The Believers Motivation

I John 3:3

What is the motivation of the believer to live a holy life? Fear, approval of peers, self-satisfaction, afraid of being caught doing something they shouldn’t, keeping your reputation intact?

Verse 2 indicates we shall be made like him whether we live like him or not. That may be true, but we want to be like him now.

Verse 1 – we are stricken with the love that God has for us that he would die for us, suffer for us, and give us the peace that passes all understanding.

• The world does not understand why we live the way we live because they do not know Christ, who knows us.

• Verse 2 – We are looking for the rapture, the redemption of our bodies from all the sin of this world, and the sin that is in us. We want out, we hate sin, even the sin that so easily besets us, therefore, we run from sin, stay away from sin all we can, and cleave to that which God gives us.

• The song “Amazing Grace” means very much to the true believer.

I Peter 4:4 – “Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you.” The world thinks we are strange, because we do not run with them to the same excess of riot.

• See the verses in context – it is our desire to live the remainder of our lives to the will of God because we remember our past lives of sin, wickedness and wrong, and we also remember how Christ came to us while we were still in our sins, rebuked us of all our wickedness and brought us to himself in loving kindness.