First John Chapter Four
1. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, if it is from God, because many false prophets have gone forth into the world (literal).1
“For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21); the prophets of old were many, yet they spoke under the guidance of One – the Spirit of God. In like manner, John assures us that many false prophets have gone out into the world, yet these, too, are under the guidance of one – the Devil. In both cases, there is guidance from a spirit, and we are charged not to accept too quickly what we hear; moreover, we must be aware that both a prophet and a false prophet will proclaim what they are hearing from the Spirit, or spirit, to whom they are tuned. In essence, we all speak according to the direction of the spirit/Spirit within; therefore, John’s warning is that we are to be alert to everyone about us, and must test them to be sure that we correctly discern their spiritual guidance: God or the Devil.
Test the spirits means two things: 1) examine the one who is speaking; this may often be all that is required, as their ungodliness may be obvious, and 2) conduct a more thorough examination permitting the Word of God, by the Spirit of God, to illuminate the guiding spirit that may not be readily evident. The test is really to determine if what is heard comes from God; it is either the Spirit of God or a spirit of the Devil that is at work within the speaker. There are a multitude of voices, but only one of two spirits will be behind each voice. John declares that the purpose of the test is to find out if it is the Spirit of God Who is behind the voice. The literal brings this out far more clearly than the translations that have muddied the Spirit’s use of the plural, spirits, and the singular, it is. The voices involved will be many, the spirits will be one of two, and the test is to determine if the spirit behind the voice is of God.
Paul warned us concerning the Devil: “14. … for Satan is transforming himself into an angel of light. 15. [It is] not extraordinary, then, if his servants are transformed in the same way as servants of righteousness …” (2 Corinthians 11:14b-15a, literal). It is evident from this that a test of the spirits will require complete dependence upon the Spirit of God, Who is abiding within as long as we remain faithful to the Lord. What we must guard against is jumping to a conclusion based solely upon the eloquence and logic of the presenting voice. Jesus cautioned His disciples against being deceived, because many will profess to come in His name, and many false prophets will let their voices be heard (Matthew 24:4-5, 11). When we consider Satan’s ability to disguise himself and his demons as bearers of light, then it is absolutely essential that we very carefully test the voices that call for our attention.
In the early 1990s, Charles Colson was working zealously to draw Evangelicals and Catholics together; he and Richard Neuhaus, a Lutheran turned Catholic, were primarily responsible for a document called Evangelicals and Catholics Together; numerous participants came from the Roman Catholics, which is not surprising, but there were others from the Eastern Nazarene College, the Southern Baptist Convention, Assemblies of God, World Evangelical Fellowship, and National Association of Evangelicals.2 Others who endorsed this bold venture into Ecumenism included Bill Bright (Campus Crusade for Christ), Richard Mouw (Fuller Theological Seminary), Mark Noll (Wheaton College), J.I. Packer (Regent College), and Pat Robertson (Regent University).3 What is very quickly evident is that Colson’s supporters included many leaders from within the Evangelical community. Colson’s premise was this: “we must strive for unity because it is the essence of the church.”4 His support for this flagrant declaration did not come from the Bible, but from Wolfhart Pannenberg, who concluded that “Christianity was the best philosophy,” and it was this “intellectual conversion” that launched his career as a theologian.5 Pannenberg, like Colson, et.al, considered church unity to be of great importance in order for it to have a “positive influence in secular society.”6 His fit with Colson might seem obvious; his theological appeal touched theologians of many persuasions, thereby making his philosophical approach truly Ecumenical. Colson, on the other hand, discredited the Ecumenists for pretending that there were no differences between denominations; while he acknowledged the differences, he chose to ignore them in favor of a specific focus on the “great orthodox truths [that] all Christians share.”7 The end result for both is the same: a push for Ecumenical cooperation, and discounting doctrinal differences – whether by pretending that they don’t exist, or by ignoring them, it matters not.
This provides a relatively recent occasion when it was necessary to conduct a thorough test of the spirit that was behind these alluring voices. Colson drew many into the error of Ecumenism simply by providing reasoning that appeared to be very logical – some supported by misused Scriptures, and other by theologians of humanistic philosophy who appeared to be “Christian.” It is vitally important that we learn to examine the voices that come our way, and carefully test them to ensure that we know the spirit that is behind these voices. The basis for this testing is a life of faith in the Lord and obedience to His commandments; it is only then that the Spirit of God will reveal to us the spirit that is behind the voice.
This is of even greater importance because many false prophets are everywhere in this world, and not all of them will be readily discernable. This means that we must become familiar with the Truth, the Word of God, so that we are more easily able to discern what is false. Yes, the Spirit of God is with us to guide us into all Truth, but that does not remove our responsibility to seek His Truth will all of our hearts – He will guide us as we are seeking! This is another reason that both Evangelicals and Fundamentalists are so easily swept into error: they do not invest the time and energy into studying the Scriptures so that they are able to discern error. Most do not have the Holy Spirit present in them, because He will not abide in the heart of someone living in disobedience to the commandments of the Lord; yet if they would actively seek for His Truth, He has promised that they will then find it (Matthew 7:7-8) – no seeking, no finding! Most have settled for a theology that they find acceptable, somewhat Biblical, but not too demanding: their contentment leaves them spiritually lethargic and anemic. Unfortunately, theologies do not provide spiritual life; the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day had a very detailed theology, yet Jesus warned His disciples: “… except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). Paul instructed Timothy: “Be alert to yourself and the teaching; continue in them [reading, exhortation and teaching from v. 13]; for [by] doing this, not only will you be rescued from sin, but also those who are hearing you” (1 Timothy 4:16, literal). Teaching does not refer to a theology that Paul had devised, but to the Gospel that had been entrusted to him by the Lord; he was very concerned that the Message that he had received of the Lord should not be compromised in any way (Romans 16:17; Galatians 1:9; 2 Timothy 3:14).
2. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ, who did come in the flesh, is from God (literal).
John now provides an example of how we can determine that it is the Spirit of God Who is behind the voice that we hear. There are two ways to translate this verse; the KJV, and every translation that I looked at (except for the Message), shows that if the confession of the spirit is that Jesus came in the flesh, then that spirit is of God. I have often wondered at this, because even among the ungodly there are those who will acknowledge that Jesus Christ was a historic being Who walked this earth (He came in the flesh), yet that does not mean that they are being guided by the Spirit of God. However, as I approached this text, I noticed that is come (did come) is a participle – a verbal adjective that is used to describe Jesus Christ. Therefore, the test is not an acknowledgment that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, but a confession of Jesus Christ as God in human form. The difference is significant: the first focuses on Jesus in the flesh, the second upon Who Jesus Christ truly is.
As the angel spoke with Mary regarding her coming Child, he said this: “the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Highest will rest upon you; therefore, also, the Holy Begotten will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35, literal). As Joseph contemplated Mary being with Child, he was told: “and she [Mary] will give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21, literal). Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, which means Jehovah saves;8 although this was a common name among the Jews, it is clear that, in this case, it was assigned by God and would find fulfillment in a whole new way. An acknowledgement of Jesus must include that He is God, and that He came to make salvation available to everyone.
Christ (Greek Christos) means the Anointed, and is related to the Hebrew mashiah, meaning anointed, from which we get Messiah.9 Although the Hebrew term was most frequently used in the OT in regard to a king, it also applied to the high priest; consequently, it is appropriate to consider the promised Messiah to be both King and High Priest. What is interesting, is that Caiaphas, the high priest who presided over Jesus’ mock trial, understood “the Christ” to mean “the Son of God” (Matthew 26:63). It is evident from this that the religious Jews understood that the Hebrew mashiah (Messiah) referred to Someone Who was coming, and Who was God (John 5:18), yet they desired a political Messiah, not a Savior of their lost souls.
Therefore, the name Jesus Christ provides a double emphasis that He is God (born of woman by God, and identified as the Son of God), and includes the saving work of Jehovah (Joshua) and the Anointed, our High Priest and King. Therefore, any spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ, now that we understand the full scope of what that name means, must be from God.
So, we might wonder, why did John include that participle: who did come in the flesh. We recognize from Scripture that Satan’s destructive work against the Gospel message began immediately. His initial attacks took the form of persecution from the religious Jews (Acts 4:1 – came upon is a rather mild translation; actually, the religious leaders suddenly came upon them).10 However, it was not long before Satan shifted his tactic to a destruction of the Message – not by endeavoring to stamp it out, but by twisting it just slightly. We see this with the Judaizers who caused all sorts of trouble in the region of Galatia, where Paul and Barnabas had taught the true Message; these people only sought to add a few Jewish traditions to make faith in the Gospel complete (Acts 15:1). Paul called this a perversion of the Gospel, and those who taught it accursed of God (Galatians 1:7-8).
In the early days of the growth of Christianity, the Devil inserted the teaching of Docetism; from the Greek dokein, meaning to seem, or to have the appearance of.11 Under this heresy, it was contended that Jesus’ physical body was an illusion, or a phantom – celestial but not physical. Britannica cites several verses in John’s epistles (this being one of them) as support for this heresy finding traction very early on; Docetism became a significant cog in the wheel of Gnosticism, where the material world was considered to be evil (created by an evil being), and the spiritual good.12 The Gnostic belief was that Jesus came to liberate the “sparks of divinity” within individuals from the evil world of matter, thereby supporting the non-material-Jesus concept, and that salvation came through achieving gnosis, a mystical, spiritual experience that united the individual with the divine.13
In John’s phrase, who did come in the flesh, did come is in the perfect tense: a completed action with continuing results.14 Under the pressure of heresies like Docetism, this statement by John took on a greater significance, and the fact that Jesus did come in the flesh, provides a context for His saving work that Satan desires everyone to overlook – his own defeat (Hebrews 2:14)! By creating a false dualistic view of life, Satan deceived many into following something that was his twist to what the Scriptures taught. John speaks against this by stating that Jesus came in the flesh.
We easily recognize that there are many false prophets who would readily agree that Jesus came in the flesh, and so, as a test to identifying a spirit as being from God, that would be an entirely inadequate measure. The primary test presented here, is to have a good understanding of all that surrounds the name Jesus Christ, then the Spirit of God will be able to guide us in our determination of the spirit behind the voice.
3. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
And every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus Christ, Who did come in the flesh, is not from God; and this is of the Antichrist, and this [spirit] is of the Antichrist, which you have heard that it is coming, and at this time it is already in the world (literal).
John likes to present the contrast between positives and negatives. We’ve seen examples of this in 2:10 and 2:11, 3:7 and 3:10, 3:20 and 3:21, and now between verse 2 and here. First, every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ … is from God (v. 2), and here we have: every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus Christ … is not from God. He uses this approach to provide additional information that is more evident if the opposite perspective is taken. Interestingly, in both cases, he has inserted the same phrase: Who did come in the flesh; he is underscoring this truth so that his readers will be able to quickly see the error of those who were, even from these early days, denying this fundamental truth concerning Jesus.
Again, the focus of the careful testing that is to take place (4:1) is the determination if a spirit is from God, and the principal criteria to be used is the spirit’s attitude toward Jesus Christ – the One Who saves from sin, is the Son of God, and the Anointed of God. In this verse, John takes the negative approach: the spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus Christ; he uses this negative test result to provide additional information about such a spirit.
He teaches that this negative position identifies the spirit as being of the Antichrist, a spirit that is against Christ – a spirit that denies the Father and the Son (1 John 2:22); John added that if anyone denies the Son, then he does not have the Father either (1 John 2:23). Jesus said: “… He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him” (John 5:23b); as He said later, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). The spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus Christ, is not from God, but is of the Antichrist; if we take Jesus’ words into account, then it is clear that if there is no acceptance of Jesus Christ, then they do not have God either. Consider the Jehovah’s Witnesses who profess that they believe in Jesus as the son of God; they teach that He is a created being, perhaps Michael the archangel, but definitely not Jehovah God.15 John’s assessment is that they have denied Jesus His rightful place as God, and so they do not have Jehovah either – particularly since Jesus identified Himself as being one with the Father, Jehovah. They claim to be witnesses of Jehovah, but, in reality, they don’t know Him and are false prophets whom we must avoid. The same can be said for Mormons who deny that Jesus is eternal (he was the first spirit-child created by the Father, not born of the Holy Spirit), he is completely separate from the Father (although united in purpose), and we can become divine like Jesus by following their doctrines (he is our elder brother).16 The Mormons, like the JWs, deny the essence of Who Jesus truly is, and they, too, fall under the broad category of false prophets – those who deny the Truth of Jesus Christ. This is the reason that John emphasizes the need to discern the tested spirit’s attitude toward Jesus Christ – it is on this that we either approve or avoid the spirit. Both the JWs and Mormons believe that Jesus came in the flesh, so if that was the test (as most translations would seem to suggest), then they would both be approved; however, that is not the test, and we must be sure that we know Jesus Christ in truth!
The test for the spirit of Antichrist centers on Jesus Christ; we recognize that Satan is the source of the spirit of Antichrist, for he has stood against the Lord from before the Garden of Eden. We have just considered two religions that acknowledge Jesus, but not in His full role as the Son of God and equal with the Father – they reveal the spirit of the Antichrist, which John affirms as being evident in the world in his time. This spirit was at work in the Garden, and it will continue until Satan is assigned his place in the Lake of Fire and this earth is replaced by a New Heaven and Earth (Revelation 20:10; 21:1).
We are told that the Dragon, or Satan, is making war against those “who are obeying the commandments of God and are holding the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 12:17b, literal). John has made it very clear that our obedience to the commandments of God is central to our life for Him; therefore, we must not be surprised when we find ourselves under attack from Satan. In Ephesians six, Paul taught the necessity of wearing the armor of God, not for offensive spiritual warfare, as so many teach today, but so that we are able to withstand the attacks of the enemy. “You must clothe yourself in the full armor of God, so that you are able to stand against the cunning attacks of the Devil” (Ephesians 6:11, literal); “Because of this [wrestling against rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness (v. 12)], you must take the full armor of God so that you are able to stand firm in the evil day and, having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13). Paul’s word to Timothy was this: “And even all who are desiring to live in a godly manner in Christ Jesus, will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12, literal); suffer, is in the indicative mood – this is a statement of fact. If we are abiding faithfully in Him, then we are the targets of Satan, and we will feel the attacks of his forces, but, dressed in the full armor of God, we will be able to stand against those assaults. Notice that we are to stand – not negotiate, and certainly not compromise; there is no place for Ecumenical unity in the life of the obedient saint. We are called to separate from those who do not live in obedience to the commandments of God and who teach what does not align itself with God’s Word; we are not to become one with them – there must be Biblical separation.
“14. Do not become unevenly yoked with the faithless; for what partnership [has] righteousness with lawlessness? and what fellowship [has] light with darkness? … 16. and what agreement [does] the temple of God [have] with idols? For you are a temple of the living God, as God has said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among [them], and I will be their God and they will be My people. 17. Therefore, come out from among them and be separate’ says the Lord, ‘and do not take hold of what is unclean, and I will receive you.’” (2 Corinthians 6:14, 16-17, literal). We, who are faithful to the Lord, are commanded (become is in the imperative mood) to separate from the faithless, and, to help us understand the concept of separation, Paul provides a sampling of opposites that hold nothing in common – they are separate! Jesus declared: “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad” (Matthew 12:30); there is nothing between being with Me and being against Me – the two positions are mutually exclusive; they hold nothing in common.
This is supporting evidence for what we read in James: “For whoever will obey the whole Law, but will sin in only one [commandment], he has become guilty of [disobeying] all [of the commandments]” (James 2:10, literal).17 The Law of God stands as a whole; if we violate one command, then we are guilty before the Law, and as a lawbreaker, must bear the weight of the Law’s condemnation. Paul assures us that if we are in Christ Jesus, living according to the leading of the Spirit of God (separated from a life lived in keeping with the flesh), then we are not under condemnation (Romans 8:1). It is a life of faithful obedience to the Word of the Lord that ensures that we are in Him (1 John 2:5); as we live according to the leading of the Spirit of God (that life of obedience), then we will see the requirement of the Law being lived out through us (Romans 8:4). A life of obedience to the commandments of God comes only through living according to the guidance of the Spirit Who is abiding within us, if we are in Christ Jesus. “And you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God is dwelling in you; and if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this one is not His” (Romans 8:9, literal); it is understood that the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ are the same (John 15:26). Jesus defined this life as being narrow, or compressed (Matthew 7:14) – there is no room for deviation from the Narrow Way that is the only path to the Father (John 14:6), and that is why there are so few who will find it. Most will turn away from such a restrictive life because they are unwilling to live in obedience to the Law of God through the guidance of the Spirit of God.
Today we find many who will profess to love the Lord, yet they will not live in obedience to His commandments – the Truth of God (the Lord Jesus Christ; John 14:6) does not abide in them (1 John 2:4), and they remain under the Lord’s condemnation (Romans 8:1). Such as these bear the spirit of the Antichrist – they have denied the Son by the lives that they lead, and accordingly, the Father. Their spiritual assurance comes from theologies that men have developed under the guidance of the spirit of disobedience; “And evil men and deceivers will go on from bad to worse: leading astray and being led astray” (2 Timothy 3:13, literal). Theologies are fabricated as the theologians are being led astray by the Devil, and they, in turn, are leading others astray by teaching their compromised understanding of Scripture. We must learn to discern the Spirit of God in others so that we are able to quickly separate from those who teach doctrines that are not aligned with God’s Word; only then will we avoid becoming ensnared by the teachings of Antichrist.
4. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is He [Who is] in you, than he [who is] in the world (literal).
These little children have their sins forgiven (2:12), they know the Father (2:13), are warned of the many antichrists already in the world (2:18), are charged to abide in Him (2:28), are warned against being deceived (3:7), and told to love in action and Truth (3:18). Now John assures them that they are of God and that they have overcome them. In the previous verse, John told them that the one who does not acknowledge Jesus Christ is of the Antichrist, thus providing the test to identify the many antichrists that are already in the world. Them refers to those who have the spirit of Antichrist, and, by heeding John’s instructions in this letter, the little children will be able to identify and avoid them – gain the victory over their deceptive ways.
The Source of this victory comes through the Lord in Whom they, and we, are abiding. Jesus overcame the Devil by His death and resurrection; by abiding in Him (and, therefore, He in us), we have the Victor over death and the Devil, in us (John 15:4). In this, truly we are the temple of God, Who is far greater than the defeated Devil who is active in the world and those who are disobedient to the Lord (Ephesians 2:2). Understanding this will reduce the appeal of the world, and strengthen our resolve to live faithfully and obediently for the Lord, Who is the Victor over all.
5. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
They are of the world; for this reason, they are speaking of the world, and the world is listening to [them] (literal).
They refers to those who are not of God (v.3); more specifically, the antichrists who are everywhere in the world. They are of the world, they are speaking of the world, and the world is giving them attention. Those who are in Christ do not have a Message that the world is interested in hearing – even professing Christians are not eager for the truth of God. Jesus said: “Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘The slave is not greater than his lord’; since I was persecuted, you also will be persecuted; if My Word they obey, [then] yours they [will] obey also” (John 15:20, literal).18 Jesus came to earth as God in human flesh, yet He was not welcomed because of Who He was; the religious leaders of the Jews, who should have recognized Him from the many prophecies within their Scriptures, sought to kill Him because He threatened their prestigious position within their culture (John 11:48). Since they persecuted Jesus, He tells us that we, too, will be persecuted; persecuted is in the indicative mood (a statement of fact) – it is the Lord’s promise that we will be persecuted! We must live in such a manner that the persecution that we face comes from being a disciple of the Lord, and not because of our own failures. Peter covered this very carefully: “15. So let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an evildoer, or as a meddler; 16. but if as a Christian, [then] do not be ashamed, but glorify God in this matter” (1 Peter 4:15-16, literal). The perspective that Peter is bringing to light is this: “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified” (1 Peter 4:14) – Christ is glorified as we graciously bear reproach because of His name. It is through the abiding Spirit of God that we are able to endure the insults of the world for being followers of Christ – all a part of the persecution that Jesus promised.
“If you were of the world, then the world would love its own; but since you are not of the world, indeed, I did choose you out of the world, because of this, the world is hating you” (John 15:19, literal). These are Jesus’ words to His disciples whom He had chosen to follow Him during His ministry. Although He has not chosen us in the same way, as we abide in Him (and He in us), we, too, are not of the world, because He is not of this world (John 8:23), and so we must expect that the world will not welcome us, even as it hated Him. This undergirds the command that John issued earlier: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). We are to be separated from the world and everything that is worldly – including the theologies of “Christians” that permit them to live in disobedience to the Lord and still hold a hope of heaven. Any message that does not consistently adhere to the Truth of Scripture, is of the world – regardless of how Biblical it may sound (Romans 16:17).
6. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
We are of God; whoever is knowing God, is hearing us, [and] whoever is not of God, is not hearing us; by this we know the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of deception (literal).
John began this section by commanding that we test to know the spirit of those who are about us – whether it is of God, or not. He now adds to the testing procedures that we, who are of God, can use: do they understand us when we speak of God? If they don’t, then they are not of God. However, we must not be too hasty: the premise for this is that we are of God, which means that we must be living under the guidance of His Spirit and in obedience to His commandments. Most professing “Christians” would readily claim to be of God, yet when you speak to them of the Truth, they neither understand, nor do they display any interest in coming to know the Truth more fully. In fact, they are quite content to embrace a lie that is taking them to the Lake of Fire; they have no interest in growing in God’s Truth because they are not prepared to change their easy, uncompressed walk through life (Matthew 7:14). They have been so thoroughly deceived by the Devil (posing as an angel of light) that they are not seeking to know the Truth – actually, they won’t even entertain the mere suggestion that they might be wrong in any way.
As we abide faithfully in Christ, those who are not of God will not have any desire to hear what we have to say; as we speak the truth of God to them, their ears are closed to anything that is not in keeping with their favored theology or preacher. When my wife and I began to remove ourselves from the Evangelical Free Church, we learned many new things from Scripture by associating with a couple of Baptist churches; however, as the Lord opened our eyes to His Truth, and as we double-checked everything that we had learned about the Lord over the years, we discovered that the Baptists are also very theology oriented – their theology! As we sought to understand God’s Word and His Truth, we moved beyond man’s theologies to allowing His Word to interpret itself. Did we get it all right the first time? Of course not. Do we have it all correct now? Probably not, but as we seek for His truth, He ensures that we find it, and as we learn, we willingly change. We have discovered that it is that last item for which most people have no desire; one fellow told me that he would not read my study on the Sabbath because he had been through enough change already. His unspoken admission was that he suspected that his understanding of the Sabbath was not correct, but choosing to ignore the subject permitted him to retain his current situation, which was easier for him.
What John clarifies is that if we are of God, then those who will hear and understand us, are also of God. The essence is this: “… what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14c); those who are in Christ (Who is light) have nothing in common with those who walk in darkness. This darkness includes the pagan, but also the professing “Christian” who lives in disobedience to the Lord (1 John 2:4). The word that John uses for hearing (akouei) goes beyond the action of the ear, to the mind that comprehends what is being heard. If we consider that the one who is in Christ has the Spirit of God abiding within, then we can see that the one who does not have the Spirit, and is not in Christ, does not have the basis to understand the follower of Christ – spiritual light and darkness have nothing in common.
7. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
Beloved, we should love one another because the love is of God, and everyone who is loving has been born of God and is coming to know God (literal).
Love, as it is used here, is from the Greek agape, which is a love that involves the exercise of the will (as opposed to the emotions); coming through the will, it is preceded by an evaluation and a choice.19 This is the love that God expressed toward a fallen human race, and the love that Christ demonstrated through His sacrifice for sin.
When Jesus was asked by an expert in the interpretation of the Law of Moses to identify the greatest commandment in the law, He responded by providing a two commandment summary of the Ten Commandments. “37. And Jesus did say to him, ‘You will love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your mind. 38. This is the first and great commandment. 39. And the second is like it: you will love your neighbor as yourself. 40. The whole Law and the prophets depend on these two commandments’” (Matthew 22:37-40, literal). The first and great commandment is that we love the Lord, and the second is that we love our neighbor; in both cases, the Greek word is a form of agape. Love is in the indicative mood (a statement of fact) and future tense, which is how it appears in the LXX; on the other hand, the Hebrew (Deuteronomy 6:5) shows this as a command;20 the thinking is that because the intent is that this action is to be carried out, using the indicative mood and future tense, carries a similar weight – even though it is not in the imperative mood. Our evaluative love must begin with the Lord (a choice to love Him so completely that we live in obedience to the first four Commandments); upon this foundation, we are then able to love our neighbor properly (as expressed in the last six Commandments). Jesus was asked for one commandment, but clearly proclaimed two that are fully representative of the Ten Commandments written by God upon tables of stone (Exodus 32:15-16), which, in turn, form the framework for the Law of Moses.
John says that we should love one another, by which he has carefully included our need to make this choice (the subjunctive mood). By addressing the beloved, he has identified the audience for what follows as being those who are in Christ, and of God. Agape finds its expression as the consequence of a decision (based upon an evaluative process), and a choice (it is an act of the will). Jesus said that this love, demonstrated toward one another, will identify His disciples (John 13:35); therefore, we can understand from this that this love is very unique, and limited to those who are in Him, otherwise it would not specifically identify those who are in Christ. Paul taught this: “8. Do not be indebted to anyone for anything, except to love one another; for he who is loving another has fulfilled the Law … 10. the love for a neighbor is working no evil; therefore, the love [is] the fulfillment of the Law” (Romans 13:8, 10, literal); agape forms the Greek word for love in each case. This fits precisely with how Jesus summarized the Law: a love for God and a love for our neighbor; the fulfillment of the Law centers around love, beginning with a love for God.
Paul also describes agape as being the first evidence of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). If we give a moment’s reflection to all of what we have just considered, then what becomes evident is that agape is a love that comes from God, and it is limited to those who are His, which is why John can state that the one who is loving has been born of God. If this love could come from someone who does not know God, then John’s statement wouldn’t be correct; nor could we then consider such love to be from the Spirit of God. John will continue to make his case for this truth.
John finishes with: the one who is so loving, is coming to know God. In this life, we will never come to a full knowledge of God; however, that must not discourage us from studying His Word and growing in our understanding of Him (2 Peter 3:18). The encouragement is that this agape can be a part of our daily living even as we continue to grow in our knowledge of God.
8. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
He who is not loving has not known God, since God is love (literal).
The one who is not loving according to the guidance of the Spirit of God, has not known God. Placing our faith in the Lord Jesus brings the Spirit of God to abide within; the first evidence of the Spirit is love – agape (Galatians 5:22). Since this agape is proof of the abiding Spirit of God, then, truly, the one who does not have this love does not know God. The Spirit is present in the one whose faith is in the Lord Jesus for cleansing from sin and whose life is marked by obedience to the commandments of God, therefore, if there is no love (no Spirit), then there has been no forgiveness of sins – without forgiveness, there is no relationship with God.
Now we come to the basis for John’s emphasis on the need for love (agape) to be evident in us, particularly toward those who are in the faith. God is love. The verb, in this short phrase, is in the indicative mood – this is a statement of fact! Love, of course, is agape. Through Jesus’ words, we understand that this is the love that we are to have toward God and our neighbor (Matthew 22:37-39), and this is the love that will permit the fulfillment of the Law of God (Matthew 22:40). It is God’s love in us that we reflect back to Him through obedience to His first four Commandments, and we direct this same love toward our neighbor in fulfillment of the last six Commandments. Paul declared: “… the love [agape] of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, Who was given to us” (Romans 5:5b, literal). If we are in Christ, then this love of God is in us by the presence of the Spirit of God; therefore, John plainly states, that the one who does not have this love, does not know God at all.
John uses not twice: is not loving, has not known God. In our English, we do not see that there is any difference, but, in the Greek, these are two different words. The first (me) simply indicates that the loving is not observable (a subjective not); the second (ou, or ouk) is an objective negative, indicating that knowing God does not exist at all – this is a much stronger, absolute negative. In keeping with the meaning of the negatives, the second phrase (has not known God) is also in the indicative mood – it is a statement of fact.
9. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
In this, the love of God has been revealed among us: that God did send His Son, the One and Only, into the world, so that, through Him, we will live (literal).
“For in this way, God did love the world: so that He did give His Son, the One and Only, that everyone who is believing in Him will not perish but is having life everlasting” (John 3:16, literal). The parallel themes between these two verses is quite evident. Among us must be understood within a broad context (the world), because the love of God was evident to many more than just those who became His followers – they may not have recognized His love, yet Christ came to pay the price for their sins. “And God is demonstrating His own love unto us, for our being yet sinners, Christ did die for our [sins]” (Romans 5:8, literal).
Here, John presents only what we will receive through Christ, the only true Son of God: life! As Luke traces Joseph’s lineage, he refers to the first man, Adam, as being the son of God (Luke 3:38). God breathed into the man whom He had formed, the breath of lives (the Hebrew word is plural): giving him physical life (breath), as well as an eternal soul (psuche), something that separates him from all other created beings (Genesis 2:7).21 Yet Adam, although created without sin, was not God; Jesus is the eternal Word Who donned a body of flesh – there is a vast difference between these two. The first became the father of all of humanity, the second is the Creator of all things; Adam brought sin into this world, Jesus paid the price for sin so that, through His sacrifice, we are able to live in Him. “Therefore, then, as by one [Adam], sin [is] against all men unto condemnation, so also by One [Jesus], [is] an act of justice for all men unto justification of life” (Romans 5:18, literal). We are all naturally born of Adam with a fallen sin nature, and live under condemnation because of it; Jesus fulfilled God’s justice against sin, and brought a way of escape from this condemnation for those who are spiritually re-born in Him. The first includes all of humanity; the second is only available to those who come to Christ in living faith (a continuous believing and obeying).
“For if we, being enemies, have been reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, we, being reconciled, will be saved by His life” (Romans 5:10, literal). John’s focus is on the life that is only available through Christ; he is fully aware of His death that was required to restore our fellowship with the Lord. We must be continually aware that being reconciled with God is not automatically everlasting; unless we remain faithfully and obediently in Him unto the end of our time on this earth, we will not obtain the life that is available in Him. “And you will be hated by all because of My name [the promise of tribulation], but he who has endured [remained faithful despite persecution] unto the end, this is the one who will be saved” (Mark 13:13, literal). Salvation only comes by remaining faithful to the Lord unto the very end; despite modern thinking, salvation is not a present possession, but a future reward for faithfulness to the Lord.
10. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
In this is love, not that we did love God, but that He did love us and sent His Son [as] the Way of forgiveness for our sins (literal).
To His disciples Jesus said: “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one is coming to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6b, literal), thereby making it very clear that He is the only means of coming to God. Isaiah notes this: “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). There is a separation between God and man, and it is caused by man’s sinfulness. Before the Law of Moses, this separation was temporarily bridged when the sinner would, in faith, offer a blood sacrifice to God, according to the pattern that the Lord began in the Garden (Genesis 3:21; 4:4; 22:18). Under the Law of Moses, this disconnection was spanned for a time through the faith of the sinner in the sacrifice that the priests would make for his sin; this faith, too, required obedience to the Lord (Deuteronomy 11:26-28). Both of these looked forward to the time when God would provide a fulfillment of this practice; that came in the Person of Jesus Christ Who made the final sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:12). Under the New Covenant, which came through Jesus’ one sacrifice, faith must be placed in Him for His blood that was shed for our sins, and we, too, must live in obedience to Him (John 14:15). In each case, faith in the shed blood is the key to covering sins; during the OT times, it was a temporary covering, which meant that the sacrifices had to be repeated, yet, as we have seen, the faith that was exercised also required obedience to the Lord. Under the NC in Christ, blood sacrifices are ended – Christ being the final sacrifice, yet without obedience to the commandments of God, we will not enjoy the forgiveness of sins.
“The one who is holding My commandments and is obeying them, that person is loving Me; and he who is loving Me, will be loved by My Father and I will love him, and I will reveal Myself to him” (John 14:21, literal). This principle was in effect even in the OT: “And shewing mercy [kindness] unto thousands of them that love me, and keep [shamar, not to break; observe both externally and in the heart] my commandments” (Exodus 20:6).22 Isaiah recorded the Lord’s thoughts regarding Israel’s observance of the Law of Moses: “11. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full [weary] of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats … 16. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil” (Isaiah 1:11, 16). Israel followed the letter of the Law of Moses, but their obedience did not come from their hearts, and so the Lord became weary of their activities, which he calls evil; they were doing the right things, but their hearts remained untouched, and the Lord despised what they were doing. So our obedience to the commandments of the Lord must be carried out with our whole heart, not superficially; once again, Israel has provided an example for us – our obedience must be out of our love for the Lord, not an endeavor to gain His approval.
The ultimate expression of love was God sending His Son to bear the sins of the world, and to provide a way for our sins to be forgiven. Like all of the saints of God before us, we must live in obedience to His commandments; obedience flows from a heart of faith in the Lord, under the guidance of the Spirit of God. Jesus said: “You must abide in Me, and I in you” (John 15:4, literal). John wrote: “And the one who is obeying His commandments is abiding in Him, and He in him” (1 John 3:24a, literal). We abide in the Lord as we live in obedience to His commandments. The one who is not abiding in Him is disobedient; this one is living under the control of the Devil (Ephesians 2:2), is not obedient to His commandments, and will wither, die and be burned (John 15:6). Jesus is the Way, and we can only follow Him through obedience to His commandments – there is no other way to the Father!
11. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
Beloved, if God did so love us, [then] we are indebted to love one another (literal).
Beloved (from apagetoi) includes the thought of agape love, and John uses the term to identify those who are in Christ; he is not writing to those who are outside of the family of God, but to those who have been born anew through Christ. God set the example by loving us, even before we submitted to Him; but having placed our faith in Christ, we now have a special relationship with the Lord through which our love for Him will grow.
We’ve already noted that Jesus taught that we are to have this love (agape) for God, as well as for our neighbor. God’s great love for this world is, to a great extent, simply that – His love toward an unloving and hostile world. When we place our faith in Christ, His love toward us continues, but now that we have a relationship with Him, it is also reflected back to Him through our obedience – His love is now a part of our relationship with Him, something that is very different from His one-way love for the world.
Jesus taught that we are to love (agape) our neighbor, which may, at times, also be a one-way love; nevertheless, we have six Commandments to guide us in our relationship with our neighbor. If our neighbor also lives in faithful obedience to the Lord, then we will have a love one for another – a love within a spiritual bond in the Lord. This is the unique love that will identify us as being followers of Him (John 13:35).
12. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
No one has ever seen God; if we are loving one another, [then] God is abiding in us and His love is made complete in us (literal).
When Moses expressed his desire to behold the glory of Jehovah, he was told: “Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live” (Exodus 33:20). The Lord permitted Moses to see His departing glory, but that was all (Exodus 33:23). Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father (John 14:8), to which Jesus replied: “… he that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9b). God is a spirit (John 4:24), so it is obvious that He cannot be seen by us; however, Jesus came in human flesh (John 1:14) and was visible to His disciples – He was visible and He was fully God (John 10:30). “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). The eternal Word, “6. … being in nature, God, did not consider equality with God something to be held onto, 7. But did empty Himself [and] did take the form of a slave, and He was made in the likeness of men; 8. And being found in form as a man, He humbled Himself to become obedient to death – that is, death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8, literal). The Word, Who is God, purposed to leave the glories of Heaven, to limit His glory so that He could live undetected among men, and to humble Himself sufficiently to become the perfect Sacrifice for sin.
In a very real sense, those who saw Jesus during His earthly ministry did see God, yet it was in a veiled fashion. Most did not, or refused to, recognize that Jesus was the Christ, the anointed of God – they knew Him only as being the son of a carpenter (Matthew 13:55). Peter, James and John were given a glimpse of just a small portion of His glory when He was transfigured before them (Matthew 17:2); it was sufficiently obscured that they lived to relate their experience. God, in His full glory, cannot be seen by sinful man; Jesus, being fully God, left His rightful glory in order to live, without detection, among sinful men.
John tells us that if we are loving one another, then God is in us and His love is made complete. Earlier, John noted that it is the one who is obedient to God’s commandments in whom God’s love is made complete, who is abiding in God (1 John 2:5), and who is born of God (1 John 4:7). Although we have not seen God, this agape that comes from God is in us and flows through us, so that we are abiding in Him, and He in us, we are born of God, and His agape is made complete in us. All of this finds a place in those who are living in obedience to His commandments (1 John 2:5).
13. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
In this we know that we are abiding in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit (literal).
John is, once again, repeating what he has written earlier, thereby reinforcing some significant truths for his readers. “And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us” (1 John 3:24b). Earlier, John also clarified that it is as we live in obedience to His Word that we grow in our understanding that we are in Him (1 John 2:5). Rather than expecting his readers to piece all of this together, John provides them with these truths from different perspectives, so that they arrive at a full understanding of how obeying God’s commandments, loving one another, abiding in Him, and the Spirit of God abiding in us, are all interrelated. However, as we read his letter, we come to understand that the key is our obedience to God’s commandments. “The one who is believing in the Son has everlasting life; and the one who is disobeying the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God is abiding upon him” (John 3:36, literal). Disobedience to the commandments of God excludes everyone from the everlasting life that is available through Jesus; on this person rests the wrath of God. Believing includes the two inseparable elements of faith and obedience!
14. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
And we have seen and are testifying that the Father sent the Son, the Savior of the world (literal).
As we read our English translation, it sounds very much like 1 John 1:2 – “and we have seen it, and bear witness.” Have seen, as just quoted, is from the Greek horao, which places the focus on the object seen; in this case, the supplied it refers to the Word of Life, Christ; in our current verse, this phrase is from theaomai, which is an attentive looking that includes the one who is doing the viewing – there is the visual, but the viewer is drawn beyond that to perceive the supernatural.23 Those who followed Jesus throughout His earthly ministry saw Him, as did many other people; the Jewish leaders saw Him as a threat to their positions of privilege, the general population saw Him as Someone Who could meet their needs like no other, and to His disciples He was the Christ, the Son of God (John 6:69). As John began this letter, he acknowledged that the Apostles of the Lord saw Him as the eternal Word become flesh (John 1:14), but as he reflects on the life and resurrection of the Lord, he now sees the eternal purpose of God accomplished: Jesus, the Son of God and the world’s Savior.
What is interesting is that horao (1 John 1:2) is in the perfect tense (a past completed action with ongoing effects), active voice (the subject [we] performs the action), and indicative mood (it is a statement of fact).24 Theaomai, on the other hand, is in the perfect tense, middle voice, and indicative mood;25 the only difference is the voice. The middle voice is somewhat like the active voice in that the action is being done by the subject, but the difference is that the subject is also the recipient of the action; John is saying that the Apostles not only saw that Jesus was from the Father (being His Son), but they also see that they have become beneficiaries of the work of Jesus as the Savior of the world. As His disciples, they understood to a degree that He was unique, but now they have gone beyond that to where He is their Savior.
By contrast, the English bear witness and do testify are from exactly the same Greek word (both are present tense, active voice, and indicative mood).26 Their testifying to the truth of Who Jesus is and His purpose in coming to earth, is continuous; indeed, their past action of having seen the Lord (perfect tense) has led to their ongoing testimony to His role as the world’s only Savior.
The Father sent the Son; sent is in the perfect tense (a past, completed action with ongoing results), active voice (the Father did the sending), and indicative mood (it’s a fact).27 Before creation, it was determined by eternal Jehovah that the Word, one member of the eternal God, would become flesh for the purpose of providing sinful humanity, created in His image, with the means of forgiveness: a Savior Who would make spiritual cleansing available for all men (John 1:14; 1 Peter 1:20); although not yet created, God knew that man would succumb to sin.28 It is to this amazing truth that John, and the other Apostles of the Lord, are testifying.
The Savior of the world is a phrase that we must approach carefully, keeping the rest of Scripture in mind. This is not a declaration of universalism: it is not saying that everyone will be saved. The reality presented is that Jesus is the world’s Savior – He is the Savior for all of humanity. He, Himself, declared: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6); He is the only means of coming to His Father. Jesus is the Narrow Access to the restricted pathway that leads to life everlasting, and He will only be found by a few (Matthew 7:13-14). Nevertheless, Jesus is the only means of forgiveness for the whole world – for all of humanity (1 John 2:2). Forgiveness of sins was available on a temporary basis from the very beginning; God shed the blood of animals in order to provide Adam and Eve with acceptable coverings for their sin (Genesis 3:21). Abel’s blood sacrifice was pleasing to the Lord (Genesis 4:4), as was Noah’s (Genesis 8:20-22); yet these sacrifices made by God’s faithful ones, and all of those made under the Law of Moses, could never remove sin (Hebrews 10:4) – they only provided a temporary covering for sin. The faithful OT saints died and went to a place of rest in Abraham’s bosom, or Paradise (Luke 16:22; 23:43), until such time as their sins would be paid in full. Through Christ’s one sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:12), the sins of all of the OT faithful were now paid in full, they were resurrected with glorified bodies when Christ arose (Matthew 27:52-53), and were taken to be with the Lord when He ascended to heaven (Ephesians 4:8, He led captivity captive). With the coming of the New Covenant in His blood (Luke 22:20), the sins of the faithful are covered through His shed blood; if the faithful remain obedient unto the end, then they will be given the salvation that He has prepared for His own (Matthew 24:13).
15. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
Whoever might declare that Jesus is the Son of God, God in him is remaining, and he in God (literal).
Confess (declare) is in the subjunctive mood, which means that whoever must choose to make this open declaration, which comes from a strong conviction concerning Jesus.29 The fact that John follows this with God remaining in him, and he in God, tells us that this conviction is still in place. John has made it clear that we come to know that we are in Him when we are living in obedience to His commandments (1 John 2:5), which tells us that if we are not obeying His commandments, then it follows that we are not in Him.
Declare is also in the aorist tense, providing us with a snapshot of this person at a point in the past; the picture that is presented is of someone whose conviction is that Jesus is the Son of God, and that he declared that truth. With this picture in mind, John states that God is dwelling (present tense) in someone with this conviction, and he in Him. However, He will not be in someone who has never held this conviction, or who no longer holds it.
There is great similarity between this verse and 1 John 3:24, where John stated that the one who is obeying His commandments is dwelling in Him, and He in him. Our declaration that Jesus is the Son of God and obeying His commandments both indicate that we are abiding in Him, and He in us by His Spirit.
16. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
And we have known and believed the love that God has among us; God is love, and he who is abiding in the love, he is abiding in God, and God in him (literal).[30]
Known and believed are both in the perfect tense – a completed past action that has ongoing results. Known (from ginosko) means to understand, perhaps not fully, but a growing knowledge that comes through the working of the abiding Holy Spirit. Believe (from pisteuo) includes the thought of persuasion after evaluation that leads to a strong conviction of the truth of a matter. Together, these form a solid foundation upon which to build a life that is committed to the Lord: a life of faithful obedience to His commandments. The subject for these two verbs (we) still refers to the Apostles of the Lord, as in verse 14; John is affirming that, even after the passage of time, knowing and believing the love of God that is theirs, remains vibrant – that is their experience.
Once again, John declares that God is love (1 John 4:8), and upon this, he opens it up to whoever is abiding in the love that is God: for this one, he is abiding in God, and God is abiding in him. Jesus commanded us to abide in Him, and as we do so, then He will abide in us (John 15:4); John tells us that as we abide in God’s love, the illustration of the branch being in the Vine will find fulfillment in us. Jesus also said that if we are loving Him, then we must be obeying His commandments (John 14:15); therefore, whoever is abiding in God’s love, must, of necessity, also be living in obedience to Him. We have learned that faith and obedience are inextricably linked, and now we see that obeying the Lord and abiding in Him are also inseparable.
17. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
In the midst of this, our love has been perfected, so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because just as He is, even we are in this world (literal).
This follows John’s clarification that the one who is abiding in love, is abiding in God and God in him. It is within this close relationship with God that our love has been perfected; this is in the perfect tense (a past completed action with ongoing results), passive voice (it is God Who perfected this love within us), and indicative mood (a statement of fact). Jesus expressed how this comes to be: “… if someone is loving Me, he will obey My Word, and My Father will love him, and to him We will come and make [Our] home with him” (John 14:23, literal). Once again, we are reminded that obedience to Him is essential to having this abiding relationship with the Lord. The one who is abiding in the Lord, and He in him, is clearly living in obedience to His commandments (1 John 2:5).
John states that it is through this complete love, which comes through being in God and He in us, that we are able to have confidence on the day of judgment. Some are of the opinion that this day of judgment is the day when, after the Millennial reign of Christ, all of the dead (the unrighteous dead since Adam and those who die when this heaven and earth are destroyed) will stand before the Great White Throne to face God one final time. “11. And I saw a great, radiant throne and the One Who is sitting on it, from Whose presence the earth and the heaven did vanish, and no place was found for them. 12. And I saw the dead, the lowly and the mighty, stand before God; and books were opened, and another was opened, the Book of Life, and the dead were sentenced by what has been written in the books, according to their works” (Revelation 20:11-12, literal). In keeping with the whole of Scripture, the time before the Great White Throne will be for the sentencing of the dead, not their judgment. The writer of Hebrews provides us with a glimpse into this truth: “And inasmuch as it is certain for men to die once, and after this – judgment” (Hebrews 9:27, literal). It is upon an individual’s death that the Lord’s judgment takes place.
Jesus provided us with a view of how this was accomplished in the OT times: “19. There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores … 22. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23. And in hell [Hades] he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence” (Luke 16:19-26). Lazarus, who was faithful to the Lord, when he died was taken to Abraham’s bosom, a place of comfort, whereas the rich man, who ignored the Lord, was taken to Hades, a place of torment. Notice that it was upon their death that the Lord judged the beggar to be worthy of a place of comfort, and the rich man a place of torment; their judgment before God was accomplished at the time of their death – just like the writer of Hebrews explained! Upon death, the OT saints were taken to Abraham’s bosom, or Paradise (Luke 23:43), pending Jesus’ final payment for the sins of all of humanity; the blood of all of the sacrifices made in the OT could never remove sin (Hebrews 10:4). When Jesus paid the price for all of sin, that of the OT saints was now paid in full, and when Jesus rose from the dead, the OT saints were also resurrected to new life in Him (Matthew 27:52-53), and Jesus took them to heaven as the firstfruit offering of the coming full harvest (Ephesians 4:8). Their faithfulness to the Lord during their lifetimes saw their sins covered (not removed), and, after their deaths, they remained in a place of comfort until their sins were removed by the Promised One. All of the unrighteous from the OT, upon their death, were sent to Hades, the place of torment reserved for the unrighteous dead. It will be at the Great White Throne that the residents of Hades will stand before God (Revelation 20:13), not for their judgment, because that took place at the moment of their death, but for sentencing; they will face what they did in their lives and will understand the justice of the sentences that they receive.
Paul has provided instruction on this matter under the New Covenant. “6. Therefore we are always confident and have understood that being at home in the body, [we] are away from the Lord … 8. but we are confident and, rather, consider it good to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6, 8, literal). We become absent from the body when we die; “Thou [Jehovah] hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust” (Psalm 104:29). Paul declares that for the child of God to be present in this body, is to be away from the Lord (we are present on the earth, while the Lord is in heaven); when we die, our bodies return to the dust while our souls are then with the Lord, awaiting the day when He will come in the clouds and reunite body and soul. “16. Because the Lord Himself, with a command, with the cry of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, will descend from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise first, 17. Then we who are living, who are surviving, will be snatched away together with them in the clouds to a meeting of the Lord in the air, and thus we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, literal).
The OT saints are now with the Lord in glorified bodies (having been resurrected with Him); the souls of the faithful who have died under the New Covenant, are with the Lord awaiting the day when body and soul will be reunited, and be with Him forever. The Lord’s faithful have never entered Hades – that has always been the place for the souls of the unrighteous dead.
John concludes with because just as He is, even we are in this world. This is a somewhat difficult saying that requires a little more thought. Jesus is unchangeable (Hebrews 13:8); He is the eternal Word Who accepted an earthly body in order to fulfill the eternal plan of bringing redemption from sin to humanity. He never ceased to be God while He was on earth (John 10:30), and He continues as such in heaven today. However, while He was on earth, He made this significant distinction: “I am not of this world” (John 8:23), and “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36); Jesus made it clear that even though He was on this earth, He was not a part of the world that is under the control of Satan. Generally speaking, the world is against God; everyone with an earthly father is born in sin (Romans 5:12), but Jesus was born by the Spirit of God, had no earthly father, and so was quite literally, not of this world.
Now we must remind ourselves that God is in us and we in Him; with this firmly in mind, even we are in this world. As we are abiding in the Lord, and He in us by His Spirit, we are not of this world; therefore, His desire for us, and the Spirit’s guidance within us, will be to live in a manner that is separate from the world. Our undivided focus must be on the Lord Jesus Who now resides in heaven and is preparing a place for those who are His (Hebrews 12:2; John 14:2); our attention must not be upon this world, for any treasure that we accumulate here will be of no eternal value (Matthew 6:19-21). As a matter of fact, John has made it very clear that if we are drawn aside into the things of the world, then we do not have the love of God (1 John 2:15). We are in this world, but we are not to be of it, even as Jesus was in this world, but not of it.
18. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
Fear is not in love, but perfect love is driving fear out, because fear includes punishment, and whoever is fearful has not been made complete in the love (literal).
John declares that there is no fear (phobos) in love, and we are called upon to love the Lord with all of our being (Matthew 22:37), yet, at the same time, we are told that the fear of the Lord is where wisdom begins (Psalm 111:10).31 What seems evident is that there are different applications for the word fear (since this is not a contradiction). Phobos has both a negative and positive use: negatively, it speaks of terror, dread and alarm; positively, it means to have respect, reverence, and awe for someone or something.32 If we consider the fear of the Lord, then we can see that reverence is fitting; however, within the reverence that we have for Him, there is also an element of fear that we would in any way cause Him displeasure. Yet, of these two that are in play at the same time, the dominant fear must be reverence, for He is our Creator and Savior! John has made it very clear that it is the one who is living in obedience to the commandments of God who is abiding in His love, and He is in him (1 John 2:4-5). It is as we live in this manner, under the guidance of the Spirit of God, that the fear of giving Him displeasure will be dissolved in His love; however, if we permit our obedience to slide (become disobedient) then it is only right that negative fear should enter our hearts – to cause us to confess our failure, repent of our disobedience, and restore our love-relationship with the Lord (1 John 1:9).
Earlier John wrote: “But whoever is obeying His Word, truly, in this one the love of God has been made complete [from teleioo]; by this we are coming to know that we are in Him” (1 John 2:5, literal); now he writes that perfect [from teleios] love is driving fear out. Perfect (an adjective) and complete (a verb) come from a common Greek root word that speaks of what is finished or brought to finality. It is within the one who is obeying the Lord’s commandments that His love is made complete (He loving us, and we loving Him), and it is this complete, or perfect, love that removes the negative fear, leaving a loving reverence for the Lord.
Fear includes punishment, is an interesting phrase. Punishment (KJV torment) is from the Greek kolasis, which speaks of the relationship between the correction (punishment) and the corrected (rather than the corrector).[33] This word gives rise to a sense of justified correction within the transgressor, as opposed to the administrator of justice for the infraction.[34] Since obedience to the commandments of the Lord removes fear, a moment of disobedience will bring with it a sense of having disappointed the Lord, as well as a fear of justified punishment. However, since John has already provided the solution to a misstep (1 John 1:9), the punishment, in this case, becomes the driving force of restoring our relationship with the Lord – that which casts negative fear out.
Finally, John notes that the one who is fearful (present tense: continually living in negative fear) has not come to know the love that removes such fear. Placing this within the context of John’s letter, the greatest reason for such fear is not living in obedience to the commandments of God (1 John 2:4-5). Fearful is in the passive mood, which means that this fear is a response to something and not a personal determination to be afraid – that something is in disobedience to the Lord. Jesus said that if we are loving Him, then we must obey His commandments (John 14:15); hence, if we do not obey, then we are not loving Him – we are not abiding in His love, and His love is not made complete in us.
Abiding in Christ (and He in us) will remove all negative fear from us, because His love is made complete in the one who is living in obedience to His commandments. Even though John did not mention obedience to the Lord, it is very clear that it is essential to a life that is lived in the love of God and reverence for Him.
19. We love him, because he first loved us.
We are loving Him, because first He did love us (literal).
John has unequivocally stated that it is through our obedience to the Lord’s commandments that we abide in Him, and His love is made complete in us (1 John 2:4-5). Jesus said that if we are loving Him, then we are to obey His commandments (John 14:15). John draws on what he wrote earlier (1 John 4:10), that it is because of God’s love that Jesus came to become the means of forgiveness of sins for us. As we place our faith in Him and live in obedience to His commandments, we are then able to love Him. Our ability to love Him comes only through His love for us – a love that was present in eternity past. “Even as He did choose us in Him [Christ] before the foundation of the world …” (Ephesians 1:4a, literal); before Adam was created, God chose everyone who is in Christ to belong to Him. Therefore, the question is: how do we know that we are in Christ? The criteria is this: we place our faith in His shed blood to cleanse us from all sin, and we remain in that state of forgiveness through obedience to His commandments; without faith in Christ we have no relationship with Him, and without obedience we have no faith (James 2:26). We are God’s chosen ones as we remain faithful to Him, which includes an active faith that is demonstrated by our obedience to His commandments. “Beware, brethren, that there never be in anyone of you a wicked heart of unbelief, to become apostate from the God Who is living” (Hebrews 3:12, literal). This is a warning that faithlessness (unbelief) is apostasy, and whoever is apostate from God does not remain in Him. “4. The one who is saying, ‘I know Him,’ and His commandments he is not obeying, is a liar, and the truth is not in this one; 5. But whoever is obeying His Word, truly, in this one the love of God has been made complete; by this we are coming to know that we are in Him” (1 John 2:4-5, literal). The one who is disobedient to the Lord’s commands, does not know the Lord, the Truth – He is not in him; on the other hand, within the obedient one, God’s love is complete and this one is learning that he is abiding in Him.
Once again, we understand that obedience is the essence of our relationship with the Lord; without it, we show that we do not love Him. “If you are loving Me, [then] My commandments you are to obey” (John 14:15, literal); Jesus states that obedience tells Him that we are loving Him, or, to put it conversely, without obedience we show no love for Him. It was His sacrifice that demonstrated His love for humanity – this, too, was determined before creation; indeed, God loved us before Adam, and chose those for His own who would be found in Christ. The way for the restoration of fallen humanity to the Lord was defined before creation; Jesus is the only Way to the Father (John 14:6), and it is by faith and obedience that we are able to embark upon that Way to life. It is as we persevere faithfully and obediently unto the end of our time on earth, that the Lord will welcome us into His eternal kingdom (Matthew 24:13; Mark 13:13).
20. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
If anyone has said, “I am loving God,” and his brother he is hating – a liar is he; for he who is not loving his brother whom he has seen, how is he able to love God Whom he has not seen? (literal).
Earlier, John wrote: “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar …” (1 John 2:4a). Now, John identifies the one who says that he loves God, yet hates his brother, as being a liar; indeed, what John wrote earlier tells us why this is so: such a person is violating God’s instruction to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:39).
As we have noted before, our love for our neighbor rests upon a love for God, which is the first and foundational commandment upon which our lives must be built. However, John is endeavoring to make a new point with his readers.
You will recall that when Jesus was presented with the man who had palsy, His first response was: “thy sins be forgiven thee” (Matthew 9:2). The Jewish religious leaders were incensed by this, but Jesus then asked them a very interesting question: “For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?” (Matthew 9:5); then, to show that He had the authority to forgive sins, He commanded the man to pick his bed up and go home (which he did). The answer to Jesus’ question was: it is far easier to say “Thy sins be forgiven thee,” because no one is able to see whether this has taken place or not – it is an internal matter; but to say “arise and walk” – the success or failure of this is evident for all to see. In the case of our verse, the question could well be: which is easier: to say, “I love God,” or to love my brother? It is easier to say, “I love God,” simply because it is internal. However, John provides the test to determine if someone is truly loving God: does he love his brother?
We live in a time when Evangelicals will all say, “I love God.” Indeed, every Ecumenist will proclaim this; but the test that John presents is this: do they love their fellow man – and, I might add, particularly those who are not of their Ecumenical mindset. One of the mantras of Ecumenism is “judge not,” and they see this couched within a tolerant love that easily overlooks doctrinal differences. However, when an Ecumenist, who deliberately ignores doctrinal variances and will not judge, is faced with the Truth of God’s Word, they very suddenly become intolerant, judgmental, and will frequently attack the messenger of God’s Truth.
Actually, we are called upon to be intolerant: “And I am urging you, brethren, to notice carefully those who are causing divisions and ruin without regard for the teaching that you have learned, and then turn away from their [teachings and activities]” (Romans 16:17, literal).35 The divisions that are caused are not separations between brethren, but, rather, the spiritual separation from the Lord that comes from departing from the Truth of the Gospel; this is why they are also causing ruin – the one who departs from the Lord, enters apostasy from which there is no restoration (Hebrews 6:4-6). We are to be intolerant of those who teach that which is not in accordance with God’s Word; we must identify them as those who do not follow the teachings of Scripture, and then we must ensure that we have no part in their activities or teachings. By contrast, the Ecumenical way is to show tolerance for their error; the Ecumenist has not learned Biblical teaching – nor is he interested in such teaching; rather, his focus is on fitting into a broad fellowship, and in this he finds great contentment. Ecumenism is based upon an acceptance of a few very broadly defined, Biblically-sounding principles so as to create as much inclusivity as possible. They take great pride in being inclusive, not exclusive; they look with disdain upon those who hold to the restrictive teachings of Scripture that serve to guide us on the Narrow Way that leads to life. It is sad to see them express their scorn for the truths of Scripture, while the Devil has so filled their minds with his deception that they are not only content in their error, but seem completely assured of heaven with the Lord Whom they openly despise.
We are also called upon to judge. The deceived like to quote: “judge not,” and will sometimes even add “that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). Because this fits so perfectly within their Ecumenical mindset, they look no further; they consider their broad-minded acceptance of others as living Biblically (judge not). Too frequently, this is the “reason” that they will show contempt for those who hold to a more complete understanding of God’s word on this matter. Jesus went on to say that our judgment is not to be hypocritical: don’t point to the speck that you see in your brother’s eye, while the log in your own eye is of no concern to you (Matthew 7:3). If you condemn your brother for the speck in his eye, then what sort of judgment can you expect since you have a log in your own? Jesus said that we must not judge based upon appearances, but a righteous judgment that can only come through His Word (John 7:24). With the Spirit of God abiding within (1 John 3:24) and the Law of God written upon our minds (Hebrews 10:16), the child of God has been adequately equipped to determine righteous judgment – not according to a theology, but one that is consistent with God, the righteous Judge (2 Timothy 4:8).
John has now presented two ways to identify someone as being a liar, when he claims to love God: 1) he does not obey His commandments (1 John 2:4), and 2) he hates his brother. John has commanded that we test others to ensure that God’s Spirit is present within them (1 John 4:1), and he has now given us two ways to identify those who do not love God, which means that His Spirit will not be in them. The first is that obedience to the commandments of God will not be present; this requires that we must first understand what it means to obey God’s commandments, not according to a generally accepted theology, but in keeping with His Word. The second test is the lack of demonstrated love for his brother; interestingly, this lack of love flows out of disobedience to God’s commandments – the last six commandments deal specifically with the love for a brother: “love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matthew 22:39). These are two tests that can be applied using fairly easily discernable evidence; however, if this evidence should not be discernable in a life, Jesus did provide another means. After describing the narrow gate that permits entrance onto the restricted way to life, He warned of false prophets who will come to us as wolves disguised as sheep: “but watch out for false prophets, the kind who are coming to you in the clothing of sheep but within are vicious wolves” (Matthew 7:15, literal). These false prophets will appear to bear a message of truth, yet, because they do not hold the truth, they destroy by obstructing access to the Gate to life. In His next words, Jesus tells us how to discern these frauds: “by their fruits you will come to know them” (Matthew 7:16a, literal). Clearly, this will take some time, but He assures us that the results of their lives will reveal that they are destructive wolves, and not sheep at all.
This is why the one who holds to God’s truth will often come under attack by the Ecumenical. They come disguised as followers of Christ: they know the language, they like giving the aura of being spiritual, and they will use Scripture as often as they can to bolster their appearance as sheep. Too frequently, they actually seem to be convinced that they are sheep, which only serves to make them increasingly bold in their proclamation of their perverted understanding of Scripture – they are proclaimers of falsehood, i.e., false prophets. However, when such a one faces the truth of God’s Word, the wolf within is not able to hold his tongue, and the fruit of his character will reveal itself. They hold a claim to love God, which may be difficult to dispute, yet when confronted with God’s Truth, they will show their teeth and reveal their true identity.
21. And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
And this commandment we have from Him, so that he who is loving God, is also loving his brother (literal).
John refers here to a single commandment, yet when Jesus was asked to identify the single, greatest commandment, He provided two that served to summarize the Ten Commandments. John, following Jesus’ example, identifies the love of God as the greatest commandment: he who is loving God is the fulfilling of that command. Out of this love for God will flow the love for our neighbor, and most certainly, also for our brother in the Lord. John makes it very clear that our love for our brother is preceded by a love for God; the order that Jesus gave to these two summary commandments is important. We cannot learn to love the Lord by seeking to love our neighbor, but if we love God thoroughly, then, out of that, will flow a love for those about us.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, if it is from God, because many false prophets have gone forth into the world (literal).1
“For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21); the prophets of old were many, yet they spoke under the guidance of One – the Spirit of God. In like manner, John assures us that many false prophets have gone out into the world, yet these, too, are under the guidance of one – the Devil. In both cases, there is guidance from a spirit, and we are charged not to accept too quickly what we hear; moreover, we must be aware that both a prophet and a false prophet will proclaim what they are hearing from the Spirit, or spirit, to whom they are tuned. In essence, we all speak according to the direction of the spirit/Spirit within; therefore, John’s warning is that we are to be alert to everyone about us, and must test them to be sure that we correctly discern their spiritual guidance: God or the Devil.
Test the spirits means two things: 1) examine the one who is speaking; this may often be all that is required, as their ungodliness may be obvious, and 2) conduct a more thorough examination permitting the Word of God, by the Spirit of God, to illuminate the guiding spirit that may not be readily evident. The test is really to determine if what is heard comes from God; it is either the Spirit of God or a spirit of the Devil that is at work within the speaker. There are a multitude of voices, but only one of two spirits will be behind each voice. John declares that the purpose of the test is to find out if it is the Spirit of God Who is behind the voice. The literal brings this out far more clearly than the translations that have muddied the Spirit’s use of the plural, spirits, and the singular, it is. The voices involved will be many, the spirits will be one of two, and the test is to determine if the spirit behind the voice is of God.
Paul warned us concerning the Devil: “14. … for Satan is transforming himself into an angel of light. 15. [It is] not extraordinary, then, if his servants are transformed in the same way as servants of righteousness …” (2 Corinthians 11:14b-15a, literal). It is evident from this that a test of the spirits will require complete dependence upon the Spirit of God, Who is abiding within as long as we remain faithful to the Lord. What we must guard against is jumping to a conclusion based solely upon the eloquence and logic of the presenting voice. Jesus cautioned His disciples against being deceived, because many will profess to come in His name, and many false prophets will let their voices be heard (Matthew 24:4-5, 11). When we consider Satan’s ability to disguise himself and his demons as bearers of light, then it is absolutely essential that we very carefully test the voices that call for our attention.
In the early 1990s, Charles Colson was working zealously to draw Evangelicals and Catholics together; he and Richard Neuhaus, a Lutheran turned Catholic, were primarily responsible for a document called Evangelicals and Catholics Together; numerous participants came from the Roman Catholics, which is not surprising, but there were others from the Eastern Nazarene College, the Southern Baptist Convention, Assemblies of God, World Evangelical Fellowship, and National Association of Evangelicals.2 Others who endorsed this bold venture into Ecumenism included Bill Bright (Campus Crusade for Christ), Richard Mouw (Fuller Theological Seminary), Mark Noll (Wheaton College), J.I. Packer (Regent College), and Pat Robertson (Regent University).3 What is very quickly evident is that Colson’s supporters included many leaders from within the Evangelical community. Colson’s premise was this: “we must strive for unity because it is the essence of the church.”4 His support for this flagrant declaration did not come from the Bible, but from Wolfhart Pannenberg, who concluded that “Christianity was the best philosophy,” and it was this “intellectual conversion” that launched his career as a theologian.5 Pannenberg, like Colson, et.al, considered church unity to be of great importance in order for it to have a “positive influence in secular society.”6 His fit with Colson might seem obvious; his theological appeal touched theologians of many persuasions, thereby making his philosophical approach truly Ecumenical. Colson, on the other hand, discredited the Ecumenists for pretending that there were no differences between denominations; while he acknowledged the differences, he chose to ignore them in favor of a specific focus on the “great orthodox truths [that] all Christians share.”7 The end result for both is the same: a push for Ecumenical cooperation, and discounting doctrinal differences – whether by pretending that they don’t exist, or by ignoring them, it matters not.
This provides a relatively recent occasion when it was necessary to conduct a thorough test of the spirit that was behind these alluring voices. Colson drew many into the error of Ecumenism simply by providing reasoning that appeared to be very logical – some supported by misused Scriptures, and other by theologians of humanistic philosophy who appeared to be “Christian.” It is vitally important that we learn to examine the voices that come our way, and carefully test them to ensure that we know the spirit that is behind these voices. The basis for this testing is a life of faith in the Lord and obedience to His commandments; it is only then that the Spirit of God will reveal to us the spirit that is behind the voice.
This is of even greater importance because many false prophets are everywhere in this world, and not all of them will be readily discernable. This means that we must become familiar with the Truth, the Word of God, so that we are more easily able to discern what is false. Yes, the Spirit of God is with us to guide us into all Truth, but that does not remove our responsibility to seek His Truth will all of our hearts – He will guide us as we are seeking! This is another reason that both Evangelicals and Fundamentalists are so easily swept into error: they do not invest the time and energy into studying the Scriptures so that they are able to discern error. Most do not have the Holy Spirit present in them, because He will not abide in the heart of someone living in disobedience to the commandments of the Lord; yet if they would actively seek for His Truth, He has promised that they will then find it (Matthew 7:7-8) – no seeking, no finding! Most have settled for a theology that they find acceptable, somewhat Biblical, but not too demanding: their contentment leaves them spiritually lethargic and anemic. Unfortunately, theologies do not provide spiritual life; the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day had a very detailed theology, yet Jesus warned His disciples: “… except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). Paul instructed Timothy: “Be alert to yourself and the teaching; continue in them [reading, exhortation and teaching from v. 13]; for [by] doing this, not only will you be rescued from sin, but also those who are hearing you” (1 Timothy 4:16, literal). Teaching does not refer to a theology that Paul had devised, but to the Gospel that had been entrusted to him by the Lord; he was very concerned that the Message that he had received of the Lord should not be compromised in any way (Romans 16:17; Galatians 1:9; 2 Timothy 3:14).
2. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ, who did come in the flesh, is from God (literal).
John now provides an example of how we can determine that it is the Spirit of God Who is behind the voice that we hear. There are two ways to translate this verse; the KJV, and every translation that I looked at (except for the Message), shows that if the confession of the spirit is that Jesus came in the flesh, then that spirit is of God. I have often wondered at this, because even among the ungodly there are those who will acknowledge that Jesus Christ was a historic being Who walked this earth (He came in the flesh), yet that does not mean that they are being guided by the Spirit of God. However, as I approached this text, I noticed that is come (did come) is a participle – a verbal adjective that is used to describe Jesus Christ. Therefore, the test is not an acknowledgment that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, but a confession of Jesus Christ as God in human form. The difference is significant: the first focuses on Jesus in the flesh, the second upon Who Jesus Christ truly is.
As the angel spoke with Mary regarding her coming Child, he said this: “the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Highest will rest upon you; therefore, also, the Holy Begotten will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35, literal). As Joseph contemplated Mary being with Child, he was told: “and she [Mary] will give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21, literal). Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, which means Jehovah saves;8 although this was a common name among the Jews, it is clear that, in this case, it was assigned by God and would find fulfillment in a whole new way. An acknowledgement of Jesus must include that He is God, and that He came to make salvation available to everyone.
Christ (Greek Christos) means the Anointed, and is related to the Hebrew mashiah, meaning anointed, from which we get Messiah.9 Although the Hebrew term was most frequently used in the OT in regard to a king, it also applied to the high priest; consequently, it is appropriate to consider the promised Messiah to be both King and High Priest. What is interesting, is that Caiaphas, the high priest who presided over Jesus’ mock trial, understood “the Christ” to mean “the Son of God” (Matthew 26:63). It is evident from this that the religious Jews understood that the Hebrew mashiah (Messiah) referred to Someone Who was coming, and Who was God (John 5:18), yet they desired a political Messiah, not a Savior of their lost souls.
Therefore, the name Jesus Christ provides a double emphasis that He is God (born of woman by God, and identified as the Son of God), and includes the saving work of Jehovah (Joshua) and the Anointed, our High Priest and King. Therefore, any spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ, now that we understand the full scope of what that name means, must be from God.
So, we might wonder, why did John include that participle: who did come in the flesh. We recognize from Scripture that Satan’s destructive work against the Gospel message began immediately. His initial attacks took the form of persecution from the religious Jews (Acts 4:1 – came upon is a rather mild translation; actually, the religious leaders suddenly came upon them).10 However, it was not long before Satan shifted his tactic to a destruction of the Message – not by endeavoring to stamp it out, but by twisting it just slightly. We see this with the Judaizers who caused all sorts of trouble in the region of Galatia, where Paul and Barnabas had taught the true Message; these people only sought to add a few Jewish traditions to make faith in the Gospel complete (Acts 15:1). Paul called this a perversion of the Gospel, and those who taught it accursed of God (Galatians 1:7-8).
In the early days of the growth of Christianity, the Devil inserted the teaching of Docetism; from the Greek dokein, meaning to seem, or to have the appearance of.11 Under this heresy, it was contended that Jesus’ physical body was an illusion, or a phantom – celestial but not physical. Britannica cites several verses in John’s epistles (this being one of them) as support for this heresy finding traction very early on; Docetism became a significant cog in the wheel of Gnosticism, where the material world was considered to be evil (created by an evil being), and the spiritual good.12 The Gnostic belief was that Jesus came to liberate the “sparks of divinity” within individuals from the evil world of matter, thereby supporting the non-material-Jesus concept, and that salvation came through achieving gnosis, a mystical, spiritual experience that united the individual with the divine.13
In John’s phrase, who did come in the flesh, did come is in the perfect tense: a completed action with continuing results.14 Under the pressure of heresies like Docetism, this statement by John took on a greater significance, and the fact that Jesus did come in the flesh, provides a context for His saving work that Satan desires everyone to overlook – his own defeat (Hebrews 2:14)! By creating a false dualistic view of life, Satan deceived many into following something that was his twist to what the Scriptures taught. John speaks against this by stating that Jesus came in the flesh.
We easily recognize that there are many false prophets who would readily agree that Jesus came in the flesh, and so, as a test to identifying a spirit as being from God, that would be an entirely inadequate measure. The primary test presented here, is to have a good understanding of all that surrounds the name Jesus Christ, then the Spirit of God will be able to guide us in our determination of the spirit behind the voice.
3. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
And every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus Christ, Who did come in the flesh, is not from God; and this is of the Antichrist, and this [spirit] is of the Antichrist, which you have heard that it is coming, and at this time it is already in the world (literal).
John likes to present the contrast between positives and negatives. We’ve seen examples of this in 2:10 and 2:11, 3:7 and 3:10, 3:20 and 3:21, and now between verse 2 and here. First, every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ … is from God (v. 2), and here we have: every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus Christ … is not from God. He uses this approach to provide additional information that is more evident if the opposite perspective is taken. Interestingly, in both cases, he has inserted the same phrase: Who did come in the flesh; he is underscoring this truth so that his readers will be able to quickly see the error of those who were, even from these early days, denying this fundamental truth concerning Jesus.
Again, the focus of the careful testing that is to take place (4:1) is the determination if a spirit is from God, and the principal criteria to be used is the spirit’s attitude toward Jesus Christ – the One Who saves from sin, is the Son of God, and the Anointed of God. In this verse, John takes the negative approach: the spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus Christ; he uses this negative test result to provide additional information about such a spirit.
He teaches that this negative position identifies the spirit as being of the Antichrist, a spirit that is against Christ – a spirit that denies the Father and the Son (1 John 2:22); John added that if anyone denies the Son, then he does not have the Father either (1 John 2:23). Jesus said: “… He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him” (John 5:23b); as He said later, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). The spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus Christ, is not from God, but is of the Antichrist; if we take Jesus’ words into account, then it is clear that if there is no acceptance of Jesus Christ, then they do not have God either. Consider the Jehovah’s Witnesses who profess that they believe in Jesus as the son of God; they teach that He is a created being, perhaps Michael the archangel, but definitely not Jehovah God.15 John’s assessment is that they have denied Jesus His rightful place as God, and so they do not have Jehovah either – particularly since Jesus identified Himself as being one with the Father, Jehovah. They claim to be witnesses of Jehovah, but, in reality, they don’t know Him and are false prophets whom we must avoid. The same can be said for Mormons who deny that Jesus is eternal (he was the first spirit-child created by the Father, not born of the Holy Spirit), he is completely separate from the Father (although united in purpose), and we can become divine like Jesus by following their doctrines (he is our elder brother).16 The Mormons, like the JWs, deny the essence of Who Jesus truly is, and they, too, fall under the broad category of false prophets – those who deny the Truth of Jesus Christ. This is the reason that John emphasizes the need to discern the tested spirit’s attitude toward Jesus Christ – it is on this that we either approve or avoid the spirit. Both the JWs and Mormons believe that Jesus came in the flesh, so if that was the test (as most translations would seem to suggest), then they would both be approved; however, that is not the test, and we must be sure that we know Jesus Christ in truth!
The test for the spirit of Antichrist centers on Jesus Christ; we recognize that Satan is the source of the spirit of Antichrist, for he has stood against the Lord from before the Garden of Eden. We have just considered two religions that acknowledge Jesus, but not in His full role as the Son of God and equal with the Father – they reveal the spirit of the Antichrist, which John affirms as being evident in the world in his time. This spirit was at work in the Garden, and it will continue until Satan is assigned his place in the Lake of Fire and this earth is replaced by a New Heaven and Earth (Revelation 20:10; 21:1).
We are told that the Dragon, or Satan, is making war against those “who are obeying the commandments of God and are holding the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 12:17b, literal). John has made it very clear that our obedience to the commandments of God is central to our life for Him; therefore, we must not be surprised when we find ourselves under attack from Satan. In Ephesians six, Paul taught the necessity of wearing the armor of God, not for offensive spiritual warfare, as so many teach today, but so that we are able to withstand the attacks of the enemy. “You must clothe yourself in the full armor of God, so that you are able to stand against the cunning attacks of the Devil” (Ephesians 6:11, literal); “Because of this [wrestling against rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness (v. 12)], you must take the full armor of God so that you are able to stand firm in the evil day and, having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13). Paul’s word to Timothy was this: “And even all who are desiring to live in a godly manner in Christ Jesus, will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12, literal); suffer, is in the indicative mood – this is a statement of fact. If we are abiding faithfully in Him, then we are the targets of Satan, and we will feel the attacks of his forces, but, dressed in the full armor of God, we will be able to stand against those assaults. Notice that we are to stand – not negotiate, and certainly not compromise; there is no place for Ecumenical unity in the life of the obedient saint. We are called to separate from those who do not live in obedience to the commandments of God and who teach what does not align itself with God’s Word; we are not to become one with them – there must be Biblical separation.
“14. Do not become unevenly yoked with the faithless; for what partnership [has] righteousness with lawlessness? and what fellowship [has] light with darkness? … 16. and what agreement [does] the temple of God [have] with idols? For you are a temple of the living God, as God has said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among [them], and I will be their God and they will be My people. 17. Therefore, come out from among them and be separate’ says the Lord, ‘and do not take hold of what is unclean, and I will receive you.’” (2 Corinthians 6:14, 16-17, literal). We, who are faithful to the Lord, are commanded (become is in the imperative mood) to separate from the faithless, and, to help us understand the concept of separation, Paul provides a sampling of opposites that hold nothing in common – they are separate! Jesus declared: “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad” (Matthew 12:30); there is nothing between being with Me and being against Me – the two positions are mutually exclusive; they hold nothing in common.
This is supporting evidence for what we read in James: “For whoever will obey the whole Law, but will sin in only one [commandment], he has become guilty of [disobeying] all [of the commandments]” (James 2:10, literal).17 The Law of God stands as a whole; if we violate one command, then we are guilty before the Law, and as a lawbreaker, must bear the weight of the Law’s condemnation. Paul assures us that if we are in Christ Jesus, living according to the leading of the Spirit of God (separated from a life lived in keeping with the flesh), then we are not under condemnation (Romans 8:1). It is a life of faithful obedience to the Word of the Lord that ensures that we are in Him (1 John 2:5); as we live according to the leading of the Spirit of God (that life of obedience), then we will see the requirement of the Law being lived out through us (Romans 8:4). A life of obedience to the commandments of God comes only through living according to the guidance of the Spirit Who is abiding within us, if we are in Christ Jesus. “And you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God is dwelling in you; and if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this one is not His” (Romans 8:9, literal); it is understood that the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ are the same (John 15:26). Jesus defined this life as being narrow, or compressed (Matthew 7:14) – there is no room for deviation from the Narrow Way that is the only path to the Father (John 14:6), and that is why there are so few who will find it. Most will turn away from such a restrictive life because they are unwilling to live in obedience to the Law of God through the guidance of the Spirit of God.
Today we find many who will profess to love the Lord, yet they will not live in obedience to His commandments – the Truth of God (the Lord Jesus Christ; John 14:6) does not abide in them (1 John 2:4), and they remain under the Lord’s condemnation (Romans 8:1). Such as these bear the spirit of the Antichrist – they have denied the Son by the lives that they lead, and accordingly, the Father. Their spiritual assurance comes from theologies that men have developed under the guidance of the spirit of disobedience; “And evil men and deceivers will go on from bad to worse: leading astray and being led astray” (2 Timothy 3:13, literal). Theologies are fabricated as the theologians are being led astray by the Devil, and they, in turn, are leading others astray by teaching their compromised understanding of Scripture. We must learn to discern the Spirit of God in others so that we are able to quickly separate from those who teach doctrines that are not aligned with God’s Word; only then will we avoid becoming ensnared by the teachings of Antichrist.
4. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is He [Who is] in you, than he [who is] in the world (literal).
These little children have their sins forgiven (2:12), they know the Father (2:13), are warned of the many antichrists already in the world (2:18), are charged to abide in Him (2:28), are warned against being deceived (3:7), and told to love in action and Truth (3:18). Now John assures them that they are of God and that they have overcome them. In the previous verse, John told them that the one who does not acknowledge Jesus Christ is of the Antichrist, thus providing the test to identify the many antichrists that are already in the world. Them refers to those who have the spirit of Antichrist, and, by heeding John’s instructions in this letter, the little children will be able to identify and avoid them – gain the victory over their deceptive ways.
The Source of this victory comes through the Lord in Whom they, and we, are abiding. Jesus overcame the Devil by His death and resurrection; by abiding in Him (and, therefore, He in us), we have the Victor over death and the Devil, in us (John 15:4). In this, truly we are the temple of God, Who is far greater than the defeated Devil who is active in the world and those who are disobedient to the Lord (Ephesians 2:2). Understanding this will reduce the appeal of the world, and strengthen our resolve to live faithfully and obediently for the Lord, Who is the Victor over all.
5. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
They are of the world; for this reason, they are speaking of the world, and the world is listening to [them] (literal).
They refers to those who are not of God (v.3); more specifically, the antichrists who are everywhere in the world. They are of the world, they are speaking of the world, and the world is giving them attention. Those who are in Christ do not have a Message that the world is interested in hearing – even professing Christians are not eager for the truth of God. Jesus said: “Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘The slave is not greater than his lord’; since I was persecuted, you also will be persecuted; if My Word they obey, [then] yours they [will] obey also” (John 15:20, literal).18 Jesus came to earth as God in human flesh, yet He was not welcomed because of Who He was; the religious leaders of the Jews, who should have recognized Him from the many prophecies within their Scriptures, sought to kill Him because He threatened their prestigious position within their culture (John 11:48). Since they persecuted Jesus, He tells us that we, too, will be persecuted; persecuted is in the indicative mood (a statement of fact) – it is the Lord’s promise that we will be persecuted! We must live in such a manner that the persecution that we face comes from being a disciple of the Lord, and not because of our own failures. Peter covered this very carefully: “15. So let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an evildoer, or as a meddler; 16. but if as a Christian, [then] do not be ashamed, but glorify God in this matter” (1 Peter 4:15-16, literal). The perspective that Peter is bringing to light is this: “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified” (1 Peter 4:14) – Christ is glorified as we graciously bear reproach because of His name. It is through the abiding Spirit of God that we are able to endure the insults of the world for being followers of Christ – all a part of the persecution that Jesus promised.
“If you were of the world, then the world would love its own; but since you are not of the world, indeed, I did choose you out of the world, because of this, the world is hating you” (John 15:19, literal). These are Jesus’ words to His disciples whom He had chosen to follow Him during His ministry. Although He has not chosen us in the same way, as we abide in Him (and He in us), we, too, are not of the world, because He is not of this world (John 8:23), and so we must expect that the world will not welcome us, even as it hated Him. This undergirds the command that John issued earlier: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). We are to be separated from the world and everything that is worldly – including the theologies of “Christians” that permit them to live in disobedience to the Lord and still hold a hope of heaven. Any message that does not consistently adhere to the Truth of Scripture, is of the world – regardless of how Biblical it may sound (Romans 16:17).
6. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
We are of God; whoever is knowing God, is hearing us, [and] whoever is not of God, is not hearing us; by this we know the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of deception (literal).
John began this section by commanding that we test to know the spirit of those who are about us – whether it is of God, or not. He now adds to the testing procedures that we, who are of God, can use: do they understand us when we speak of God? If they don’t, then they are not of God. However, we must not be too hasty: the premise for this is that we are of God, which means that we must be living under the guidance of His Spirit and in obedience to His commandments. Most professing “Christians” would readily claim to be of God, yet when you speak to them of the Truth, they neither understand, nor do they display any interest in coming to know the Truth more fully. In fact, they are quite content to embrace a lie that is taking them to the Lake of Fire; they have no interest in growing in God’s Truth because they are not prepared to change their easy, uncompressed walk through life (Matthew 7:14). They have been so thoroughly deceived by the Devil (posing as an angel of light) that they are not seeking to know the Truth – actually, they won’t even entertain the mere suggestion that they might be wrong in any way.
As we abide faithfully in Christ, those who are not of God will not have any desire to hear what we have to say; as we speak the truth of God to them, their ears are closed to anything that is not in keeping with their favored theology or preacher. When my wife and I began to remove ourselves from the Evangelical Free Church, we learned many new things from Scripture by associating with a couple of Baptist churches; however, as the Lord opened our eyes to His Truth, and as we double-checked everything that we had learned about the Lord over the years, we discovered that the Baptists are also very theology oriented – their theology! As we sought to understand God’s Word and His Truth, we moved beyond man’s theologies to allowing His Word to interpret itself. Did we get it all right the first time? Of course not. Do we have it all correct now? Probably not, but as we seek for His truth, He ensures that we find it, and as we learn, we willingly change. We have discovered that it is that last item for which most people have no desire; one fellow told me that he would not read my study on the Sabbath because he had been through enough change already. His unspoken admission was that he suspected that his understanding of the Sabbath was not correct, but choosing to ignore the subject permitted him to retain his current situation, which was easier for him.
What John clarifies is that if we are of God, then those who will hear and understand us, are also of God. The essence is this: “… what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14c); those who are in Christ (Who is light) have nothing in common with those who walk in darkness. This darkness includes the pagan, but also the professing “Christian” who lives in disobedience to the Lord (1 John 2:4). The word that John uses for hearing (akouei) goes beyond the action of the ear, to the mind that comprehends what is being heard. If we consider that the one who is in Christ has the Spirit of God abiding within, then we can see that the one who does not have the Spirit, and is not in Christ, does not have the basis to understand the follower of Christ – spiritual light and darkness have nothing in common.
7. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
Beloved, we should love one another because the love is of God, and everyone who is loving has been born of God and is coming to know God (literal).
Love, as it is used here, is from the Greek agape, which is a love that involves the exercise of the will (as opposed to the emotions); coming through the will, it is preceded by an evaluation and a choice.19 This is the love that God expressed toward a fallen human race, and the love that Christ demonstrated through His sacrifice for sin.
When Jesus was asked by an expert in the interpretation of the Law of Moses to identify the greatest commandment in the law, He responded by providing a two commandment summary of the Ten Commandments. “37. And Jesus did say to him, ‘You will love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your mind. 38. This is the first and great commandment. 39. And the second is like it: you will love your neighbor as yourself. 40. The whole Law and the prophets depend on these two commandments’” (Matthew 22:37-40, literal). The first and great commandment is that we love the Lord, and the second is that we love our neighbor; in both cases, the Greek word is a form of agape. Love is in the indicative mood (a statement of fact) and future tense, which is how it appears in the LXX; on the other hand, the Hebrew (Deuteronomy 6:5) shows this as a command;20 the thinking is that because the intent is that this action is to be carried out, using the indicative mood and future tense, carries a similar weight – even though it is not in the imperative mood. Our evaluative love must begin with the Lord (a choice to love Him so completely that we live in obedience to the first four Commandments); upon this foundation, we are then able to love our neighbor properly (as expressed in the last six Commandments). Jesus was asked for one commandment, but clearly proclaimed two that are fully representative of the Ten Commandments written by God upon tables of stone (Exodus 32:15-16), which, in turn, form the framework for the Law of Moses.
John says that we should love one another, by which he has carefully included our need to make this choice (the subjunctive mood). By addressing the beloved, he has identified the audience for what follows as being those who are in Christ, and of God. Agape finds its expression as the consequence of a decision (based upon an evaluative process), and a choice (it is an act of the will). Jesus said that this love, demonstrated toward one another, will identify His disciples (John 13:35); therefore, we can understand from this that this love is very unique, and limited to those who are in Him, otherwise it would not specifically identify those who are in Christ. Paul taught this: “8. Do not be indebted to anyone for anything, except to love one another; for he who is loving another has fulfilled the Law … 10. the love for a neighbor is working no evil; therefore, the love [is] the fulfillment of the Law” (Romans 13:8, 10, literal); agape forms the Greek word for love in each case. This fits precisely with how Jesus summarized the Law: a love for God and a love for our neighbor; the fulfillment of the Law centers around love, beginning with a love for God.
Paul also describes agape as being the first evidence of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). If we give a moment’s reflection to all of what we have just considered, then what becomes evident is that agape is a love that comes from God, and it is limited to those who are His, which is why John can state that the one who is loving has been born of God. If this love could come from someone who does not know God, then John’s statement wouldn’t be correct; nor could we then consider such love to be from the Spirit of God. John will continue to make his case for this truth.
John finishes with: the one who is so loving, is coming to know God. In this life, we will never come to a full knowledge of God; however, that must not discourage us from studying His Word and growing in our understanding of Him (2 Peter 3:18). The encouragement is that this agape can be a part of our daily living even as we continue to grow in our knowledge of God.
8. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
He who is not loving has not known God, since God is love (literal).
The one who is not loving according to the guidance of the Spirit of God, has not known God. Placing our faith in the Lord Jesus brings the Spirit of God to abide within; the first evidence of the Spirit is love – agape (Galatians 5:22). Since this agape is proof of the abiding Spirit of God, then, truly, the one who does not have this love does not know God. The Spirit is present in the one whose faith is in the Lord Jesus for cleansing from sin and whose life is marked by obedience to the commandments of God, therefore, if there is no love (no Spirit), then there has been no forgiveness of sins – without forgiveness, there is no relationship with God.
Now we come to the basis for John’s emphasis on the need for love (agape) to be evident in us, particularly toward those who are in the faith. God is love. The verb, in this short phrase, is in the indicative mood – this is a statement of fact! Love, of course, is agape. Through Jesus’ words, we understand that this is the love that we are to have toward God and our neighbor (Matthew 22:37-39), and this is the love that will permit the fulfillment of the Law of God (Matthew 22:40). It is God’s love in us that we reflect back to Him through obedience to His first four Commandments, and we direct this same love toward our neighbor in fulfillment of the last six Commandments. Paul declared: “… the love [agape] of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, Who was given to us” (Romans 5:5b, literal). If we are in Christ, then this love of God is in us by the presence of the Spirit of God; therefore, John plainly states, that the one who does not have this love, does not know God at all.
John uses not twice: is not loving, has not known God. In our English, we do not see that there is any difference, but, in the Greek, these are two different words. The first (me) simply indicates that the loving is not observable (a subjective not); the second (ou, or ouk) is an objective negative, indicating that knowing God does not exist at all – this is a much stronger, absolute negative. In keeping with the meaning of the negatives, the second phrase (has not known God) is also in the indicative mood – it is a statement of fact.
9. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
In this, the love of God has been revealed among us: that God did send His Son, the One and Only, into the world, so that, through Him, we will live (literal).
“For in this way, God did love the world: so that He did give His Son, the One and Only, that everyone who is believing in Him will not perish but is having life everlasting” (John 3:16, literal). The parallel themes between these two verses is quite evident. Among us must be understood within a broad context (the world), because the love of God was evident to many more than just those who became His followers – they may not have recognized His love, yet Christ came to pay the price for their sins. “And God is demonstrating His own love unto us, for our being yet sinners, Christ did die for our [sins]” (Romans 5:8, literal).
Here, John presents only what we will receive through Christ, the only true Son of God: life! As Luke traces Joseph’s lineage, he refers to the first man, Adam, as being the son of God (Luke 3:38). God breathed into the man whom He had formed, the breath of lives (the Hebrew word is plural): giving him physical life (breath), as well as an eternal soul (psuche), something that separates him from all other created beings (Genesis 2:7).21 Yet Adam, although created without sin, was not God; Jesus is the eternal Word Who donned a body of flesh – there is a vast difference between these two. The first became the father of all of humanity, the second is the Creator of all things; Adam brought sin into this world, Jesus paid the price for sin so that, through His sacrifice, we are able to live in Him. “Therefore, then, as by one [Adam], sin [is] against all men unto condemnation, so also by One [Jesus], [is] an act of justice for all men unto justification of life” (Romans 5:18, literal). We are all naturally born of Adam with a fallen sin nature, and live under condemnation because of it; Jesus fulfilled God’s justice against sin, and brought a way of escape from this condemnation for those who are spiritually re-born in Him. The first includes all of humanity; the second is only available to those who come to Christ in living faith (a continuous believing and obeying).
“For if we, being enemies, have been reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, we, being reconciled, will be saved by His life” (Romans 5:10, literal). John’s focus is on the life that is only available through Christ; he is fully aware of His death that was required to restore our fellowship with the Lord. We must be continually aware that being reconciled with God is not automatically everlasting; unless we remain faithfully and obediently in Him unto the end of our time on this earth, we will not obtain the life that is available in Him. “And you will be hated by all because of My name [the promise of tribulation], but he who has endured [remained faithful despite persecution] unto the end, this is the one who will be saved” (Mark 13:13, literal). Salvation only comes by remaining faithful to the Lord unto the very end; despite modern thinking, salvation is not a present possession, but a future reward for faithfulness to the Lord.
10. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
In this is love, not that we did love God, but that He did love us and sent His Son [as] the Way of forgiveness for our sins (literal).
To His disciples Jesus said: “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one is coming to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6b, literal), thereby making it very clear that He is the only means of coming to God. Isaiah notes this: “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). There is a separation between God and man, and it is caused by man’s sinfulness. Before the Law of Moses, this separation was temporarily bridged when the sinner would, in faith, offer a blood sacrifice to God, according to the pattern that the Lord began in the Garden (Genesis 3:21; 4:4; 22:18). Under the Law of Moses, this disconnection was spanned for a time through the faith of the sinner in the sacrifice that the priests would make for his sin; this faith, too, required obedience to the Lord (Deuteronomy 11:26-28). Both of these looked forward to the time when God would provide a fulfillment of this practice; that came in the Person of Jesus Christ Who made the final sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:12). Under the New Covenant, which came through Jesus’ one sacrifice, faith must be placed in Him for His blood that was shed for our sins, and we, too, must live in obedience to Him (John 14:15). In each case, faith in the shed blood is the key to covering sins; during the OT times, it was a temporary covering, which meant that the sacrifices had to be repeated, yet, as we have seen, the faith that was exercised also required obedience to the Lord. Under the NC in Christ, blood sacrifices are ended – Christ being the final sacrifice, yet without obedience to the commandments of God, we will not enjoy the forgiveness of sins.
“The one who is holding My commandments and is obeying them, that person is loving Me; and he who is loving Me, will be loved by My Father and I will love him, and I will reveal Myself to him” (John 14:21, literal). This principle was in effect even in the OT: “And shewing mercy [kindness] unto thousands of them that love me, and keep [shamar, not to break; observe both externally and in the heart] my commandments” (Exodus 20:6).22 Isaiah recorded the Lord’s thoughts regarding Israel’s observance of the Law of Moses: “11. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full [weary] of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats … 16. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil” (Isaiah 1:11, 16). Israel followed the letter of the Law of Moses, but their obedience did not come from their hearts, and so the Lord became weary of their activities, which he calls evil; they were doing the right things, but their hearts remained untouched, and the Lord despised what they were doing. So our obedience to the commandments of the Lord must be carried out with our whole heart, not superficially; once again, Israel has provided an example for us – our obedience must be out of our love for the Lord, not an endeavor to gain His approval.
The ultimate expression of love was God sending His Son to bear the sins of the world, and to provide a way for our sins to be forgiven. Like all of the saints of God before us, we must live in obedience to His commandments; obedience flows from a heart of faith in the Lord, under the guidance of the Spirit of God. Jesus said: “You must abide in Me, and I in you” (John 15:4, literal). John wrote: “And the one who is obeying His commandments is abiding in Him, and He in him” (1 John 3:24a, literal). We abide in the Lord as we live in obedience to His commandments. The one who is not abiding in Him is disobedient; this one is living under the control of the Devil (Ephesians 2:2), is not obedient to His commandments, and will wither, die and be burned (John 15:6). Jesus is the Way, and we can only follow Him through obedience to His commandments – there is no other way to the Father!
11. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
Beloved, if God did so love us, [then] we are indebted to love one another (literal).
Beloved (from apagetoi) includes the thought of agape love, and John uses the term to identify those who are in Christ; he is not writing to those who are outside of the family of God, but to those who have been born anew through Christ. God set the example by loving us, even before we submitted to Him; but having placed our faith in Christ, we now have a special relationship with the Lord through which our love for Him will grow.
We’ve already noted that Jesus taught that we are to have this love (agape) for God, as well as for our neighbor. God’s great love for this world is, to a great extent, simply that – His love toward an unloving and hostile world. When we place our faith in Christ, His love toward us continues, but now that we have a relationship with Him, it is also reflected back to Him through our obedience – His love is now a part of our relationship with Him, something that is very different from His one-way love for the world.
Jesus taught that we are to love (agape) our neighbor, which may, at times, also be a one-way love; nevertheless, we have six Commandments to guide us in our relationship with our neighbor. If our neighbor also lives in faithful obedience to the Lord, then we will have a love one for another – a love within a spiritual bond in the Lord. This is the unique love that will identify us as being followers of Him (John 13:35).
12. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
No one has ever seen God; if we are loving one another, [then] God is abiding in us and His love is made complete in us (literal).
When Moses expressed his desire to behold the glory of Jehovah, he was told: “Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live” (Exodus 33:20). The Lord permitted Moses to see His departing glory, but that was all (Exodus 33:23). Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father (John 14:8), to which Jesus replied: “… he that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9b). God is a spirit (John 4:24), so it is obvious that He cannot be seen by us; however, Jesus came in human flesh (John 1:14) and was visible to His disciples – He was visible and He was fully God (John 10:30). “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). The eternal Word, “6. … being in nature, God, did not consider equality with God something to be held onto, 7. But did empty Himself [and] did take the form of a slave, and He was made in the likeness of men; 8. And being found in form as a man, He humbled Himself to become obedient to death – that is, death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8, literal). The Word, Who is God, purposed to leave the glories of Heaven, to limit His glory so that He could live undetected among men, and to humble Himself sufficiently to become the perfect Sacrifice for sin.
In a very real sense, those who saw Jesus during His earthly ministry did see God, yet it was in a veiled fashion. Most did not, or refused to, recognize that Jesus was the Christ, the anointed of God – they knew Him only as being the son of a carpenter (Matthew 13:55). Peter, James and John were given a glimpse of just a small portion of His glory when He was transfigured before them (Matthew 17:2); it was sufficiently obscured that they lived to relate their experience. God, in His full glory, cannot be seen by sinful man; Jesus, being fully God, left His rightful glory in order to live, without detection, among sinful men.
John tells us that if we are loving one another, then God is in us and His love is made complete. Earlier, John noted that it is the one who is obedient to God’s commandments in whom God’s love is made complete, who is abiding in God (1 John 2:5), and who is born of God (1 John 4:7). Although we have not seen God, this agape that comes from God is in us and flows through us, so that we are abiding in Him, and He in us, we are born of God, and His agape is made complete in us. All of this finds a place in those who are living in obedience to His commandments (1 John 2:5).
13. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
In this we know that we are abiding in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit (literal).
John is, once again, repeating what he has written earlier, thereby reinforcing some significant truths for his readers. “And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us” (1 John 3:24b). Earlier, John also clarified that it is as we live in obedience to His Word that we grow in our understanding that we are in Him (1 John 2:5). Rather than expecting his readers to piece all of this together, John provides them with these truths from different perspectives, so that they arrive at a full understanding of how obeying God’s commandments, loving one another, abiding in Him, and the Spirit of God abiding in us, are all interrelated. However, as we read his letter, we come to understand that the key is our obedience to God’s commandments. “The one who is believing in the Son has everlasting life; and the one who is disobeying the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God is abiding upon him” (John 3:36, literal). Disobedience to the commandments of God excludes everyone from the everlasting life that is available through Jesus; on this person rests the wrath of God. Believing includes the two inseparable elements of faith and obedience!
14. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
And we have seen and are testifying that the Father sent the Son, the Savior of the world (literal).
As we read our English translation, it sounds very much like 1 John 1:2 – “and we have seen it, and bear witness.” Have seen, as just quoted, is from the Greek horao, which places the focus on the object seen; in this case, the supplied it refers to the Word of Life, Christ; in our current verse, this phrase is from theaomai, which is an attentive looking that includes the one who is doing the viewing – there is the visual, but the viewer is drawn beyond that to perceive the supernatural.23 Those who followed Jesus throughout His earthly ministry saw Him, as did many other people; the Jewish leaders saw Him as a threat to their positions of privilege, the general population saw Him as Someone Who could meet their needs like no other, and to His disciples He was the Christ, the Son of God (John 6:69). As John began this letter, he acknowledged that the Apostles of the Lord saw Him as the eternal Word become flesh (John 1:14), but as he reflects on the life and resurrection of the Lord, he now sees the eternal purpose of God accomplished: Jesus, the Son of God and the world’s Savior.
What is interesting is that horao (1 John 1:2) is in the perfect tense (a past completed action with ongoing effects), active voice (the subject [we] performs the action), and indicative mood (it is a statement of fact).24 Theaomai, on the other hand, is in the perfect tense, middle voice, and indicative mood;25 the only difference is the voice. The middle voice is somewhat like the active voice in that the action is being done by the subject, but the difference is that the subject is also the recipient of the action; John is saying that the Apostles not only saw that Jesus was from the Father (being His Son), but they also see that they have become beneficiaries of the work of Jesus as the Savior of the world. As His disciples, they understood to a degree that He was unique, but now they have gone beyond that to where He is their Savior.
By contrast, the English bear witness and do testify are from exactly the same Greek word (both are present tense, active voice, and indicative mood).26 Their testifying to the truth of Who Jesus is and His purpose in coming to earth, is continuous; indeed, their past action of having seen the Lord (perfect tense) has led to their ongoing testimony to His role as the world’s only Savior.
The Father sent the Son; sent is in the perfect tense (a past, completed action with ongoing results), active voice (the Father did the sending), and indicative mood (it’s a fact).27 Before creation, it was determined by eternal Jehovah that the Word, one member of the eternal God, would become flesh for the purpose of providing sinful humanity, created in His image, with the means of forgiveness: a Savior Who would make spiritual cleansing available for all men (John 1:14; 1 Peter 1:20); although not yet created, God knew that man would succumb to sin.28 It is to this amazing truth that John, and the other Apostles of the Lord, are testifying.
The Savior of the world is a phrase that we must approach carefully, keeping the rest of Scripture in mind. This is not a declaration of universalism: it is not saying that everyone will be saved. The reality presented is that Jesus is the world’s Savior – He is the Savior for all of humanity. He, Himself, declared: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6); He is the only means of coming to His Father. Jesus is the Narrow Access to the restricted pathway that leads to life everlasting, and He will only be found by a few (Matthew 7:13-14). Nevertheless, Jesus is the only means of forgiveness for the whole world – for all of humanity (1 John 2:2). Forgiveness of sins was available on a temporary basis from the very beginning; God shed the blood of animals in order to provide Adam and Eve with acceptable coverings for their sin (Genesis 3:21). Abel’s blood sacrifice was pleasing to the Lord (Genesis 4:4), as was Noah’s (Genesis 8:20-22); yet these sacrifices made by God’s faithful ones, and all of those made under the Law of Moses, could never remove sin (Hebrews 10:4) – they only provided a temporary covering for sin. The faithful OT saints died and went to a place of rest in Abraham’s bosom, or Paradise (Luke 16:22; 23:43), until such time as their sins would be paid in full. Through Christ’s one sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:12), the sins of all of the OT faithful were now paid in full, they were resurrected with glorified bodies when Christ arose (Matthew 27:52-53), and were taken to be with the Lord when He ascended to heaven (Ephesians 4:8, He led captivity captive). With the coming of the New Covenant in His blood (Luke 22:20), the sins of the faithful are covered through His shed blood; if the faithful remain obedient unto the end, then they will be given the salvation that He has prepared for His own (Matthew 24:13).
15. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
Whoever might declare that Jesus is the Son of God, God in him is remaining, and he in God (literal).
Confess (declare) is in the subjunctive mood, which means that whoever must choose to make this open declaration, which comes from a strong conviction concerning Jesus.29 The fact that John follows this with God remaining in him, and he in God, tells us that this conviction is still in place. John has made it clear that we come to know that we are in Him when we are living in obedience to His commandments (1 John 2:5), which tells us that if we are not obeying His commandments, then it follows that we are not in Him.
Declare is also in the aorist tense, providing us with a snapshot of this person at a point in the past; the picture that is presented is of someone whose conviction is that Jesus is the Son of God, and that he declared that truth. With this picture in mind, John states that God is dwelling (present tense) in someone with this conviction, and he in Him. However, He will not be in someone who has never held this conviction, or who no longer holds it.
There is great similarity between this verse and 1 John 3:24, where John stated that the one who is obeying His commandments is dwelling in Him, and He in him. Our declaration that Jesus is the Son of God and obeying His commandments both indicate that we are abiding in Him, and He in us by His Spirit.
16. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
And we have known and believed the love that God has among us; God is love, and he who is abiding in the love, he is abiding in God, and God in him (literal).[30]
Known and believed are both in the perfect tense – a completed past action that has ongoing results. Known (from ginosko) means to understand, perhaps not fully, but a growing knowledge that comes through the working of the abiding Holy Spirit. Believe (from pisteuo) includes the thought of persuasion after evaluation that leads to a strong conviction of the truth of a matter. Together, these form a solid foundation upon which to build a life that is committed to the Lord: a life of faithful obedience to His commandments. The subject for these two verbs (we) still refers to the Apostles of the Lord, as in verse 14; John is affirming that, even after the passage of time, knowing and believing the love of God that is theirs, remains vibrant – that is their experience.
Once again, John declares that God is love (1 John 4:8), and upon this, he opens it up to whoever is abiding in the love that is God: for this one, he is abiding in God, and God is abiding in him. Jesus commanded us to abide in Him, and as we do so, then He will abide in us (John 15:4); John tells us that as we abide in God’s love, the illustration of the branch being in the Vine will find fulfillment in us. Jesus also said that if we are loving Him, then we must be obeying His commandments (John 14:15); therefore, whoever is abiding in God’s love, must, of necessity, also be living in obedience to Him. We have learned that faith and obedience are inextricably linked, and now we see that obeying the Lord and abiding in Him are also inseparable.
17. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
In the midst of this, our love has been perfected, so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because just as He is, even we are in this world (literal).
This follows John’s clarification that the one who is abiding in love, is abiding in God and God in him. It is within this close relationship with God that our love has been perfected; this is in the perfect tense (a past completed action with ongoing results), passive voice (it is God Who perfected this love within us), and indicative mood (a statement of fact). Jesus expressed how this comes to be: “… if someone is loving Me, he will obey My Word, and My Father will love him, and to him We will come and make [Our] home with him” (John 14:23, literal). Once again, we are reminded that obedience to Him is essential to having this abiding relationship with the Lord. The one who is abiding in the Lord, and He in him, is clearly living in obedience to His commandments (1 John 2:5).
John states that it is through this complete love, which comes through being in God and He in us, that we are able to have confidence on the day of judgment. Some are of the opinion that this day of judgment is the day when, after the Millennial reign of Christ, all of the dead (the unrighteous dead since Adam and those who die when this heaven and earth are destroyed) will stand before the Great White Throne to face God one final time. “11. And I saw a great, radiant throne and the One Who is sitting on it, from Whose presence the earth and the heaven did vanish, and no place was found for them. 12. And I saw the dead, the lowly and the mighty, stand before God; and books were opened, and another was opened, the Book of Life, and the dead were sentenced by what has been written in the books, according to their works” (Revelation 20:11-12, literal). In keeping with the whole of Scripture, the time before the Great White Throne will be for the sentencing of the dead, not their judgment. The writer of Hebrews provides us with a glimpse into this truth: “And inasmuch as it is certain for men to die once, and after this – judgment” (Hebrews 9:27, literal). It is upon an individual’s death that the Lord’s judgment takes place.
Jesus provided us with a view of how this was accomplished in the OT times: “19. There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores … 22. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23. And in hell [Hades] he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence” (Luke 16:19-26). Lazarus, who was faithful to the Lord, when he died was taken to Abraham’s bosom, a place of comfort, whereas the rich man, who ignored the Lord, was taken to Hades, a place of torment. Notice that it was upon their death that the Lord judged the beggar to be worthy of a place of comfort, and the rich man a place of torment; their judgment before God was accomplished at the time of their death – just like the writer of Hebrews explained! Upon death, the OT saints were taken to Abraham’s bosom, or Paradise (Luke 23:43), pending Jesus’ final payment for the sins of all of humanity; the blood of all of the sacrifices made in the OT could never remove sin (Hebrews 10:4). When Jesus paid the price for all of sin, that of the OT saints was now paid in full, and when Jesus rose from the dead, the OT saints were also resurrected to new life in Him (Matthew 27:52-53), and Jesus took them to heaven as the firstfruit offering of the coming full harvest (Ephesians 4:8). Their faithfulness to the Lord during their lifetimes saw their sins covered (not removed), and, after their deaths, they remained in a place of comfort until their sins were removed by the Promised One. All of the unrighteous from the OT, upon their death, were sent to Hades, the place of torment reserved for the unrighteous dead. It will be at the Great White Throne that the residents of Hades will stand before God (Revelation 20:13), not for their judgment, because that took place at the moment of their death, but for sentencing; they will face what they did in their lives and will understand the justice of the sentences that they receive.
Paul has provided instruction on this matter under the New Covenant. “6. Therefore we are always confident and have understood that being at home in the body, [we] are away from the Lord … 8. but we are confident and, rather, consider it good to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6, 8, literal). We become absent from the body when we die; “Thou [Jehovah] hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust” (Psalm 104:29). Paul declares that for the child of God to be present in this body, is to be away from the Lord (we are present on the earth, while the Lord is in heaven); when we die, our bodies return to the dust while our souls are then with the Lord, awaiting the day when He will come in the clouds and reunite body and soul. “16. Because the Lord Himself, with a command, with the cry of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, will descend from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise first, 17. Then we who are living, who are surviving, will be snatched away together with them in the clouds to a meeting of the Lord in the air, and thus we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, literal).
The OT saints are now with the Lord in glorified bodies (having been resurrected with Him); the souls of the faithful who have died under the New Covenant, are with the Lord awaiting the day when body and soul will be reunited, and be with Him forever. The Lord’s faithful have never entered Hades – that has always been the place for the souls of the unrighteous dead.
John concludes with because just as He is, even we are in this world. This is a somewhat difficult saying that requires a little more thought. Jesus is unchangeable (Hebrews 13:8); He is the eternal Word Who accepted an earthly body in order to fulfill the eternal plan of bringing redemption from sin to humanity. He never ceased to be God while He was on earth (John 10:30), and He continues as such in heaven today. However, while He was on earth, He made this significant distinction: “I am not of this world” (John 8:23), and “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36); Jesus made it clear that even though He was on this earth, He was not a part of the world that is under the control of Satan. Generally speaking, the world is against God; everyone with an earthly father is born in sin (Romans 5:12), but Jesus was born by the Spirit of God, had no earthly father, and so was quite literally, not of this world.
Now we must remind ourselves that God is in us and we in Him; with this firmly in mind, even we are in this world. As we are abiding in the Lord, and He in us by His Spirit, we are not of this world; therefore, His desire for us, and the Spirit’s guidance within us, will be to live in a manner that is separate from the world. Our undivided focus must be on the Lord Jesus Who now resides in heaven and is preparing a place for those who are His (Hebrews 12:2; John 14:2); our attention must not be upon this world, for any treasure that we accumulate here will be of no eternal value (Matthew 6:19-21). As a matter of fact, John has made it very clear that if we are drawn aside into the things of the world, then we do not have the love of God (1 John 2:15). We are in this world, but we are not to be of it, even as Jesus was in this world, but not of it.
18. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
Fear is not in love, but perfect love is driving fear out, because fear includes punishment, and whoever is fearful has not been made complete in the love (literal).
John declares that there is no fear (phobos) in love, and we are called upon to love the Lord with all of our being (Matthew 22:37), yet, at the same time, we are told that the fear of the Lord is where wisdom begins (Psalm 111:10).31 What seems evident is that there are different applications for the word fear (since this is not a contradiction). Phobos has both a negative and positive use: negatively, it speaks of terror, dread and alarm; positively, it means to have respect, reverence, and awe for someone or something.32 If we consider the fear of the Lord, then we can see that reverence is fitting; however, within the reverence that we have for Him, there is also an element of fear that we would in any way cause Him displeasure. Yet, of these two that are in play at the same time, the dominant fear must be reverence, for He is our Creator and Savior! John has made it very clear that it is the one who is living in obedience to the commandments of God who is abiding in His love, and He is in him (1 John 2:4-5). It is as we live in this manner, under the guidance of the Spirit of God, that the fear of giving Him displeasure will be dissolved in His love; however, if we permit our obedience to slide (become disobedient) then it is only right that negative fear should enter our hearts – to cause us to confess our failure, repent of our disobedience, and restore our love-relationship with the Lord (1 John 1:9).
Earlier John wrote: “But whoever is obeying His Word, truly, in this one the love of God has been made complete [from teleioo]; by this we are coming to know that we are in Him” (1 John 2:5, literal); now he writes that perfect [from teleios] love is driving fear out. Perfect (an adjective) and complete (a verb) come from a common Greek root word that speaks of what is finished or brought to finality. It is within the one who is obeying the Lord’s commandments that His love is made complete (He loving us, and we loving Him), and it is this complete, or perfect, love that removes the negative fear, leaving a loving reverence for the Lord.
Fear includes punishment, is an interesting phrase. Punishment (KJV torment) is from the Greek kolasis, which speaks of the relationship between the correction (punishment) and the corrected (rather than the corrector).[33] This word gives rise to a sense of justified correction within the transgressor, as opposed to the administrator of justice for the infraction.[34] Since obedience to the commandments of the Lord removes fear, a moment of disobedience will bring with it a sense of having disappointed the Lord, as well as a fear of justified punishment. However, since John has already provided the solution to a misstep (1 John 1:9), the punishment, in this case, becomes the driving force of restoring our relationship with the Lord – that which casts negative fear out.
Finally, John notes that the one who is fearful (present tense: continually living in negative fear) has not come to know the love that removes such fear. Placing this within the context of John’s letter, the greatest reason for such fear is not living in obedience to the commandments of God (1 John 2:4-5). Fearful is in the passive mood, which means that this fear is a response to something and not a personal determination to be afraid – that something is in disobedience to the Lord. Jesus said that if we are loving Him, then we must obey His commandments (John 14:15); hence, if we do not obey, then we are not loving Him – we are not abiding in His love, and His love is not made complete in us.
Abiding in Christ (and He in us) will remove all negative fear from us, because His love is made complete in the one who is living in obedience to His commandments. Even though John did not mention obedience to the Lord, it is very clear that it is essential to a life that is lived in the love of God and reverence for Him.
19. We love him, because he first loved us.
We are loving Him, because first He did love us (literal).
John has unequivocally stated that it is through our obedience to the Lord’s commandments that we abide in Him, and His love is made complete in us (1 John 2:4-5). Jesus said that if we are loving Him, then we are to obey His commandments (John 14:15). John draws on what he wrote earlier (1 John 4:10), that it is because of God’s love that Jesus came to become the means of forgiveness of sins for us. As we place our faith in Him and live in obedience to His commandments, we are then able to love Him. Our ability to love Him comes only through His love for us – a love that was present in eternity past. “Even as He did choose us in Him [Christ] before the foundation of the world …” (Ephesians 1:4a, literal); before Adam was created, God chose everyone who is in Christ to belong to Him. Therefore, the question is: how do we know that we are in Christ? The criteria is this: we place our faith in His shed blood to cleanse us from all sin, and we remain in that state of forgiveness through obedience to His commandments; without faith in Christ we have no relationship with Him, and without obedience we have no faith (James 2:26). We are God’s chosen ones as we remain faithful to Him, which includes an active faith that is demonstrated by our obedience to His commandments. “Beware, brethren, that there never be in anyone of you a wicked heart of unbelief, to become apostate from the God Who is living” (Hebrews 3:12, literal). This is a warning that faithlessness (unbelief) is apostasy, and whoever is apostate from God does not remain in Him. “4. The one who is saying, ‘I know Him,’ and His commandments he is not obeying, is a liar, and the truth is not in this one; 5. But whoever is obeying His Word, truly, in this one the love of God has been made complete; by this we are coming to know that we are in Him” (1 John 2:4-5, literal). The one who is disobedient to the Lord’s commands, does not know the Lord, the Truth – He is not in him; on the other hand, within the obedient one, God’s love is complete and this one is learning that he is abiding in Him.
Once again, we understand that obedience is the essence of our relationship with the Lord; without it, we show that we do not love Him. “If you are loving Me, [then] My commandments you are to obey” (John 14:15, literal); Jesus states that obedience tells Him that we are loving Him, or, to put it conversely, without obedience we show no love for Him. It was His sacrifice that demonstrated His love for humanity – this, too, was determined before creation; indeed, God loved us before Adam, and chose those for His own who would be found in Christ. The way for the restoration of fallen humanity to the Lord was defined before creation; Jesus is the only Way to the Father (John 14:6), and it is by faith and obedience that we are able to embark upon that Way to life. It is as we persevere faithfully and obediently unto the end of our time on earth, that the Lord will welcome us into His eternal kingdom (Matthew 24:13; Mark 13:13).
20. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
If anyone has said, “I am loving God,” and his brother he is hating – a liar is he; for he who is not loving his brother whom he has seen, how is he able to love God Whom he has not seen? (literal).
Earlier, John wrote: “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar …” (1 John 2:4a). Now, John identifies the one who says that he loves God, yet hates his brother, as being a liar; indeed, what John wrote earlier tells us why this is so: such a person is violating God’s instruction to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:39).
As we have noted before, our love for our neighbor rests upon a love for God, which is the first and foundational commandment upon which our lives must be built. However, John is endeavoring to make a new point with his readers.
You will recall that when Jesus was presented with the man who had palsy, His first response was: “thy sins be forgiven thee” (Matthew 9:2). The Jewish religious leaders were incensed by this, but Jesus then asked them a very interesting question: “For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?” (Matthew 9:5); then, to show that He had the authority to forgive sins, He commanded the man to pick his bed up and go home (which he did). The answer to Jesus’ question was: it is far easier to say “Thy sins be forgiven thee,” because no one is able to see whether this has taken place or not – it is an internal matter; but to say “arise and walk” – the success or failure of this is evident for all to see. In the case of our verse, the question could well be: which is easier: to say, “I love God,” or to love my brother? It is easier to say, “I love God,” simply because it is internal. However, John provides the test to determine if someone is truly loving God: does he love his brother?
We live in a time when Evangelicals will all say, “I love God.” Indeed, every Ecumenist will proclaim this; but the test that John presents is this: do they love their fellow man – and, I might add, particularly those who are not of their Ecumenical mindset. One of the mantras of Ecumenism is “judge not,” and they see this couched within a tolerant love that easily overlooks doctrinal differences. However, when an Ecumenist, who deliberately ignores doctrinal variances and will not judge, is faced with the Truth of God’s Word, they very suddenly become intolerant, judgmental, and will frequently attack the messenger of God’s Truth.
Actually, we are called upon to be intolerant: “And I am urging you, brethren, to notice carefully those who are causing divisions and ruin without regard for the teaching that you have learned, and then turn away from their [teachings and activities]” (Romans 16:17, literal).35 The divisions that are caused are not separations between brethren, but, rather, the spiritual separation from the Lord that comes from departing from the Truth of the Gospel; this is why they are also causing ruin – the one who departs from the Lord, enters apostasy from which there is no restoration (Hebrews 6:4-6). We are to be intolerant of those who teach that which is not in accordance with God’s Word; we must identify them as those who do not follow the teachings of Scripture, and then we must ensure that we have no part in their activities or teachings. By contrast, the Ecumenical way is to show tolerance for their error; the Ecumenist has not learned Biblical teaching – nor is he interested in such teaching; rather, his focus is on fitting into a broad fellowship, and in this he finds great contentment. Ecumenism is based upon an acceptance of a few very broadly defined, Biblically-sounding principles so as to create as much inclusivity as possible. They take great pride in being inclusive, not exclusive; they look with disdain upon those who hold to the restrictive teachings of Scripture that serve to guide us on the Narrow Way that leads to life. It is sad to see them express their scorn for the truths of Scripture, while the Devil has so filled their minds with his deception that they are not only content in their error, but seem completely assured of heaven with the Lord Whom they openly despise.
We are also called upon to judge. The deceived like to quote: “judge not,” and will sometimes even add “that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). Because this fits so perfectly within their Ecumenical mindset, they look no further; they consider their broad-minded acceptance of others as living Biblically (judge not). Too frequently, this is the “reason” that they will show contempt for those who hold to a more complete understanding of God’s word on this matter. Jesus went on to say that our judgment is not to be hypocritical: don’t point to the speck that you see in your brother’s eye, while the log in your own eye is of no concern to you (Matthew 7:3). If you condemn your brother for the speck in his eye, then what sort of judgment can you expect since you have a log in your own? Jesus said that we must not judge based upon appearances, but a righteous judgment that can only come through His Word (John 7:24). With the Spirit of God abiding within (1 John 3:24) and the Law of God written upon our minds (Hebrews 10:16), the child of God has been adequately equipped to determine righteous judgment – not according to a theology, but one that is consistent with God, the righteous Judge (2 Timothy 4:8).
John has now presented two ways to identify someone as being a liar, when he claims to love God: 1) he does not obey His commandments (1 John 2:4), and 2) he hates his brother. John has commanded that we test others to ensure that God’s Spirit is present within them (1 John 4:1), and he has now given us two ways to identify those who do not love God, which means that His Spirit will not be in them. The first is that obedience to the commandments of God will not be present; this requires that we must first understand what it means to obey God’s commandments, not according to a generally accepted theology, but in keeping with His Word. The second test is the lack of demonstrated love for his brother; interestingly, this lack of love flows out of disobedience to God’s commandments – the last six commandments deal specifically with the love for a brother: “love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matthew 22:39). These are two tests that can be applied using fairly easily discernable evidence; however, if this evidence should not be discernable in a life, Jesus did provide another means. After describing the narrow gate that permits entrance onto the restricted way to life, He warned of false prophets who will come to us as wolves disguised as sheep: “but watch out for false prophets, the kind who are coming to you in the clothing of sheep but within are vicious wolves” (Matthew 7:15, literal). These false prophets will appear to bear a message of truth, yet, because they do not hold the truth, they destroy by obstructing access to the Gate to life. In His next words, Jesus tells us how to discern these frauds: “by their fruits you will come to know them” (Matthew 7:16a, literal). Clearly, this will take some time, but He assures us that the results of their lives will reveal that they are destructive wolves, and not sheep at all.
This is why the one who holds to God’s truth will often come under attack by the Ecumenical. They come disguised as followers of Christ: they know the language, they like giving the aura of being spiritual, and they will use Scripture as often as they can to bolster their appearance as sheep. Too frequently, they actually seem to be convinced that they are sheep, which only serves to make them increasingly bold in their proclamation of their perverted understanding of Scripture – they are proclaimers of falsehood, i.e., false prophets. However, when such a one faces the truth of God’s Word, the wolf within is not able to hold his tongue, and the fruit of his character will reveal itself. They hold a claim to love God, which may be difficult to dispute, yet when confronted with God’s Truth, they will show their teeth and reveal their true identity.
21. And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
And this commandment we have from Him, so that he who is loving God, is also loving his brother (literal).
John refers here to a single commandment, yet when Jesus was asked to identify the single, greatest commandment, He provided two that served to summarize the Ten Commandments. John, following Jesus’ example, identifies the love of God as the greatest commandment: he who is loving God is the fulfilling of that command. Out of this love for God will flow the love for our neighbor, and most certainly, also for our brother in the Lord. John makes it very clear that our love for our brother is preceded by a love for God; the order that Jesus gave to these two summary commandments is important. We cannot learn to love the Lord by seeking to love our neighbor, but if we love God thoroughly, then, out of that, will flow a love for those about us.
END NOTES:
1 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon (used for all “literal,” any other resources will be noted).
2 https://cwrc-rz.org/evangelicals-and-catholics-together-ect-full-text/.
3 Ibid.
4 Charles Colson, The Body, p. 102.
5 https://people.bu.edu/wwildman/bce/pannenberg.htm.
6 https://www.religion-online.org/article/wolfhart-pannenbergs-quest-for-ultimate-truth/.
7 Colson, p. 104.
8 https://biblehub.com/q/what_does_the_name_jesus_mean.htm.
9 Friberg Lexicon; Theological Wordbook of the OT (TWOT), #1255.
10 Friberg Lexicon.
11 https://www.britannica.com/topic/Docetism; https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=docetism.
12 https://gnosticismexplained.org/.
13 Ibid.
14 https://www.ntgreek.org/learn_nt_greek/verbs1.htm.
15 https://christianpure.com/learn/jehovahs-witnesses-jesus-beliefs/.
16 https://religionfacts.com/mormonism/beliefs/christology.
17 Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
18 Ibid.
19 Friberg Lexicon.
20 TWOT #29.
21 BDB.
22 BDB; TWOT #2414.
23 Vine’s “see”; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon; Friberg Lexicon.
24 Stephanus 1550 NT.
25 Stephanus 1550 NT; https://www.dannyzacharias.net/blog/2014/5/16/your-intro-greek-teacher-was-wrong-deponent-verbs-dont-exist.
26 Stephanus 1550 NT.
27 Ibid.
28 We must be careful to avoid the Calvinists’ error of equating foreknowledge and predetermination; they go through all sorts of verbal gymnastics in an effort to not identify God as the Author of sin. The confusion that they create on this subject seems to satisfy their minds and their theology because the absolute sovereignty of God (a very deterministic position) remains a significant plank in their platform, and they must retain it, in some form, at all costs. More on this at: https://www.thenarrowtruth.com/tulip---unconditional-election.html.
29 Vine’s “confess.”
30 https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ἐν.
31 The LXX uses phobos for the fear of the Lord.
32 Friberg Lexicon.
33 Vine’s “punishment.”
34 The Complete Word Study NT, #2851.
35 Although most will end this verse with them, the Greek word is the possessive their, which serves to identify the teachings and activities of those who are causing divisions and ruin, rather than them, personally.
1 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon (used for all “literal,” any other resources will be noted).
2 https://cwrc-rz.org/evangelicals-and-catholics-together-ect-full-text/.
3 Ibid.
4 Charles Colson, The Body, p. 102.
5 https://people.bu.edu/wwildman/bce/pannenberg.htm.
6 https://www.religion-online.org/article/wolfhart-pannenbergs-quest-for-ultimate-truth/.
7 Colson, p. 104.
8 https://biblehub.com/q/what_does_the_name_jesus_mean.htm.
9 Friberg Lexicon; Theological Wordbook of the OT (TWOT), #1255.
10 Friberg Lexicon.
11 https://www.britannica.com/topic/Docetism; https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=docetism.
12 https://gnosticismexplained.org/.
13 Ibid.
14 https://www.ntgreek.org/learn_nt_greek/verbs1.htm.
15 https://christianpure.com/learn/jehovahs-witnesses-jesus-beliefs/.
16 https://religionfacts.com/mormonism/beliefs/christology.
17 Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
18 Ibid.
19 Friberg Lexicon.
20 TWOT #29.
21 BDB.
22 BDB; TWOT #2414.
23 Vine’s “see”; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon; Friberg Lexicon.
24 Stephanus 1550 NT.
25 Stephanus 1550 NT; https://www.dannyzacharias.net/blog/2014/5/16/your-intro-greek-teacher-was-wrong-deponent-verbs-dont-exist.
26 Stephanus 1550 NT.
27 Ibid.
28 We must be careful to avoid the Calvinists’ error of equating foreknowledge and predetermination; they go through all sorts of verbal gymnastics in an effort to not identify God as the Author of sin. The confusion that they create on this subject seems to satisfy their minds and their theology because the absolute sovereignty of God (a very deterministic position) remains a significant plank in their platform, and they must retain it, in some form, at all costs. More on this at: https://www.thenarrowtruth.com/tulip---unconditional-election.html.
29 Vine’s “confess.”
30 https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ἐν.
31 The LXX uses phobos for the fear of the Lord.
32 Friberg Lexicon.
33 Vine’s “punishment.”
34 The Complete Word Study NT, #2851.
35 Although most will end this verse with them, the Greek word is the possessive their, which serves to identify the teachings and activities of those who are causing divisions and ruin, rather than them, personally.