new birth. So therefore you have these new desires that comes from a incorrupt root. So, incorrupt seed, incorrupt root, incorrupt fruit. Over here we have a corruptible seed, corruptible root, and corruptible fruit. So, we have these two trees living inside of us. They are contrary to each other. They fight all the time. They are two extremes. So, the problem is the root, not just the fruit.

So what we have is some people who are fruit inspectors and they’re saying, well, if you bring forth the fruit of this old sinful nature that shows you that you’re not really a Christian. But one day you may have the works of the flesh and the next day the fruit of the Spirit. And that really blows their mind. Now the Bible says, no ye not to whom ye yields yourselves servants to obey his servants, ye art to whom ye obey.

Whether obedience under righteousness or sin and to death. No ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves. So you can yield to the flesh and you can yield to the Spirit. This one’s born of God, this one is born of the flesh. Flesh, birth, spiritual birth. Divine, corrupt. Can’t do anything wrong, can’t do anything right. This one sins and this one does not. And so these two are dwelling within us and our body is the only tool that we have through which these two natures can manifest themselves, can reveal themselves, can fulfill their desires is through this one body.

And so therefore you are yielding at all times in your life either to the flesh or to the spirit. Because you see as a Christian, you can yield to both. But only one at a time. You cannot thank two thoughts at a time. You cannot walk in the spirit and the flesh at the same time you’ll either walk in the flesh or you walk in the spirit. But you can’t walk in both exactly the same time. but the body is going to reveal at times which one you’re walking in.

So first John is to help us understand which one is controlling our life. And the reason for this is because it is so easy for you and I to be deceived. So easy. You say I planted corn but butter beans came up. If butter beans came up you planted corn. Now, if Butterbeams come up, what did you plan? Butterbeams. You see, whatever comes up is the result of what you really planted. You might think that you’re really walking close to the Lord.

He said, now, if you really are, there’ll be some evidence in your life that you’re close to the Lord. Now, I want you to see this in 1 John 1. He says, we were literally here. We saw Christ, we touched Him, we handled Him of the Word of Life. We saw Christ in His power right here upon the earth, we got to see Him. That’s what He’s talking about there in verse 1, when He says, we have seen Him with our eyes, we looked upon Him, our hands have handled of the Word of Life.

That’s who He was. We saw Him. The disciples had fellowship with Christ. It’s one thing to know Him as Savior, but they got to walk with Him and learn of Him and and they fellowship. So what is fellowship? Fellowship is two fellows in a ship going in the same direction, from the same purpose they go through everything together. But now what he’s talking about here is this, down in verse three, that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you.

That ye also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his son, Jesus Christ, now look over here. You see, the closer you get in your fellowship with the Lord, The closer you get in your fellowship with one another. You see, your fellowship with each other, if it’s right kind of Christian fellowship, is because you’re closer to the Lord, you picture a triangle. Here you are, here’s your brother, there’s the Lord. If both of you get closer to the Lord, you get closer to each other.

And whenever you see yourself getting further away from somebody else, somebody’s getting further away from the Lord also. Because see, our fellowship with one another is really based upon our fellowship with the Lord. Fellowship means walking together in harmony with the Lord. Does God walk in the dark? No? God only walks in the light. So if you wanna walk with the Lord, you must walk in the light. You see these two natures? This one is darkness. This one is light.

That’s why the Bible says, you are children of the light. Christ is, I am the light of the world. When you trusted Christ as your Savior, you were born into God’s family. You are a child of God, a child of the light. Over here, when you were born into this world, you have a flesh birth. This is without light, without truth. Therefore to walk into flesh is to walk in darkness. So darkness hated the light. And these are always battling against each other.

So what you have within you is a child of darkness and a child of light. Now God says He wants you and I to walk in fellowship with Him. Now look what He says in verse four. And these things Right, we under you that your joy may be full. Now, the purpose of this book is two Christians on how to have fellowship with the Lord and with God’s people and how to have joy. Many children of God don’t have fellowship with the Father or with other Christians and they don’t have joy.

But our joy is based upon our relationship with the Father and other believers. So he says, now this is to help. to understand lest you be deceived. You may think you’re right with God, but God says here’s how you can tell. You may think that you’re right with others, but he says this is how you can tell. He says you may think that you’re happy and full of joy. He said, but let me tell you what it’s really all about because you see, you can have a false peace and a false hope and a false joy, not based upon truth.

Notice in verse five, this then is the message which we have heard of him and declaring to you that God is what? Light. And in him is no darkness at all. Look up here. God is your Father. You trusted him as your Savior. You’re born into his family. You’re a child of light. God is light and in him is no darkness. So if you want to walk in the Lord, you have to walk according to his word and his word is light.

Therefore a child of God is to walk in the light. Walk in truth. Look what else he says in verse 8. If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. Look over here. You could say a lot of things did not be true. If you say that you’re having fellowship with the Father, but you’re walking in the flesh or in the darkness, then God says you’re lying and you’re not telling the truth.

You’re deceived. Because it’s so easy to think that everything is alright and it’s not alright. You don’t always see the things that you ought to see. So he makes the statement here in verse 7, but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son continually keeps us clean. See, if you’ll walk in the light, as he is in the light, then you’ll have fellowship one with another.

So God wants his children to walk together in the light. And you can say that you are and really be walking in the flesh. Well, how are you supposed to tell? How do you really know? Now one thing he does say, he says if you say that you have no sinful nature, then he says then you’re lying because you do have a sinful nature. When you trusted Christ as your Savior, God did not do away with your old sinful nature.

He simply gave you a new birth with a new nature, a new root with new desires to produce new fruit that comes from God. So now you have a choice. You can either walk in obedience to the Word of God and walk in the light or you can walk in the flesh and fulfill the works of the flesh. Sometimes we’re not sure of what you planted. Look at the fruit. So it’s not for you to examine everybody else’s fruit but are you examining your own fruit so that you’ll know whether or not are you walking in the light or are you walking in the darkness.

Look what he says now in chapter 2. In chapter 2, when we talk about the Scriptures and it talks about your walk, well if you’re talking about walking in the light or walking in the darkness, well that’s what you do after you’re born. You see you don’t walk to be born. When do kids usually walk before they’re born or after they’re born? Now this is a difficult question after you’re born. So you see once you’ve trusted Christ the Savior and you’re born into his family, now you can talk about the walk.

Now, either you’re going to walk in the Lord, or you’re going to walk in the flesh. But you have a choice, but it’s after salvation. So we’re not talking to how to be saved. So then he makes the statement in verse 4, he that sayeth, I know him and keepeth not his commandments is a what is the life. If you say it, well, I’m really getting to know the Lord in a more closer, intimate way, but you won’t walk in the light, and you won’t do what what God should do, then God says, you’re lying.

You’re walking in the flesh, you’re walking in darkness. So you see, Christian is always either walking in the light or he’s walking in darkness. He’s either walking in the spirit, he’s walking in the flesh. So he then goes down here and says, in verse six, he that saith, he abideth in him, ought himself also so to what? Walk, even as he walk. So we’re not talking about how to get to heaven. This is those who are already born and are learning how to walk.

So that’s why sometimes you have a hard time learning how to walk after you trust the Christ as your Savior, because you want to walk in the flesh and you want to walk in the Spirit, you want to obey God and you don’t want to obey God. And so you have a battle back and forth in your life. So he says, now, if you say that you are want to walk in the Lord, then walk in the light. Walk in the Spirit.

Look down in verse 9. He that sayeth, He is in the light. And, hated his brother, he is in what? Darkness even until now? Our look appear. He that sayeth his in the light. Let me just walk in the light. We’re not talking about how to get saved. I’m talking about walking with the Lord after you’re saved. If you say that you’re walking in the light, but you hate your brother or hate, where does the hate come from? Does that come from the second birth or does that come from the first birth?

Comes from the first birth. So hate means if you have a second birth, you have a second birth. hate somebody, you hate your brother, it means you’re not walking in the light, you’re walking in the flesh. So the hatred and the bitterness and the envy and the jealousy and all those things are flesh. That means that you as a Christian are not walking in the light like you think you are, you’re walking in the flesh. So you’re saying something see that’s not true.

It’s so easy to be deceived. You see your motive and your intention may be good, but you got to go by the facts, ma’am, just the facts. Either you’re walking in the flesh or you’re walking in the Spirit. Now look what he says verse 10, he that loveth his brother walketh or abideth in the light. There’s not occasion of stumbling in him. Look up here. He that loveth love comes from the second birth. Loveth his brother abideth in the light.

God wants you to abide where you’ve been placed. So love is a fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5 verse 22. So if you love your brother, then God says you’re walking in the light and there’s no occasion of stumbling in him because stumbling is a result of walking in the flesh because it’s dark and you can’t see. You see without the understanding of these two natures, you can not understand the book of 1 John. Impossible. So all the way down through here, it talks about this walking in the light, walking in the dark, the flesh, the spirit.

These are things that has confused many people when they come to this book, trying to understand what it’s talking about. Now look there in 1 John, chapter three. And look in verse one, Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God or the children of God. Wherefore the world, North us not because it knew him, not be leavened. Now are we the sons of God in a death, not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, but we shall see him as he is, not look appear.

When you trusted Christ as your savior, you became that very moment, a child of God. You were entwelt by the Holy Spirit. You received a divine nature. And through this divine root, you could have divine fruit. But you see, you’re the one that decides whether or not to yield to the new birth or you can yield to the flesh birth. And that’s why many people wonder if a person is saved because they see many of the same works of the flesh that they had before they was ever saved.

Can a man still be saved? Yes, just because you walk in the flesh doesn’t do away with the spirit birth. And just because you walk in the spirit doesn’t do away with the flesh birth, it’s still there. You still have this old child of the devil living inside of you. And when you trust Christ the Savior, you’re now his child forever because if it cannot sin, it cannot what? It cannot die because the wages of sin is death. Can this one sin?

Yes, when it’s sin, that’s why it dies. One day, this old body’s gonna be placed into the grave. God’s going to get you a new body to go with your new birth. That’ll live forever. Now, when he makes the statement here in verse six, whosoever abided in him, sineth not, whosoever, sineth hath not seen him and neither known him. Now look up here. You need to understand who these whosoever’s. This is the whosoever that’s born of the flesh. This is the whosoever that’s not saved.

Whenever you trust Christ to see, God gives you a new birth. This one is born of God. This one’s born of God. It cannot sin. So when he makes a statement here in verse 6, who’s to ever abide it in him sin or not? So if you are in this birth, this one cannot sin. But this one, your first birth, it does sin. Now notice what else he says here. In verse 7, little children let no man deceive you.

He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that commit of sin is of the devil. So you’re talking about a child of God and the devil or the child of the devil. Which one of these is the child of the devil? That’s why when Christ was here in the book of John chapter 8 verse 44 when he told those Pharisees, he says, ye are of your Father the devil. And because you’re the Father the devil, you will do the works of your Father.

He was a liar from the beginning. That’s where that root comes from. That root comes from that terrible, corruptible seed and says, now, you have within you every Christian. You’ve got like a child of the devil and you’ve got a child of God. Both living inside of you and they are extremes in their character, in their nature, and they are opposed to each other. Which one are you going to allow to control the use of this one body? Because both of these live in this one body and this one body is the only main by which either one of them can express themselves and manifest themselves.

and they want to use this body to fulfill the works of the flesh. And also the Holy Spirit wants to use this body to manifest the fruit of the Spirit. You’re the one that determines which one you yield to. Now look what he says there in verse 9. Whosoever is born of God, does not commit sin. Now I know some people say he doesn’t practice sin or he doesn’t commit sin. You don’t continue in sin anymore, different translations. But listen, if you have trusted Christ as your Savior, if you walk in the Spirit, then you can’t continue fulfilling the loss of the flesh.

You can’t practice the loss of the flesh if you’ll do what God wants you to do. But if you don’t, then you’re going to fulfill these things. So yes, that will come from that old nature, but one day this is going to die and this is going to be taken to heaven. You see, this is the second birth is what’s going to heaven, not your first birth. Your first birth is of the flesh, but God did not destroy it yet.

And that’s why you still have this battle in your Christian life. Now, I know what he says there in verse 10. In this, the children of God are manifest and the children of the devil. So you’re talking about a comparison between these two children, child of God, child of the flesh. And your fellowship with the Father is to understand this. God is light. God does not walk in darkness. So if you want to walk with the Lord and you want to walk in the light and you want to walk in His Word, then you can’t walk in the flesh.

You can’t say, I want to please God and walk in the flesh because the flesh cannot please God Romans chapter 8. That’s why you needed a new birth. Now that you have this new birth, a bide where you have been placed. You’re a child of God. You’re a child of the light. Walk like it. Live like it. Act like it. Talk like it. And in chapter 2 and verse 28, look at it. And now little children abide in Him.

Well, if you’re already His children, what are you talking about? Because God wants you to abide where you’ve been placed. You have been placed in this new birth. That’s your belonging. That’s where you live. Because now live like it. You’re a child of God. Act like it. that when he shall appear we may have confidence and not be what? A shame before him it is coming. You see, when you walk in the flesh you are going to be ashamed when the Lord comes.

You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ You can reach Bibleline and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing toll free 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our home page.

If you’re in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Our Sunday morning services begin at 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline, and now we’re closing thought from Pastor Arnold.

Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. We will be changed. Hot up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon. And just keep looking up.