1 John (Written)

Saturday, 18 April 2020

Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. 1 John 3:6

Three sets of verses, placed side by side, will reveal that John’s words need careful thought –

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” 1 John 1:8-10

“But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.” 1 John 2:27

“Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.” 1 John 3:6

John tells us that believers do sin (first set of verses). He then tells us that believers have an anointing, and that they abide in Christ. He then says that those who abide in Christ do not sin.

Obviously, in order to understand what John is saying, particular care, attention, and thoughtful contemplation are required. This thoughtful process is needed to keep from running into a theological quagmire.

In verse 3:6, John begins with, “Whoever abides in Him does not sin.” Both terms, “abides,” and “does not sin,” are in the present tense. The issue is sin. Paul says that by the law is the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20). But for those in Christ, they have died to the law (Romans 7:6).

If someone accepts the gospel – “Jesus Christ died for my sin” – he is acknowledging that he is a sinner and that his sin has offended God. One cannot make such a claim if he abides in sin. Therefore, when someone comes to Christ and abides in Him, he “does not sin,” meaning that sin is no longer imputed to him.

The person may commit an offense against God, but the offense is not imputed to him (2 Corinthians 5:19). Because he abides in Christ, and despite his failure to meet God’s law, he does not sin. Paul speaks of this in Romans 7:13-25, culminating in the thought, “So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”

John next says, “Whoever sins.” It is a present participle. It signifies whoever sins and keeps on sinning. A person who has come to Christ is not sinning in the sense that his sins are not being imputed to him. He cannot claim that he does not sin (see 1 John 1:8-10 above), but he is freed from the body of death which is governed by abiding in sin, and he is brought to the body of life which is freedom from the law (by which sin is imputed).

John finishes with the thought that a person who “sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.” Both verbs are in the perfect tense. Such a person has never seen (the word signifies not merely sight with the eyes, but discerning who Christ is), nor come to a knowledge of who Christ is. There was never a point in time where this occurred. Because it has not occurred, he sins and keeps on sinning. There has never been a move from the law to grace, from the body of death, to life in Christ, or from a state of the imputation of one’s sin to a state where sin is no longer imputed.

Life application: As believers, we sin, but the sin is not imputed to us. Not understanding this, and taking this verse out of its greater context, there is then a misunderstanding of what we are being led to understand. Individuals, congregations, and entire denominations will thus claim that a sinless state is possible in this life.

“Holiness” doctrine refers to this type of belief, and it clearly finds its basis in this verse, even though this verse is not indicating such a doctrine in the first place. Such thinking sets up a contradiction in doctrine when compared with the verses cited above, and with many other verses in the epistles.

Abiding in Christ and habitual sin are mutually exclusive terms and therefore such a relationship cannot exist. Therefore, someone who lives in habitual sin “has neither seen Him nor known Him.”

If a person has met the risen Christ and come to the point of salvation, they are free from condemnation. However, we should not ever feel free from the remorse that is caused by sin.

If you are living in open, rebellious sin and don’t feel convicted by your actions, you may need to rethink your salvation altogether. Have you ever truly come to Christ? If so, rewards will be lost when you stand before Him. If not, you will hear appropriate words of condemnation on the Day of the Lord’s visitation.

Lord God, we cannot deny that we sin, but when we do, we should know it is wrong and that we need to turn to You in remorse, convicted of our actions which are sinful, and which are an offense to You. Give us the desire and ability to overcome our weaknesses and to turn from any actions which are contrary to the salvation Jesus brought about in us when we first called on Him. This we pray to Your glory! Amen.

Friday, 17 April 2020

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

John just stated that when one sins, he commits lawlessness, and that “sin is lawlessness.” This is the default state of all mankind, because all are in Adam, our first ancestor. In order to correct this, and to move us from a state of lawlessness to a state of being right with God, John now says, “And you know that He was manifested.”

The idea here is that Christ already existed in God, and that He came from God on a mission. Hence, the term “manifested.” It is the incarnation which was necessary for us to be made right with God. The way this was accomplished was that He was sent “to take away our sins.”

John is presenting this thought to support the idea that all of what occurred in Christ’s coming was to resolve the sin problem in our lives. As this is so, sin is deplorable to God and, therefore, we are to keep ourselves from sin, not bask in it and revel in it. As Christ came to take away our sins, and as a part of Christ’s mission was to suffer and die on the cross for our sins, then we should not only desire to live in a holy manner, but we should tirelessly strive to do so. The consequences of our actions are what necessitated His cross.

In saying that He came to “take away our sins,” John uses the plural, “sins.” This then speaks of everything included in the term. No sin is exempted from the sufficiency of what Christ has done. It tells us that Jesus didn’t just come in the flesh to atone for sin, but to remove the power of sin in our lives. Both are possible because of His sacrifice combined with His continued influence on our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit.

To understand what has occurred in the cross of Christ, God gave a foreshadowing of it in the Day of Atonement rituals which are found in Leviticus 16. A full analysis of this rite is found in three sermons, the first of which is at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KDwl9FXA28

In short, the main focus of the day is centered on two hairy goats, one is a sacrifice for sin, and the second is to expiate, or carry away the sin. Both of these animals (and everything else associated with the rites of that day) prefigure the Person and work of Christ.

The truth of what is found in that ritual is first seen in John’s concluding word of this verse, “and in Him there is no sin.” The Greek reads, “and sin in Him not there is.” He is absolutely and forever without sin. That is seen in the innocent goat which came to die in the place of the people. But, in dying for sin, it means that the sin of the people was placed upon it.

From there, the second goat pictured that sin being carried away, never to return again. This second goat became a sin-bearer. The thought of what these two goats did is explained by Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:21 –

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Jesus Christ was made sin (the transfer to the sacrificial goat). He died in that capacity. But because He had no sin of His own, in His death, He carried away our sin (the scapegoat). The sin can never return because it died with Him. Speaking for believers, Paul says that through Christ, the embodiment of the law, “I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.”

The sin is removed in Christ’s death, it is carried away to the grave in death, and it is forever removed through the resurrection. In this, we can now live to God. It is made possible through Jesus because He was sinless, and He is forever sinless.

Life application: In Christ, these two actions can be simply described. The first action, atonement, takes away the penalty of our sin and is known as “justification.” In this action we are declared not guilty because the punishment has been meted out on our Substitute, Jesus.

The second action, taking away the power of sin in our lives, is known as “sanctification.” It is accomplished by Christ, and we are sanctified unto God. However, during this life, we can (and should) go through a process of personal sanctification where we conduct ourselves in a manner which is in accord with what Christ has done for us.

This aspect of our walk is, unfortunately, not pursued by many saved believers. We stand justified, but we fail to allow that justification to sink in and become a working part of who we are. It is as if what Jesus did in our atonement was “good enough,” and now we can play out our lives ever walking on the marginal line of mediocrity.

When John says, “In Him there is no sin,” it indicates that Jesus is sinless in the whole state of His eternal existence – past, present, and future. Because He is, we are expected to remove ourselves from the presence of sin to the maximum degree possible based on an ongoing process of sanctification. It is true that we can never become sinless in this life, but it is also true that sin no longer has mastery over us. We should live in the Spirit continuously and make every attempt to flee from sin as we live in the presence of God.

Think it through clearly – Jesus was “manifested” to the world for the very purpose of destroying the devil’s work and allowing us to have victory over what Satan did. Why then would we serve a lesser god – sin – which is no god at all? Instead, let us determine to have victory in Jesus and in the work which is already finished. To the glory of God!

Heavenly Father, forgive us for not pursuing holiness and righteousness to the fullest degree possible. Give us the wisdom and mental attitude that says, “Yes, I will live for Jesus; I will have victory over the sin in my life.” And by doing so, may You receive all the glory that You are due. Amen!

Thursday, 16 April 2020

Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 1 John 3:4

John just mentioned that everyone who has the hope of Christ purifies himself. He now brings in a thought which supports that thinking by saying, “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness.” The Greek word, translated as “commit,” signifies “to do.” It says that whoever does the sin also does the lawlessness.

As Vincent’s Word Studies notes, “The phrase to do sin regards sin as something actually realized in its completeness. He that does sin realizes in action the sin (note the article τὴν) that which includes and represents the complete ideal of sin. Compare do righteousness, 1 John 2:29.”

The law gives precepts, commands, exhortations, and etc. These are given for right living and for holiness. To fail to be obedient to these things is sin. Speaking of the law, meaning whatever law is applicable, Paul says –

“Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. ²⁰ Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Romans 3:19, 20

It is by law that we have a knowledge of sin. When under law, it is by that law that we are to conduct ourselves as people. In not being obedient to the expectations of the law, we fall into error. In the case of the Law of Moses, John then explains that error by saying, “and sin is lawlessness.” Again, there are articles used by John, so it more accurately reads, “and the sin is the lawlessness.” He is making declarations about the nature of what occurred and the result of it.

Understanding this, we can take 1 John 2:29 and place it side by side with this verse (in a literal translation) –

…everyone the doing the righteousness of Him has been begotten.
Everyone the doing the sin also the lawlessness does, and the sin is the lawlessness.

John is making a one-to-one comparison between being in Christ, and not being in Christ. This is certain because of what he will say in the coming verses. One is either in Christ and does what is righteous, or he is not in Christ and does what is lawless. Until the next two verses are evaluated, one cannot fully see what John is relaying. The context must be maintained.

Life application: The tense of the first half of this verse indicates the idea of someone committing sin continually and as much as possible. Think of it in this way, “Everyone who sins also practices lawlessness.” It is the state of all human beings born of Adam.

We are born in sin and our state is one of actively falling short of God’s standards and committing lawlessness in a continual fashion; it is our very nature. For someone to say, “I’ve never sinned,” is simply unimaginable when put in the context of our fallen nature. We sin, not just once or twice in a lifetime, but continually throughout our existence.

In the second half of the verse, we have an additional confirmation of this. Because of the use of an article with both words, the terms are interchangeable – sin is lawlessness and lawlessness is sin. Either way, this is an apt description of the state of sin and lawlessness. The word for “sin” is what most Christians would describe as “missing the mark.” It is as if one is shooting arrows and not hitting the target. The word for “lawlessness,” however, normally points to much deeper offenses which are the purposeful and intentional violation or neglect of God’s laws.

John may have added the second half of the verse to show the recipients (and we who still receive the letter today) that we simply cannot hide from the minor offenses as if they were unimportant. They carry the same mark of rebellion against God as do the weightier matters which we attempt to avoid committing. By doing so, we think we can stand and say, “See the good life I’ve been living. The bad things I’ve done aren’t really bad at all.”

Rather, the little offenses are lawlessness and rebellion just as are the big ones. They all put a wall between us and God and necessitate a sacrifice. Thank God for Jesus… our only hope from the life we have lived.

O God, it is hard to imagine the displeasing lives we have lived after seeing sin for what it truly is. When we recognize what it means in relation to You, we can look back on our lives and see that the little sinful things we have done are really much worse than we thought. And so, we look to the cross, we cling to the cross, and we thank YOU for the cross which takes away our sin… all of our sin. Thank You for Jesus. Amen.

Wednesday, 15 April 2020

And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 1 John 3:3

John just spoke of the hope of the believer. It is that “we shall be like Him.” He now says, “And everyone who has this hope in Him.” The word “everyone” is certainly used in order to refute some heresy which had already begun to invade the church, even at this early date. It is a way of saying, “Every single person, and this means every single one of you as well…” He is actually addressing each individual, but he is making the exhortation in a universal manner.

In the Greek, the placing of one’s hope for this statement is “on Him,” rather than “in Him.” Saying “in him” is ambiguous. Is it speaking of the person hoping, or is it speaking of the object of the hope? For this reason, the “hope” is set “on” Christ Jesus. Vincent’s Word Studies notes that this is the only reference by John concerning Christian hope. That is unlike Paul who speaks of it again and again. Further, Vincent’s notes that this is the Bible’s only instance where hope is “on” rather than “in” Jesus. John’s specific wording calls for specificity of translation.

John continues by saying that whoever has this hope on Christ “purifies himself.” The word translated as “purifies” is in the present tense and therefore indicates continual purification. It is used in John and Acts when referring to external purification under the Law of Moses. However, under the New Covenant, we see that those external purifications were intended to point to internal purification in the believer in Christ. It is used in James 4:8, 1 Peter 1:22, and here in 1 John 3:3 – all when speaking of internal purification.

John said in the previous verse that “we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” This is what he is now referring to. We are to purify ourselves “just as He is pure.” Here, John uses an adjective form of the same word. It is one used by Paul, James, Peter, and John, and it signifies being without any type of ceremonial defilement, and thus holy and sacred.

Life application: Because John’s plea is to the individual, but universally applied, the message it carries is universally applicable. If you hope in the One who is pure, you must also purify yourself. And, this is not a one-time deal, after which one is pure always. We are to continually cleanse ourselves of our impurities, because of the hope we have in Jesus.

As noted, the idea behind the purity is that of ritual cleansing, or ceremonial purification before coming into the presence of God. This is explained in Exodus (and elsewhere) in the Old Testament, and in Hebrews in the New. Believers need to have the whole person free from defilement in this purification process. How to accomplish this purification will be dealt with in the verses to come, but it particularly deals with righteousness and love.

We need to ensure we have both qualities working in an appropriate manner or we simply can’t be pure in the way we need to be. Let us look to the words of the psalmist to see a portion of what’s needed to please God –

“Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.” Psalm 24:3, 4

Lord God, we look to You for the necessary cleansing required to make us pure. Though we try under our own power, we will only fail. But by appealing to You and applying the instruction found in Your word, we know that we can be purified and cleansed – thus being acceptable as personal offerings to You. May this come about for Your great glory as we stand before You in thanks and praise! Amen.

Tuesday, 14 April 2020

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3:2

John began the chapter with joyous words concerning the love of the Father. Because of the love He has bestowed on us we are now “called children of God.” He repeats the thought again by saying, “Beloved, now we are the children of God.” It is a statement of surety, and it is a statement which reflects the completed nature of the matter. The adoption in Christ is complete. We possess a position that has the highest dignity, glory, and honor that can be granted, because we have been adopted into the family of God.

John continues with, “and it has not been revealed what we shall be.” With a simple connecting of the two clauses by the word “and,” he reveals both the state of believers now while confirming that this state is not the fulfillment of what being children of God entails – “We are, and yet we wait for what we will be.”

As an example of this dual state of believers, we can think of someone who has completed all that is necessary for a college diploma. The courses have been taken, the achievement has been realized, and yet there still awaits the formal ceremony to complete the degree. At this point, one could say, “I am a graduate of Nolan University.” And yet, until the ceremony is complete and the certificate is received, the happiness of the bestowal, and the blessing of what accompanies that bestowal, lies yet ahead.

We can only speculate on the wondrous state that lies ahead, but it is already guaranteed to come about. However, our speculation is not without a set hope as seen in John’s next words, “but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him.” Whatever the eternal state of believers is, it will be like that of Jesus Himself.

The Greek word, translated as “like,” has the same meaning as our English word. It is to be like, similar to, resembling, the same as, etc. The change from our mortal bodies will be into bodies that resemble that of Jesus. As this is so, we can be certain that it will be beyond anything we can imagine.

If the Lord of all creation has a body suitable for all eternity, and as it lacks nothing to enjoy all that He has for Himself, and if we will be like Him, then we will be able to enjoy all of that which God reveals of Himself for all eternity. Bengel says it “suggests something unspeakable, contained in the likeness of God.”

To ensure that we are able to comprehend this, even if on a limited scale, John completes the thought with, “for we shall see Him as He is.” The thought is similar to that of Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:18 –

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

There appears to be a connection between seeing the Lord and being transformed into the likeness of the Lord. At this time, we “see the Lord,” through His word, and we are being transformed into His likeness because of it. When He comes, we will “see the Lord” in a more complete way, and we will be transformed into His likeness in a comparable way at that time.

Paul, speaking of the dual nature of our conversion (that which is and that which will be as existing at the same time), says this in Philippines 3 –

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” Philippians 3:20, 21

Our citizenship is in heaven (it is complete), and yet we wait for our transformation (it lies ahead). The doctrine of eternal salvation is written all over the thoughts of these apostolic writings. Further, like the words of John, Paul tantalizes his reader with a thought concerning this coming transformation. This state, yet to be revealed, and yet which is already guaranteed to those who believe, is also spoken of by him in 1 Corinthians 15 –

“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. ⁵¹ Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’” 1 Corinthians 15:50-54

Life application: Our present state is adoption as sons through the work of Jesus and not any meritorious action on our part. We have not personally seen Christ and we have not yet (and cannot in this life) attain His sinless perfection or glorification. However, in a lesser sense, it has been revealed.

The book of Revelation is an unveiling of Jesus Christ. In the first chapters, we behold his glory through the eyes and pen of John. At the end of the book, we see where we will dwell and what it will be like – all a foretaste for us of the glory to come. When we are made like Him, there won’t only be a physical change, but a spiritual change as well. This change involves purity, a sinless state, and the attainment of true righteousness – all spoken of in the verses ahead.

These changes, both physical and spiritual, will be fully realized at the rapture of the church. Yes, the rapture is real. It is clearly laid out in 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4. Even now, we are “partakers of the divine nature” as indicated in 2 Peter 1:4. However, when John says, “we shall be like Him,” this denotes similarity, not a completely identical state. To see the consistency of God’s word as brought to us by the various apostles, we can return to Paul’s words of 1 Corinthians 15 where he describes what “we shall be like Him” means –

And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
⁴⁶ However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. ⁴⁷ The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. ⁴⁸ As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. ⁴⁹ And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. 1 Corinthians 15:45-49

Take time to read the entire context of Paul’s words today. They are found in 1 Corinthians 15:35-58

Jesus, we simply can’t wait for the day that we will be like You. Amen.