To Be and to Do

“But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.” (Psalm 103:17-18)

God’s mercy is eternal. It always has been, and it always will be. God’s mercy, like God, simply is. It is present and always in the present. In short, it’s a perpetual now.

This mercy is for the righteous children of God. It is for those who are of God and have God manifest through them. There is a distinction between being and doing. A true child of God is both. Who you are and what you do.

Now there is a distinct difference between being and doing. Doing is a natural outflow of being. But doing doesn’t necessarily equate too being. Virtually everyone does a righteousness deed in their life. The devil does all the time. But the act of righteousness doesn’t make one righteous, only an actor. Being righteous, it is next to impossible not to do or act righteously, or at least not without forethought and a degree of trepidation and misgivings. The righteous person who does unrighteousness will repent of their sin. Repenting of unrighteousness is a demonstration of righteousness. John addresses this in his third epistle.

“He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth 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 doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 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.” (1 John 3:8-10).

Those who are born of God, as in reborn through Christ, sin no more for the see, the spirit of Christ is still in them. Now the fleshy part of man will stumble, but man does not lose his religion when he does. He recognizes, admits, and repents of his sin thus maintaining his spiritual condition.

The dangerous person is one who is not a child of God but pretends to be when he is not by doing acts of righteousness. This would be a hypocrite, a devil or both.

Accept Jesus Christ as your Savior. Be! And sin no more.

Bill Hitchcock