The Asset of Gospel Community: Day 19
“If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. 17All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. 18We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. 19We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. ” - 1st John 5:16-19
God designed us in such a way that we are wired for community. We are not called to live alone; that doesn’t just mean a spouse, it also means community. Internally we often crave a sense of closeness and transparency. To look out for one another and take care of one another. Our faith is not just a personal matter, nor is it even a private matter; it becomes the essence of our life and drives us to live in God’s world, God’s way. The book of Hebrews, chapter 10 verses 24 and 25 say “let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Community is an essential part of our Christian life. Being surrounded by other faith-filled believers is not a biblical suggestion but an inherent necessity by design.
We are called to share in one another’s burdens, as Paul writes in Galatians Chapter 6 “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” It is a part of our Christian duty to look out for one another. John writes here that if we see a brother sinning, to pray and God will give him life. John is talking about a fellow believer, he is not talking about the world or unbelievers. How do we come to this understanding? Because as John writes, there is sin that leads to death. I believe what John is talking about here is the sin of rejecting Christ. The sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Scripture tells us that all sin leads to death, “for the wages of sin is death.” Yet what John is talking about here isn’t the habitual sin of an unbeliever, but rather the stumbling into sin as a believer. We are not perfect. We will stumble. We have blind spots and sometimes fall into the temptation of this world, or the temptation of the enemy.
This is where a gospel-centered community comes into play. John tells us to pray and that God will give him life. James says, “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” That is because there is restoration through repentance. We get a clearer picture of what this looks like through Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” John writes that those born of God do not keep sinning, as we have covered in an earlier devotional, John is talking about a habitual lifestyle of sin as our master. He who is born of God is protected. This is accomplished through the conviction and leading of the Holy Spirit, and God’s sovereign design of a gospel-centered community. That is how we are protected from this world and the enemy. This doesn’t mean that we live under a rock, but rather that we have people surrounding us who can stir us up and help point us to the Cross when we stumble.
How has community helped you through a season of doubt or stumbling? Do you currently have a gospel-centered community that you can lean on?
Takeaway: God, through his sovereign design, has chosen community to be a tool that he uses for our sanctification and growth as a believer.
