2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Readers,
God leads me to continue our discussion of the section of 1JN 2 that deals with the new commandment. Previously, I mentioned how LV 19: 18 is the citation in which God directs Moses to teach the people about His command to love their neighbors. Later, Christ in JN 13: 34 adds, “Love one another as I have loved you,” making it a new commandment. Inherent in this teaching is the concept of accepting one another, the same one discussed by Paul in RO 14, and rejecting the hypocrisy of self-righteous judgments.
1JN 2: 12-14, reveals that the author of 1JN (probably the apostle, John) understood the nature of the recipients of this letter, maybe even better than they did themselves. This passage leaves no argument to the readers of this letter that there are certain groups of believers to which it doesn’t apply. John is speaking to all who belong to the Lord. “I write to you, my children, because your sins are forgiven for the sake of Christ. I write to you, fathers, because you know Him Who has existed from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have defeated the evil one. I write to you, my children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know Him Who has existed from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong; the words of God live in you, and you have defeated the evil one.” John reminds all believers that we all can take comfort in the knowledge that our sins are forgiven. In (13) the term “fathers” refers to mature believers who know the sweet companionship of the Son of God and understand the nature of His Trinitarian relationship with God and his role in the creation [see AC 2: 23 & 4:27-28; COL 1: 15-20; 1 PET 1: 20-21]. The “young men” in this verse are vigorous men who know the secret of victory, namely, “not I, but Christ Who lives within me.” These concepts are repeated in (14) for emphasis of these important traits of faithful Christians. It is significant that at the end of this citation clear reference is suggested to MT 4: 11, the defeat of the adversary by Christ as He overcame the temptation in the wilderness. When stating, “the word of God lives in you, and you have defeated the evil one,” John is restating His belief that when we have faith in Christ, we are imputed with the power to be victorious in spiritual warfare.
The next section, 1JN 2: 15-17, contains the same message that Christ taught when He told us not to store our treasures in this world [see MT 6: 19-21; LK 12: 33-34; COL 3: 1-4; 2 TIM 1: 13-14]. “Do not love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you do not love the Father. Everything that belongs to the world-what the sinful self desires, what people see and want, and everything in this world that people are so proud of-none of this comes from the Father; it all comes from the world. The world and everything in it that people desire is passing away; but he who does the will of God lives forever.” Not only does this have to do with storing ones treasures on earth rather than in heaven, but it also has to do with trying to serve two masters [see MT 6: 24]. It’s one thing to say we were born with the original sin of Adam and therefore, we naturally want to sin. But, it is another to understand the mechanism of this process. Paul explains it in RO 7: 14-25, a passage that I hope you will read. Let me cite the heart of it which is in (22-25). “My inner being delights in the law of God. But I see a different law at work in my body-a law that fights against the law which my mind approves of. It makes me a prisoner to the law of sin which is at work in my body. What an unhappy man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is taking me to death? Thanks be to God, Who does this through our Lord Jesus Christ! This, then, is the conditions: on my own I can serve God’s law only with my mind, while my human nature serves the law of sin.” This conflict between the fleshly body and the Spirit indwelt in our souls explains what is going on while we go through the process of sanctification.
Dear Ones, God is asking us to take a narrow, difficult to travel path, which is the only one that will lead to eternal life and fellowship with Him. While the task for us is often difficult, He does equip us to take it successfully. That is a great manifestation of the love that God has for His children. The last statement in today’s passage has great significance for us, so I will repeat it. “The world and everything in it that people desire is passing away; but he who does the will of God lives forever.” When God gave us the free gift of His grace through the sacrifice of His Son on the cross as a propitiation for our sins (a sufficient sacrifice to cover all our sins forever), He gave us a durable gift that would last forever. That is so much greater a gift than what we get on this earth to satisfy our temptations, give us prestige, or yield material wealth. I cannot resist the temptation to end with JN 3: 16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but have everlasting life.”
PRAYER: O Lord, Your words and the sacrifice of Your Son are meant for everyone. Your keenest desire is that as many people as possible will read, believe, and act on them. That is how much You love us. When we obey Your commands and trust You, we have the assurance that our sins are forgiven, we have been equipped to be victorious in spiritual warfare, and we can understand the eternal nature of the Trinity. The Gospel has been defined in RO 1: 16 has been defined as Your “power to save all who believe first the Jews and also the Gentiles.” That You make it available to us and give us the peace that goes beyond human understanding when we act according to Your will, are privileges You bestow on us out of Your grace. You ask relatively little of us, even through we were once Your enemies, in return. You ask us to repent, to be faithful, to live “in Christ,” and to spread the Gospel to others. In doing this, You redirect our goal from storing our treasures on earth to valuing the things that can transcend the grave. We dedicate ourselves to taking this advice and to offering You the praise, thanks, glory, humility, loyalty, adoration, and worship that You so richly deserve from us. We revel in both Your Word and Your love. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, we will look at 1JN 2: 18-23, the first portion of a section that discusses Christ’s enemy, the antichrist. How powerful this little book of 1JN is turning out to be! When we have faith in Christ to share, the Lord blesses us abundantly. Through it, we can encourage each other, just as the author is encouraging the faithful of his time to remain in Christ in spite of the lies of Gnosticism. That is how we can use the power imputed to us to defeat the evil one. Be blessed today and always, knowing that Peter and I also send you our love too.
Grace Be With You,
Lynn