Be Not Deceived

Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
1 John 3:7–10
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Be Not Deceived
You can’t fake the righteousness of Jesus. You can’t say, “Lord, Lord,” without the Spirit of God directing you. Therefore, the Spirit of God has changed you into something that you were not before. We loved our old self. No one wants to be accountable to anyone else. We want our own way, and we want to enjoy our desires and pleasures. The Spirit comes to you in the Word of God to plant faith in your heart. This faith grabs ahold of the righteousness of God and abandons the ways of sin and death. Faith will have nothing to do with the devil and his works. God has called you to life in him. He grants you new birth in the Spirit and wraps you in the righteousness of Jesus’ cross and resurrection. He gives it to you. Now it is your righteousness, and you practice righteousness. The Old Man must be reminded that he has been drowned in the waters of Baptism. This new nature daily arises to newness of life and calls upon Jesus—Lord, Lord!
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