Category Archives: 1 John

“Nothing is certain but death and taxes.”

Benjamin Franklin wrote those words in 1789. Of course, a wise man like Franklin knew that many other things are also certain. The Christian also knows that there are many certainties. Of spiritual truth, Christians are not afraid to say, “We know!” In fact, the word know occurs thirty-nine times in John’s brief letter, eight times in this closing chapter.

Man has a deep desire for certainty, and he will even dabble in the occult in his effort to find out something for sure.

The life that is real is built on the divine certainties that are found in Jesus Christ. The world may accuse the Christian of being proud and dogmatic, but this does not keep him from saying, “I know!” In these closing verses of John’s letter we find five Christian certainties on which we can build our lives with confidence.

1-Jesus Is God (1 John 5:6-10)

This is the one who came by water and blood–Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. {7} For there are three that testify: {8} the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. {9} We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. {10} Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.

In 1 John 5:1-5, emphasis is placed on trusting Jesus Christ. A person who trusts Christ is born of God and is able to overcome the world. To believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God is basic to Christian experience.

The child of God is to expect victory. Much of the power of the early church found its source in this expectancy. They had stepped into a new kind of life, rather than merely adopting a new religion. The unseen things of eternity had become more real to them than the three dimensional materialism of this earthly existence. Friends marveled at it, enemies trembled at it, and emperors went mad in trying to understand the dynamic with which the first century faced both life and death.

In the verses before us, John pin-points the source of power. It is our faith. Faith in the firm conviction that, in Jesus, the word of power by which God sustains the worlds, became flesh! It is a personal trust in Him that makes His power our own, His victory ours.

New Testament faith is more than mental assent to a proposition. It is more than mere belief. It is more than the acceptance of theological dogma or conformity to doctrine. Faith is the assurance of our hope; a conviction of unseen realities. (Cf. Hebrews 11:1) The child of God knows from experience that the real values of life, both here and hereafter, lie in an other-wordly realm. We are “not in the flesh, but in the spirit.” ( Romans 8:9).

Faith is not merely a positive attitude toward life. It is more than self-confidence. Faith must have an object. It is a trusting-awareness of that object. The object of the Christian faith is a Galilean Carpenter, who, through certain phenomenal events in His life, was revealed to be the uniquely begotten Son of God; a visitor to this dimension from another arena of activity. Of these phenomena, John selects two which suit the purpose of this epistle: His baptism and His death.

John presents three infallible witnesses to prove that Jesus is God.

First witness—the water.

Jesus came “by water and blood.” The water refers to His baptism in Jordan, when the Father spoke from heaven and said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:13-17). At the same time the Spirit descended like a dove and rested on Him. This was the Father’s attestation of His Son at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.

Second witness—the blood.

But the Father gave further witness as the time drew near for Jesus to die. He spoke audibly to Jesus from heaven, and said, “I have both glorified [My name], and will glorify it again” (John 12:28). Furthermore, the Father witnessed in miracle power when Jesus was on the cross: the supernatural darkness, the earthquake, and the rending of the temple veil

(Matthew 27:45 )  From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.

(Matthew 27:50-53 )  And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. {51} At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. {52} The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. {53} They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

No wonder the centurion cried out, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matt. 27:54)

Third witness—the Spirit.

The Spirit was given to bear witness to Christ

(John 15:26 )  “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.

(John 16:14 )  He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.

We can trust the Spirit’s witness because “the Spirit is truth.” We were not present at the baptism of Christ or at His death, but the Holy Spirit was present. The Holy Spirit is the only Person active on earth today who was present when Christ was ministering here. The witness of the Father is past history, but the witness of the Spirit is present experience.

How does the Spirit witness within the heart of a believer? “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons, by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom. 8:15-16, nasb). His witness is our inner confidence that we belong to Christ—not a confidence that we “work up” for ourselves, but a confidence that God gives us.

The Spirit also witnesses to us through the Word. As we read God’s Word, He speaks to us and teaches us. A Christian feels “at home” with God’s people because the Spirit dwells in him. This is another way the Spirit bears witness.

The testimony of all these three witnesses is for one thing: “That ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye may have life in His name.” (John 20:31)

In the late third or early fourth century A. D., a scribe who was copying this scripture probably inserted (in v.7 ) a sentence which reads, “for  there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost.” (King James Version ) It is not within the scope of this present work to discuss the relative merits of this sentence. It is a matter of record that it appears first, not in the original Greek of the New Testament, but in the Latin translation.

The earliest manuscript in which it appears in Greek is a copy made in  the sixteenth century. It is not needed to complete John’s argument concerning the divine proofs of Jesus’ identity as the Christ, the Son of God. Since we are following the text of the American Standard Version which omits this sentence, we shall not comment on it.

People often say, “I wish I could have faith!” But everybody lives by faith! All day long, people trust one another. They trust the doctor and the pharmacist; they trust the cook in the restaurant; they even trust the fellow driving in the other lane on the highway. If we can trust men, why can we not trust God? And not to trust Him is to make Him a liar!

Jesus is God: this is the first Christian certainty, and it is foundational to everything else.

2-Believers Have Eternal Life (1 John 5:11-13)

{11} And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. {12} He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. {13} I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

A word needs to be said about “eternal life.” It is far more than “forever existence.” Because man is essentially in the nature of God, man can never cease to be. This in and of itself is no blessing. In fact it can become the greatest possible curse. It is this same inspired writer who warns us of the danger of being “tormented day and night forever and ever. ” (Rev. 20:10). Eternal life is the kind of life that finds its fullest expression in God Himself. It is His life, and men come to it through Jesus, and no other way. (John 14:6)

Eternal life is the kind of life that vibrates in the very being of God and which, as Jesus demonstrated, cannot be held by death. In the believer it is a present reality and not merely a doctrine of the future. John has written in this epistle, and now reminds his readers, that eternal life is characterized by certain qualities and that one who has those qualities may know with certainty that he has eternal life. Such a person will accept divinely revealed truth in preference to human philosophy.

Eternal life is a gift; it is not something that we earn (John 10:27-29; Eph. 2:8-9). But this gift is a Person—Jesus Christ. We receive eternal life not only from Christ, but in Christ. “He who has the Son has the life” (1 John 5:12, nasb). Not just “life” but “the life”—the life “which is life indeed” (1 Tim. 6:19, nasb).

God wants His children to know that they belong to Him. John was inspired by the Spirit to write his Gospel to assure us that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31). He wrote this epistle so that we may be sure that we are the children of God (1 John 5:13).

3- God Answers Prayer (1 John 5:14-15)

{14} This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. {15} And if we know that he hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him.

It is one thing to know that Jesus is God and that we are God’s children; but what about the needs and problems of daily life? Jesus helped people when He was here on earth; does He still help them? Earthly fathers take care of their children; does the Heavenly Father respond when His children call on Him?

Christians have confidence in prayer, just as they have confidence as they await the judgment

(1 John 2:28 )  And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.

(1 John 4:17 )  In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.

We can come to the Father freely and tell Him our needs.

Of course, there are conditions we must meet.

First, we must have a heart that does not condemn us

(1 John 3:21-22 )  Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God {22} and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.

Unconfessed sin is a serious obstacle to answered prayer

Psalms 66:18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;

It is worth noting that differences between a Christian husband and his wife can hinder their prayers

(1 Peter 3:1-7)  Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, {2} when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. {3} Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. {4} Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. {5} For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, {6} like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear. {7} Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.).

If there is anything between us and any other Christian, we must settle it

(Matthew 5:23-25)  “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, {24} leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. {25} “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.

And unless a believer is abiding in Christ, in love and obedience, his prayers will not be answered

(John 15:7)  If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.).

Second, we must pray in God’s will. “Thy will be done” (Matt. 6:10).

“Prayer is a mighty instrument, not for getting man’s will done in heaven, but for getting God’s will done on earth,” wrote Robert Law.

George Mueller said: “Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance. It is laying hold of God’s willingness.”

There are times when we can only pray, “Not my will but Thy be done,” because we simply do not know God’s will in a matter. But most of the time we can determine God’s will by reading the Word, listening to the Spirit (Rom. 8:26-27), and discerning the circumstances around us.

“But if it is God’s will for me to have a thing, then why should I pray about it?” Because prayer is the way God wants His children to get what they need. God not only ordains the end, but He also ordains the means to the end—prayer.

And the more you think about it, the more wonderful this arrangement becomes. Prayer is really the thermometer of the spiritual life. God has ordained that I maintain a close walk with Him if I expect Him to meet my needs.

John does not write, “We shall have the requests,” but, “We know that we have the requests” (cf. 1 John 5:15). The verb is present tense. We may not see the answer to a prayer immediately, but we have inner confidence that God has answered. It is God witnessing to us that He has heard and answered.

What breathing is to a physical man, prayer is to a spiritual man. If we do not pray, we “faint” (Luke 18:1). Prayer is not only the utterance of the lips; it is also the desire of the heart.

“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thes. 5:17) does not mean that a Christian is always saying an audible prayer. It suggests the attitude of the heart as well as the words of the lips. A Christian who has his heart fixed on Christ and is trying to glorify Him is praying constantly even when he is not conscious of it.

• The pages of the Bible and the pages of history are filled with reports of answered prayer.
• Prayer is not spiritual self-hypnosis.
• Nor do we pray because it makes us feel better.
• We pray because God has commanded us to pray and because prayer is the God-appointed means for a believer to receive what God wants to give him.
• Prayer keeps a Christian in the will of God and living in the will of God keeps a Christian in the place of blessing and service.
• We are not beggars; we are children coming to a wealthy Father who loves to give His children what they need.

Though He was God in the flesh, Jesus depended on prayer. He lived on earth, as we must, in dependence on the Father. He arose early in the morning to pray (Mark 1:35), though He had been up late the night before healing the multitudes. He sometimes spent all night in prayer (Luke 6:12). In the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed with “strong crying and tears” (Heb. 5:7). On the cross He prayed three times. If the sinless Son of God needed to pray, how much more do we?

The most important thing about prayer is the will of God. We must take time to ascertain what God’s will is in a matter, especially searching in the Bible for promises or principles that apply to our situation.

Once we know the will of God, we can pray with confidence and then wait for Him to reveal the answer.

Three Outstanding Facts Regarding Prayer

1. To continue in prayer. The essence of prayer is holding communion with God. Like all other acceptable service to God, our hearts must be in our prayers, if we expect them to be heard. (Matthew 15:8) ”’These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

(Acts 2:42) They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

(Ephesians 6: 18) And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind. be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

 

2. To expect answers to prayer.

No one can believe in the wisdom and goodness of God and at the same time think that He meant for prayer to be an empty form, a meaningless ceremony, a heartless mockery.

(Psalms 37:4-5 )  Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. {5} Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:

(Philippians 4:6-7 )  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. {7} And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

(Philippians 4:19 )  And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

(Hebrews 13:5-6 )  Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” {6} So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

3. To expect greater things than we can ask or think.

(Jeremiah 33:3 )  ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’

(Ephesians 3:20-21 )  Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, {21} to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

4 — Christians Do Not Practice Sin (1 John 5:16-19)

1 John 5:16-21: “If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. {17} All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death. {18} We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. {19} We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. {20} We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true–even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. {21} Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.”

The total context of I John is concerned with the assurance of his own life by a child of God, and with the tests by which one may know certainly that he is himself a child of God. John is suggesting that the fact of answered prayer is evidence of such sonship. However, there is a condition in which one’s prayer may not be answered. There is an exception to the certainty of prayer.

John identifies that exception. He does not do so in order to prevent us from praying for anyone. Rather he does so in order that we will not doubt our own divine sonship when this particular prayer is not answered. If we pray for one who is sinning sin toward death, (and John explicitly says he isn’t telling us to do so), we are not to be surprised when “nothing happens.” The most frequent question asked in response to these verses is “what is the unpardonable sin?” Asked against the backdrop of the whole gist of I John, and particularly in the context of this fifth chapter, the question is superfluous. It is so much so that John doesn’t identify what he refers to as “sin toward death.”

The first step toward possible clarification of the wide-spread confusion in this matter is the realization that the Bible nowhere uses the term “the unpardonable sin.” John has something more in mind than a single unrighteous act.

Jesus did not use this phrase, “the unpardonable sin,” although He is generally credited with it. A careful reading of the synoptic references usually cited in support of the doctrine of “the unpardonable sin” will prove enlightening. These references are Mark 3:29, Matthew 12:32, and Luke 12: 10,

Mark 3:29 quotes Jesus as saying “, . . whosoever shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, bur is guilty of eternal sin. . .” Matthew’s version of the same quotation is, “. . . but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven . . . whosoever shall speak against the Spirit, it shall nor be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come.” (Matthew 12: 31-32) Luke has”. . . but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Spirit it shall not be forgiven.” (Luke 12: 1 0) On the surface, and in the context of Jesus’ statement, the most obvious conclusion is that attributing to Satan the work of the Spirit is un forgiven. However, as we putsue the matter deeper into the New Testament, we discover there is a great deal more to it than merely stating that Satan has done some work which is in fact the work of the Holy Spirit.

That such blasphemy is not to expect pardon will no doubt prove true, but we ought not suppose that the making of the statement per se pre-empts all possibility of subsequent salvation.

 

It has been suggested that denial of the deity of Jesus, since it, in effect, calls the Holy Spirit a liar, is the sin referred to here. If we are to identify sin toward death as one particular act, the denial of Christ probably comes closer to the truth than any other single sin.

John has just said that the testimony of the Holy Spirit supports the incarnation of the Word in the person of Jesus. (I John 5:7-11) To call Him a liar certainly comes under the heading of blasphemy. However, the absence of a definite article, “the”, with sin in I John 5:16-17, suggests the probability that John is not speaking of one single act of SIn.

The denial of Jesus by those who have come to know Him, as opposed to rhe denial that is made by others who have never confessed Him, has been suggested as the sin unto death. Hebrews 6:4-6 would seem to support this conclusion. However, when read in the original language, even these verses do not close the door forever upon the one who has faIlen away. It is true “it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance.” (Hebrews 6:6), but there is no indication that they cannot themselves repent.

The Hebrew writer comes back to this same vein in Hebrews 10:26.

A literal translation of that verse would read “For we, going on sinning deliberately after we have received the knowledge of the truth, not concerning sins is there left a sacrifice.”

Such literal renderings in English are always awkward reading, but often very helpfuL The key word here is the participle translated “[(oinK on sinning” modified by the adverb translated “deliberately.” “Going on sinning” describes a continuing state, rather than a single misdeed. “Deliberately” underscores that state as one of choice.

One can violate the will of God out of ignorance, compulsion, inability to resist some strong tempcJ[ion. or he can violate the will of God as a matter of deliberate choice. In the case of the former he will probably hate the sin, both during and after its commission, and even hate himself for his weakness. He will shrink in horror at the thought of repeating the disobedience to God, and yet may yield again to the same temptation.

So long as he is honest in the revulsion, fundamentally sorry for the guilt, and faces his own responsibility for it as well as the reality of it, the blood of Christ is equal to cleansing it. (See on I John 1: 8-22) On the other hand, when one violates the will of God cold-bloodedly, aware of his transgression but determined to have his own way regardless of God’s will and delighting in his sin, he has removed himself from the reach of the cross. To continue in such a state is to “sin toward death.” The overt act committed outwardly may be the same in both cases.

Sin toward death is not necessarily measured by the deed done. It is the state of a man who has heard the call of sin and has decided to serve it rather than God. He has listened to falsehood and decided to accept it rather than truth. He will readily commit any and every act that has ever been identified with “the unpardonable sin,” and do so without remorse.

Such a person cannot be said to walk in the light. The light reveals the nature of sin and the personal guilt involved in it, and he has preferred to live in sin; possibly even to deny guilt. The light has revealed the eternal nature of the things of God, bur he has chosen the love of the things of the world; to be a materialist. The light has revealed Jesus to be God’s Son and he has chosen to deny Him. He “has loved darkness rather than light, because his deeds are eviL” (John 3: 19) His life will not meet any of the tests presented in I John.

One who has made this final choice has forfeited all hope of divine forgiveness. Consequently, the child of God is not expected to pray for him, and if one does pray for such a person, he is not to take the absence of an answer as a slur against the reality of his own eternal life.

Prayer must never be selfish; it must never be concentrated entirely upon our own selves and our own problems and our own needs. It must be an outgoing activity.

Again and again the New Testament writers stress the need for this prayer of intercession.

• Paul writes to the Thessalonians: “Brothers, pray for us” (1 Thessalonians 5:25).
• The writer to the Hebrews says: “Pray for us” (Hebrews 13:18, 19).
• James says that, if a man is sick, he ought to call the elders, and the elders should pray over him (James 5:14).
• It is the advice to Timothy that prayer must be made for all men (1 Timothy 2:1).
• The Christian has the tremendous privilege of bearing his brother man to the throne of grace.

This passage speaks of the sin whose end is death and the sin whose end is not death. There have been many suggestions in regard to this.

The Jews distinguished two kinds of sins. There were the sins which a man committed unwittingly or, at least, not deliberately. These were sins which a man might commit in ignorance, or when he was swept away by some over-mastering impulse, or in some moment of strong emotion when his passions were too strong for the leash of the will to hold. On the other hand, there where the sins of the high hand and the haughty heart, the sins which a man deliberately committed, the sins in which he defiantly took his own way in spite of the known will of God for him. It was for the first kind of sin that sacrifice atoned; but for the sins of the haughty heart and the high hand no sacrifice could atone.

First of all, let us try to fix more closely the meaning of the mortal sin. In the Greek it is the sin pros thanaton. That means the sin which is going towards death, the sin whose end is death, the sin which, if continued in, must finish in death. The terrible thing about it is not so much what it is in itself, as where it will end, if a man persists in it.

It is a fact of experience that there are two kinds of sinners. On the one hand, there is the man who may be said to sin against his will; he sins because he is swept away by passion or desire, which at the moment is too strong for him; his sin is not so much a matter of choice as of a compulsion which he is not able to resist. On the other hand, there is the man who sins deliberately, of set purpose taking his own way, although well aware that it is wrong.

“We know that no one who is born of God sins” (1 John 5:18, nasb). “No one who is born of God practices sin” (1 John 3:9, nasb). Occasional sins are not here in view, but habitual sins, the practice of sin. Because a believer has a new nature (“God’s seed,” 1 John 3:9), he has new desires and appetites and is not interested in sin.

A Christian faces three enemies, all of which want to lead him into sin: the world, the flesh, and the devil.

The world “lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19, nasb), Satan—the god of this age (2 Cor. 4:3-4, lit.) and the prince of this world (John 14:30). He is the spirit who works in the children of disobedience (Eph. 2:2).

Satan has many devices for leading a believer into sin. He tells lies, as he did to Eve (Gen. 3; 2 Cor. 11:1-3), and when men believe his lies they turn away from and disobey God’s truth. Or, Satan may inflict physical suffering, as he did with Job and Paul (2 Cor. 12:7-9). In David’s case, Satan used pride as his weapon and urged David to number the people and in this way defy God (1 Chron. 21). Satan is like a serpent who deceives (Rev. 12:9) and a lion who devours (1 Peter 5:8-9). He is a formidable enemy.

Then there is the problem of the flesh, the old nature with which we were born and which is still with us. True, we have a new nature (the divine seed, 1 John 3:9) within us, but we do not always yield to our new nature.

The world is our third enemy (1 John 2:15, 17). It is easy for us to yield to the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life! The atmosphere around us makes it hard for us to keep our minds pure and our hearts true to God.

Then how does a believer keep from sinning?

First John 5:18 gives the answer: Jesus Christ keeps the believer so that the enemy cannot get his hands on him. “He [Christ] who was born of God keeps him [the believer] and the evil one does not touch him” (nasb). The Authorized Version here gives the impression that a believer keeps himself from sin, but this is not what the verse says. Of course, it is true that a Christian must keep himself in the love of God (Jude 21); but it is not true that a Christian must depend on himself to overcome Satan.

Peter’s experience with Satan helps us to understand this truth.

“Simon, Simon,” said Jesus, “behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31-32, nasb).

To begin with, Satan cannot touch any believer without God’s permission. Satan wanted to sift all the disciples, and Jesus gave him permission. But Jesus prayed especially for Peter, and His prayer was answered. Peter’s faith did not ultimately fail, even though his courage failed. Peter was restored and became a mighty and effective soul-winner.

Whenever Satan attacks us, we can be sure that God gave him permission. And if God gave him permission He will also give us power to overcome, because God will never permit us to be tested above our strength (1 Cor. 10:13).

One of the characteristics of “spiritual young men” is their ability to overcome the evil one (1 John 2:13-14). Their secret? “The word of God abides in you” (1 John 2:14, nasb). Part of the armor of God is the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17), and this sword overcomes Satan.

When a believer sins, he can confess his sin and be forgiven (1 John 1:9). But a believer dare not play with sin, because sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4, where “transgression of the Law” means “lawlessness”). A person who practices sin proves that he belongs to Satan (1 John 3:7-10). Furthermore, God warns that sin can lead to physical death!

“All unrighteousness is sin,” but some sin is worse than other sin. All sin is hateful to God, and should be hateful to a believer; but some sin is punished with death. John tells us (1 John 5:16-17) about the case of a brother (a believer) whose life was taken because of sin.

The Bible mentions people who died because of their sin. Nadab and Abihu, the two sons of Aaron the priest, died because they deliberately disobeyed God (Lev. 10:1-7). Korah and his clan opposed God and died (Num. 16). Achan was stoned because he disobeyed Joshua’s orders from God at Jericho (Josh. 6-7). A man named Uzzah touched the ark and God killed him (2 Sam. 6).

“But those are Old Testament examples!” someone may argue. “John is writing to New Testament believers who live under grace!”

To whom much is give, much shall be required. A believer today has a far greater responsibility to obey God than did the Old Testament saints. We have a complete Bible, we have the full revelation of God’s grace, and we have the Holy Spirit living within us to help us obey God. But there are cases in the New Testament of believers who lost their lives because they disobeyed God.

Ananias and Sapphira lied to God about their offering, and they both died (Acts 5:1-11). Some believers at Corinth died because of the way they had acted at the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:30). And 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 suggests that a certain offender would have died had he not repented and confessed his sin (2 Cor. 2:6-8).

If a believer does not judge, confess, and forsake sin, God must chasten him. This process is described in Hebrews 12:1-13, which suggests that a person who does not subject himself to the Father will not live (Heb. 12:9). In other words, first God “spanks” his rebellious children, and if they do not yield to His will, He may remove them from the world lest their disobedience lead others astray and bring further disgrace to His name.

“The sin unto death” is not some one specific sin. Rather, it is a kind of sin—it is the sort of sin that leads to death. With Nadab and Abihu, it was their presumption in taking the priest’s office and entering the holy of holies. In the case of Achan it was covetousness. Ananias and Sapphira were guilty of hypocrisy and even of lying to the Holy Spirit.

In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. {18} There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Two brand-new words come into John’s vocabulary here: fear and judgment. And this is written to believers! Is it possible that Christians can actually live in fear and torment? Yes, unfortunately, many professed believers experience both fear and torment day after day. And the reason is that they are not growing in the love of God.

THE DESTRUCTIVENESS OF FEAR

Although the same word is used in both situations, fear is quite different from reverence. In fact, there are three uses of this word that we should notice: reverence, humility, and fear.

1. The word fear when it connotes “reverence” bears the meaning of respect, worshipfulness, or even divine respect. Ecclesiastes 12:13: “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.” This is certainly not the kind of fear that would cause one to run and hide.
2. The second usage of the word fear refers to “humility,” in the sense of apprehension, overcarefulness. “I was with you in weakness and fear and in much trembling” (1 Corinthians 2:3). This is not a negative meaning, but it is a specific use of the term. It simply refers to the fact that Paul was extra careful in his dealing with the Word of God on this occasion. Perhaps Paul felt some sort of apprehensiveness that all of us feel when we declare God’s Word.
3. The third use of the word fear refers to timidity, or lack of courage. Paul refers to this kind of fear in Romans 8:15: “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons.” A clearer statement of this is seen in 2 Timothy 1:7: “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”

It is this kind of fear that John speaks of in 4:18: “There is no fear in love.” Satan uses this kind of fear to advance his purposes. He knows that fear will destroy our boldness to act for God. We will become like the one-talent man.

I suggest three reasons why perfect love will cast out fear.

First, perfect love is not afraid of punishment. Perfect love gives no reason for punishment, for perfect love will cause us to want to serve God.

Augustine once said, “Love God and do as you please.” If you love God as you ought to, you will not’ want to hurt Him; so you can love God and do as you please, for what you will please to do will be what He wants you to do. What a wonderful way to express our love for God! This kind of love provides no room for fear.

Second, perfect love is totally other-centered. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” When we place Christ at the center of our lives, all else will be placed in the right focus. Perfect love gives God the central place in our lives.

Fear will cause a person to say that a life of faith is not certain enough. Had you ever considered that a life based upon our intellectual knowledge is one anchored to the past, while a life of faith is expectant of the future?

Fear will cause one to keep at a distance from Christ. We must come boldly into the presence of God. Fear will cause us to act cowardly; hence, we will do nothing for fear that we will do wrong.

Third, perfect love is confident of the outcome. Isn’t it wonderful that we know the outcome of our lives before we complete them? We have been assured that the victory has already been won. God has already conquered Satan. Perfect love knows that God is in control. If we have this kind of confidence, what reason is there for fear?

We are told in this epistle that our eternal life has already begun. God has already won the victory!

“It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27). But a Christian does not fear future judgment, because Christ has suffered his judgment for him on the cross.

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1, nasb). \

Of course there is a proper “fear of God,” but it is not the kind of fear that produces torment.

“For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons, by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Rom. 8:15, nasb)

“For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7).

God wants His children to live in an atmosphere of love and confidence, not fear and torment. We need not fear life or death, for we are being perfected in the love of God. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:35, 37-39, nasb).

Imagine! Nothing in all creation—present or future—can come between us and God’s love!

For a Christian, judgment is not future; it is past. His sins have been judged already at the cross, and they will never be brought against him again.

Victory Over Duty (1 John 5:1-3)

(1 John 5:1-3 )  Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. {2} This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. {3} This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,

Everything in creation—except man—obeys the will of God. “Fire and hail, snow, and vapor, stormy wind fulfilling His Word” (Ps. 148:8).

In the Book of Jonah, you see the winds and waves, and even the fish, obeying God’s commands; but the prophet persisted in disobeying. Even a plant and a little worm did what God commanded. But the prophet stubbornly wanted his own way.

Disobedience to God’s will is a tragedy—but so is reluctant, grudging obedience. God does not want us to disobey Him, but neither does He want us to obey out of fear or necessity. What Paul wrote about giving also applies to living: “not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7, nasb).

What is the secret of joyful obedience? It is to recognize that obedience is a family matter. We are serving a loving Father and helping our brothers and sisters in Christ. We have been born of God, we love God, and we love God’s children. And we demonstrate this love by keeping God’s commandments.

We show our love to God, not by empty words but by willing works. We are not slaves obeying a master; we are children obeying a Father. And our sin is a family affair.

One of the tests of maturing love is our personal attitude toward the Bible, because in the Bible we find God’s will for our lives revealed.  A Christian who experiences God’s perfecting love finds himself enjoying the Word of God and truly loving it. He does not read the Bible as a textbook, but as a love letter.

The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119, and its theme is the Word of God. Every verse but two (Ps. 119:122, 132) mentions the Word of God in one form or another, as “law,” “precepts,” “commandments,” etc. But the interesting thing is that the psalmist loves the Word of God and enjoys telling us about it! “O how love I Thy Law!” (Ps. 119:97) He rejoices in the Law (Ps. 119:14, 162) and delights in it (Ps. 119:16, 24). It is honey to his taste (Ps. 119:103). In fact, he turns God’s Law into a song: “Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage” (Ps. 119:54).

We can see too how sin ruins all this. When we disobey God we lose our confidence toward Him. If we do not immediately confess our sin and claim His forgiveness (1 John 1:9), we must start pretending in order to cover up. Disobedience leads to dishonesty, and both turn our hearts away from the Word of God. Instead of reading the Word with joy to discover the Father’s will, we ignore the Word or perhaps read it in a routine way.

The burden of religion (man trying to please God in his own strength) is a grievous one (cf. Matt. 23:4); but the yoke that Christ puts on us is not burdensome at all (Matt. 11:28-30). Love lightens burdens. Jacob had to work for seven years to win the woman he loved, but the Bible tells us that “they seemed unto him a few days, for the love he had to her” (Gen. 29:20).

Perfecting love produces joyful obedience.

 

(Psalms 107:1 )  Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

(Psalms 107:8-9 )  Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, {9} for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

(Psalms 107:21-22 )  Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. {22} Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy.

(Psalms 107:43 )  Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD.

(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 )  Be joyful always; {17} pray continually; {18} give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

God calls his people to be a thankful people. Yet we have become so cynical as a people that we are prone to wonder if it might not be wise to take Thanksgiving Day off our calendars. Political scandal, drugs, AIDS, racism, divorce, abused children — for what do we give thanks this year?

The more our thinking tends in that direction, the less spiritual our hearts will be. One of the horrible things Paul saw in a world hostile to God was its lack of thanksgiving to the Lord. “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Rom. 1:21).

I don’t want to be a godless, thankless person!

Did you hear about Alvin the atheist? He sat down to his Thanksgiving Day feast and realized he was at his lowest point, for he felt grateful but had no one to thank! I’m not an atheist, and I believe these words from Jesus’ half-brother: (James 1:17 )  Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

I know whom to thank. I am always making requests of him — shopping my “want list” at his throne like a child before Christmas. For all those requests he grants and for the many gifts I receive from him without taking notice, I refuse to be a thankless beggar. I’m glad we have a Thanksgiving Day on the American calendar to remind all of us to give thanks.

Are you aware that as early as 1400 B.C. the Israelites had a day of thanksgiving that was ordained by Yahweh? It came fifty days after the beginning of the harvest and was known as Pentecost or the Feast of Weeks. By that time the grain had been harvested, the fruits gathered, and the olives pressed. In the midst of great rejoicing for the Lord’s goodness, men from every tribe in Israel — often accompanied by their entire families — made their way to Jerusalem for eight days of feasting.

As a matter of fact, one could make a case for saying that all three of Israel’s annual pilgrim feasts were thanksgiving festivals. Passover was certainly a time of thanksgiving to the Lord for his deliverance from Egypt in a great exodus of grace. It praised God for sparing the firstborn of Israel’s children when death was being visited on the Egyptians. And the Feast of Tabernacles was a joyous festival that remembered God’s faithfulness to Israel during forty years of wilderness wandering.

I am thankful for God today, and that begins with what “God is”….there are three expressions in John’s writings that help us understand the nature of God:

1. (John 4:24 ) God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” God is spirit as to His essence; He is not flesh and blood. To be sure, Jesus Christ now has a glorified body in heaven, and one day we shall have bodies like His body. But being by nature spirit, God is not limited by time and space the way His creatures are.
2. God is light. This refers to His holy nature. In the Bible, light is a symbol of holiness and darkness is a symbol of sin (John 3:18-21; 1 John 1:5-10). God cannot sin because He is holy.
3. (1 John 4:8 ) Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:16 )  And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

God is love. It has accurately been said that “love does not define God, but God defines love.” God is love and God is light; therefore, His love is a holy love, and His holiness is expressed in love. All that God does expresses all that God is.

What God is determines what we ought to be. “As He is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). The fact that Christians love one another is evidence of their fellowship with God and their sonship from God, and it is also evidence that they know God. Their experience with God is not simply a once-for-all crisis; it is a daily experience of getting to know Him better and better. True theology (the study of God) is not a dry, impractical course in doctrine—it is an exciting day-by-day experience that makes us Christlike!

A large quantity of radioactive material was stolen from a hospital. When the hospital administrator notified the police, he said: “Please warn the thief that he is carrying death with him, and that the radioactive material cannot be successfully hidden. As long as he has it in his possession, it is affecting him disastrously!”

A person who claims he knows God and is in union with Him must be personally affected by this relationship. A Christian ought to become what God is, and “God is love.” To argue otherwise is to prove that one does not really know God!

What God Did: “He Sent His Son” (1 John 4:9-11)

(1 John 4:9-11 )  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. {10} This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. {11} Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

 

This is the only place in the epistle where Jesus is called God’s only-begotten Son. The title is used in John’s Gospel (John 1:14). It means “unique, the only one of its kind.”

Because God is love, He must communicate—not only in words but in deeds. True love is never static or inactive. God reveals His love to mankind in many ways. He has geared all of creation to meeting men’s needs. Until man’s sin brought creation under bondage, man had on earth a perfect home in which to love and serve God.

God’s love was revealed in the way He dealt with the nation of Israel. (Deuteronomy 7:7-8 )  The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. {8} But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

The greatest expression of God’s love is in the death of His Son. (Romans 5:8 )  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Two purposes are given for Christ’s death on the cross: that we might live through Him (1 John 4:9) and that He might be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10). His death was not an accident; it was an appointment. He did not die as a weak martyr, but as a mighty conqueror.

It is important that Christians progress in their understanding of love. To love one another simply out of a sense of duty is good, but to love out of appreciation (rather than obligation) is even better.

What God Is Doing: “God Abides In Us” (1 John 4:12-16)

(1 John 4:12-16 )  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. {13} We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. {14} And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. {15} If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. {16} And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

All this is preparation for the third great fact: God does something in us! We are participants in the great drama of God’s love!

Here we discover what God had in mind when He devised His great plan of salvation. To begin with, God’s desire is to live in us. He is not satisfied simply to tell us that He loves us, or even show us that He loves us.

It is interesting to trace God’s dwelling places as recorded in the Bible. In the beginning, God had fellowship with man in a personal, direct way (Gen. 3:8), but sin broke that fellowship. It was necessary for God to shed the blood of animals to cover the sins of Adam and Eve so that they might come back into His fellowship.

One of the key words in the Book of Genesis is walked. God walked with men, and men walked with God. Enoch (Gen. 5:22), Noah (Gen. 6:9), and Abraham walked with God (Gen. 17:1; 24:40).

But by the time of the events recorded in Exodus, a change had taken place: God did not simply walk with men, He lived, or dwelt, with them. God’s commandment to Israel was, “And let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them” (Ex. 25:8). The first of those sanctuaries was the tabernacle. When Moses dedicated it, the glory of God came down and moved into the tent (Ex. 40:33-35).

God dwelt in the camp, but He did not dwell in the bodies of the individual Israelites.

Unfortunately, the nation sinned and God’s glory departed (1 Sam. 4:21). But God used Samuel and David to restore the nation; and Solomon built God a magnificent temple. When the temple was dedicated, once again the glory of God came to dwell in the land (1 Kings 8:1-11).

But history repeated itself, and Israel disobeyed God and was taken into Captivity. The gorgeous temple was destroyed. One of the prophets of the Captivity, Ezekiel, saw the glory of God depart from it (Ezek. 8:4; 9:3; 10:4; 11:22-23).

Did the glory ever return? Yes—in the Person of God’s Son, Jesus Christ! “And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us, and we beheld His glory” (John 1:14, lit.). The glory of God dwelt on earth in the body of Jesus Christ, for His body was the temple of God (John 2:18-22). But wicked men nailed His body to a cross. They crucified “the Lord of glory” (1 Cor. 2:8). All this was part of God’s thrilling plan, and Christ arose from the dead, returned to heaven, and sent His Holy Spirit to dwell in men.

The glory of God now lives in the bodies of God’s children. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” (6:19, nasb) The glory of God departed from the tabernacle and the temple when Israel disobeyed God, but Jesus has promised that the Spirit will abide in us forever (John 14:16).

With this background, we can better understand what 1 John 4:12-16 is saying to us. God is invisible (1 Tim. 1:17), and no man can see Him in His essence. Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15). By taking on Himself a human body, Jesus was able to reveal God to us. But Jesus is no longer here on earth. How, then, does God reveal Himself to the world?

Imagine the wonder and the privilege of having God abide in you! The Old Testament Israelite would look with wonder at the tabernacle or temple, because the presence of God was in that building. No man would dare to enter the holy of holies, where God was enthroned in glory! But we have God’s Spirit living in us! We abide in this love, and we experience the abiding of God in us. “If a man love Me, he will keep My words; and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him” (John 14:23).

 

God’s love is proclaimed in the Word (“God is love”) and proved at the cross. But here we have something deeper: God’s love is perfected in the believer. Fantastic as it may seem, God’s love is not made perfect in angels, but in sinners saved by His grace. We Christians are now the tabernacles and temples in which God dwells. He reveals His love through us.

Three different witnesses are suggested in these verses: 1. The witness of the believer that Jesus Christ is God’s Son (1 John 4:15); 2. the witness in the believer by the Spirit (1 John 4:13); and 3. the witness through the believer that God is love and that He sent His Son to die for the world (1 John 4:14).

Abiding in God’s love produces two wonderful spiritual benefits in the life of a believer: 1. He grows in knowledge, and 2. He grows in faith (1 John 4:16). The more we love God, the more we understand the love of God. And the more we understand His love, the easier it is for us to trust Him. After all, when you know someone intimately and love him sincerely, you have no problem putting your confidence in him.

“God is love,” then, is not simply a profound biblical statement. It is the basis for a believer’s relationship with God and with his fellowman. Because God is love, we can love. His love is not past history; it is present reality. “Love one another” begins as a commandment (1 John 4:7), then it becomes a privilege (1 John 4:11). It is also the thrilling consequence and evidence of our abiding in Christ (1 John 4:12). Loving one another is not something we simply ought to do; it is something we want to do.

Some practical applications grow out of this basic truth:

1. The better we know God’s love, the easier it will be to live as a Christian. Bible knowledge alone does not take the place of personal experience of God’s love. In fact, it can be a dangerous substitute if we are not careful.
2. Unless we love the lost, our verbal witness to them will be useless. The Gospel message is a message of love. This love was both declared and demonstrated by Jesus Christ. The only way we can effectively win others is to declare the Gospel and demonstrate it in how we live. Too much “witnessing” today is a mere mouthing of words. People need an expression of love.

One reason why God permits the world to hate Christians is so that Christians may return love for the world’s hatred. “Blessed are you when men revile you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me …. But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt. 5:11, 44, nasb).

1 John 3:1-2: “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. {2} Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

Reading: (Psalms 103:8-18 )  The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. {9} He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; {10} he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. {11} For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; {12} as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. {13} As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; {14} for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. {15} As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; {16} the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. {17} But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children– {18} with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

There is no greater subject in all the world than the subject of the love of God. Why? Because if God loves us, it means that He is not far off in outer space someplace. It means that God is not distant, unreachable, and unconcerned with the world.

One would think that after an undeserving sinner experienced this love, he/she would never desire to turn to the old paths of sin again.  The thought of what God did for us through Christ ought to be enough to keep us walking with the Lord until we meet Him face to face. But this is not always the case.

Because God loves us and has demonstrated His love to us, then He must expect us to respond. He must expect us to love Him. Love expects to be loved in return. In fact, if someone loves us and we do not receive his love, then his love never touches us. We never experience his love.

We could go on and on listing the things that a person has to face if he does not love God. And note: he has to face them all alone. But thanks be to God, He loves the world. He loves all of us. Therefore, any of us who want to know God’s love and care can do so. All we have to do is respond to His love—open up our lives and receive His love and love Him in return.

John spent time as he closed the second chapter of his epistle with instruction concerning the ‘counterfeit’ nature of Satan, as compared to the truth about the deity of Jesus Christ. 1 John 3 warns us that in today’s world there are counterfeit Christians—“children of the devil” (1 John 3:10). But instead of listing the evil characteristics of Satan’s children, the Scripture gives us a clear description of God’s children. The contrast between the two is obvious.

Practicing righteousness and loving the brethren, of course, are not new themes. These two important subjects are treated in the first two chapters of this epistle, but in 1 John 3 the approach is different. In the first two chapters the emphasis was on fellowship: a Christian who is in fellowship with God will practice righteousness and will love the brethren.

But in 1 John 3-5, the emphasis is on sonship: because a Christian is “born of God,” he will practice righteousness and will love the brethren.

Every great personality mentioned in the Bible sinned at one time or another. Abraham lied about his wife (Gen. 12:10-20). Moses lost his temper and disobeyed God (Num. 20:7-13). Peter denied the Lord three times (Matt. 26:69-75). But sin was not the settled practice of these men. It was an incident in their lives, totally contrary to their normal habits. And when they sinned, they admitted it and asked God to forgive them.

The difference is that a true Christian knows God. A counterfeit Christian may talk about God and get involved in “religious activities,” but he does not really know God. The person who has been “born of God” through faith in Christ knows God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And because he knows them, he lives a life of obedience: he does not practice sin.

John begins by demanding that his people should remember their privileges. It is their privilege that they are called the children of God.

There is something even in a name. Some parents give their children some great scriptural name, to teach them repeatedly the story of the original bearer of the name, and so to give them a standard to live up to when he grows to manhood.

So the Christian has the privilege of being called the child of God. Just as to belong to a great school, a great regiment, a great church, a great household is an inspiration to fine living, so, even more, to bear the name of the family of God is something to keep a man’s feet on the right way and to set him climbing.

But, as John points out, we are not merely called the children of God; we are the children of God.

There is something here which we may well note. It is by the gift of God that a man becomes a child of God. By nature a man is the creature of God, but it is by grace that he becomes the child of God.

There are two English words which are closely connected but whose meanings are widely different, paternity and fatherhood. Paternity describes a relationship in which a man is responsible for the physical existence of a child; fatherhood describes an intimate, loving, relationship. In the sense of paternity all men are children of God; but in the sense of fatherhood men are children of God only when he makes his gracious approach to them and they respond.

While all men are children of God in the sense that they owe their lives to him, they become his children in the intimate and loving sense of the term only by an act of God’s initiating grace and the response of their own hearts.

Immediately the question arises: if men have that great honour when they become Christians, why are they so despised by the world? The answer is that they are experiencing only what Jesus Christ has already experienced. When he came into the world, he was not recognized as the Son of God; the world preferred its own ideas and rejected his. The same is bound to happen to any man who chooses to embark on the way of Jesus Christ.

The world does not know nor understand believers. This explains why believers are ridiculed, mocked, ignored, opposed, abused, rejected, and persecuted by the world. The persecution may come at work, at school, in the neighborhood, or anywhere else; the world just does not understand why believers act and live the way they do.

The world does not understand…

• why believers separate themselves from the pleasures and things of the world.
• why believers deny themselves and live sacrificially so that they can carry the message of Christ to the world and meet the needs of the desperate.
• why believers go to church so much and talk so much about Christ.

Note why the world does not understand believers: because the world did not know Jesus Christ. Think about it: God’s very own Son came into the world, but the world did not know Him. They wanted nothing to do with Him; they rejected Him. Now if the world rejected Jesus Christ, God’s very own Son, they are bound to reject God’s adopted children. The world is just unwilling to recognize and acknowledge that God is righteous and pure and just. They want nothing to do with a life-style that demands all that a person is and has.

What is in our future?

(i) When Christ appears in his glory, we shall be like him. Surely in John’s mind there was the saying of the old creation story that man was made in the image and in the likeness of God (Genesis 1:26). That was God’s intention; and that was man’s destiny.

(ii) When Christ appears, we shall see him and be like him. The goal of all the great souls has been the vision of God. The end of all devotion is to see God. But that vision of God is not for the sake of intellectual satisfaction; it is in order that we may become like him. There is a paradox here. We cannot become like God unless we see him; and we cannot see him unless we are pure in heart, for only the pure in heart shall see God (Matthew 5:8).

Paul said: For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18 )

The believer is to be made just like Christ, conformed to His very image. This means that believers shall be like Christ in person and in character. Believers shall possess a perfect body and being (1 Cor. 15:51-57).

This is a precious thought. It is more than just a general idea that believers are to be like Christ. It is a definite idea—the idea that what Christ is, believers shall be.

The emphatic word is that sentence is the word now. It is the first word in the Greek structure, and that is always the most emphasized word in a sentence. “Now we are the children of God.” Eternal life belongs to us now. We are not waiting until we die to get it, but we are born again right now. We have the life of Jesus Christ in us now. We are the heirs of all God’s glory and promises now. This is his theme throughout the whole letter.

We do not know everything, but we do know three definite things about the future:

Certainty #1: We know that he will appear. I wonder if there is anyone here who doubts that. This is the most certain fact of all history. You think death and taxes are sure — they are nothing compared to this. This is an absolutely inescapable fact in God’s program for mankind; he will appear. He appeared once, he will appear the second time. Of this there is no doubt. All history is moving to this goal. You who know your Bibles well know that even the apparent confusion that exists today is but creating the conditions predicted in the Scriptures, and are working out the great purposes of God. Remember, as we saw earlier in John’s letter, all this as far as your experience is concerned is no further away than your own death, and you do not know how soon that will come. So this event, this change (we shall be like him when he appears) is no further away than your own death — and may be much closer than that.

Certainty #2: “We know that we shall be like him. I urge you to read that very carefully now, and note the context out of which it comes. It is linked with our present limited knowledge. Note that it does not say, “when he appears we shall become like him.” There is a misconception that has arisen in many Christian minds which seemingly regards this verse as teaching that when Jesus Christ appears, when we see him at death or when he comes into time, we shall all suddenly become like him, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye. Certainly as regards the body, this is so. Our bodies become like his. Paul speaks of it to the Philippians, “this vile body of our humiliation shall be made like unto his glorious body, his body of glory. All the groanings and weakness which we experience each day will be forgotten when our body is changed into a body like his. That happens, as Paul tells us in First Corinthians 15, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, when this mortal puts on immortality, and “Death is swallowed up in victory,” {1 Cor 15:54}.

But the body is but the shell of the inner life. We do not suddenly change our total character and personality when we see Jesus Christ, and there is no Scripture that says so. Rather, as John is saying here, and is brought out in other places as well, what we have been becoming, through the years of our life, will suddenly be revealed when he appears. And what we have been becoming is, little by little, stage by stage, like him. The full extent to which we have become like him will be revealed when we see him, and not before. That is what he means.

(2 Corinthians 3:18 )  And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Certainty #3 is mentioned in this verse, “we shall see him as he is.” “But,” you say, “according to what this verse says, this is the reason we become like him; when we see him as he is then we all become like him.” That is exactly what has given rise to what I have previously called a misconception in the Christian life, this idea that everyone is suddenly to become fully like Jesus when we see him as he is. No, no. We are already becoming like him, even when we see him as in a mirror, faintly, darkly, as Paul puts it. It does not take a full-orbed view of Christ to make us like him, that is happening even now.

But this little word for in this verse, is a Greek participle that can also be translated that. The best commentators admit that it is ambiguous whether this should be translated, “we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is” or whether, as I think, it should be translated, “we shall be like him that we might see him as he is,” i.e., in order to see him as he is. That is why we are being changed into his likeness now, in order that when we see him we shall see him as he is.

Turning Away from Sin and Its Enslavement

1 John 3:4-9: “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. {5} But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. {6} No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. {7} Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. {8} He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. {9} No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.”

John has just said that the Christian is on the way to seeing God and being like him. There is nothing like a great aim for helping a man to resist temptation.

John goes on to imply certain basic truths about sin.

(i) He tells us what sin is. It is the deliberate breaking of a law which a man well knows. Sin is to obey oneself rather than to obey God.

(ii) He tells us what sin does. It undoes the work of Christ. Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). To sin is to bring back what he came into the world to abolish.

(iii) He tells us why sin is. It comes from the failure to abide in Christ. So long as we remember the continual presence of Jesus, we will not sin; it is when we forget that presence that we sin.

(iv) He tells us whence sin comes. It comes from the devil; and the devil is he who sins, as it were, on principle. We sin for the pleasure that we think it will bring to us; the devil sins as a matter of principle. The New Testament does not try to explain the devil and his origin; but it is quite convinced-and it is a fact of uersal experience-that in the world there is a power hostile to God; and to sin is to obey that power instead of God.

(v) He tells us how sin is conquered. It is conquered because Jesus Christ destroyed the works of the devil. He has broken the power of evil, and by his help that same victory can be ours.

Being Marked by Love

1 John 3:10-17: “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother. {11} This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. {12} Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. {13} Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. {14} We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. {15} Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. {16} This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. {17} If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?”

1. Love does not persecute the righteous.
2. Second, if we love Christ, then the world will persecute us.
3. Love has compassion and gives to meet the needs of people.

The answer is clear: the love of God does not exist within a person who does not help those whom he sees in need. No matter what we profess, think, or argue, if we are not actively helping and giving—sacrificially giving—to meet the needs of the desperate and needy of our communities and of the world, we do not love God.

God loved us: He gave all that He was and had to save us. Therefore, we must love others: we must give all that we are and have to save them. If we do not, how can we say that the love of God dwells in us? For this is exactly what Christ did.

The March, 2006, issue of Reader’s Digest features a cover story on ten money scams to beware of. It seems that the Internet and other modern technologies have opened many doors of opportunity for con artists who are after your money. To avoid being ripped off you must stay alert.

It’s traumatic when thieves steal your identity and your money, but there is something far more traumatic and tragic, namely, when spiritual con artists, who claim to be Christian, deceive the unsuspecting. The stakes are much higher than someone’s life savings. The eternal destiny of souls is at risk!

Since the days of the New Testament, Satan has planted these deceivers in Christian churches, where they prey on the untaught or on those who are disgruntled. To avoid spiritual deception, you must develop biblical discernment and be vigilant at all times.

But we live in a day when the whole idea of spiritual discernment is minimized because spiritual truth is minimized. The slogan is, “Doctrine divides. Let’s set aside our doctrinal differences and come together on the areas where we agree.” Another popular mantra is, “Jesus said that they will know that we are His disciples by our love, not by our doctrine.” The implication is, “Set aside your doctrinal views and accept anyone who says that he believes in Jesus.” Tolerance, unity, and love are viewed as much more important than doctrinal truth, which often smacks of pride.

I have had my share of unpleasant encounters with those who arrogantly claim to have the truth. They beat you up with it, not showing much grace or kindness. But we should not allow such experiences to cause us to throw out the biblical emphasis on sound doctrine. It is not a minor theme in the Bible!

It is highly significant that John, the apostle of love, who has just written that love is an essential mark of the true Christian (2:7-11), now calls these false teachers “antichrists” and “liars”! He doesn’t call them “brothers in Christ,” who just have different ways of understanding things.

He makes it plain that they were trying to deceive the true Christians and that they were not Christian in any sense of the term. True biblical love is not divorced from an emphasis on biblical truth.

To compromise the truth about the person and work of Jesus Christ is to be hateful to the core, because such error results in the eternal damnation of those who embrace it.

In these verses, John applies his third test by which you may evaluate the soundness of a teacher, as well as your own life. He has already given us the moral test of obedience to God’s commandments (2:3-6). He has given the relational test of love (2:7-11). Now he gives the doctrinal test of truth about the person and work of Jesus Christ (2:18-27). He says,

To avoid spiritual deception, be discerning of people and doctrine.

The section (2:18-27) falls into three parts. In 2:18-20, John shows that to avoid spiritual deception, you must develop discernment with regard to people. In 2:21-23, he shows that you must develop discernment with regard to doctrine, especially, the truth about Jesus Christ.

In 2:24-27 (which we will study next week), he shows that the means of developing such discernment is to abide in the Word and in the Spirit.

1. To avoid spiritual deception, be discerning of people (2:18-20).

John contrasts the false teachers with true believers. He addresses all of his readers as “children,” (see 2:13), implying their vulnerability and the need to be on guard against these unprincipled men who were trying to deceive them (2:26). As a wise spiritual father, John is giving important counsel that will help us avoid being deceived.

He says, “It is the last hour.” The way that we know it is the last hour is that “many antichrists have appeared.” Some have said that John mistakenly thought that Jesus would return in his lifetime. Such a view undermines the divine inspiration of Scripture. If you buy into it, you cannot trust anything that the apostles wrote. You become the judge of Scripture according to what strikes you as true. This view also impugns the intelligence of the apostles. John had heard Jesus say that no one knows the hour of His coming (Matt. 24:36). It is not reasonable to accuse him of being mistaken here about the time of the second coming.

Rather, John is calling the entire period between Jesus’ ascension and His return “the last hour.” No one knows how long this period will last, but the phrase, “the last hour,” implies a sense of urgency, in that Jesus may come at any moment. Jesus concludes His teaching on the end times with this application to the wise hearer: “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come” (Mark 13:33).

John says that a distinguishing feature of this age is that antichrist is coming and that even now many antichrists have appeared. John is the only New Testament writer to use this word, and it only occurs five times in four verses (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7). But the concept of the antichrist is more frequent. Daniel 7 talks about the horn and Revelation 13 talks about the beast, both of which refer to antichrist. Paul (2 Thess. 2:1-12) mentions the man of lawlessness who will exalt himself and display himself as being God. His coming will be “in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders” (2 Thess. 2:9). He will deceive many, who will perish. When John says that antichrist is coming, he refers to this future evil leader.

But when he says, “even now many antichrists have appeared,” he means that the evil spirit that will characterize the final antichrist is already working in these false teachers who have left the churches. The prefix, “anti,” can mean either “instead of” or “in opposition to.” It may contain both ideas here.

The false teachers rise up within the church and present a system that subtly presents something instead of Jesus Christ. The false teacher may use the same label, “Jesus Christ,” but he will not be the same Jesus that is presented in the Bible. If a gullible person takes the bait, he is led farther away until finally he is in total opposition to Christ.

These false teachers, whom John labels antichrists, did not carry pitchforks and wear red suits with horns and a tail, or T-shirts saying, “Warning: I am an antichrist!” Rather, they arose in the churches. Some of them may have been elders or pastors, who for a while had taught the truth. Paul warned the Ephesian elders, “from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:30). Now these men were leaving the churches to form new groups, saying, “We have come into a deeper knowledge of the truth. Follow us and we’ll let you in on this secret knowledge.” John gives three guidelines to watch for:

A. Beware: Satan works in the realm of religion.

False teachers invariably adopt Christian terminology and posture themselves as being Christians, but they are not. They usually begin within the church (2:19) and at first, their teaching is orthodox. They often have attractive personalities and they build a following of people who seem to be helped by their teaching.

But, eventually, they begin subtly to veer from the truth. There may be multiple motives. Sometimes, they fall into immorality, and to justify their sin, they have to deny Scripture. Or, they may love the acclaim of being popular, along with the financial rewards that often go along with a successful ministry. It feels good to be in demand as a speaker, to stay in luxury hotels and speak to large crowds. As a man’s popularity grows, he grows in power. He hires a loyal group of lieutenants who carry out his wishes. No one dares to challenge the man’s teaching or lifestyle, even though he is preaching heresy and living in disobedience to Scripture. But, in spite of his deviance, he is still trafficking in the realm of religion.

Note, also, that there has never been a perfect church, even in New Testament times while the apostles were still living. We sometimes idealize the early church, thinking that if we could just get back to the New Testament principles, we wouldn’t have all of the problems that we constantly battle in the modern church.

But, these early churches had gone through the damage of false teachers in their midst, who now had left the churches to form new groups. Undoubtedly, they took with them people from the churches. Whenever that happens, those who still are in the church are confused and wounded. They wonder, “Why did our friends leave? They claim that they have found the truth now and that we are in the dark. Maybe there are problems here. Maybe we should leave, too.” This is how the enemy has worked from the earliest days of the church. Don’t be surprised when it happens.

B. Beware of anyone who breaks from the true church to form a new group with new theology.

“They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us” (2:19). John’s words here do not apply to people who get disgruntled in one evangelical church and leave to join or form another evangelical church. While that practice is usually regrettable and sad, it is wrong to label those who left as heretics, unless they also have abandoned core Christian truth.

Heretics not only eventually separate themselves from true Christians to form their own groups, but also, they deviate from orthodox Christian doctrine on major issues. They claim that they have the truth and that others do not, or that they now see things that others do not see. And, invariably they try to recruit others from within the church to join them.

While such situations are painful and unpleasant, John’s words here should prepare us not to be surprised or disheartened when it happens. If it happened to the churches under John’s care, it can and will happen to churches today. But, when it happens, we need to think biblically about some issues.

First, true Christians are born of God. The key issue with these false teachers was, they were not of us. They did not share the new life in Christ that brings us into His body, the church. So, they felt free to leave. You can be on the membership list of the church without having experienced the new birth. While I believe that it’s important to join a church, it is far more important to make sure that you’re truly of the church through the new birth.

Second, if you truly know Christ, you will persevere with the church. It is imperfect. It contains difficult and irritating people. But, it is family! You were born into it through the new birth, and so was everyone else who has truly trusted Christ. While you may not have picked these folks to be in your family, God picked them and you’ve got to learn to get along with them! Although they often grate like sandpaper against your soul, it’s by persevering with them that God smoothes your rough edges. You will experience hurt feelings and misunderstandings if you get involved in a local church! Be committed to work through these matters. Don’t bail out on the church!

Third, note that John was more concerned about purity of doctrine than he was about church growth or unity. He never says, “We should go after these dear brothers and bring them back!” Or, “Let’s set aside our differences and love these men.” Rather, he says in effect, “Their departure shows their true colors. Let them go!” Of course, we need to evaluate the seriousness of the doctrinal matter at hand. Sometimes sincere Christians have to agree to disagree or even to work in separate parts of the Lord’s vineyard. But if the doctrinal issue is a core matter of the faith, purity is much more important than unity or church growth. We should not measure a church’s success by the numbers who attend, but rather by its faithfulness to the truth of the gospel.

So John says, “Beware, Satan works in the realm of religion. Beware of anyone who breaks from the true church to form a new group with new theology.”

C. Beware of anyone who offers “new truth” that others have missed.

The test of orthodoxy is submission and adherence to the apostolic teaching contained in the New Testament. If someone comes up with some new “truth” that no one else has discovered since the days of the apostles, beware! The heretics claimed that they had now been initiated into a deeper level of truth than the average church member had experienced. It always flatters our pride to think that we have some level of truth that others lack, or we have had some special spiritual experience that other poor souls are missing out on. These false teachers were claiming such knowledge and offering it as bait to those who had yet to be enlightened.

This is probably the background to verse 20. There is a textual variant here. The KJV (and New KJV) follows the reading, “you know all things.” Most other versions follow the reading (probably original), “you all know.” John is telling his readers that spiritual knowledge is not restricted to some elite inner circle. Rather, they all know the truth of the gospel because they all have the anointing from the Holy One, which refers to the indwelling Holy Spirit that Jesus, the Holy One, promised to send.

The false teachers may have been using the word “anointing” as a technical term for being initiated into their special gnosis, or knowledge (John Stott, The Epistles of John [Eerdmans], p. 107). But John takes their term and uses it of the Holy Spirit. At the moment of the new birth, God’s Spirit opens our blind eyes to see the truth about our sinfulness and the all-sufficiency of what Christ did on the cross to pay for our sins. This simple gospel message is what these believers had heard from the beginning (2:24). Rather than moving on from it to some “new truth,” they needed to abide in the old gospel truth that they had believed from the start.

So John’s first point is that to avoid spiritual deception, be discerning of people. Satan disguises himself as an angel of light and his servants disguise themselves as servants of righteousness (2 Cor. 11:14, 15). But, they are liars and deceivers!

2. To avoid spiritual deception, be discerning of doctrine (2:21-23).

The late philosophy professor Allan Bloom began his 1987 best-seller, The Closing of the American Mind ([Simon and Schuster], p. 25), “There is one thing a professor can be absolutely certain of: almost every student entering the university believes, or says he believes, that truth is relative.” He goes on to say (pp. 25-26), “The danger they have been taught to fear from absolutism is not error but intolerance. Relativism is necessary to openness; and this is the virtue, the only virtue, which all primary education for more than fifty years has dedicated itself to inculcating.”

He was right: We live in a day that has rejected the idea of absolute truth, especially in the spiritual realm. It smacks of arrogance to say that you know the truth and that others who do not share your view are wrong. You’re free to have your own spiritual opinions, as long as you don’t claim that your view is the only true view.

This prevailing tenant of postmodernism has now invaded the church through “the emergent church.” This growing movement downplays preaching (what could be more arrogant than for one man to stand up and say that he is proclaiming the truth?). And it magnifies sharing personal experiences in an accepting, non-judgmental atmosphere.

Notice how contrary this is to John’s statement in 2:20, “you all know,” and to 2:21: “I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth.” That sure sounds like John believed in absolute truth in the spiritual realm, and that you can know when you’re right and others are wrong! There are three implications here, which I can only touch on briefly:

A. Sound doctrine really matters!

John says (2:23), “Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father.” He goes on to say (2:25) that all of this concerns God’s promise to us about eternal life. That’s fairly important! If you deny the truth about God’s Son as revealed in the New Testament, you do not have the Father and you do not have eternal life!

A popular sentimental, syrupy view goes, “It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere.” When you share Christ with someone who buys into this thinking, he will respond, “It’s nice that you believe that, but I have my own beliefs.” According to this view, sincerity is the main thing; truth doesn’t matter. That is utter nonsense! You can sincerely drink poison, believing that it is medicine, but it will kill you just the same. Sound doctrine really matters!

B. Sound doctrine is inextricably linked with a personal relationship with God.

John says that if you deny the Son, you do not have the Father. He goes on to talk about abiding in the Son and the Father (2:24). “Abiding” is John’s word for fellowship or a close relationship with God. His point is that if you deny cardinal truth about Jesus Christ and yet claim to know God, you are deceiving yourself. This is not to say that a new believer must be able to give precisely correct theological statements about the trinity or the two natures of Christ in order to be truly saved. But it is to say that if someone knowingly makes heretical statements about Christ and is not open to correction, his salvation is suspect. Sound doctrine necessarily goes along with a genuine personal relationship with God.

C. Sound doctrine about the person and work of Christ is absolutely vital.

Most heresies go astray with regard to the person or work of Jesus Christ. John Calvin pointed out that since Christ is the sum of the gospel, heretics especially aim their arrows at Him. The only way that we can know the Father is through the Son (John 14:6). These false teachers were denying that Jesus is the Christ (2:22). This probably was more than a denial that Jesus was the Old Testament Messiah. The context here, which refers to Jesus as the Son of God and which closely links the Father and the Son, indicates that these false teachers denied the full deity of Jesus Christ. They denied the incarnation, that God took on human flesh in the virgin birth of Jesus. They taught that “the Christ” came upon the human Jesus at His baptism and departed at His crucifixion. John says that they denied both the Father and the Son.

The modern cults all go astray on the person and work of Jesus Christ. They deny His deity and His substitutionary death on the cross. They deny the trinity. Some of them speak in Gnostic fashion of “the Christ within us all.” By denying the Son of God, they do not have the Father. In the words of this apostle of love, they are liars, deceivers, and antichrists.

We should be diligent to preserve the unity of the body of Christ, but not at any cost. There is no room for compromise on the core beliefs of Christian orthodoxy, especially the truths about the person of Christ and the gospel.

During World War Two, Neville Chamberlain of Britain tried to keep the peace by appeasing Adolf Hitler. After giving Poland to Hitler, Chamberlain went back to England proclaiming “peace in our times.” But Winston Churchill wisely observed, “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.” Sure enough, Hitler later tried to eat Britain, too.

If we compromise truth to appease a heretic or to keep him in the church, it will lead to our ultimate spiritual demise. To avoid spiritual deception, be discerning of people, especially of religious people who claim to have some new truth. Be discerning of sound doctrine. Know your Bible well. Study systematic theology. Study church history. Most errors today have been around for centuries. Next time we will study John’s antidote to heresy, to abide in the Word and in the Spirit.

Avoiding Spiritual Deception, Part 2 1 John 2.24-27

Last year I heard John MacArthur say that when he began in the ministry, he never dreamed that he would have to spend a major portion of his time and energy defending the gospel among those in the evangelical camp. But it has been so.

As you probably know, he has written several books to defend the gospel against those who deny that saving faith inherently requires submission to Christ’s lordship. He also has written and preached against those who are calling for evangelicals to set aside justification by faith alone, so that we can be reconciled with the Catholic Church. He is speaking out against the “seeker” churches, which dodge the issues of sin and judgment so as not to offend “seekers.” He recently edited Fool’s Gold [Crossway Books], which deals with the theme of discernment. It has a chapter by Phil Johnson defending the gospel against a relatively new error that is called, “the new perspective on Paul.”

Since the days of the early church, Satan has actively opposed the truth of God’s Word, especially with regard to the gospel. Repeatedly he has raised up false teachers within the church in attempts to deceive God’s people. The apostle Paul warned the Ephesian elders that “from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:30). And so a major theme throughout the entire New Testament, including John’s epistles, is that God’s people need to develop discernment so that they can avoid spiritual deception.

To avoid spiritual deception, develop discernment by abiding in the Word and in the Spirit.

1. To avoid spiritual deception, develop discernment by abiding in the Word, especially with regard to the gospel (2:24-26).

If you are paying attention to the text, you may be thinking, “I don’t see any mention of the Word or the gospel in these verses. Where are you getting that?” I’m getting it from John’s repetition of the phrase, “what you heard from the beginning” (2:24). What these believers had heard from the beginning was the teaching of the apostles, especially their teaching on the core issue of the gospel. John begins this letter with the words, “What was from the beginning,” which refers to Jesus Christ Himself. The person and work of Jesus Christ is the gospel.

When John tells us to abide in what we heard from the beginning, he does not necessarily mean that you should never change the beliefs that you have held since childhood. To do so would only perpetuate error if your parents had been wrong! Rather, he means, if you began with the gospel and with the sound doctrine of the apostles, whose teaching is the foundation of the church (Eph. 2:20), why depart from these sure truths for the religious speculations of these false teachers? We have the apostles teaching in the New Testament. John is telling us to abide in these certainties.

John makes four points about the gospel here. Then we can draw two applications.

A. The gospel comes to us only through God’s Word.

The false teachers were claiming to have special revelation apart from the Word, but their revelations were subjective philosophical nonsense. By way of contrast, the apostles had been with Jesus Christ. They had heard His teaching and seen His miracles. They saw Him risen from the dead. They knew that the entire Old Testament pointed to Jesus Christ (Luke 24:44, 45). He fulfilled all of its prophecies and its law (Matt. 5:17; Rom. 10:4). Even Paul, who was not a part of the twelve, had a personal encounter with the risen Lord Jesus and said that he received the gospel that he preached directly from Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:11-17).

The point is, the gospel is not the result of philosophic speculations or mystical revelations. It is the witness to Jesus Christ Himself, written in the New Testament by men who had seen the risen Lord. You can’t learn the gospel by going out into nature and having a mystical, aesthetic experience, although God’s glory is reflected there (Ps. 19:1; Rom. 1:20). You can’t attain a knowledge of the gospel through philosophy or logic. But you can learn the truth of it in God’s Word, which tells about Jesus Christ. One of the most succinct statements of the gospel is the familiar John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Any deviance from the truth of the gospel is heresy. It is spiritual deception, coming straight from Satan himself.

B. The gospel introduces you to a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

John states (2:24b), “If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.” The gospel is not only a set of doctrines to agree to, but a personal relationship with the living God through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus said (John 17:3), “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” He also said (John 14:6), “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” If you have not trusted personally in Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and to give you eternal life, then you do not understand the gospel.

The apostle Paul was a devout Jew, fastidiously keeping all of the rituals and rules of the Jewish faith. But he did not have eternal life and he did not know God personally. After his conversion experience on the Damascus Road, he wrote that he counted all of his previous experiences as loss “in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:8). If you do not know Christ personally, don’t settle for religion! Ask God to open your eyes so that you will abide in the Son and in the Father!

C. The gospel centers on God’s promise of eternal life.

John writes (2:25), “This is the promise which He Himself promised [lit.] us: eternal life.” What could be greater! Apart from the gospel, we are all under God’s righteous condemnation because of our sins. We all face death and then judgment. The great news of the gospel is that God did not come to us and say, “Here are the rules and rituals that you must keep for all of your life, and then if you don’t commit a mortal sin, and you have enough relatives to pray and pay your way out of Purgatory, you might get into heaven!” That’s not good news! The good news is that God Himself promised us eternal life! Why turn to anything else?

The fact that eternal life is God’s promise means that it is not something that we have to work for or deserve. You see this all through the gospel accounts of Jesus’ ministry. When they let the paralytic down through the roof on a stretcher in front of Jesus, He said to the man, “Son, your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5). What had the man done to deserve that? Absolutely nothing! It was a free gift! When the notoriously sinful woman wet Jesus’ feet with her tears and anointed them with perfume, even though her sins had been many (Luke 7:47), Jesus said, “Your sins have been forgiven” (Luke 7:48). He forgave them all! Or, when the guilty thief on the cross next to Jesus asked, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” Jesus responded, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:42, 43).

What could be greater news than that God promises eternal life as a free gift to any guilty sinner who will receive it by faith? If God promises eternal life apart from works, why turn to a system of religious bondage that cannot deliver eternal life even after a lifetime of striving after it? Apart from spiritual blindness and the pride that wants to take credit for salvation, there is no way to explain why anyone turns to false religions to save them. The gospel alone proclaims (Rom. 4:5), “But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.”

D. Satan relentlessly promotes confusion about the gospel.

John writes (2:26), “These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you.” As I said last week, from the earliest days, while the apostles were still living, the enemy has sown confusion in the churches about the gospel. In his last letter before his death, Paul warned Timothy (2 Tim. 3:13), “But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” He goes on to exhort Timothy to continue (the same Greek word that is translated abide in John) in the Word, which is able to bring us to salvation.

If Satan can cause confusion about the gospel, everything else is affected. It is the domino that causes all the others to fall. At the start of this message, I mentioned several errors that center on the gospel, which are currently in the evangelical camp. I can’t comment on them all, but I will touch on a couple of them. By the way, as John Calvin notes, it is the duty of a godly pastor to drive away the wolves and to warn the flock about those who pervert the gospel. One of the qualifications for an elder is that he be able to exhort in sound doctrine, and also that he refute those who contradict (Titus 1:9). I would not be a faithful pastor if I only spoke to you about positive, heartwarming matters, but did not also warn you of these insidious errors.

Take the error that believing in Christ for salvation does not include repenting of sin or submitting to Jesus as Lord. The man who taught the course on 1 John that I took in seminary is one of the leading proponents of this error. As a result of this teaching, there are thousands in evangelical churches who claim to be born again, but they habitually live in sin. They’ve been assured that because they received Christ, they are going to heaven. But as Paul describes such people (Titus 1:16), “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.” They will be shocked when they stand before the Lord and hear Him say (Matt. 7:23), “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”

Or, take the error of the seeker churches. They take surveys to determine what people want from a church. Those who have been turned off by legalism or by guilt-producing, fire and brimstone sermons, have said, “We would like a church that is upbeat and positive. We want modern music. We want to feel good about ourselves when we leave. We want help with how to succeed in our families and our careers. But keep it light and on the short side.”

So, the church marketers have gone back to the drawing boards. They’ve devised a church service that only lasts an hour. The music is contemporary and not too heavy on doctrine. There are skits or other entertaining acts. The messages avoid controversial or difficult subjects like sin, judgment, or righteousness. The “gospel” is packaged as, “If you’ve got problems, try Jesus. He will help you become all that you’ve ever wanted to be.” But, where is the message of Scripture, that our sins have alienated us from a holy God, and that we must repent? Where is any careful, verse-by-verse exposition of Scripture? It’s not there.

No one has written more incisively on this than David Wells in his three books, No Place for Truth, God in the Wasteland, and Losing Our Virtue [all Eerdmans]. (His booklet, The Bleeding of the Evangelical Church [Banner of Truth] is on our book table.)

In God in the Wasteland (p. 30) he writes,

The fundamental problem in the evangelical world today is not inadequate technique, insufficient organization, or antiquated music, and those who want to squander the church’s resources bandaging these scratches will do nothing to stanch the flow of blood that is spilling from its true wounds. The fundamental problem in the evangelical world today is that God rests too inconsequentially upon the church. His truth is too distant, his grace is too ordinary, his judgment is too benign, his gospel is too easy, and his Christ is too common.

All of this leads to two applications:

• Never grow tired of the gospel!

Don’t think that you do not need to hear it and meditate on it over and over. Although I’ve been preaching it now for 29 years, I still find that there are depths in the gospel that I need to plumb. The angels long to look into the truths of the gospel (1 Pet. 1:12). Let that which you heard from the beginning abide—dwell, be at home—in you!

• Let the Word abide in you!

Read it over and over. Know it so well that you can instantly spot deviations from it. Be at home in the Word and let the Word be at home in your life, in the sense that you apply it to every area of life. To avoid spiritual deception, develop discernment by abiding in the Word, especially with regard to the truth of the gospel.

2. To avoid spiritual deception, develop discernment by abiding in the Spirit (2:27).

John has three purposes in verse 27: to explain, to comfort, and to warn the flock (A. W. Pink, Exposition of 1 John [Associated Publishers and Authors], p. 182). He explains that the reason they have remained in the truth is not due to anything in them, but rather it is due to God’s gracious gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Thus they should ascribe all glory to Him and not boast in their own intellect or grasp of doctrine. John also wrote to comfort them in the face of many of their friends leaving the church for this new, heretical teaching. He tells them that the anointing they had received would abide with them and teach them all things, so that they would not fall into these errors. John also wanted to warn them to continue in vigilance. Comfort should never cause us to let down our guard.

We must interpret verse 27 in its context and in light of the entire New Testament. John is not saying that the church does not need godly teachers to instruct the flock. If that were his meaning, he would invalidate this entire letter, which contains a lot of teaching! He would also contradict the apostle Paul, who taught that God gives gifted teachers to the church to help believers grow to maturity (Eph. 4:11-16; Col. 1:28).

Rather, John means that they do not need the elite gnosis of the false teachers to let them in on God’s “secret truth.” Rather, every Christian has the indwelling Holy Spirit to enable him or her to understand and interpret Scripture. When the Spirit applies the word of the gospel to the soul, we receive it, not as the word of man, but of God (1 Thess. 2:13). Through the Word, the Holy Spirit reveals to us the riches that God has prepared for us (1 Cor. 2:9-12). This is the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. You do not need an elite order of clergymen to give you the official interpretation of biblical truth, especially of the gospel. Read the Word for yourself, in dependence on the indwelling Holy Spirit.

This is not to say that every passage of Scripture is easy to understand! Nor is it to say that you should not read commentaries to try to discover the correct interpretation of difficult texts. But it is to say that on the essential truths of the Bible, any Christian who can read and who makes the effort to compare Scripture with Scripture in reliance on the Holy Spirit, can grasp the meaning. In John’s mind was Jesus’ promise (John 14:26), that the Holy Spirit would teach the disciples all things.

Jesus also called Him “the Spirit of truth” (John 14:17), which is behind John’s words here, that He “is true and is not a lie.” This means that the truth of the gospel is not a subjective matter of personal interpretation. It is not something that I see one way and you see it another way, but both ways are right. Rather, it is objectively, absolutely true in every culture and every age. You must believe it to be saved and any contradiction of the gospel is a lie.

Two applications:

• The Spirit always works in conjunction with the Word.

He does not give direct revelation today on a par with Scripture. The false teachers were claiming to have direct revelations from the Spirit, but their teaching contradicted the Word. If you get some “insight” that you think came from God, but it does not line up with God’s Word (interpreted properly in context), your “insight” is not from the Holy Spirit! Or, if someone says to you, “The Lord told me…” be careful! Sometimes they will even use a verse of Scripture, but invariably it is taken out of context. The Holy Spirit always leads us to the Word and to a deeper understanding of the supremacy and all-sufficiency of Jesus Christ.

• The Spirit abides in you, but you also must abide in the Spirit.

John says that the anointing abides in you, but the last part of the verse should be a command, “abide in Him.” John uses “abide” five times in verses 24 & 27. As we’ve seen, it is his term for fellowship, or for maintaining a warm, close relationship with the Lord. Let the Holy Spirit be at home in every area of your life, and you be at home in every area of His Word. Don’t keep any secret closets locked away from Him. Give Him entrance to every nook and cranny of your thoughts and emotions. To live closely and openly before the Holy Spirit in His Word is the best safeguard against spiritual deception.

Conclusion

Another example of the subtle intrusion of spiritual deception in the evangelical church is the book and ministry, Wild at Heart [Thomas Nelson] by John Eldredge. Our Southwest CBA sponsored a men’s conference with one of their speakers that was, shall we say, wildly popular. I did not attend, but I read the book and I’m baffled at what the attraction is for men who are seeking to know the Lord. The book is only mildly Christian, at best. Yet it has a glowing endorsement from Chuck Swindoll in the foreword!

As Daniel Gillespie critiques it in Fool’s Gold (pp. 79-95), it has an insufficient view of Scripture, an inadequate picture of God, an incomplete portrait of Christ, and an inaccurate portrait of man. To amplify just the first of these criticisms, Eldredge quotes Scripture (often out of context) and uses biblical examples to support his position. But he also cites movies and other sources as if they are just as authoritative and helpful for godly living as the Bible. He even acknowledges this directly (p. 200, cited by Gillespie, p. 81),

God is intimately personal with us and he speaks in ways that are peculiar to our own hearts—not just through the Bible, but through the whole of creation. To Stasi he speaks through movies. To Craig he speaks through rock and roll…. God’s word to me comes in many ways—through sunsets and friends and films and music and wilderness and books.

Eldredge cites a supposed revelation that he had where God told him he was like some macho movie heroes. Gillespie comments (p. 83), “it’s hard to envision the Lord of the universe resorting to movies to reveal spiritual truth.”

This is just another example of why you need to be on guard. The enemy is actively spreading spiritual deception in the church. To avoid it, develop discernment through God’s Word and through the Holy Spirit.

“Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. {19} They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. {20} But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. {21} I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. {22} Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist–he denies the Father and the Son. {23} No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”

It makes no difference what you believe, just as long as you’re sincere!”

That statement expresses the personal philosophy of many people today, but it is doubtful whether most of those who make it have really thought it through. Is “sincerity” the magic ingredient that makes something true? If so, then you ought to be able to apply it to any area of life, and not only to religion.

• A nurse in a city hospital gives some medicine to a patient, and the patient becomes violently ill. The nurse is sincere but the medicine is wrong, and the patient almost dies.
• A man hears noises in the house one night and decides a burglar is at work. He gets his gun and shoots the “burglar,” who turns out to be his daughter! Unable to sleep, she has gotten up for a bite to eat. She ends up the victim of her father’s “sincerity.”

It takes more than “sincerity” to make something true. Faith in a lie will always cause serious consequences; faith in the truth is never misplaced. It does make a difference what a man believes!

• If a man wants to drive from Chicago to New York, no amount of sincerity will get him there if the highway is taking him to Los Angeles.
• A person who is real builds his life on truth, not superstition or lies. It is impossible to live a real life by believing lies.

God has warned the church family (“little children”) about the conflict between light and darkness (1 John 1:1-2:6) and between love and hatred (1 John 2:7-17). Now He warns them about a third conflict: the conflict between truth and error.

Before John explains the tragic consequences of turning from the truth, he emphasizes the seriousness of the matter. He does so by using two special terms: “the last time” and “antichrist.” Both terms make it clear that Christians are living in an hour of crisis and must guard against the errors of the enemy.

We are in the “last time” as it speaks of the Christian age. Since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God is doing a “new thing” in this world. All of Old Testament history prepared the way for the work of Christ on the cross. All history since that time is merely preparation for “the end,” when Jesus will come again.

God is not limited by time the way His creatures are. God works in human time, but He is above time. 2 Peter 3:8 tells us that “a day is as a thousand years” to the Lord. According to that principle, Jesus hasn’t been away from the earth as God Incarnate but 2.5 days…and if he doesn’t come for 5,000 more years, it would still be only a week?

The second term, “antichrist,” is used in the Bible only by John (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7). It describes two things:

1. a spirit in the world that opposes or denies Christ
2. the false teachers who embody this spirit.

The “spirit of antichrist” is behind every false doctrine and every “religious” substitute for the realities Christians have in Christ. That prefix anti actually has a dual meaning. It can mean, in the Greek, both “against” Christ and “instead of” Christ.

Satan in his frenzy is fighting Christ and His eternal truth, and he is substituting his counterfeits for the realities found only in Jesus.

This passage explains that there are two forces at work in today’s world: truth is working through the church by the Holy Spirit, and evil is working by the energy of Satan.

The key question for a Christian is: Who is Jesus Christ? Is Christ merely “an Example,” “a good Man,” or “a wonderful Teacher”; or is He God come in the flesh?

The great assertion of the faith that sets a Christian apart from others is this: Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh (1 John 4:2).

To confess that “Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh” involves much more than simply to identify Christ. The demons did this (Mark 1:24) but it did not save them.

True confession involves personal faith in Christ—in who He is and what He has done.

False teachers will often say, “We worship the Father. We believe in God the Father, even though we disagree with you about Jesus Christ.” But to deny the Son means to deny the Father also. You cannot separate the Father and the Son, since both are one God. Jesus says, “I and My Father are One” (John 10:30).

He also makes it clear that true believers honor both the Father and the Son. {23} No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.” If you say you “worship one God” but leave Jesus Christ out of your worship, you are not worshiping according to what God requires.

There are many who are denying Jesus Christ.

• They are denying His deity: that He is the Son of God who came out of (ek) heaven, out from the spiritual world and dimension into this world; who came through the womb of a virgin as the God-Man to save the world.
• They are denying that He is the sinless Son of God who lived a perfect and righteous life and thereby secured the ideal and perfect righteousness for man.
• They are denying His death and resurrection: that He died as the perfect sacrifice for man’s sins and that He rose from the dead to conquer death for man.
• They are denying His Lordship: that He is truly the Son of God who ascended into heaven and is now seated at the right hand of God as the Lord and God of the uerse.
• They are denying His return to earth: that He is coming again to execute judgment upon every person who has ever lived upon the earth.

Where do antichrists come from? Note exactly what John says: “They went out from us, but they were not of us.”

Shockingly, they come from within the church. False teachers are teachers within the church; they hold positions of leadership within the church.

It is interesting to observe that antichristian groups rarely try to lead lost sinners to their false faith. Instead, they spend much of their time trying to convert professing Christians (and church members, at that) to their own doctrines. They are out to “seduce” the faithful. The word “seduce” carries the idea of “being led astray.”

This also occurs when there  is a ‘split’ in a congregation over matters of opinion.

Satan is not an originator; he is a counterfeiter. He imitates the work of God. For example, Satan has counterfeit “ministers” (2 Cor. 11:13-15) who preach a counterfeit gospel (Gal. 1:6-12) that produces counterfeit Christians (John 8:43-44) who depend on a counterfeit righteousness (Rom. 10:1-10).

In the Parable of the Tares (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43), Jesus and Satan are pictured as sowers. Jesus sows the true seed, the children of God; but Satan sows “the children of the wicked one.” The two kinds of plants, while growing, look so much alike that the servants could not tell the difference until the fruit appeared! Satan’s chief stratagem is to plant the counterfeit wherever Christ plants the true. And it is important that you be able to detect the counterfeit and separate the teachings of Christ from the false teachings of antichrist.

By the way, how does one determine if something is counterfeit? You compare it to the original!

We are warned against letting any man be our teacher, for God has given us the Spirit to teach us His truth. This does not deny the office of human teachers in the church (Eph. 4:11-12); but it means that under the guidance of the Spirit you must test the teaching of men as you search the Bible for yourself (cf. Acts 17:11).

Why are some Christians led astray to believe false teachings? Because they are not abiding in the Spirit. The word “abide” occurs several times in this section of 1 John, and it would be helpful to review:

• False teachers do not abide (“continue”) in the fellowship (1 John 2:19).
• The word (message) we have heard should abide in us (1 John 2:24).
• The anointing (the Holy Spirit) abides in us, and we should abide in the Spirit (1 John 2:27).
• As we abide in the Word and in the Spirit, we also abide in Christ (1 John 2:28).

We notice this word abide earlier in John’s letter:

• If we say we abide in Christ, we should walk as He walked (1 John 2:6).
• If we love our brother, we abide in the light (1 John 2:10).
• If the Word abides in us, we will be spiritually strong (1 John 2:14).
• If we do the will of God, we shall abide forever (1 John 2:17).

A believer must allow the Spirit of God to teach him from the Bible. One of the major functions of a local church is the teaching of God’s Word (2 Tim. 2:2; 4:1-5).

Why does God give us the Holy Spirit? One of the major reasons is to teach us all things. This was the glorious promise of Jesus Christ.

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26).

God gives the truth to the believer. He gives us the truth in two ways.

1. God gives us the truth in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the truth. He declared this emphatically: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).

As Jesus Christ says in John 14:6, “I am the way [to God], the truth [of God], and the life [of God].” The truth is found in Jesus Christ. True believers know this.

God gives us the truth in the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures or Holy Bible. Jesus Christ Himself and Scripture declare:

“If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).

As someone has put it, to deny that Jesus is the Christ is the master lie, the lie par excellence; the lie of all lies. To deny Jesus is indeed the master lie, for it is to lose entirely the faith and the knowledge which he alone makes possible.

A few years ago I began to notice a word that kept popping up. This word can have several meanings, I guess, but it seems to be used primarily to end discussions. At first, I thought it was used only by teen-agers, but I have since heard it on the lips of people of all generations. Increasingly, it is used to say, “It doesn’t matter enough to talk about any further.” The word is “whatever.”

• A parent says to a child, “You should do this!” and the child replies, “Whatever.”
• A teenage girl encourages her friend to “do the right thing” in a situation, and the answer is “Whatever.”
• Two adults argue over politics until one of them has had enough, so he shrugs his shoulders and says, “Whatever.”
• On a more significant level, “whatever” can mean that truth does not matter to people. It can communicate that you are entitled to your view of truth, I am entitled to my view of truth, and we can assume that we are both equally right.
• In the United States, “whatever” is more than a cultural fad; it is a one word indicator of the way a nation is thinking.
  What do you think about my evaluation of this interesting word? Did I hear you say, “Whatever” ?
  John and Jesus challenge the spirit of “whatever.” His message is bold, and His claims cannot be ignored. In the end, you may respond to Him with a joyous “Yes!” or a defiant “No!”–but He will not allow you to answer, “Whatever.” When it comes to Jesus, “whatever” is not an option.

1. S. Lewis: “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His  claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg–or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

What does all of this mean for us today? First, for those who have grown up in the Christian faith, it forces us to move beyond the “Jesus was a nice man” phase of our own spiritual development. As my children grew up, I wanted them to be impressed at an early age by Jesus’ kindness and gentleness toward children and people who are hurting. Having such a picture of Jesus is good. However, if my children never grow beyond that picture of Jesus, if they never realize that Jesus was not only gentle but also bold and demanding, then their faith will fail to mature. Jesus claimed to be “I am.” The old saying is true: “Either Jesus is Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all!” To the man or woman who still attends worship services but is not living as a Christian Monday through Saturday, this meeting with Jesus is a call to make a decision. Each of us must stand on the side of faith or on the side of disbelief. What do you think about Jesus? Was He a blasphemer? Was He a liar? Was He a lunatic? Is He Lord? You must decide! “Whatever” is not an option!

 

 

 

 

 

Few problems have been more troublesome for believers down through the centuries than worldliness. In an effort to be “relevant” and reach our culture, there is the very real danger that we will become just like the culture and lose our distinctiveness. The apostle Paul warned of the danger in Romans 12:2, when he wrote, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind….” J. B. Phillips (The New Testament in Modern English [Geoffrey Bles], p. 332) paraphrases it, “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God re-mold your lives from within.”

Toward the end of his life, Paul sadly wrote to Timothy (2 Tim. 4:10), “For Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.” Even though he had once been a fellow-worker with the great apostle Paul (Philemon 24), Demas succumbed to the lure of the world.

I would argue that with the pervasive influence of modern media, the tug of the world is greater now than it ever has been. Daily we are bombarded with attractive people telling us that we can’t be happy unless we own the product that they are selling or adopt the lifestyle that they are pursuing. We thumb through magazines that lure us with beautiful homes, new cars, luxury items, or expensive vacations that all can be ours, if we just get enough money or go into enough debt. There are plenty of credit card offers that will help us get hopelessly in debt, if we’re not careful. It is lust for the things of the world that prompts Americans to spend billions on casino gambling and lottery tickets. Just one lucky hit and you will have it all!

Christian attempts to counter worldliness often have swung to the opposite direction: withdrawal from the world, along with extra rules to reign in the flesh. This is the method of the monastic movement and of isolationist groups, such as the Amish. An extreme example of the ascetic approach was Simon the Stylite (c. 390-459), who lived in extreme austerity for 36 years on top of a platform on a 60-foot pillar. Thousands of people flocked to see this “unworldly” man and listen to his preaching. I doubt that Simon is a model of what John had in mind when he warned us not to love the world!

I grew up in Fundamentalist circles that had lists of what constituted “worldly” behavior. It usually included the “filthy five”: drinking, smoking, attending movies, playing cards, and dancing. Many Christian colleges required their students to sign pledges not to participate in these “worldly” activities. But they often went farther than that. When my dad was a student at one such Bible institute, he could not hold hands with my mother on campus, even though they were married! A student who was near graduation was publicly dismissed from the school because he put his arm around his fiancée in the back of the Institute bus, and a supporter of the school saw this “worldly” behavior and reported him!

Concerning such manmade rules, Paul wrote (Col. 2:23), “These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.” The rules approach to the problem of worldliness doesn’t work!

Worldliness is, at its core, a matter of the heart. If your heart is captured by the world, you will love the things of the world. If your heart is captured by the love of God, you will be drawn to Him and to the things of God. The only way that our hearts can be transformed so that we love God is by the supernatural new birth.

John wrote this letter to churches that were being infected and confused by certain heretics. They claimed to have enlightenment, but John says that they were still in the darkness. They tried to draw people into their inner circle of knowledge, but their doctrine and their practice revealed that they did not truly know God. John gives three tests by which his readers could evaluate these teachers and by which they could tell whether their own faith was sound: the moral test (obedience); the relational test (love for others); and, the doctrinal test (believing the truth about Jesus Christ).

In 2:3-6, John applies the first test: authentic faith obeys God’s commandments. In 2:7-11, he applies the second test: authentic faith loves God’s people. Then he pauses (2:12-14) to give an assuring clarification, showing his confidence that his readers do have authentic faith. Now, he resumes his application of the tests by showing that authentic faith is not of the world (2:15-17), but rather it knows and believes the truth about Jesus Christ (2:18-27). John characteristically draws a sharp line, with no middle ground: If you love the world, you do not love the Father. He shows that…

You must choose your love and then maintain your choice: you love either the world or the Father, but not both.

He’s saying the same thing that Jesus said (Luke 16:13), “You cannot serve God and Mammon.” He did not say, “You should not serve God and Mammon,” but, “you cannot” serve them both. You must make a basic decision in life: Will you live to know God and His eternal love, or will you live for this world and its fleeting pleasures? You can’t take a little of both.

Once you’ve made that decision, you must fight to maintain your choice against the strong current of the world. “Do not love” is a present imperative, indicating that it is an ongoing battle. “Love” is the Greek agape, indicating that it is a commitment, not a feeling, that John is commanding. The only way that you can fight the love of the world is to maintain and grow in your love for the Father. The old Scottish preacher, Thomas Chalmers, has a sermon, “The Expulsive Power of a New Affection,” where he argues that the only thing powerful enough to drive out our love for the world is our new love for the Father. We need to define the key term:

What is “the world” or “worldliness”?

The Greek word for “world,” cosmos, occurs 185 times in the New Testament. John uses it 105 of those times (78 in his Gospel, 24 in his epistles, and 3 in Revelation). It originally meant “order,” and it came to refer to the universe as the well-ordered ornament of God. (Our word “cosmetics” comes from the word. Applying cosmetics is an attempt to bring order!” It may refer to the physical world (John 1:10) or to the people of the world collectively (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2). In those senses, there is nothing wrong with loving the world. We should enjoy God’s creation and we should love sinful people who need to know the Savior.

But John also uses the word to refer to the evil, organized system under Satan, which operates through unbelieving people who are God’s enemies. He writes (1 John 5:19), “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” Jesus spoke of the world hating both Him and those who follow Him (John 15:18-19). It operates on the basis of ungodly thoughts, attitudes, motives, values, and goals (Isa. 55:8-9). It does not seek to promote God’s glory or to submit to His sovereign authority. It is in this sense that we must not love the world.

When John adds that we are not to love “the things of the world,” he does not mean that you must hate your house and your car, although I sometimes do hate my car! Rather, he elaborates on those “things” in 2:16 as, “the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life.” In other words, worldliness is primarily an attitude that is motivated by wrong desires and the wrongful promotion of self. A poor man who does not have many possessions may be very worldly because he desires those things as the key to happiness. But, a wealthy man may not be worldly in that he uses his possessions as a steward of God and as a means of promoting God’s purpose and glory.

So, to be worldly is to operate on the same principles as unregenerate people. It is to think and act out of selfishness, greed, pride, and personal ambition. It is to have a selfish desire for the things that you do not have and a sinful pride in the things that you do have. Rather than living to please God, who examines the heart, the worldly person tries to impress people, who look on things outwardly. For example, if you refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages because you want to impress others with how spiritual you are, and you take pride in your not drinking and look with contempt on those who do, you are actually being worldly by not drinking! I don’t say that to encourage anyone to drink! I’m only pointing out that worldliness is not a matter of keeping some list of dos and don’ts. It is a matter of your heart motives before God.

John makes two main points:

1. Choose your love: either the world or the Father, but not both (2:15).

John states the main command: “Do not love the world nor the things in the world.” Then, he gives the implication: “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” It is either/or, not both/and. “The love of the Father,” could mean His love for us. But to be parallel to the first half of the verse, it probably refers primarily to our love for God. John means that the one who loves the world does not love God. Or, conversely, our love for God should be the ruling principle of our lives. The only way that we can overcome the strong desires of the flesh and the world is to be consumed with loving God.

John uses “Father” to describe God in 2:15 & 16, as he did in 2:13, where he said that the children had come to know the Father. It focuses us on God’s tender love for us as His children (3:1). It is the Father’s first love for us that motivates us to love Him in response (1 John 4:19). In light of the Father’s great love in sending His own Son to be the propitiation for our sins and adopting us as His children, loving Him should be our great delight and joy.

It is significant that the Bible directs its commandments to our hearts or affections. The greatest commandment is, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37). Solomon wrote (Prov. 4:23), “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” As Jonathan Edwards argued in his “Treatise on Religious Affections” (The Works of Jonathan Edwards [Banner of Truth], 1:236), “True religion, in great part, consists in holy affections.” If your heart is cold toward the Father and captivated by the glitz of the world, you need to ask yourself, “Do I belong to the Father or to the world?”

So John’s commandment (2:15) challenges us: Choose your love. Either you love the world or you love the Father. You cannot straddle the line. The Father is a jealous lover who deserves and demands total allegiance. Loving the Father begins at the cross when you receive His supreme gift of love, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the substitute for your sins.

2. Maintain your love: Either the world or the Father, but not both (2:16-17).

Any love relationship must be maintained, and that is true of your relationship with the Father. It is especially true in that the enemy is trying to lure you from the Father’s love with all of the temptations of the world, as John shows in 2:16. If you yield to them, you will maintain love for the world. In 2:17 he shows how to maintain your love for the Father.

A. To yield to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life is to maintain love for the world (2:16).

Verse 16 is explanatory of verse 15 (“For”), showing how love for the things in the world does not come from the Father. Many have pointed out how the three aspects of temptation listed here parallel the way that Satan tempted Eve. She saw that the forbidden fruit was good for food (Gen. 3:6), which was an appeal to the lust of the flesh. She saw “that it was a delight to the eyes.” This appealed to the lust of the eyes. She also saw “that the tree was desirable to make one wise.” This appealed to the boastful pride of life.

The same pattern occurs in Satan’s temptation of Jesus (Luke 4:1-12). Satan urged Jesus to turn the stones into bread (the lust of the flesh). He showed Him all the kingdoms of the earth, offering to give them to Him (the lust of the eyes). He encouraged Him to jump off the pinnacle of the temple, which could have been a source of pride in this miraculous accomplishment. Let’s examine John’s three aspects of “all that is in the world”:

(1). To yield to the lust of the flesh is not to love the Father, but the world.

“Lust” refers to a strong desire or impulse. It is used almost always in a negative sense in the New Testament. “Flesh” refers to our fallen nature, which is not eradicated at salvation. “The lust of the flesh” includes any strong desire or inclination of our fallen nature, including sexual sins, but also all activity that stems from the self-seeking, godless nature that we are born with.

Many natural desires are legitimate if they are kept under control and used in the sphere for which God designed them. The desires for food, companionship, sex, and security are legitimate when we keep them within God’s limits and when we do not allow them to usurp His rightful place in our hearts. But they become sinful when we seek to fulfill them in selfish, ungodly ways.

(2). To yield to the lust of the eyes is not to love the Father, but the world.

This term points to the sinful desires of greed and covetousness, to want that which you do not have, but which others may have. It also refers to the desires that stem from false, superficial values. Through our eyes, the world appeals to us to find satisfaction in the superficial, which never can satisfy. “Buy this bigger, newer home and you will be happy!” “Find a beautiful woman (or a handsome man) and you will be satisfied.” “Get the perfect job and have plenty of money and your inner longings will be quenched.” But, as is evident by the lives of the rich and famous, none of these things deliver what they promise.

(3). To yield to the boastful pride of life is not to love the Father, but the world.

While the lust of the flesh and lust of the eyes refer to the desire to have what you do not have, the boastful pride of life refers to sinful pride over what you do have. It is the desire to be better than others so that you can glory in yourself and your accomplishments.

There is a proper sense, of course, of doing your best in school, athletics, or at work in order to be a good steward of God’s gifts and to bring glory to Him. But it’s easy to forget that He gave you everything that you have (1 Cor. 4:7) and to start boasting in your achievements and possessions as if you attained these things by your own intelligence or hard work. It’s easy to think like Nebuchadnezzar, who said (Dan. 4:30), “Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?” God immediately drove him out into the fields to live as a wild beast until his heart was humbled!

We all battle these temptations daily, and we often fail. But John’s point is, if you go on yielding to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life as your way of life, you are not maintaining love for the Father. Rather, you are maintaining love for the world. Worldly people wallow in these things; God’s children fight them continually. How do we maintain our love for the Father?

B. To obey the Father with our eyes on eternity is to maintain our love for Him (2:17).

To obey the Father is to maintain your love for Him. The opposite of loving the world is not only loving the Father, but also obeying Him—“doing the will of God.” “The will of God” here does not refer to following His direction in your life. It refers to obeying His commandments as revealed in His Word. As Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love” (John 15:10).

A key reason to obey God’s commandments is the transitory nature of this world and its lusts, as contrasted with the eternal promise of heaven: “The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides [lit.] forever” (2:17; the original NASB correctly translates “abides,” not “lives”). If you love the world or the things in the world, you will lose them all at death. All that the worldly person lives for is gone in an instant and means nothing in light of eternity. Even if you have attained your worldly desires, what good are they at death? But, if you do God’s will, you will abide with Him in heaven throughout all eternity!

Conclusion

In 1989, Tom Sine wrote some insightful words that apply just as much now, as then (Christianity Today [3/17/89], p. 52):

Whatever commands our time, energy, and resources commands us. And if we are honest, we will admit that our lives really aren’t that different from those of our secular counterparts. I suspect that one of the reasons we are so ineffective in evangelism is that we are so much like the people around us that we have very little to which we can call them. We hang around church buildings a little more. We abstain from a few things. But we simply aren’t that different. We don’t even do hedonism as well as the folks around us … but we keep on trying.

As a result of this unfortunate accommodation, Christianity is reduced to little more than a spiritual crutch to help us through the minefields of the upwardly mobile life. God is there to help us get our promotions, our house in the suburbs, and our bills paid. Somehow God has become a co-conspirator in our agendas instead of our becoming a co-conspirator in His. Something is seriously amiss.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself, to evaluate whether you love the world or the Father (adapted from A. W. Pink, Exposition of 1 John [Associated Authors and Publishers], p. 126):

• Which do you seek with more fervor: the wealth and honors of the world, or the riches of grace and the approval of God?
• Which have the greater attraction: the pleasures of the world, which are only for a season, or those pleasures at God’s right hand, which are for eternity?
• Wherein lies your confidence: in the money you have in your bank account or investments, or in the living and faithful God, who has promised to supply all your needs?
• Which causes the deeper sorrow: a temporal loss, or a break in your fellowship with God?
• Upon which do you get more joy: spending money for personal comforts and luxuries, or spending money to further the gospel?
• What most dominates your mind: thoughts and schemes after worldly advancements, or resolutions and efforts to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord?

Some of you need to make the basic choice: Will you love the Father, or will you love the world? Most of us have made that choice, but we need to maintain it. Do not yield to the temptations of the world, but do the will of God. You will abide forever!

Do Not Love the World

2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. ^wIf anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Believers must love God (2:5) and love their brothers and sisters in Christ (2:10), but they must not love this evil world. John was writing to those in the church who had remained true to their faith. They had withstood false teaching and had remained unified together with other believers. But John warned against a secret spiritual danger that could still threaten them—loving this evil world. The “world,” as used here, does not refer to God’s creation that God declared good and that reveals his glory (see Psalms 8; 24:1). Nor does it refer to the “world” that God “so loved that he gave his only Son” to die for it (John 3:16). Instead, the term “world” here refers to the realm of Satan’s influence, the system made up of those who hate God and his will. Believers should love the people of the world enough to share God’s message with them, but they should not love the morally corrupt system in place in the world. Satan controls this evil world. His world opposes God and his followers and tempts those followers away from God and into sin (see James 4:4).

GOD VS. THE EVIL WORLD

John warned believers not lo love this world and its selfish pleasures. Christians stand in a war zone. The battle takes place here on earth as the spiritual forces of God battle against those of Satan. While God allows Satan to rule over the earth through the minds of those in rebellion against God, Satan’s kingdom will one day be destroyed. Christians live in this world but are not of it. Satan hates Christians’ detachment and attempts to make life as difficult as possible for Christ’s followers. To give in to the senseless lust for possessions and power, to spend money on selfish desires and foolish upgrades in cars, clothes, homes, and equipment while ignoring the needs of others is to lose the cosmic war to Satan. So, Christian, know that Satan wars against you, and remember that you represent the winning side.

Reference		Verse (quoted from )
Matthew 6:24	“ ‘No one can serve two masters: for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other.You cannot serve God and wealth.’ ”
John 12:31	“ ‘Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out.’ ”
John 14:30	“ ‘I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of world is coming. He has no power over me.’ ”
John 15:18	“ ‘If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you.’ ”
Ephesians 6:11–12	“Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
James 4:4	“Adulterers! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wish to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God
1 John 2:16	“For all that is in the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches—comes not from the Father but from the world.”
1 John 3:1	“See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God: and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”
1 John 4:4	“Little children, you are from God, and have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
1 John 5:19	“We know that we are God’s children, and that the whole world lies under the power of the evil one.”

How do people “love” the world? They do so by greedily and selfishly loving all that it offers them, such as riches, power, and self-indulgence. People cannot love both God and the world—such “loves” are mutually exclusive. The word for “love” here does not mean the self-sacrificing love that believers are to have for God and others; instead, it means taking pleasure in something, in this case, taking pleasure in what is opposed to God. John wanted to show his readers that to attempt to love both God and the world would be as impossible as trying to combine light and darkness (1:5). Therefore, when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you. God and the sinful world are such opposites that it is impossible to love both at once (see chart on the previous page).

These words do not mean that believers are to remove themselves from all contact with the sinful world (that would be virtually impossible), nor are they to stoically refrain from anything pleasurable. They do mean that when contact with the sinful world and its worldly pleasures specifically disagrees with God’s Word, then Christians are to turn away from “the world” in order to obey God.

 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. ¹⁷ And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

2:16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.  John warned his readers against loving the world and all that it offers (2:15) because all that is in the world … is not of the Father. Jesus made clear this tension when he said, “No one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24 ). “World” refers here not to the creation—for that was most certainly “of the Father,” because the Bible records that God created everything. The “world” here, as in 2:15, is the present evil system that is ruled by Satan and opposed to God. This “world” has rebelled and fallen into sin. Nothing in this world system loves the Father or finds its source in him; “all” refers to Satan’s domain.

Taking “all that is in the world,” John made three basic categories. These three categories are subjective, for they speak of attitudes of the heart. Believers may look perfectly clean and serene on the outside but harbor any or all of these attitudes inside. John feared that this might happen, so he was warning the believers to restrain such desires.

1. The lust of the flesh. Jesus spoke of how adultery begins not with the act, but with the desire—with looking at another person with lust in one’s heart (Matthew 5:28). These words picture any kind of desire but especially the craze for sex. No doubt the people of ancient Ephesus understood this—the pagan religions of their city glorified sex. The world today has many similarities. Sex in all of its immoral and even grotesque forms becomes portrayed through movies, on television, in print, or on the computer. These appeal to the sinful nature. While this category seems to refer mostly to sexual lust, any sort of selfish or greedy cravings simply to satisfy one’s physical desires in rebellion against God could also be considered “lust of the flesh.” This would include anything purely physical, exploitive, and self-centered.
2. The lust of the eyes. Sins of craving and accumulating possessions (bowing to the god of materialism) could be placed in this category. While sex may also be included here, people’s “eyes” can lust after many things—Eve wanted the fruit that was “pleasing to the eye” (Genesis 3:6 ), Achan saw the beautiful robe from Babylon and the silver and gold (Joshua 7:21), and David saw a beautiful woman bathing and wanted her (2 Samuel 11:2–3). People would have to be blind not to see anything, but believers must not become obsessed with what they see.
3. The pride of life. Some versions translate this as “pride in possessions.” It refers to both the inward attitude and the outward boasting because of an obsession with one’s status or possessions. The word “pride” may carry a note of exaggeration here; this person brags in order to impress people, but the bragging may stretch the truth.

WORLDLINESS

John’s key message was that Christians should avoid sinful desires. Today, Christians have the same struggle. Some Christians define worldliness by a certain set of overt behaviors. Refrain from this list of questionable activities, the reasoning goes, and you avoid worldliness. Note, however, that John’s description of what it means to “love the world” targets attitudes. “Cravings,” “lusts,” “pride”—these terms describe internal heart attitudes that can easily go undetected. One may appear to be free of worldly activities and yet be filled with sinful desires. For example, it’s possible to avoid dirty videos or books and still harbor illicit sexual desires. A person can live simply, even while greedily desiring possessions. A person can feign humility and still secretly clamor for recognition and honor. The lesson? Don’t buy into simplistic views of worldliness. It is a deep-seated condition. With God’s help, renounce worldliness and keep your sinful cravings under his control

TEMPTATIONS

	Temptation of Eve (Genesis 3:4–6)		Temptation of Christ (Matthew 4:1–11; Luke 4:1–13)	Temptation of Christians Today
Lust of the flesh The desire to fulfill pleasures, physical desires		The fruit looked delicious and would be good to eat.	Turn the stones into  bread	Take what is easier or more pleasurable—rather than God’s will
Lust of the eyes The constant craving for more		The fruit was a pleasure to look at.	Gain all the kingdoms of the world, as far as the eye can see	Respond impulsively, without restraint or self-control
The pride of life The desire for power or possessions		The fruit was desirable for gaining wisdom, Eve wanted to “be like God.”	Throw yourself down and angels will rescue you, for God will not allow you to be hurt	Accumulate things rather than seek to serve others

All three categories show selfishness and greed. People who focus on possessions, want whatever they see, and boast about what they have show that they are of the world and not of God. Yet these sins, so subtle as to begin almost unnoticed within the heart, become the temptations that lead to the sin’s outworkings in people’s lives. And believers are not immune. John warned his readers to “stop loving this evil world” (2:15). We must not have divided or halfhearted loyalty to God.

By contrast, God values self-control, a spirit of generosity, and a commitment to humble service. Believers can give the impression of avoiding worldly pleasures while still harboring worldly attitudes in their hearts. However, they can do as Jesus did—love sinners and spend time with them while maintaining a commitment to the values of God’s kingdom.

2:17 And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever.  The people who live in rebellion to God with their transient, unfulfilling desires (2:16) are focusing on a world that is already passing away. The workaholic will die unfulfilled. The greedy politician will die in despair. The pleasure-mad partygoers will find their lives ruined by drugs or alcohol. Indulgence never satisfies; it only whets the appetite for more. Christians, however, understand that the world will not last forever and that no one lives on this planet forever. Because they are believers, however, they know that those who do the will of God live forever. How can this be? “Those who do the will of God” refers to believers who will remain forever united with God. It is foolish to hang on to the world and whatever fulfillment it offers because this world is passing away. But to turn away from the sinful world and hold on to God means to hold on to the eternal. Those who do so will “live forever” with him. Every person will die and then must forever let go of the possessions and pleasures of this world. Those who trust in God have already begun a life everlasting.

LET IT GO

When the desire for possessions and sinful pleasures feels so intense, we probably doubt that these objects of desire will all one day pass away. It may be even more difficult to believe that the person who does the will of God will live forever. But this was John’s conviction based on the facts of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and promises. Knowing that this evil world will end can give you the courage to deny yourself temporary pleasures in this world in order to enjoy what God has promised us for eternity.

^w See James 4:4

Years ago, a “Dear Abby” (Arizona Daily Sun [1/10/99]) column ran a story by a retired schoolteacher. One day she had her students take out two sheets of paper and list the names of the other students in the room. Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down by their names.

She took the papers home that weekend and compiled a list for each student of what the others had said about him or her. On Monday she gave each student his or her list.

Before long, everyone was smiling. “Really?” one whispered. “I never knew that meant anything to anyone.” “I didn’t know anyone liked me that much!”

Years later, the teacher went to the funeral of one of her former students, who had been killed in Vietnam. Many who had been in that class years before were there. After the service, the young man’s parents approached the teacher and said, “We want to show you something. Mark was carrying this when he was killed.” The father pulled out of a wallet the list of all the good things Mark’s classmates had said about him. “Thank you so much for doing that,” Mark’s mother said. “As you can see, Mark treasured it.”

A group of Mark’s classmates overheard the exchange. One smiled sheepishly and said, “I still have my list. It’s in my top desk drawer at home.” Another said, “I have mine, too. It’s in my diary.” “I put mine in our wedding album,” said a third. “I bet we all saved them,” said a fourth. “I carry mine with me at all times.” At that point, the teacher sat down and cried. And, she used that assignment in every class for the rest of her teaching career.

That story shows how much we all need encouragement. The apostle John has been dishing out some strong words as he warns the flock about the false teachers who were trying to deceive them.

John was writing to every believer in the church—his dear children who had experienced forgiveness through Jesus. Some were mature in the faith and had a long-standing relationship with Christ. Others had struggled with Satan’s temptations and had won. Still others had learned about Christ and were just beginning their spiritual journey.

Every person in the church needs to grow in Christ and to love every other person in the church. As children learn about Christ, they grow in their ability to win battles over temptation. As young adults move from victory to victory, they grow in their relationship with Christ. Older adults, having known Christ for years, have developed the wisdom needed to teach young people and start the cycle all over again.

John then warned the believers against worldliness, for one cannot love God and also love the world.

He has just said (2:11) that if you don’t love your brother, you’re in the darkness—not saved! He is about to say that if you love the world, you don’t have the Father’s love in you (2:15). But before he says that, he inserts this short section to encourage those who may have been troubled by what he had written.

John wants his readers, at whatever stage in the Christian life they are at, to consider what God has done in their lives. He wants them to know that they have authentic faith. (John inserts other similar assuring clarifications in 3:19-22 and 4:17-18.)

John Calvin put it (Calvin’s Commentaries [Baker], p. 182), “having faithfully spoken of good works, lest he should seem to give them more importance than he ought to have done, he carefully calls us back to contemplate the grace of Christ.”

Six times John uses the perfect tense in the explanatory (“because”) clauses. It describes action completed in the past with ongoing results.

John Stott (The Epistles of John [Eerdmans], p. 98) explains, “John is laying emphasis on the assured standing into which every Christian has come, whatever his stage of spiritual development.” To grow, we must be assured and encouraged about what God has done and is doing in our lives.

John’s main application is,

Wherever you’re at in your Christian walk, God wants you to be encouraged by His grace so that you will grow more.

1. There are stages of growth in the Christian life: Don’t be content with where you’re at, but seek to grow.

Others, however, argue that John is addressing three groups in terms of spiritual maturity (not chronological age). The odd order may be explained as his taking both ends of the spectrum first, and then showing the means of getting from the one end to the other.

I am comfortable with this three-fold breakdown, as long as we keep in mind that what John writes to the little children also applies to every stage of the Christian life.

Even mature believers need to remember that our sins have been forgiven and that we know God as our Father.

Also, the little children in the faith and the young men need to see clearly the goal of becoming spiritual fathers, who “know Him who has been from the beginning.”

And the children need to be prepared for the battles against the enemy that they must win in order to grow to maturity.

But the point is clear, both here and in other Scriptures, that we should never be complacent with where we’re at in our Christian walk, but should daily strive to know Christ better in order to grow to maturity.

Physical growth is normal for children, and it’s always abnormal when children do not grow and mature. Even spiritual adults should always press on toward the goal of knowing Jesus Christ better and growing in godliness:

Philippians 3:7–16 (ESV) — 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

Hebrews 5:11–6:3 (ESV) — 11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. 1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits.

Hosea 6:3 (ESV) — 3 Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”

If you become spiritually complacent, you will not remain neutral; you will go backwards.

I’m convinced that God’s grace as shown to us on the cross is the greatest motivator to keep growing.

2. God wants us to be encouraged by His grace so that we will be motivated to grow.

Frankly, often it is more difficult for those of us from Christian homes to appreciate God’s grace as the motivator to grow. Those who have been saved from a difficult past know where they would be if God had not intervened in their lives. They are more likely to see that they have been forgiven much, and thus to love Christ much (Luke 7:36-50).

Those of us who grew up in the church are prone to think pharisaically that we didn’t need as much forgiveness as the person with a sordid past. We need to see how wretchedly sinful our hearts really are.

If God had let me go, I’d be enslaved to a multitude of terrible sins. With the hymn writer, we need to sing often, “O to grace, how great a debtor, daily I’m constrained to be; let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee” (Robert Robinson, “Come Thou Fount”). God’s grace encourages me to grow in my walk with Him. John presents three stages of growth:

A. The foundation of the Christian life is to know that your sins are forgiven and to know the Father.

Here we’re focusing on John’s twofold address to the “little children” (2:12) and the “children” (2:13). If there is a nuance of difference between the two terms, “little children” (from a Greek word meaning, to beget or bring forth) points to the relationship by birth between a child and his parents. “Children” (from a Greek word emphasizing training) points to children under discipline or training.

By using both terms, John shows his authority as an apostle and his affection as a spiritual father to his family.

(1). As God’s little children, we need to be encouraged by the truth that our sins are forgiven for His name’s sake.

2:12 “I’m writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake” (2:12).

The next three verses contain two sets of triplets that describe John’s readers as children (2:12), fathers (2:13), and young people (2:13). There are three main views about the meaning of these classifications:

The term “dear children” has no reference to age; rather, it was a term of endearment that John used for all those to whom he was writing. Christ used the same words when speaking to his disciples (John 13:33). All who have believed in Jesus Christ as Savior become God’s children. Many had come to Jesus through John’s ministry, so he called them his own “children.” These true followers have in common the fact that their sins have been forgiven because of Jesus. They have accepted the fact of their sinfulness, have confessed their sins, and have been forgiven because of Jesus’ death on the cross.

It seems, therefore, that each group has qualities that bear resemblance to all John’s readers. For example, viewed as little children, people knew their sins were forgiven. Viewed as fathers, they not only had a relationship with God, but they also had knowledge of God that comes from obedience to his commandments. Viewed as young people, they are strong. These qualities ought to be true of all believers. All Christians should know that their sins are forgiven, should be strong against the evil one, and should have mature knowledge of God and his Word. The repetition of the categories provides stylistic difference and poetic emphasis and allows additional comments on two of the categories.^[1]

Don’t ever allow yourself to read a verse like that and think, “Ho hum!” The forgiveness of all of your sins for His name’s sake is the greatest blessing in the whole world! Never get over the amazing truth that although you were a rebel who deserved God’s wrath, He graciously sent His Son to bear the penalty in your place!

As David exclaims (Ps. 32:1-2), “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, ….”

After rehearsing the sins of Israel in the wilderness, Nehemiah (9:17b) proclaims, “But You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.”

Jesus’ last words to the disciples before He ascended into heaven were (Luke 24:47), “that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

John Bunyan has a wonderful book, “The Jerusalem Sinner Saved,” where he expounds on the fact that the good news of forgiveness of sins be proclaimed first in the very city that crucified the Savior.

When John tells the little children in the faith that their sins are forgiven “for His name’s sake,” he means that their sins are forgiven on account of the person and work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Our sins are not forgiven because of anything that we do. We cannot do penance to work off our debt of sin, because Jesus paid the debt in full. We cannot add good works to atone for our sins, because Jesus atoned for them fully through His blood.

Maybe you’re thinking, “But you don’t know all the terrible things that I have done. Doesn’t a really bad sinner have to do something to qualify for God’s forgiveness?”

Learn from the apostle Paul, who calls himself the foremost of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). In Ephesians 1:7-8, he writes, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.”

Forgiveness of sins is for His name’s sake, not for anything you have done or can do. All you can do is receive it by faith.

Notice, too, that forgiveness of sins is something that the youngest child of God can and should experience. It is foundational to your Christian walk that you know that your sins are forgiven, not because of anything in you, but solely because of what Jesus did for you on the cross.

The enemy will repeatedly come to accuse and condemn you for your sins. Answer him every time, not with your performance, but with the name and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

2:14 I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you are strong and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. 

This verse repeats the message of 2:13 to fathers and then amplifies the message to young people. The overlap of the advice can be seen here where John wrote to you, children, because you know the Father. The phrase refers to experiential knowledge. All Christians ought to have personal knowledge of God the Father through Jesus Christ his Son; otherwise, they cannot be believers. The fathers … know him who is from the beginning. Again, “him” refers to Jesus Christ, who is eternal. To the young people, John wrote that they are strong and the word of God abides in them, and he repeated that they have overcome the evil one. This strength is not the natural physical vigor of young people but the power of God’s Word in them through the Holy Spirit. Isaiah wrote, “Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:30–31 ). God’s people can enjoy this power and can be victorious over Satan, John went on to affirm, only by freeing themselves from the grasp of the evil things of the world (2:15). Since Satan controls the minds of those in revolt against God (the world, see 5:19), believers must constantly guard against his assaults by becoming saturated with God’s Word. They can remain strong only as the word of God abides in them.

(2). As God’s children, we need to be encouraged by the fact that we have come to know the Father.

Believers have been set free from Satan’s authority and have been given power over him. Yet the battle rages as spiritual warfare continue between Satan’s forces and God’s forces. Satan battles against anyone who loves the Lord. But believers are promised power in times of intense spiritual battle. The following steps will help you if you sense that you a fighting a spiritual battle:

1.  Realize that the battle is not against “flesh and blood” but against the spirit world and evil forces.	Ephesians 6:12
2. Trust that Satan’s power can be broken in any specific area of his domain, and utilize the powerful spiritual weapons given to you by God for the destruction of Satan’s power.	Acts 26:18, 2 Corinthians 10:4–5; Ephesians 6:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:8
3.  Challenge Satan and his power by believing in Jesus’ name, using God’s Word, praying in the Spirit, and fasting.	Matthew 6:16; Acts 16:16–18; Ephesians 6:17–18
4.  Stay fervently committed to God’s truth and righteousness….	Romans 12:1–2; Ephesians 6:14
5.  Proclaim the gospel of the kingdom in the fullness of the Spirit.	Matthew 4:23; Acts 1:18; Romans 1:16: Ephesians 6:15
6.  Pray especially for the Holy Spirit to convict the lost.	John 16:7–11
7.  Keep morally fit by loving God, not the temptations of this world.	1 Corinthians 10:13; 1 John 2:15–17

As with the forgiveness of sins, so knowing God as your Father is foundational to your Christian walk. In his classic book, Knowing God ([IVP], p. 182), J. I. Packer wrote, You sum up the whole of New Testament teaching in a single phrase, if you speak of it as a revelation of the Fatherhood of the holy Creator.

In the same way, you sum up the whole of New Testament religion if you describe it as the knowledge of God as one’s holy Father. If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all.

From the earliest stage of our Christian life, we should know God as our Father. He loves us and cares for us far more than any earthly father ever could. As John will go on to say (3:1), “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.” Knowing that God has forgiven all your sins and that He is your Father are foundational to your Christian life. Never forget these precious truths!

B. The goal of the Christian life is to be spiritual fathers, who know Him who has been from the beginning.

John jumps from the beginning to the end, before going back to the means of getting from one to the other. Both times, for emphasis, he repeats exactly the same thing, that the fathers “know Him who has been from the beginning.” The verb, know, is in the perfect tense, meaning, you have come to know Him and still know Him. The Greek verb means to know by experience.

But, why does John refer to God as “Him who has been from the beginning”? Why is this a distinctive of those who are spiritually mature? I suggest three reasons:

(1). The phrase focuses on the eternality of God, and spiritual maturity involves developing an eternal perspective on life.

This phrase prepares us for the next section, where John says (2:17), “For the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives [lit., abides] forever.” The older you get, the more you realize how short and uncertain this life really is. As you grow older, you see more clearly that all of the things that people strive to attain—riches, recognition, pleasure, adventure, or whatever—fade away in the face of death and eternity. The earlier in your Christian life that you can learn that the Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal One, who was with the Father in the beginning, and that you will quickly step out of time and into eternity, the more you will grow spiritually. That eternal perspective will help you not to get enamored by the world and the things in the world.

(2). The phrase points us to God’s eternal purpose in Christ, and to the wonderful fact that it included us by His sovereign choice.

Paul wrote (Eph. 1:8b-12), In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.

Babes in Christ often stumble over the doctrine of God’s sovereign election, but spiritual fathers submit to it and, as Jesus did, they rejoice in it (see Luke 10:21-22). We rejoice in it because it means that salvation is not a matter of our feeble human will, but rather of God’s mighty will and purpose. All praise goes to Him for the wonder that “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4)!

(3). The phrase points us to Jesus Christ as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end, of our Christian experience.

(See Rev. 1:8, 17.) All of God’s riches are ours in Christ. We will spend all eternity plumbing the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ, which surpasses all knowledge (Eph. 3:18-19). And so the goal of the Christian life is to grow into spiritual fathers, who “know Him who has been from the beginning.” Of course, that process never is complete, and so we should always be pressing on to know Him better. But, how do we grow from spiritual children to be fathers in the faith?

C. The means of attaining the goal is to be strong young men who overcome the evil one through God’s Word.

John writes to the young men, “because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one” (2:14). These words show us that the Christian life is not a perpetual Sunday School picnic! It is an intense battle with the enemy of our souls, who seeks to devour us (1 Pet. 5:8).

While we can and should experience victories over the temptations that the enemy puts in our path, there is another sense in which such victories are never complete or final. He doesn’t give up! So we must understand the victories of these spiritually strong young men in a relative sense. Also, even when we win such victories, we are never strong in ourselves, but only in the Lord, and in the strength of His might (Eph. 6:10). Often the weapons that the enemy brings against us are not frontal, but rather deceptive. As Paul wrote (2 Cor. 11:3), “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” So we must always be alert to his schemes (2 Cor. 2:11).

It is only when you allow the Word of God to abide in you that you will overcome the enemy’s schemes. The Lord Jesus overcame the tempter every time by citing Scripture (Matt. 4:4, 7, 10). The only way that you will grow strong spiritually and overcome the evil one is to let the Word of God dwell in your heart by meditating on it day and night (Ps. 1:2) and treasuring it in your heart (Ps. 119:9, 11).

Conclusion

Most of us probably can remember our defeats much more easily than we can remember our victories. God doesn’t want your defeats to sabotage your Christian walk. His grace means that your sins are forgiven and that you are now His child. Knowing that should not lead you to sin more, but rather to be encouraged to grow more.

The German poet, Goethe, said, “Correction does much, but encouragement does more.” The Bible has both, of course, in proportion to what we need. Here, John wants to encourage us, no matter where we’re at in our level of maturity. But to be effective, encouragement must be true, not mere flattery. The truest thing about you is what God says in His Word. If you have trusted in Jesus Christ, God says that your sins are forgiven for His name’s sake. He says that you have come to know Him as Father. He wants you to grow strong through His Word, so that you will overcome the evil one. As you do, you will grow into a mature believer, who knows Him who is from the beginning. That’s why John wrote these encouraging words.

 

ENCOURAGEMENT: “An Essential Part of Christian Life”

 INTRODUCTION: Today’s lesson is on encouragement.  I thought that it would be beneficial for everyone to appreciate more fully why we all need it and why it is important.  It seems in the present times we live in there is little place or time for encouragement. The news media focuses on tragedy and the latest crisis but seldom on human interest stories that provide hope and encouragement.   Think of a time when you were encouraged and what a difference that made. I remember, when running the NYC Marathon many years ago, that encouragement from a friend made all the difference (I was experiencing dehydration at the 14 mile mark and was considering quitting) that enabled me to continue the race to the finish line.

DEFINITION OF ENCOURAGEMENT: What does the word encouragement mean?  Webster’s Dictionary defines it as “…to inspire with courage, spirit or hope; spur on; give help or patronage to.”  In the biblical Greek there are many variations and tenses of the word “parakaleo,” however, it is generally translated as “to invite to come; to call upon for or upon someone as for aid, to invoke God, to beseech, entreat; to exhort, admonish as in calling upon someone to do something.”

WHAT IS THERE TO BE ENCOURAGED ABOUT? So what is there to be encouraged about?  Why does the Bible say that it is important to encourage one another? Let’s examine some scriptures that provide reasons to be encouraged.

God Has Overcome the World: We all know about the world we live in today and the ensuing chaos. In John 16:32-33, Jesus explains to his disciples the troubled reality that they will soon face yet reassures them that he has overcome the world: “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home.  You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Jesus encouraged the disciples by reminding them of the reality they will face so that they would not be surprised or discouraged.  Despite their future predicament, Jesus reminds them that he is in control and that, despite his impending death, he will rise in victory and provide the lasting solution to sin.  Likewise, we should not be discouraged about our situation today because God is in control and that he has provided for our salvation through the cross!

God Has Prepared a Place for Us in Heaven:  In John 14:1-4, Jesus assures his disciples that he has prepared a place for them in heaven, where they will be with God for eternity. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

That assurance of a place in heaven with God applies to us as well!  We should be comforted and reassured about this great promise!

God Promises Us Eternal Life: Think about it—eternal life—in God’s presence.  Eternity is a very long time…really long—actually a never-ending length of time.  John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  If we remain faithful to him to the end, we can be assured that we will be with God for eternity.  Recall that John 6:40 states “For my Father’s will is that everyone who  looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

God Provides Salvation: In Romans 10:11-13, Paul reminds us that “…anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.  For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” We are assured of our salvation which is available for all—regardless of where we came from—is that not encouraging?

We Are Provided Forgiveness: Is it not encouraging to know that we are forgiven for our sins? In Numbers 14:18, the Lord is described as being “…slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion.”  Likewise, in Ephesians 1:7-8, in Christ we “…have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us…” We are freed from the law of sin and death and that there is no condemnation for those in Christ.  In Psalms 103:10, God is described as one who does not “treat us as our sins deserve” or “repay us according to our iniquities.”

Encouragement By the Example of Others: The examples of faithful believers who have gone before us can also be a source of encouragement. The apostle Paul provides us with an example of faith    .

^[1] Bruce B. Barton and Grant R. Osborne, 1, 2 & 3 John, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1998), 39–40.

I think that we all chuckle at the Peanuts cartoon strip because so often we see the truth about ourselves there. That is especially so when Linus protests, “I love mankind; it’s people I can’t stand!” Love in the abstract is a cinch. It’s loving those irritating people that I rub shoulders with that is not easy.

John’s letter has been compared to a spiral staircase because he keeps returning to the same three topics: love, obedience, and truth. Though these themes recur, it is not true that they are merely repetitious. Each time we return to a topic, we look at it from a different point of view and are taken more deeply into it.

We will learn about our love for other believers with the emphasis in 1 John 2 on fellowship. A believer who is “walking in the light” will evidence that fact by loving the brethren. We’ll also see in 1 John 3 that the emphasis is on his relationship with other believers. Christians love one another because they have all been born of God, which makes them all brothers and sisters in Christ.

1 John 2:7-11: “Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. {8} Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. {9} Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. {10} Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. {11} But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.”

In 1 John 2:3-6, the apostle gives a test by which you can know that you truly know Jesus Christ, namely, if you walk in obedience to His word. In 2:6, he states, “The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” Then, in 2:7-11, John goes on to apply this test of obedience more specifically to the area of love. If Jesus’ life and especially His death epitomized love, then those who claim to follow Him are obligated to live in love.

In the Upper Room, on the night He was betrayed, Jesus demonstrated His great love for the disciples by taking a towel and a basin of water and washing the disciples’ feet. After that unforgettable object lesson, He drove the point home (John 13:14-15), “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.” He was not instituting a ceremonial foot-washing service, where everyone comes with clean feet to be washed! He was saying something much more difficult to practice, that we who follow Jesus must set aside our rights and serve one another out of love.

In that same chapter (John 13:34-35), Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Obviously, those words of Jesus were behind John’s words about the old, new commandment. It may be that the heretics against whom John was writing claimed to have some “new” truths. Using an obvious play on words, John counters them by saying that we don’t need new truth, but rather the old truth that his readers learned early in their Christian experience. On the other hand, if you want “new” truth, John says that the old commandment is the new commandment, which Jesus gave to us. In short,

Loving one another is an essential mark of a true Christian.

Having said that, I must quickly add that that we must define “love” biblically, not culturally. Culturally, if you mention the word “love,” people think of “niceness.” They picture a loving person as always being nice and sweet towards everyone. He never confronts sin or error. He never gets angry about evil or says anything that might upset someone.

But if you are at all familiar with the four gospels, you will immediately see that by this cultural definition, Jesus was not a loving man! Jesus loved the Jewish religious leaders when He said to them, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites” (Matt. 23:15). He loved Peter when He said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan” (Matt. 16:23). He loved the multitude when He said to them, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you?” (Matt. 17:17). The apostle Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit, whose first fruit is love, when he said to Elymas, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?” Then, he struck him blind (see Acts 13:9-11).

I’m not saying that we should go around blasting people, while claiming that we’re loving them! I’m only pointing out that our definition of love, in a practical sense, must encompass all that the Bible says about love, not what our worldly culture says. John makes two points in our text:

1. To love one another is to obey our Lord’s commandment (2:7-8).

In these two verses, John makes four points:

A. Jesus’ command to love one another is both old and new.

John never specifically identifies the old, new commandment in these verses, and he only mentions love once in this entire section (2:10). But his reference to the new commandment makes it obvious that he is referring to Jesus’ command to love one another.

This commandment was old in two senses. First, it was old in that Moses taught it in the Law, “… you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18). Jesus identified this as the second greatest commandment, after the command to love God with all your being (Matt. 22:37-40). So in that sense, this command had been with God’s people for 1,400 years.

But the main sense in which this was an old commandment is that these believers had heard it from the very earliest days of their Christian experience (2:7): “… which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard.” John uses the phrase, “from the beginning,” in the same way in 1 John 3:11, “For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another” (also, 2 John 5).

But, John says (2:8), the commandment is also new, in that Jesus had issued it as the new commandment (John 13:34). John Stott (The Epistles of John [Eerdmans], p. 93) suggests four ways that this old commandment became new when Jesus issued it. First, it was new in its emphasis, in that Jesus brought it together with the command to love God as the summation of the entire Law. Second, it was new in its quality, in that His own self-sacrifice on the cross became the standard. Third, it was new in its extent, in that in the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus extended the definition of neighbor to go beyond race or religion. Anyone in need who crosses our path is our neighbor. He said that we should love even our enemies. Finally, it was new in the disciples’ continuing apprehension of it. The love of Jesus on the cross is inexhaustible. We can never plumb its depths. And so as we grow in our understanding of His great love, we will grow in our apprehension of how we must love one another. So Jesus’ command is both old and new.

B. From the beginning of your Christian walk, you should learn how to establish and maintain loving relationships.

John tells his readers that they have had this commandment “from the beginning,” and then identifies it as “the word which you have heard” (2:7). It was part and parcel with the gospel that they had believed at the outset of their Christian experience. When we hear and respond to the good news that Jesus Christ died for sinners, at that point the love of God is “poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Rom. 5:5). The first fruit of the Spirit is love (Gal. 5:22). As I mentioned, the entire Bible may be summed up by the two great commandments, to love God and to love one another. So learning how to establish and maintain loving relationships is not “graduate level” Christianity. It is basic, beginning Christianity.

Many of you came into the faith from backgrounds where you did not experience love. Your parents abused you verbally or physically. Maybe you were in a series of abusive relationships with the opposite sex. You’ve had no models of how to love other people. It is urgent, once you trust in Christ as your Savior, to learn from God’s Word and from more mature believers how to love others in a practical, daily manner. You will need to unlearn many bad ways of relating to others that you brought with you from the past. You will need to relearn how to think and speak and act in loving ways, especially toward those who wrong you. If you do not learn to love others, you will fester with anger and bitterness, and your relationship with Christ will suffer.

It all begins with how you think about others. Instead of thinking first about yourself, your feelings, your rights, and your needs, you must learn to think first about others. How can I show this difficult person the love of Jesus Christ? How can I serve this person in love? Rather than thinking angry thoughts about how he wronged you and how you’ll get even, you begin to think about how Jesus wants you to think about the one who mistreated you. You begin to pray for this person, that he would come to know Jesus. You look for opportunities to return good instead of evil. I recommend that you write out Paul’s description of love (1 Cor. 13:4-7) on a card and read it over several times each morning, until you have in your mind how a loving person acts. Do the same with 1 Peter 3:8-12.

Then, love extends to your speech. You put off abusive speech that tears down the other person, and you put on speech that builds him up (Gal. 5:15; Eph. 4:29, 31-32; Col. 3:8). You stop lying or stretching the truth to your own advantage and begin speaking the truth in love (Eph. 4:15, 25). You cease from gossip and slander (2 Cor. 12:20).

Then, in your behavior you begin to practice loving deeds (Rom. 12:9-13; Eph. 5:2). You look for opportunities to serve others, beginning in your home. You become “zealous for good deeds” (Titus 2:14). Again, this is not advanced, graduate level Christianity. This is freshman Christianity 101. But, maybe you’re thinking, “I don’t have the strength to do what you’re saying.” Then,

C. Your new relationship with Jesus Christ is central to practicing biblical love towards others.

John says that this old, new commandment “is true in Him and in you” (2:8). It is true in Him because the Lord Jesus is the greatest example of love in the history of the world. He left the splendor and perfect holiness of heaven, where He enjoyed unbroken fellowship with the Father. He came to this cruddy, sin-stained world, not as the conquering King, but as a lowly servant. He was obedient to death on the cross at the hands of sinful men that He could have obliterated, if He had given the command. He did it all to save sinners who deserved His wrath. This new commandment is supremely true in Him.

But John also says that it is true in you. If you ask, “How so?” the answer is, “Because you are now in Him.” It is true in Him fundamentally and true in you derivatively because of your new relationship with Him. Paul often describes our new relationship as being “in Christ.” John uses the term, “abiding” in Him. The glorious truth of the New Testament is that we are joint-heirs with Christ of all His riches (Rom. 8:17; Eph. 1:19-20; 2:6)! So if you are lacking in love for a difficult person, pray, “Lord, You know that I am empty and unable to love this person. But, I am in You and You do not lack love, even for the unlovely. Please love this person through me!” Understanding your new relationship with Jesus Christ is central to practicing biblical love.

D. Growing in love for others is a lifelong process.

John adds (2:8), “… because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining.” Primarily, John is referring to the dawning of the gospel through Jesus Christ (see Luke 1:78-79; John 1:9). His coming inaugurated a new era.

But in a secondary sense, what John says here applies to every person who has trusted in Christ. Paul put it (2 Cor. 4:6), “For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” (See also, Col. 1:12, 13.) Or, as Peter put it (1 Pet. 2:9), God saved us “so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” So becoming a Christian is a radical change from darkness to light, where God opens your blind eyes to see something of the glory of Jesus Christ.

Yet at the same time, there is a process involved that takes time. The darkness does not dissipate instantly, but rather it is gradually dispelled as the true Light of Jesus Christ and God’s word shines more and more into your heart. When it comes to the practicalities of learning to live in love, it is a lifelong process. You never arrive at the place where you can say, “I love everyone perfectly now! Let’s move on!” Paul put it this way (1 Thess. 4:9-10), “Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, …” Or, as he prayed for the Philippians, “that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment” (Phil. 1:9).

So, don’t be like the husband who grudgingly accompanied his wife to the marriage counselor. She complained to the counselor that he never told her that he loved her. The counselor asked, “Is this true?” The man gruffly responded, “I told her that 25 years ago when we got married, and it hasn’t changed!” You’ve got to work at growing in love on a daily basis for the rest of your life. To love one another is to obey our Lord’s commandment.

2. Love is inseparable from the light, just as hatred is inseparable from the darkness (2:9-11).

The phrase, “The one who says,” tips us off that John again has the heretics in mind. They claimed to be enlightened, and yet, apparently, they were arrogant and self-centered. They did not love others in a sacrificial way. They were using people to build a following for themselves, rather than building people to follow Christ. So John gets out his black and white paint again, and without mixing them into shades of gray, he shows that these false teachers were not true believers. They do not love; they hate. They are not in the light; they are in the darkness until now (2:9).

But we should not only use John’s words to identify false teachers. We should also apply them honestly to our own lives. Sadly, there are many that profess to know Christ, but in their marriages and towards their children they do not practice biblical love. Many evangelical churches are torn apart by conflict because certain powerful members did not get their own way. Rather than acting in love, they viciously attack those who don’t agree with them. So John shows that love is inseparable from the light, just as hatred invariably is bound up with darkness. He does not allow for any middle ground, where you can be sort of loving, but sort of cantankerous, too! He makes three points:

A. Your profession of being in the light is exposed as false if you hate your brother (2:9).

You may be thinking, “Hate is a pretty strong word! While I may not love that difficult person, I wouldn’t say that I hate him.” But John doesn’t let us go there! You either love the other person, which requires sacrificing yourself for that person’s highest good, as Jesus did for us on the cross (John 13:34)—or, you hate him.

Writing to a Gentile church situation, Paul contrasts the new way in Christ with the old life before he met Christ (Titus 3:1-3):

Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.

He goes on to talk of how God’s kindness and love transformed us through salvation. The point is, no matter how pagan or unloving your background, if you continue in a lifestyle of hate rather than a lifestyle of love, your profession of faith is suspect.

B. If you love your brother, you abide in the light and have no cause for stumbling in you (2:10).

Whether “light” should be capitalized (NASB) to represent Christ or whether it refers to the truth of God’s Word, I don’t know. It doesn’t matter in that if you abide in Jesus Christ, you also abide in His Word, which sheds His light into your heart. To abide in the light means to live with your life exposed and open to God’s Word. You allow the Word to shine into the dark recesses of your mind, exposing and rooting out what is evil. John says that loving your brother is inseparable from abiding in the light.

If you love your brother and abide in the light, “there is no cause for stumbling” in you. This may mean that you do not cause others to stumble in their walk with God because, out of love for them, you only say and do that which builds them in Christ. Or, it may mean that the person who walks in the light will not stumble himself, because the light illumines his path (John 11:9-10).

In both senses, walking in love preserves you from sin. Failure to love often leads you into other sins. For example, lust and sexual immorality are serious sins, but both are rooted in a lack of love for others. To lust after a woman is to desire to use her to gratify your desires. It is a failure of love. Or, take the sins of greed, stealing, and murder. They all stem from a failure to love others. Invariably, those who commit these sins love themselves quite well! None of us need to work on loving ourselves, as the “Christian” psychologists repeatedly emphasize. The task is, to love others as we all in fact do love ourselves!

C. If you hate your brother, you are still in the darkness, you walk in the darkness, and you don’t know where you’re going because you’re spiritually blind (2:11).

I’m not making up these points. I’m merely summarizing each of these verses. The plain meaning of verse 11 is that if you live for yourself with no regard for others, no self-sacrifice or willingness to be inconvenienced to meet others’ needs, then you are not saved. John is not talking about occasional lapses into selfishness. We all fail in that at times. Rather, he’s talking about a lifestyle (“walks”). The person who lives for himself and is indifferent towards others (which is what hatred means) “does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes” (2:11). He is spiritually blind, groping through life without the light of God’s Word to guide him in God’s ways.

I have often counseled with people who profess to know Christ, but their relationships are marked by anger, abusive speech, bitterness, and self-centeredness. Invariably, they don’t have a clue as to why they keep experiencing broken relationships. While I do not know their hearts (only God does), their lives do not give evidence that they have experienced the love of God in Jesus Christ. Rather, they seem to be in spiritual darkness, blindly colliding from one broken relationship to the next. They do not practice biblical love, which is an essential mark of every true Christian.

THE NEW COMMANDMENT EMPHASIZED

The world of John’s day was plagued with a particularly nagging problem. False teaching was so great that it threatened the unity and growth of the early church. They believed that one’s true relationship with God was evidenced through the possession of a superior knowledge. John emphasizes in this text that good is seen through loving lives and purified hearts.

THE NEW COMMANDMENT DEFINED

Love as an emotion is as old as mankind. It is a part of almost every known religion. Love, however, as is taught by many, is an emotional type of relationship. The law of Moses com­manded that one should love his neighbor (Le­viticus 19:18). It was right not only for God to rise up against one’s enemies, but also for the individual to do so as well. The one who should be loved was the neighbor or one’s own family or people. Jesus expressed the spirit of the law when He said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43, 44).

Jesus introduced a new dimension of love. It was new in emphasis and example because of this “new” example of love.

THE NEW COMMANDMENT LIVED

It is possible for us to understand the mean­ing of this new type of love and never have it to influence our lives. What will true love cause us to do? How will our lives be changed as a result of possessing this new commandment in our lives? There are many ways that love will influ­ence our lives and change our conduct. We shall notice only three.

First, love (agape) will change our way of think­ing about life. The world is filled with people who are miserable; they are unhappy and have no real reason for living. The Christian is a most fortunate person. Christ gives the Christian a reason for living. He gives the Christian a pur­pose.  On the other hand, the Christian knows that love changes his life. The self is not nearly so important.

Second, love will cause us to obey God. We have noted that Jesus emphasized the importance of obedience as a demonstration of our love.

Third, love is God’s greatest healer. Love helps us to overcome all of the problems we face as Christians. As darkness and light cannot live together, so love and hate cannot dwell together. Love and hatred make for strange bedfellows. Misunderstandings, divisions, problems within God’s family—all of these can be solved with an ample dose of love.

THE NEW COMMANDMENT ILLUSTRATED  – Murder (1 John 3:11-12)

(1 John 3:11-12)  This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. {12} Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.

Murder, of course, is the lowest level on which one may live in relationship to someone else. It is the level on which Satan himself exists. The devil was a murderer from the beginning of his fallen career (John 8:44), but Christians have heard, from the beginning of their experience, that they are to “love one another.” John emphasizes origins: “Go back to the beginning.” If our spiritual experience originates with the Father, we must love one another. But if it originates with Satan, we will hate one another.

Cain is an example of a life of hatred; we find the record in Genesis 4:1-16. It is important to note that Cain and Abel, being brothers, had the same parents, and they both brought sacrifices to God. Cain is not presented as an atheist; he is presented as a worshiper. But these actions in themselves are not valid proof that a man is born of God. The real test is his love for the brethren—and here Cain failed.

The difference between Cain’s offering and Abel’s offering was faith (Heb. 11:4), and faith is always based on the revelation God has given (Rom. 10:17). It seems clear that God must have given definite instructions concerning how He was to be worshiped. Cain rejected God’s Word and decided to worship in his own way.

(Genesis 4:4-7 )  But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, {5} but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. {6} Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? {7} If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”

Instead of heeding God’s warning, Cain listened to Satan’s voice and plotted to kill his brother. His envy had turned to anger and hatred. He knew that he was evil and that his brother was righteous. Rather than repent, as God commanded him to do, he decided to destroy his brother.

Cain’s attitude represents the attitude of the present world system (1 John 3:13). The world hates Christ (John 15:18-25) for the same reason Cain hated Abel: Christ shows up the world’s sin and reveals its true nature. When the world, like Cain, comes face-to-face with reality and truth, it can make only one of two decisions: repent and change, or destroy the one who is exposing it.

Hatred (1 John 3:13-15)

Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. {14} We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. {15} Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

At this point, you are probably thinking, “But I have never murdered anyone!” And to this statement, God replies, “Yes, but remember that to a Christian hatred is the same as murder” (1 John 3:15; cf. Matt. 5:22). The only difference between Level 1 and Level 2 is the outward act of taking life. The inward intent is the same.

This does not mean, of course, that hatred in the heart does the same amount of damage, or involves the same degree of guilt, as actual murder. Your neighbor would rather you hate him than kill him! But in God’s sight, hatred is the moral equivalent of murder, and if left unbridled it leads to murder.

Notice another fact: we are not told that murderers cannot be saved. The Apostle Paul himself took a hand in the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:57-60) and admitted that his vote helped to put innocent people to death (Acts 26:9-11; 1 Tim. 1:12-15). But in His grace God saved Paul.

The issue here is not whether a murderer can become a Christian, but whether a man can continue being a murderer and still be a Christian. The answer is no. “And ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:15). The murderer did not once have eternal life and then lose it; he never had eternal life at all.

Indifference (1 John 3:16-17)

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. {17} If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?

But the test of Christian love is not simply failure to do evil to others. Love also involves doing them good. Christian love is both positive and negative.

Cain is our example of false love; Christ is the example of true Christian love. Jesus gave His life for us that we may experience truth. Every Christian knows John 3:16, but how many of us pay much attention to 1 John 3:16? It is wonderful to experience the blessing of John 3:16; but it is even more wonderful to share that experience by obeying 1 John 3:16: Christ laid down life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Christian love involves sacrifice and service. Christ did not simply talk about His love; He died to prove it (Rom. 5:6-10). Jesus was not killed as a martyr; He willingly laid down His life (John 10:11-18; 15:13). “Self-preservation” is the first law of physical life, but “self-sacrifice” is the first law of spiritual life.

This is what Jesus had in mind in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). A lawyer wanted to talk about an abstract subject: “Who is my neighbor?” But Jesus focused attention on one man in need, and changed the question to, “To whom can I be a neighbor?”

A man does not have to murder in order to sin; hatred is murder in his heart. But a man need not even hate his brother to be guilty of sin. All he has to do is ignore him, or be indifferent toward his needs. A believer who has material goods and can relieve his brother’s needs ought to do it.

If I am going to help my brother, I must meet three conditions.  First, I must have the means necessary to meet his need. Second, I must know that the need exists. Third, I must be loving enough to want to share. In these days of multiplied social agencies, it is easy for Christians to forget their obligations. “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Gal. 6:10, nasb).

Conclusion

Again, none of us loves perfectly. When we fail, we need to repent and ask forgiveness of the one we wronged. It is a lifelong process of being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. But those who have met Him at the cross will be growing in love for others.

Also, note that love for others is a commandment, not a warm, gushy feeling. That should give you hope, because God’s commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3) and God’s Spirit gives us the grace and power to obey His commands, which are for our good. Biblical love is a self-sacrificing, caring commitment that shows itself in seeking the highest good of the one loved. You can obey the commandment to love others!

So if you’re thinking, “But I don’t love my mate any more,” or, “I just don’t like that difficult person,” the Bible is clear: Get to work obeying God’s commandment to love him or her. It’s not optional for the follower of Christ. It’s essential!

 

Christianity is the religion which offers the greatest privilege and brings with it the greatest obligation

1 John 2:3-6: “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. {4} The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. {5} But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: {6} Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”

2:3  We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.  While Jesus died for the sins of the whole world (2:2), only those who belong to him experience his forgiveness. Up to this point in the letter, John has been warning against the false teachers and those who left the church to follow them. The people who remained in the church, John’s readers, may have been wondering, “How can we be sure that we belong to Jesus Christ? How can we know that we have chosen the truth?” Today the question might be phrased, “How can I know that I’m a Christian?” This passage gives two ways to know: if you do what Christ says and live as Christ wants.

Throughout this letter, John used the phrase “we know” (the verb form of “know” occurs twenty times in the Greek). He repeated this phrase to encourage genuine Christians to be sure that their belief was not a matter for doubt but a fact that could be both known and experienced. All believers can be certain of their relationship with Christ and can be assured of his forgiveness.

People can know that they have come to know Jesus Christ if they obey his commands. This letter lists several proofs for how people can know Christ and belong to him. Obedience provides one clear indication. This does not mean that believers must follow a list of rules without one slip, nor does it mean that people must demonstrate obedience before they can come to know God. Instead, obedience comes as the natural outworking of a person’s faith and love for the Lord. True believers wholeheartedly accept and submit to God’s will as he has revealed it in his Word.

[John] does not mean that those who wholly satisfy the Law keep His commandments (and no such instance can be found in the world), but those who strive, according to the capacity of human infirmity, to form their life in obedience to God. John Calvin

2:4  Whoever says, “I have come to know him,” but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist.  This verse illustrates the principle John wrote in 2:3. If people do not obey Christ, they have not come to know him. Christ’s Great Commission stressed: “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you” (Matthew 28:20 ). Since anyone can claim to know Christ, you can check his or her authenticity by seeing whether or not he or she obeys God’s Word. John used tough language to convey the truth. Someone who claims to know God, but does not obey his commandments, is a liar. In fact, the truth does not exist in that person in any form. People should not look for leaders in those who refuse to live by God’s commandments because those so-called “leaders” have no true teaching to give.

2:5–6           But whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection.  Here, obedience is linked not merely with knowing God but with loving him. There are three views on the meaning of the love of God. It may refer to (1) God’s love for people, (2) a godly kind of love, or (3) a person’s love for God. It could be that all three are included in John’s statement. For example: (1) As Christians obey God, they are showing their appreciation to God for what he has done; thus, they show that God’s love has “reached perfection” in them. (2) As Christians obey God’s Word, they continue to understand what God wants them to do; thus, they display his kind of love to others. Their ability to show this love has “reached perfection” because of their close relationship with him. (3) As Christians obey God, they are showing their love for God. By their constant obedience, they are “reaching perfection” in that love.

WHY OBEDIENCE MATTERS

This epistle mentions obedience extensively. For many people, “obey” is, in the worst possible sense, a four-letter word. It smacks of submission and humility. When we obey, we give up our own agenda, and we do the bidding of another. Obedience may not come naturally to proud people, and it may not be easy. But a lifestyle of complying with God’s will is very important, because

• it acknowledges God’s sovereignty over our lives (Leviticus 18:4);
• it leads to blessing (Deuteronomy 6:24; 12:28; 28:2; Joshua 1:7; 2 Chronicles 31:21);
• it demonstrates love for God (John 14:15, 23);
• it is how Christ lived (John 8:29; Hebrews 5:8);
• it results in fulfilling relationships (Ephesians 6:1, 5–6; Hebrews 13:17);
• it is evidence that we truly know God (1 John 2:3);
• it reveals our destiny (Romans 6:16);
• it fulfills the Great Commission (Matthew 28:20).

What steps of obedience do you sense God wants you to take today?

The words “reached perfection” here must be held up against John’s earlier statement that true believers will not claim to be without sin (1:8, 10). God considers believers to be “perfect” because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross on their behalf, yet they will not be completely perfect until Christ returns to take them into his eternal kingdom. Believers cannot reach perfection through their own efforts; only God can do this, working in and through them to help them become more perfect until the day, after this life, when he will make them completely perfect. So “reached perfection” refers to a continuing state of growing and maturing—not a final destination. This growing and maturing process reaches fulfillment, however, as the believers learn and practice obedience to God’s Word.

Faith and obedience are bound up in the same bundle. He that obeys God, trusts God; and he that trusts God, obeys God. Charles Spurgeon

EXPERIENCING LOVE

This passage (2:5–6) suggests that obedience to Christ leads to a full experience of his love. Perhaps this same phenomenon prompts marriage counselors to advise their clients to “do loving acts” in order to “regain loving feelings.” This seems to be putting the cart before the horse, yet many counselees report great success with this assignment. By living as God desires, we realize more fully the depths of God’s affection for us. The more we obey, the more fully we devote ourselves to pleasing the Father. By obeying, “the love of God has reached perfection” in us.

This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.  This describes the close relationship between God and believers by stating that they are in him. Again the phrase “we know” (2:3) is used. How can genuine believers be identified? Believers can “know” that they are “in him” by obedience (2:5), and that obedience is further defined as “walking as Jesus walked.” In John’s epistle, “walking” refers to how people conduct their lives and express their attitudes in their actions (see 1:7). Jesus portrayed in human terms absolute obedience to the Father. Anyone who wonders how to obey God can look at Jesus. Anyone who truly desires to live in him must walk as Jesus did. “In him” refers to abiding in him (see John 15:1–7; 17:21–23).

To “walk as Jesus did” doesn’t mean choosing twelve disciples, performing great miracles, and being crucified. People cannot merely copy Christ’s life. Much of what Jesus did had to do with his identity as God’s Son and his special role in dying for sin. Anyone’s claim to live in Christ must be backed up by following his example of complete obedience to God and loving service to people.^[1]

After one believes on Christ, things should be different as far as his involvement with sin is concerned. Having received a new life, he should abstain from evil with a desire to please the Lord. It is refreshing to meet a Christian who is open and sincere and is not trying to masquerade!

Several proofs are given whereby one who professes Christ may substantiate his relationship to Christ. If one has truly believed on the Lord, this fact will be demonstrated outwardly.  We come to the first of three ‘tests’ which John’s epistle will bring before us throughout the rest of this study. We’ll see each one of them presented in several ways, and we’ll let John do it in the order he chooses.

The first one is a moral test: do we obey the commandments?

In the original what is said here is, “by this we may know that we have known him [perfect tense — something done in the past], because we are now keeping his commandments [present tense].”

The present willingness to keep his commandments is a sign of a valid relationship. It is proof that an act of union with Christ has already occurred, you have been born again through baptism in order to receive remission of sins. Your actions have changed, and because they have changed and you do not behave as you once did; you now have a desire to obey him.

Greatness in the kingdom of God is measured in terms of obedience.  If you’ve ever been in the military, you know about traveling under sealed orders. Your orders say go to this point and fly to this place, or take the boat to this place. You open your orders, and they tell you where to go next. That’s the way Abraham lived. “Abraham believed God…and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.

Failure to obey these teachings is to negate one’s profession of faith: for The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

It is obvious that such a person has never had a heart-experience with Christ, regardless of what he might say. A verbal claim of believing on Christ is not enough. Visible evidence must be given by obedience to the truth.

The Bible recognizes no faith that does not lead to obedience, nor does it recognize any obedience that does not spring from faith.  The two are at opposite sides of the same coin.    — A.W. Tozer.

God’s love does not end after one believes on Christ. It is at work in the believer’s life every step of the way. For what purpose? To enable us to obey the Word of God. Our obedience to the Word is an evidence of this fact: But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him.

The word “perfected” is used in the older translations and is better rendered here “made complete.” It has to do with bringing to fruition. The intended purpose of God’s love is being fulfilled as the believer obeys God’s Word and does His will.

Think of the way we learned obedience when we were children. First, we obeyed because we had to. If we didn’t obey, we were spanked! But as we grew up, we discovered that obedience meant enjoyment and reward; so we started obeying because it met certain needs in our lives. And it was a mark of real maturity when we started obeying because of love.

“Baby Christians” must constantly be warned or rewarded. Mature Christians listen to God’s Word and obey it simply because they love Him.

Peter expresses a similar truth: “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil” (I Peter 3: 12). The contrast is seen between the obedient and the disobedient. Those who obey God experience His love in His watchful care and provision through prayer. The disobedient, on the other hand, have not yet experienced the love of God.

“To obey is better than sacrifice,” we are told (l Samuel 15:22). God will not accept anything in lieu of obedience. Thus the question must be asked frequently, am I obeying God in every area of my Christian experience? Knowing what we should do is not enough: we must do it.

Our Lord said, (John 13:17 )  Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. Happiness is discovered only as we obey the Lord. It can be known in no other way. Knowledge of spiritual truth is not sufficient; it must be applied.

Let’s say you came to my house for a party and the cars were lined up along the street and you pulled in the empty driveway. A little girl came out and said, “Mr. Davenport has asked you not to park in the driveway because a caterer is coming later, and he wants the driveway free. Would you park in the street?” Even though physically you could overpower that girl, I suspect you would park in the street because of your respect for me. She is a delegated authority.  We show our respect for God by being obedient to his delegated authority.

To cling always to God and to the things of God–this must be our major effort, this must be the road that the heart follows.

A study was released by the Uersity of Southern California indicating that one-third of the medical patients in this country ignore what doctors tell them to do. Before the study was completed, the doctors didn’t think the figures would be quite that bad. Forty-two per cent estimated that almost all their patients were obeying orders, and forty-seven per cent thought that at least three-fourths were doing what they were told. The survey proved all of them wrong. Only fourteen per cent of the patients always obeyed the physicians and about forty nine per cent did so “most of the time.” Another twenty three per cent obeyed less than half the time. Nine per cent obeyed “very seldom,” and five per cent, “not at all.” Strange to say, persons with more severe illnesses were less likely to carry out orders.

The situation is not much different when it comes to the believer doing what God tells him to do. Believers listen to the Word of God preached and taught, but  many fail to do it. Indeed, the words of Hebrews 4:2 are most applicable: “But the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” What a mistake it is to hear God’s Word, or to read it, and yet refuse to obey.

A little girl misquoted the words of a familiar hymn: “If there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, then trust and obey.” If we fail to respond to the truth, it is evident that many of us would have to agree with those lines.

We should obey the Lord for three reasons: first, whatever our Lord commands us, He really means us to do; secondly, whatever He commands us is always for our good; and thirdly, whatever He commands us, He is able and willing to enable us to do. Thus, let us obey the Lord in everything, that the love of God may be perfected in us, for then we shall know “that we are in Him.”

When the heart’s wrong, there can’t be peace.  Selfishness is a gangrene, eating at the very vitals.  Sin is a cancer, poisoning the blood.  Peace is the rhythm of our wills with Jesus’ love-will. Disobedience breaks the music.  Failure to keep in touch makes discord.  The notes jar and grate.  We have broken off.  The peace can’t get in.  Jesus made peace by his blood.  We get it only by keeping in full touch with him.

Obedience or Performance?

• Obedience is seeking God with your whole heart. Performance is having a quiet time because you’ll feel guilty if you don’t.
• Obedience is finding ways to let the word of God dwell in you richly. Performance is quickly scanning a passage so you can check it off your Bible reading plan.
• Obedience is inviting guests to your home for dinner. Performance is feeling anxious about whether every detail of the meal will be perfect.
• Obedience is doing your best. Performance is wanting to be the best.
• Obedience is saying yes to whatever God asks of you. Performance is saying yes to whatever people ask of you.
• Obedience is following the promptings of God’s spirit. Performance is following a list of man-made requirements.
• Obedience springs from a fear of God. Performance springs from a fear of failure.

I like to story of the little boy,  who was riding his tricycle furiously around the block, over and over again.  Finally a policeman stopped and asked him why he was going around and around.  The boy said that he was running away from home.  Then the policeman asked why he kept going around the block.  The boy responded, “Because my mom said that I’m not allowed to cross the street.” The point is clear – obedience will keep you close to those you love.

Not only should the believer obey God, he should reveal Him in his life. Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”

Abiding in Christ has to do with more than our position in Him. It is true that anyone who abides in Christ has been born again by the Holy Spirit and has passed from death unto life. But it also has to do with one’s present relationship with his Saviour. Is he walking in harmony with his Lord, or does his manner of life betray his profession? The word “ought” comes from a word meaning “to owe to another,” referring to a debt that must be paid. Believers are in debt to God to walk in a manner that is well-pleasing in His sight.

How can Christians walk like Christ? The Bible tells us that He “knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21); He “did no sin” (1 Peter 2:22); and “in Him is no sin” (1 John 3: 5). Can we live like Christ without sin? Of course not. “To walk, even as He walked,” does not infer perfection. It means that we should pattern our lives after Him.

What are some of the characteristics evidenced in Christ’s life?

1. He prayed for His enemies. Even though His persecutors climaxed their atrocities by nailing Him to a cross, He prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
2. Christ always pleased the Father. Never did He act in opposition to the divine will. His concern was “not My will, but Thine, be done” (Luke 22 :42).
3. Christ always showed love and kindness, regardless of what had been said or done against Him. It was He who said, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

These and many other characteristics of our Lord should be visible in the believer’s life. If they are not, we might wonder if the conversion experience was real. Jesus declared, “By their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7: 20). Are we walking like Christ, or are we bearing the characteristics of the ungodly? How we answer will give unquestionable evidence of our relationship to the Saviour.

The Lord tells us to walk like Christ, but He also gives us the necessary equipment to do this. Christ not only gives us a standard to live by, He gives us the power to live by the standard. In spite of all the hardships and afflictions Paul faced, he could say with confidence, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4: 13).

Paul knew full well that he was unable to do “all things,” but he also knew that as he relied upon Christ, “all things” were possible. Likewise, “all things” are possible for us. But there must be complete reliance on the Son of God. lie must be the Master of our lives. This demands unconditional surrender to Him. We must realize from the moment of our conversion until we meet Christ face to face that we are no longer our own but His to do what He wants.

Actually, this is what conversion is all about. Some “join church” and wonder why they do not feel any different. Others have a mere emotional experience, which simply stirs their feelings. These may satisfy for a time, but they do not last. Conversion has to do with a complete change: “Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5: 1 7). When one has experienced conversion, he will walk like Christ. Many temptations will befall him, but he will keep his eyes fixed on the Son of God, and walk steadily, faithfully forward.

It will not always be easy to walk like Christ; there will be difficulties all along the way. But we can be faithful for “greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

Let’s settle for nothing less than for a walk that glorifies God. There can be no greater evidence to ourselves, as well as to the world, that we belong to Jesus.

When one is a follower of Christ and is saved, everyone around will know it. Not only because of what the new convert says, but by what he does. One thing he will do is to keep God’s commandments, the precepts of God which appear in both the Old and New Testaments.

Secondly, he will walk as Christ walked. In God’s strength, he will live like Christ. These two things will witness to the fact that he has really met the Lord. John offers a third evidence: “Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning” (1 John 2:7).

A man really wanted to help his son understand the importance of making right choices, obeying, and doing right.  So, if his son made a bad choice or a wrong decision, he’d give him a nail, send him to a post out in the back yard, and have him take a hammer and put the nail in the post.  And every day that he went through the whole day making good decisions, he’d let him go out and remove one of those nails.

As the boy grew up from the age of about eight years until about fourteen or fifteen, there were always 2 or 3 nails in the post, and he’d be nailing them in and pulling them out.  But he got better, until finally all the nails were removed as he started to mature.  When all the nails were removed, he felt pretty good.

Then his dad took him out and said, “I want you to notice something about the post.”  The boy looked at it for a moment and realized that all the holes where the nails had been placed in the post were still there.  His dad said, “I want to tell you something, son, about bad choices.  You may be completely forgiven; there are no nails left — no problem there — but you do have the remaining effects.  That post will never be the same again.”

God, for this coming year Just one request I bring: I do not pray for happiness Or any earthly thing — I do not ask to understand The way Thou leadest me, But this I ask: Teach me to do the thing that pleaseth Thee. I want to know Thy guiding voice, To walk with thee each day. Dear Master make me swift to hear And ready to obey. And thus the year I now begin A happy year will be — If I am seeking just to do the thing that pleaseth Thee.

Some Strange People I Know

• People who talk about prayer but never pray.
• People who say tithing is right but never tithe.
• People who want to belong to the church but never attend.
• People who say the Bible is God’s Word to man but never read it.
• People who criticize others for things they do themselves.
• People who stay away from church for trivial reasons and sing, “Oh, How I Love Jesus.”
• People who continue in sin all their lives but expect to go to heave

He that hopes to find peace by trusting God must obey him.

It is not what we do that matters, but what a sovereign God chooses to do through us.

God doesn’t want our success; he wants us. He doesn’t demand our achievements; he demands our obedience.

Obedience means marching right on whether we feel like it or not. Many times we go against our feelings. Faith is one thing, feeling is another.

One act of obedience is better than one hundred sermons. We learn more by five minutes’ obedience than by ten years’ study.

When we are obedient, God guides our steps and our stops.

^[1] Bruce B. Barton and Grant R. Osborne, 1, 2 & 3 John, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1998), 31–33.