His Word Today

¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life^[a]—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.” (I John 2:15-17)

The Apostle John gave a simple but significant prescription of what it means to be truly converted: “³ And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. ⁴ Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, ⁵ but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: ⁶ whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”(I John 2:3-6)

I John 2:15 gives the believer in Christ one of God’s commandments: “Do not love the world or the things in the world.” To not love the world is a present, active imperative or command from God. It is also a negative proposition or truth.

To not love the world means that believers in Christ are not to have a self-sacrificial love (ἀγαπᾶτε; agapate) for the world (κόσμος; kosmos). The world, in this context, does not refer to the physical planet as much as it does to the fallen, anti-God system of thought and behavior. However, no one should worship the creation instead of the creator either (Romans 1:18-32).

One commentator explains that, “The world” here means “man, and man’s world”, in his and its state as fallen from God. “God loved [with the love of compassion] the world,” and we should feel the same kind of love for the fallen world; but we are not to love the world with congeniality and sympathy in its alienation from God; we cannot have this latter kind of love for the God-estranged world, and yet have also “the love of the Father in” us.”

Following a general command against loving the world, the apostle then refers to specifics: “or the things in the world.” What are the “things” to which John refers? What does the fallen world honor and worship above everything else, including God? What does the fallen world desire and pursue above everything else, including God. I can think of three things: riches, power and pleasure. These three categories contain many component parts, which are the results of riches, power and pleasure. Riches, power and pleasure are not in and of themselves bad, when framed within the confines of Scripture. However, they can become disastrously deadly and destructive when pursued without thought to the obedience to God.

What is John’s conclusion if any individual, even a professing believer in Christ, continually pursues a love of the world and the things which are in the world? “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

John speaks in basic terms. For him there are no grey areas when it comes to following Christ. You are either in or out. You are either committed to obeying God’s commands as a testimony of your conversion, or you are lying to yourself and to God about your lack of conversion (I John 1:5-7).

John’s statement is framed in his familiar “cause and effect” structure. If this is true, then this is also true. If any professing believer continually loves the fallen world and the things which are in it, the love originating and sourced in God the Father is not within him. This individual is not a child of God.

Each believer struggles with loving the world. However, John is not talking about an occasional temptation to follow the world, but rather a pattern of behavior. Additionally, when the believer in Christ is tempted to love the world, there is a resulting struggle and anguish about this temptation rather than a continual fascination for it.

What three areas of temptation does John mention which seeks to cause individuals to love the world? We will begin to examine them next time. Until then, ask God to reveal to you what it is in this world that you find yourself tempted to love instead of God.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

¹² I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. ¹³ I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. ¹⁴ I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” (I John 2:12-14)

In what areas of your life in Christ are you like a little child? I have five grandchildren: four on earth and one in heaven. Of the four here on earth, it has been a joy to see them grow from infancy to childhood and for the eldest, to the brink of adolescence. There is an abandon in their displays of affection. The same can be said about when they get frustrated or angry when they do not receive what they want.

Our walk with Christ can often be described as a relationship of a heavenly father to His children. John remarks that he wrote to those in the church who were like little children. John expressed an endearment to those to whom he was writing.

He also confirmed that for those who are infants in Christ, the main and often singular truth they know is that God is their Father and He has forgiven them of their sins. What a wonderful truth to know that we, as God’s children, no longer have to bear our guilt.

In what areas of your life in Christ are you like a young man or woman? This is an individual who is beyond the age of puberty. They are in throngs of intense growth spurts and growing pains. At times, this period of a person’s life can be exciting, challenging and frightening as you are no longer a child, but not quite an adult. Awkward moments may abound. Confidence in one’s abilities may be lacking because you may not be sure what are your talents and inherent abilities.

Our walk with Christ can often be like this. As John writes, these are they who are continuing to overcome the evil one because of the strength within them due to the Word of God. Once a child, they are not maturing into spiritual and godly adulthood.

Our walk with Christ is also like being a father or mother. This is a person who is an elder or older person and a spiritual mentor to those who are younger in the faith: whether those mentored are like children or young adults. We have had those people in our lives when we were younger. Who are we mentoring now that we are older?

The church to whom John wrote was filled with people who were either children, younger adults or older adults in Christ. He also may have been referring to the various stages presently existing within each believer? In other words, in what ways in your walk with Christ are you like a little child, while at the same time you are like a young adult or a mature, elder adult?

The theme verse for this daily blog is 2 Peter 3:18 which says, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”

Let us resolve to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior. May we continue to grow in Christ from childhood to maturity.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

^9 “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. ¹⁰ Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. ¹¹ But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” (I John 2:9-11)

Matthew 22:34-40 records a conversation Jesus once had with the Pharisees. The text says, “³⁴ But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. ³⁵ And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰ On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

In I John 2:7-8, the Apostle John wrote that the commandments of God are not new but have been with God’s people for centuries. On the other hand, for the recently converted, the commandments take on new significance and meaning when a believer in Christ is regenerated and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God brings illumination and understanding to the child of God as they read and meditate upon the Word of God.

Jesus said that all of the commandments of God are fulfilled by loving God and loving one’s neighbor. Upon these two commandments depend all of the Law and Prophets. In the context, He meant the entire Old Testament or the Scriptures.

The Apostle John provided an example of what loving one’s neighbor, and loving God, looks like. “^9 “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.” What we say must be confirmed by what we do. If an individual says that they are a believer in Christ but at the same time they hate their brother, they give evidence that they remain unconverted. Their actions speak louder than their words.

However, John goes on to say that “¹⁰ Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.” Self-sacrificial love is an evidence of a sinner’s conversion by grace alone, through faith alone the person and work of Jesus Christ alone. There will be no cause for this person to stumble or to cause an offense.

However, John goes on to say that, “¹¹ But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” John describes the status of the unconverted rather than a so-called carnal Christian.

Dr. John MacArthur writes, “The original language conveys the idea of someone who habitually hates or is marked by a lifestyle of hate. Those who profess to be Christians, yet are characterized by hate, demonstrate by such action that they have never been born again. The false teachers made claims to enlightenment, transcendent knowledge of God, and salvation, but their actions, especially the lack of love, proved all such claims false.”

There are times when people hurt us, even fellow believers in Christ. However, our response is never to habitually hate those who hurt us but rather to demonstrate self-sacrificial love of the will. This is the evidence that we are truly converted.

May each of us demonstrate self-sacrificial love towards everyone we encounter today.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

 

 

 

 

^7 “Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. ⁸ At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.” (I John 2:7-8)

Sometimes when we read the Scriptures, we may read a particular text which seems contradictory on the surface. A case in point is I John 2:7-8. John writes about a commandment which is not new but rather old. At the same time, it is new even though we have previously heard it in the past. What does John mean?

Within the context that obedience to God’s commandments is a biblical test for authentic faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ (I John 2:3-6), John wrote that this principle for the believer was not a new commandment. It was a biblical doctrine which was not recent, fresh, or unprecedented.

On the contrary, this commandment to love God and keep His commandments was an ancient commandment (Deuteronomy 6:1-9). In fact, believers in Christ possess this directive from the moment they are converted by grace alone, through faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone.

However, at the same time it is a new commandment because as the believer in Christ grows in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus (2 Peter 3:18), they begin to realize the various areas of their life in which they are disobedient to God. Therefore, they confess such sin and resolve to become increasingly obedient to God in another area of their Christian walk.

In harmony with 2 Corinthians 5:17, the darkness of sin, wickedness and evil increasingly departs from the believer. At the same time, the light of God’s holiness increasingly takes hold upon the believer’s mind, emotions and will.

Dr. John MacArthur writes, “John makes a significant word play here. Though he doesn’t state here what the command is, he does in 2 John 5–6. It is to love. Both of these phrases refer to the same commandment of love. The commandment of love was “new” because Jesus personified love in a fresh, new way and it was shed abroad in believers’ hearts (Rom. 5:5) and energized by the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22; 1 Thess. 4:9). He raised love to a higher standard for the church and commanded his disciples to imitate his love (“as I have loved you”; cf. 1 John 3:16; John 13:34). The command was also “old” because the OT commanded love (Lev. 19:18; Deut. 6:5) and the readers of John’s epistle had heard about Jesus’ command to love when they first heard the gospel.”

Have you ever found yourself reading a familiar portion of Scripture only to have an “aha” moment?  “Aha” is an exclamation used to express satisfaction, triumph, or surprise. Regarding today’s text, a biblical text you have read many times possesses a meaning you never previously grasped. While an old commandment, it has new relevance and application due to the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit in your heart. The illumination does not change the meaning of the text but rather provides new significance and application within your life.

As you read the Bible today, ask God the Holy Spirit to illuminate the text you are reading in order to show you how it may accurately be applied in your life. Ask Him to grant you an insight into the text which you have not previously realized while others have.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!  

³ And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. ⁴ Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, ⁵ but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: ⁶ whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. (I John 2:3-6)

The Apostle John addressed the basic issues and content of authentic Christianity in black and white terms. There are very little, if any, grey areas with John in describing the authentic Christian life and experience. That is why the Gospel of John and John’s Epistles are so basic for new or young believers in the faith. They all contain the fundamentals of an individual’s trust, commitment, dependence and worship of God through the person and work of Jesus Christ.

John provided one of the basic perspectives and disciplines for each and every believer in Christ in today’s text. In a word, the theme is obedience. A little known Gospel chorus says, “Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe. Doing exactly what the Lord commands, doing it naturally. Action is the key, do it immediately, joy you will receive. Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe.”

I John 2:3 says, “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.” John used his common cause and effect argument and sentence structure. He said that the believer in Christ truly and presently knows they have come to know Jesus Christ at a particular point in time in the past by personal experience and understanding if, since and when the believer presently and actively keeps, observes, guards and obeys the commandments which solely originate and belong to God. This is a simple but significant and basic understanding of Christian sanctification.

I John 2:4 continues this thought by saying, “Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” John used the same cause and effect structure but in the negative. He contended that whoever continually says that they have come to experience a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ at a particular point in time in the past, but do not presently and actively keep, guard, observe and obey the commandments which solely originate and belong to God, this person is a liar and is speaking falsehood.

I John 2:5-6 says, “…but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” To abide means to remain and to persevere in Christ.

The apostle placed great emphasis upon obedience to the commandments of God. Why? It is because Jesus did.

John 14:15 says, “If you love Me, keep my commandments.”

John 14:21 says, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

These are but two statements Jesus made to His disciples during His Upper Room Discourse (John 13-16). This basic understanding of biblical obedience as an evidence of true conversion is as applicable for Christians today as it was then.

What is your response? Is your understanding of basic Christianity one of high energy worship services which provide a spiritual high each week? Is your Christianity based on your experience as a determiner of truth? Or, is biblical Christianity based upon an obedience to God’s Word as an evidence of true conversion regardless of how you feel?

The biblical evidence from I John 2:3-6 is clear. Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

 

 

 

 

 

“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. ² He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” (I John 2:1-2)

Salvation from the Lord is not only deliverance from the penalty of sin. It is also continued deliverance from the power of sin and eventually deliverance from the very presence of sin upon one’s home going to heaven. John’s focus in today’s text is upon the believer’s sanctification and the continual deliverance from the power of sin.

What happens when we sin as believers in Christ? Our fellowship with God is affected and intimacy with God is damaged. While our eternal position with God as our Savior and Deliver is never in question, our harmonious relationship with Him is negatively impacted.

Think of when you disobeyed your parents, or if you are a parent, when your children disobeyed you. While the status of you being their parent and they your children was never in doubt, the strain on the relationship could be felt. Cold stairs, little conversation, imposed grounding and privileges removed perhaps were part of the existing tension. There was a price to be paid.

However, Jesus Christ has already paid the price for the believer’s sin: past, present and future (Colossians 2:13). He is not only our Savior but He is also our advocate.

What is an advocate? An advocate (παράκλητον; parakleton) is one who intercedes and provides help on  behalf of another person. In effect, Jesus comes along side each believer and assists them in their walk of holiness: especially when the believer sins.

The basis for Jesus’ advocacy is not based on anything believers have done, or could ever do. Penance is not in question here.

Rather, the basis for Jesus’ help is His atoning sacrifice on the cross on behalf of the sinner. Jesus Christ is, and remains, the believer’s propitiation before God the Father. He satisfied the righteous wrath of God the Father towards the sinner by becoming a sin offering on the believer’s behalf (2 Corinthians 5:21). Propitiation and expiation are forever linked together.

Dr. R.C. Sproul writes, “Let’s think about what these words mean, beginning with the word expiation. The prefix ex means “out of” or “from,” so expiation has to do with removing something or taking something away. In biblical terms, it has to do with taking away guilt through the payment of a penalty or the offering of an atonement. By contrast, propitiation has to do with the object of the expiation. The prefix pro means “for,” so propitiation brings about a change in God’s attitude, so that He moves from being at enmity with us to being for us. Through the process of propitiation, we are restored into fellowship and favor with Him.”

In other words, expiation is the undertaking which results in the change of God’s outlook towards you and me. It is what Christ accomplished on the cross. The result of Christ’s expiating work is propitiation—God’s wrath is removed.

This work is applicable to all kinds of people within the fallen world. There is no distinction because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 3:21-26 says, “²¹ But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— ²² the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. ²⁶ It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

Sin can and should be conquered through the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 6:12–14; 8:12–13; 1 Cor. 15:34; Titus 2:11–12; 1 Pet. 1:13–16). The presence and power of the Holy Spirit is based upon the advocacy of Jesus Christ.

As you approach the Lord today in prayer, take time to thank and praise Him for being you advocate and helper.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!    

⁸ If we say 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 we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (I John 1:8-10)

It was during my first year at Detroit Bible College (DBC) when one of my professors invited a friend of his to lecture to our Marriage and Family class. The lecture had really nothing to do with either marriage or family. Rather, the speaker’s contention was that he no longer sinned as a believer in Christ. He contended, and debated with several of us students, that he had achieved a condition of sinless perfection while here on earth.

It was during my second year at DBC that I read a book for a class entitled Philippians and Spiritual Life. The author of the supplemental book for the class proposed the perspective known as Carnal Christianity. He contended that the church must accept any individual’s profession of faith in Christ regardless of their lifestyle and lack of obedience to the Scriptures. In other words, such people who consistently live lives disobedient to the Scriptures are Carnal Christians. These are they who live in continual disobedience to God’s Word but are confident they are converted and are going to heaven when they die.

What do we make of these two extreme views of Christian living or sanctification? Can and may a believer achieve sinless perfection while here on earth? Or, may a professing Christian living as sinfully as they desire confident they are truly converted and are a child of God who possesses eternal life?

I submit that today’s text from I John refutes both of these extreme views of biblical sanctification. The Apostle John refutes not only the perspective of sinless perfection but also blatant carnality as two false views of spirituality.

John says that, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” No believer in Christ, the apostle contends, can biblically say that they are without sin. To do so is self-deception and an indication that God’s truth is not in their thinking, emotions and will. Remember, John is writing to believers in Christ and not to the unconverted.

John also says that, “If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” This refutes that idea that sin is no big deal with God. The so-called carnal Christian is calling God a liar regarding the seriousness of sin. It also is evidence that God’s Word has not taken root in their thinking, emotions and will.”

What is the solution to avoid both of these extreme, and incorrect, views? The answer is found in I John 1:9. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Both views are avoided in the believer’s life when they approach God with not only a recognition of their sin, but also a repentant heart to see their sin as God does. Sin is rebellion against a holy God.

How do we approach God in order to confess our sins? Taking our direction from King David following his moral failure as recorded in 2 Samuel 11-12, we see the following principles of confession from David’s Penitential Psalm: Psalm 51.

First, believers in Christ must acknowledge that they are approaching the God of mercy and grace. We must never presume on God’s forgiveness but rely on His unmerited favor towards wicked sinners. If we think we deserve forgiveness, then we do not understand grace.

Second, believers must have a genuine attitude of repentance. Understand your sin from God’s perspective. As Dr. R. C. Sproul contends, “Sin is cosmic treason.”

Third, ask for God’s mercy to forgive you of your sin based on the imputed righteousness of Christ applied to your eternal soul’s account before God. God forgives, not on the basis of your sincerity but rather on the basis of Christ’s substitutionary atonement applied to us by grace alone, through faith alone, in the person and work of Christ alone. Confession and repentance, resulting in forgiveness, is never based on one’s penance or attempts to make amends to God for sin.

Fourth, ask for cleansing and for strength to refrain from doing that sin anymore. Admittedly, believers will sin again and probably commit the same sin they just recently confessed and repented of before God. However, the promise from God is that He remains faithful to forgive and cleanse the believer from all remaining unrighteousness. 

Dr. John MacArthur writes, “Not only did the false teachers walk in darkness (i.e., sin; v. 6) but went so far as to deny totally the existence of a sin nature in their lives. If someone never admits to being a sinner, salvation cannot result (see Matt. 19:16–22 for the account of the young man who refused to recognize his sin). Not only did the false teachers make false claims to fellowship and disregard sin (1 John 1:6), they are also characterized by deceit regarding sinlessness (Eccles. 7:20; Rom. 3:23).”

“Continual confession of sin is an indication of genuine salvation. While the false teachers would not admit their sin, the genuine Christian admitted and forsook it (Ps. 32:3–5; Prov. 28:13). The term “confess” means to say the same thing about sin as God does; to acknowledge his perspective about sin. While 1 John 1:7 is from God’s perspective, v. 9 is from the Christian’s perspective. Confession of sin characterizes genuine Christians, and God continually cleanses those who are confessing (cf. v. 7).”

I would encourage each of you to read Psalm 51 and David’s heartfelt confession of repentance unto God. May it parallel our own confession when we are tempted to either think we are without sin or that sin does not really matter to God.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!