1 John (Written)

Thursday, 23 April 2020

For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 1 John 3:11

The previous verse relayed that the one who does not love his brother is not of God. To demonstrate that this is something expected of those who are in Christ, John now says, “For this is the message that you heard.” The word translated as “message” was first used in 1 John 1:5. This is now its second and last use. It signifies an announcement. By implication, it is then a precept.

John says this message is one “that you heard from the beginning.” This thought goes back to Chapter 2. There he wrote –

“Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning.” 1 John 2:7

There, he used the word “commandment.” Here John calls it a “message.” John is showing that this “commandment” is not one which falls under the category of the law. Rather, it is a precept which is expected of believers, but the failure of which (something that all must admit to from time to time) does not end in the imputation of sin.

The words, “from the beginning,” speak of from the beginning of the New Covenant. Christ Jesus had set forth this commandment, and it then extended forth to all who heard the word.

John then says the message is, “that we should love one another.” This is taken from John’s gospel, where he noted the words of Jesus –

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34, 35

John is repeating that word from the Lord to ensure it would continue to be remembered by those who do believe, and to be passed on to those who will believe. So ingrained in John was this precept, that the Pulpit Commentary notes –

“Jerome, in his ‘Commentary on Galatians’ (Galatians 6:10), tells us that when St. John became too infirm to preach, he used often to say no more than this, ‘Little children, love one another.’ His hearers at last wearied of it, and said, ‘Master, why dost thou always say this?’ ‘It is the Lord’s command,” he replied; “and if this alone is done, it is enough.’”

Life application: Think about the times in which the recipients of this letter were given this word. Their lives were lived under the weight of the Roman Empire. The emperors were heralded as living gods. Vows of allegiance to them were often required, and the complete authority of the empire rested in their hands.

At times, people living under these rulers were expected to verbally acknowledge the deity of the emperor or forfeit their own lives. This very well may have been what John was thinking about as he wrote this. The Christians were desperately in need of sticking together, despite petty differences. As it says in Ecclesiastes –

“Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

There is strength in numbers. More importantly, the bond of love is that which securely holds those numbers together; cementing them into one strong and impenetrable union. This is truly the message we have heard from the beginning, because love is the very state which would have kept us from all of the grief of ages past, which sustains us in the present, and is the perfect state we can anticipate for the eternal ages which are yet future.  Listen well to the advice – We should love one another.

Most glorious Heavenly Father, give us the ability to love others, even as You have loved us. We can look to the mystery of the Trinity and see infinite and perfect love. We can look to the cross and see unimaginable love. We can look to the eyes of our Savior and see eternal love. May we reflect these examples in our love for those around us, and especially for our brothers and sisters in Christ! Amen.

Wednesday, 22 April 2020

In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. 1 John 3:10

The words, “In this,” are debated as to the reference. Is it what he just said concerning being born of God, or is it referring to what he will next say concerning practicing righteousness? The NKJV places a colon at the end of this first clause, indicating the latter view, but it isn’t really certain. In verse 3:8, the reason for the manifestation of Christ was stated afterwards. If John is consistent in that pattern, then the second clause explains the first. This seems logical and likely.

John has said that one who has been born of God does not sin. Now, he will show a way of telling who such a person is. To do so, he says, “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest.” This is the only time that the term “children of the devil” is used in Scripture. There are verses which imply someone is a child of the devil, or that use a similar term, such as Acts 13:10, John 8:44, and Ephesians 2:3. Also, 1 John 3:8 likewise made the distinction clear.

However, John’s use of the two opposing terms in this one verse shows that these are the only two positions for humanity. One is either a child of the devil, or he is a child of God. No other intermediate position exists. To help identify a person’s position in this regard, John continues with, “Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God.”

It is a present participle. Thus, it literally reads, “Each one who is not practicing righteousness.” This is a further explanation of what was stated in verse 3:7 when John said, “He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.” The two thoughts complement and support one another. The person who is truly a believer in Christ does righteousness, and the one who is not truly a believer does not do righteousness. The position defines the nature of the doing.

John finishes the verse with, “nor is he who does not love his brother.” This statement begins a thought on love which will continue in the verses ahead. John brings in love as an evidence of a person who is a child of God, or of the person who remains a child of the devil. In this, love is again a present participle (is loving). It is a volitional act of the will. The actions are intended to demonstrate the position in relation to God.

Life application: Paul speaks of the position of humanity belonging to either God or to the devil in his writings. One example is in Ephesians 2:3 –

“…among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”

We are children of wrath by nature. Only when we come to Jesus Christ is our nature changed. It is this moment that we are “born again” as Jesus states in John 3.3. This is also a logical conclusion based on God’s curse of Adam in Genesis 3.

God told Adam in Genesis 2 that he would die on the day he ate of the forbidden fruit. In Genesis 3, Adam is cursed and removed from Eden and from fellowship with God. Adam died spiritually that day and that spiritual death remains in all humans, through him, until we move to Christ.

To “practice righteousness” is to accept the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, and thus it enables victory over sin in our lives. Until we do this, we cannot attain the state necessary to be righteous because our very nature excludes what is necessary – spiritual life. The two go hand in hand and are inseparable. Either we are in Jesus and able to practice righteousness, or we are in Adam and unable to do so.

“Practicing righteousness” then is more than doing good works. It is the complete state of the person based on his position in Jesus Christ. Attempts at good works apart from Christ actually further remove us from Him, because they become trust in self, not in God – an amazing paradox.

Lord, we can only thank You for the gift of righteousness that came through Jesus our Lord. Without His work on our behalf, we would have remained dead in sin and lost…children of Your wrath. By Your infinite grace and mercy though, we are saved, saved, saved by the precious blood of Jesus. Hallelujah and amen!

Tuesday, 21 April 2020

Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. 1 John 3:9

In the previous verse, John wrote concerning Christ’s manifestation and that it was “to destroy the works of the devil.” This is what Christ did. The devil uses the power of the law against man. It is not that there is anything wrong with the law, but it is man’s inability to keep it which keeps him in a state of bondage. By the law is the knowledge of sin, and when one is under law, sin is imputed. However, Jesus Christ came to fulfill the law for those who come to Him.

In coming to Christ, John says, “Whoever is born of God.” It is a perfect participle, “having been born.” The act is complete, and the new nature is assumed. Just as when a person is born into humanity, he remains a human, when one is born of God, he remains a child of God. The nature is changed, the action is complete, and it is ongoing from that point on.

For such a person, John says he “does not sin.” The word signifies to do, produce, make, or cause (etc.). It is used when a tree bears, or brings forth, fruit of one kind or another. The one who is born of God does not bring forth sin. John then says that the reason for this is because “His seed remains in him.”

It is the seed of God which remains in the believer. Jesus alluded to such a change in Matthew 7 when He said –

“Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.” Matthew 7:17, 18 

Vincent’s Word Studies calls the seed, “the divine principle of life.” It is a correct analysis. Man begets human children, cows beget cows, mango seeds produce mangoes. It is theology 101 from page 1 of the Bible. All things reproduce after their own kind. When a person comes to Christ, a child of God is produced in that act. And just as God does not sin, so the one born of God does not sin because the change has taken place. The seed which brought forth the new life remains in that person.

With this change, John then says, “and he cannot sin.” This is reflected in 1 John 3:6, where John wrote, “Whoever abides in Him does not sin.” That is strengthened here with “he cannot sin.” Of this, Vincent’s Word Studies says this is, “Conceived as a perfect ideal.” That misrepresents the matter. It is not merely an ideal, but it is an absolute truth. But Vincent’s then rightly explains the thought by saying, “life in God excludes the possibility of sin.” It is more than an ideal, but an objective fact. This is then explained by the final words of the verse, which say, “because he has been born of God.”

As already noted, all things reproduce after their own kind. Being born of God moves a person from Adam to Christ. The believer is in Christ, and the change is complete. But how can this be? The answer takes one back to Abraham. He was declared righteous in Genesis 15. Many years later, he was given the sign of that righteousness – circumcision. A sign anticipates and speaks of something else. It is not a thing in and of itself.

In other words, one cannot point at a circumcised man and say, “He is righteous.” That is evident by Paul’s words of Romans 2:25. The sign anticipated and pictured the coming of Christ. The male sexual organ was cut in order to provide a picture of what Christ would do. The seed of man is transmitted through this organ. It is through the sexual act that sin is transferred from father to child when the child is conceived. As all humans have human fathers, then all are conceived in sin (see Psalm 51:5).

However, Christ was born of a woman, but His Father is God. Thus, he is fully human, but He is also fully God. As God is the Father, and as God has no sin, there was no transfer of sin to Christ Jesus. The picture of circumcision – the cutting of man’s sin nature – is complete. He is the sinless, perfect, Son of God. He was born under the law, He did not sin under the law, and He died in fulfillment of the law. Therefore, when one comes to Christ, he dies to the law. As he is no longer bound by law, he cannot sin.

Even if he does wrong, no sin is imputed to him (2 Corinthians 5:19). This is what John is saying. Sin is still possible (see John 1:8). However, without the imputation of that sin, then as Vincent’s rightly noted, “life in God excludes the possibility of sin.” It may be more precise to say, “life in Christ.” It is in Christ – the God/Man – that this is realized. His human nature bears as much weight in the redemptive process as does His divine nature.

This is the marvel and wonder of what God has done in and through the giving of His Son for fallen man. It is a glorious state in which we exist, and it is a state which should be treated in practice in the same manner as the person stands in position – to the glory of God.

Life application: Notice the pattern of John’s writing – he makes basically the same statement in both a favorable and an unfavorable light. “Whoever is…does not sin” and “he cannot…because he has been.” This particular statement is adamant about the expected life of holiness that the believer is to live in, and it therefore intimates the obvious state of those who don’t live as mentioned.

What he says here may seem contradictory to what he said in other verses, such as 1 John 1:8 which says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” However, such a contradiction is only apparent in our English translation. First, the tense used in the verses is different. The example from 1:8 tells us that we can’t claim to be sinless because we all fall and sin from time to time (even if sin is not imputed). The verse here tells us that we “cannot sin and be born of God.” It speaks of our nature and position in Christ regardless of our human actions.

As we were told in verse 2 of this chapter, because of Jesus Christ we are now children of God. When a child is born, he naturally takes on the characteristics of his father. This is the genetic pattern of life. As we are sons of Adam through the physical world, we bear the image of Adam in the physical world. Likewise, we bear his image in the transmission of sin.

However, when we come to Jesus Christ, our spiritual nature takes on the nature of God. If the marks of the physical world are so obvious that we resemble Adam hundreds of generations and thousands of years after his life, how much more will our spiritual nature resemble that of God when we move from spiritual death to spiritual life through the regeneration by the Spirit?

Should we fall away and walk in a pattern of habitual sin, the circumstances will be the same as if we fail to drink water when we thirst; we will die because of our actions. One cannot live in sin without reaping the consequences of that sin. Physical death is sure to ensue and our rewards from God will be excluded. Only our spirit will be saved on the day of the Lord Jesus (1 Corinthians 5:5). But the imputation of sin no longer occurs because our nature is that of man in Christ and under grace, not law.

Thank God for Jesus Christ who has brought us to this state. Let us live out our lives in a manner which reflects our true and holy nature before God, to the praise of His glorious grace.

Lord God, as the psalmist said, “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.” And so, Lord, we ask that you look over us and keep us from the habitual sins which can only bring about sadness before You. Instead, strengthen us to live now in Your temple as living stones, holy and acceptable to You. May our walk in this life reflect the position we already hold because of the change brought about in us through Christ. Amen.

Monday, 20 April 2020

He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8

This is the clearest statement to be found concerning the purpose of the coming of Jesus Christ. Many times in Scripture a reason is cited. A few to consider are –

“For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.” John 9:39

“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10              

“You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” John 18:37

“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” 1 Timothy 1:15

“And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.” 1 John 3:5

“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.” 1 John 4:9

Each of these shows there is a problem or that there is something lacking which requires correction, but 1 John 3:8 shows the source and cause of these things. The verse also shows us a truth which cannot be denied. One is either in Christ, or he belongs to the devil. There are no other options available to fallen man. As John says, “He who sins is of the devil.”

The Greek is far more emphatic – “The one practicing the sin is of the devil.” The verb is a present participle and it indicates the continuous nature of the state of the person. He has sinned (being born in sin), and he has never come to a point where he has stopped sinning. His life of sin continues on.

Paul has already shown that “all have sinned” in Romans 3:23, and that “the wages of sin is death” in Romans 6:2. Paul further states, “just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” As all have sinned because they are in Adam, and as the devil is the source of this occurring, all belong to him. It is man’s default position.

No person has met God’s standard of perfection, and all imperfection will be removed from His presence unless the defect is corrected. Jesus explains this, explicitly, in John 3:18 –

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

John will explain his meaning, but first, after noting that the person “who sins is of the devil,” a thought which extends to all of humanity, he says, “for the devil has sinned from the beginning.” This doesn’t mean he was created as a being that sins, but that there is a point where fault was found in him. With that fault a part of his nature, Satan brought sin about in man, even since the beginning of man’s existence on earth, as is recorded in Genesis 3.

In bringing about the fall of man, man has been stuck – caught under the power of the devil – ever since. And it is, as John states, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested.” John clearly, and without ambiguity, states this primary reason for the manifestation of the “Son of God.”

This is the first time that the term “Son of God” is used in this epistle. Up to this point, Jesus has been spoken of as the Son in relation to the Father. Now John speaks of the Son in relation to God to show that, though all men are in Adam, and thus are born under the power of the devil and are “condemned already,” he shows that Jesus Christ is born of God. As sin travels from father to child, and as all humans have a father, all have sin. However, as Jesus’ Father is God, the sin did not transfer.

Jesus is the fulfillment of the picture made in circumcision. God instructed Abraham, and his descendants, to be circumcised in their foreskin in order to make a picture of Christ who would “cut” the sin nature found in man. In Christ, the picture is fulfilled. This all came about so “that He might destroy the works of the devil.”

The word “destroy” is the Greek word luó. It is the root of our word “loose.” Jesus’ ministry has loosed the bonds that man was held in by the power of the devil. Isaiah, speaking the word of the Lord to the people of Israel, indicates that this is what their actions and reliance on God were meant to do –

“Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?” Isaiah 58:6

Israel, as a type of Christ to come, was intended to be a light to the nations, but only Jesus – the true Israel and the true Light – was capable of making this desire a reality.

Man disobeyed God and the authority over man transferred to the devil. Jesus Christ, not being under that authority, fully obeyed God and remains in a perfect relationship with God. As He fulfilled the Law of Moses, the standard which God set for the people of the world, He thus embodies that law. Contained within that law is the provision for substitutionary atonement.

A man would transfer his sin to an innocent animal, and the animal would die in place of the man. At that time, God would forgive the offender and a propitious relationship would come about. As this is a part of the law, and as Christ embodies the law, Christ’s death can be a substitutionary atonement for any who come to Him.

This is how the power of the devil is destroyed. Man moves from Adam to Christ, and the power of the devil is destroyed in that man. He is brought into the family of God. However, this doesn’t explain how man can stay in that relationship. If he sins again, would he not fall again under the power of the devil? The answer is, “No.”

The New Covenant in Christ’s blood has no provision for the imputation of sin, only for rewards and loss of rewards. A person is “in Christ,” and he is covered by His righteousness. As Paul explains in 2 Corinthians 5:18, 19 –

“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹ that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

God is no longer imputing sin to man. The rule of Christ never ceases in man because of this. This is why John states his first clause with a present participle – “The one practicing the sin is of the devil” (literal translation). Later, the man came to Christ, acknowledged he is a sinner (“Christ died for our sins” 1 Corinthians 15:3), and he is granted forgiveness. He is sealed with God’s guarantee of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13, 14), and he is no longer imputed sin (2 Corinthians 5:19). The power of the devil is destroyed in the man, death no longer reigns, eternal life is granted, and reconciliation with God is realized forevermore.

Life application: In Christ, the yokes are broken, and the heavy burdens are removed. The devil’s power is destroyed, and man has a new, glorious, and eternal hope. Thank God for Jesus Christ!

Thank You, O God, for Jesus! Thank You that He loosed the works of the devil which had us bound with heavy chains. Now, in Christ we are free to live in Your presence, and we have the assurance of eternal life ahead of us. May we never forget the great and awesome work He accomplished so that we might be reconciled to you! Amen.

Sunday, 19 April 2020

Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 1 John 3:7

John now contrasts what he presented in the previous verses. In verse 4, he spoke of committing lawlessness, and that “sin is lawlessness.” He then noted that, “whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.” At that time, he used a present participle – whoever is sinning (actively and habitually).

With that in mind, he now says, “Little children.” Once again, he uses the endearing term teknia for “little children.” It is as if he is saying, “Take care little ones and listen to my instruction, for it will keep you from harm.” And the harm he wishes for them to avoid is explained by his next words, “let no one deceive you.”

The word he uses for deceive is planaó. It signifies “to cause to wander.” Thus, one is led astray. It is the basis for our word “planet.” Just as the planets appear to wander in the night sky, so is a person who is led astray. They have no sure footing and are easily led down unhealthy paths of unrighteousness. With that in mind, John continues with, “He who practices righteousness is righteous.”

In the Greek, there is an article before “righteousness.” It literally says, “He who practices the righteousness.” This isn’t simply someone who goes out and does a good thing, or good things. Rather, it is a person who is complete in his righteousness. His acts are combined with the heart and attitude behind his conduct.

The verb “practices” is a present participle, and it indicates one who habitually practices. But Paul says, “there is none righteous.” As this is so, then it must be speaking of someone who has been converted from that fallen state.

How can one do “the righteousness” and yet be unrighteous? It is not possible unless he is first made righteous. And that can only come from a Source which is righteous. Thus, John’s words speak of the imputation of the righteousness of Christ. This was explained in the previous verse to some extent, and it will continue to be explained in the verses ahead. However, it is confirmed (even if not fully explained) in his final words of this verse, which say, “just as He is righteous.”

“He” refers to Christ Jesus. It is a person whose deeds are aligned with his conversion in Christ who is properly demonstrating righteousness. Christ is the standard, and we are to be the emulators. Christ is righteous in and of Himself, and we are endeavoring by continual practice to be molded into His image.

In other words, John is not saying that in Christ we are righteous to the same measure, but that we bear the same state of righteousness. This is why the term “in Christ” is used in the epistles. Believers are clothed in Him and in His righteousness, and that which is done in Him bears His state of righteousness when we conduct our affairs in the manner that we are expected to do.

Life application: John’s words to the “little children” are similar to the words used in the first chapters of Proverbs when the father admonishes his son. Notice the similar language used in Proverbs verses 1 and 9 of Chapter 2 –

“My son, if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you,” (Proverbs 2:1)

…

“Then you will understand righteousness and justice,
Equity and every good path.” (Proverbs 2:9)

Also, as noted above, the word John uses for “deceive” means “to lead astray.” Again, in the proverb (just cited) Solomon said that by following sound advice the son would understand “every good path.” John may have been thinking of this particular proverb. Rather than being led astray, one will tread upon the path of righteousness when he is in Christ and follows Him according to His word.

So, what will keep us from wandering? John says here that in practicing righteousness one is righteous. Don’t be deceived by those with an agenda contrary to the biblical model and the Role Model – who is Jesus. We are to live in God’s presence, always pursuing holiness and righteousness.

When we fall short, let us make every effort to acknowledge our shortcomings and ask for forgiveness that we may again be pure. Though we are forgiven already in Christ, acknowledging our failures as we commit them keeps the lines of communication between us and our Creator uncluttered with our misdeeds.

Lord God, how wonderfully glorious to know that because of Your Holy Spirit we have the ability to act righteously and to please You. Now Lord, fill us with the wisdom to follow that path and to bring honor to You through careful attention to our lives, our conduct, our deeds, and our words. To Your beautiful honor we pray. Amen.