We're not perfect, but if we're not purifying ourselves and if our lifestyles are not on the path toward righteousness, then we cannot hide behind a profession of faith. A profession of faith without a practice of faith is in fact a characteristic of children of the devil.

You are Christians with the anointing from the Holy One Himself, and you don't need anything in addition to that. John is grounding us in the foundational truths of Christ and who He is. This helps us be discerning when we come across false teaching.

There is a mystical faith union but it's not just between you and Jesus, it's between you and the cross of Jesus. That makes a big difference.

Your sins, if you've come to Jesus and made a profession of faith and been filled with His Spirit, are covered, past, present, and future. But as a child of God, in order to enjoy His presence, you need to keep short accounts. God is light; He is utterly pure, and He is holy.

John is not just saying that it's really healthy for you spiritually to go to church and Bible study, although that's true. He says it's inevitable that if you have fellowship with God, you will want to have fellowship with other people. True Christians are a part of God's family, and they will want to be with God's family in church.

People can publicly criticize Christian truth because they have the freedom that a biblical revelation contextualized in our society has given them. Try making the same religious criticisms about Islam in a Muslim country! But we must go beyond tolerance to love.

As we come to the end of this series in Mark 7, Jesus is teaching us that authentic Christianity starts with a transformed heart. The Pharisees emphasized external behavior, but Jesus says following God is about having a radical change of heart.

Authentic Christianity only accepts biblical teaching. This passage in Mark presents us with a choice: traditional teaching or biblical teaching. This is an either/or choice, not a both/and decision.

Paul tells the Galatians that the reason they have lost their joy and almost lost their faith is because they've lost sight of the cross.

This passage in Mark talks about the importance of Biblical teaching vs. traditional teaching. We must clarify what that means and choose between them.