1 John 3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whoever does not righteousness is not of God… I. THE CHARACTER AND MARK OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GOOD AND BAD MAN. "Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God"; which implies, on the contrary, that whosoever doeth righteousness is of God. 1. Who they are that in the apostle's sense may be said not to do righteousness. (1) They that live in the general course of a wicked life, in the practice of great and known sins. (2) They who live in the habitual practice of any one known sin, or in the neglect of any considerable part of their known duty. (3) They who are guilty of the single act of a very notorious crime; as a deliberate act of blasphemy, of murder, perjury, fraud, or oppression, or of any other crime of the like enormity. 2. Who they are that in the apostle's sense may be said to do righteousness. In short, they who in the general course of their lives do keep the commandments of God. I choose rather to describe a righteous man by the actual conformity of the general course of his actions to the law of God, than by a sincere desire or resolution of obedience. For a desire may be sincere for the time it lasts, and yet vanish before it comes to any real effect. No man believes hunger to be meat, or thirst to be drink; and yet there is no doubt of the truth and sincerity of these natural desires. No man thinks that a greedy desire to be rich is an estate, or that ambition, or an insatiable desire of honour is really advancement; just so, and no otherwise, a desire to be good is righteousness. II. BY THIS MARK EVERY MAN MAY, WITH DUE CARE AND DILIGENCE, ARRIVE AT THE CERTAIN KNOWLEDGE OF HIS SPIRITUAL STATE AND CONDITION. 1. By this character, as I have explained it, he that is a bad man may certainly know himself to be so, if he will but consider his condition and do not wilfully delude himself. For the customary practice of any known sin is utterly inconsistent with sincere resolutions and endeavours against it. 2. By this character, likewise, they that are sincerely good may generally be well assured of their good condition, and that they are the children of God. And there are but two things necessary to evidence this to them — that the general course of their actions be agreeable to the laws of God; and that they be sincere and upright in those actions. III. WHENCE IT COMES TO PASS, THAT NOTWITHSTANDING THIS, SO MANY PERSONS ARE AT SO GREAT UNCERTAINTY ABOUT THEIR SPIRITUAL CONDITION. 1. We will consider the grounds of the false hopes of men really bad concerning their good condition. (1) Some rely upon the profession of the Christian faith, and their being baptized into it. But this, so far from being any exemption from a good life, is the most solemn obligation to it. (2) Others trust to their external devotion; they frequent the church and serve God constantly, they pray to Him and hear His Word, and receive the blessed sacrament. But this so far from making amends for the impiety of our lives, spoils all the acceptance of our devotions. (3) Others, who are sensible they are very bad, depend very much upon their repentance, especially if they set solemn times apart for it. And there is no doubt but that a sincere repentance will put a man into a good condition; but then no repentance is sincere but that which produceth a real reformation in our lives. (4) Others satisfy themselves with the exercise of some particular graces and virtues, justice, and liberality, and charity. And is it not a thousand pities that thy life is not all of a piece, and that all the other parts of it are not answerable to these? (5) Some who are very careful of their outward conversation, but yet are conscious to themselves of great secret vices, when they can find no comfort from the testimony of their own consciences, are apt to comfort themselves in the good opinion which perhaps others have of them. But if we know ourselves to be bad, it is not the good opinion of others which can either alter or better our condition. Trust nobody, concerning thyself rather than thyself, because nobody can know thee so well as thou mayest know thyself. 2. The causeless doubts and jealousies of men really good concerning their bad condition. (1) Some are afraid that they are reprobated from all eternity, and therefore cannot be the children of God. But no man hath reason to think himself rejected of God, either from eternity or in time, that does not find the marks of reprobation in himself — I mean an evil heart and life. (2) Good men are conscious to themselves of many frailties and imperfections; and, therefore, they are afraid of their condition. But God considers the infirmities of our present state, and expects no other obedience from us, in order to our acceptance with Him, but what this state of imperfection is capable of. (3) They are afraid their obedience is not sincere, because it proceeds many times from fear, and not always out of pure love to God. For answer to this: it is plain from Scripture that God propounds to men several motives to obedience — some proper to work upon their fear, some upon their hope, others upon their love; from whence it is evident He intended they should all work upon us. (4) Another case of doubting in good men is, from a sense of their imperfect performance of the duties of religion and of the abatement of their affections towards God at some times. But our comfort is, that God doth not measure men's sincerity by the tides of their affections, but by the constant bent of their resolutions and the general tenor of their actions. (5) Another cause of these doubts is, that men expect more than ordinary and reasonable assurance of their good condition — some particular revelation from God, an extraordinary impression upon their minds. God may give this when and to whom He pleases, but I do not find He hath anywhere promised it. (6) As for the case of melancholy, it is not a reasonable case, and therefore doth not fall under any certain rules and directions. 3. There are likewise others, who upon good grounds are doubtful of their condition, and have reason to be afraid of it; those, I mean, who have some beginnings of goodness, which yet are very imperfect. The proper direction to be given them in order to their peace is, by all means to encourage them to go on and fortify their resolutions; to be more vigilant and watchful over themselves, to strive against sin, and to resist it with all their might.Conclusion: 1. From hence we learn the great danger of sins of omission as well as commission. 2. It is evident from what hath been said, that nothing can be vainer than for men to live in any course of sin and yet to pretend to be the children of God and to hope for eternal life. 3. You see what is the great mark of a man's good or bad condition: whosoever doeth righteousness is of God, and "whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God." (J. Tillotson, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: In 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. |
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