True Believers

By Greg Laurie, Op-ed contributor Friday, August 19, 2005

"Those who have been born into God's family do not sin, because God's life is in them. So they can't keep on sinning, because they have been born of God" —1 John 3:9

Of the twelve disciples, we envision Judas Iscariot as the one with shifty eyes, lurking in the shadows. While the other disciples wore white, Judas would have worn black. He was the one you would have immediately recognized as the bad guy.

But I think Judas Iscariot was the very opposite: a phenomenal actor who came across as an upright man, devout in his faith. As one of the Twelve, Judas had been handpicked by the Lord Himself, but eventually betrayed Him for a few pieces of silver.

Judas made the wrong choice to do the wrong thing, even though he had been exposed to so much truth. With his own ears, Judas heard Jesus deliver the Sermon on the Mount. With his own eyes, Judas saw Jesus walk on water. He saw Lazarus raised from the dead. He saw the multitudes fed with the loaves and fishes. He saw the blind receive their sight. He saw it all. He heard it all. Yet he became more hardened in his unbelief.

Judas could go deeper into sin because he really never knew Jesus. If you are a true Christian and you begin to compromise, you will sense the conviction of the Holy Spirit. But if you can sin without any remorse, then one must question if you really know God. The true child of God, though still a sinner, simply will not live in a pattern of sin.

If you find yourself, as a follower of Christ, immediately experiencing conviction when you start to sin, then rejoice. It is a reminder that you belong to the Lord.

Used with Permission