First John Chapter Two
1. My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
My little children, these things I am writing to you so that ye sin not, and if anyone should sin, we have an Advocate with the Father: the righteous Jesus Christ (literal).1
There is a general consensus that John did most of his writing toward the end of the first century AD, although some contend that the Revelation could have been written as early as the late 60’s. Nevertheless, there is agreement that his epistles were written in the AD 90’s, when he would have been an old man.2 Therefore, to address his readers as my little children is in keeping with his age, and his familial love for them.
Earlier, John made it clear that he was writing from his experience as a close follower of Jesus during His earthly ministry, so that he (along with others like him) could be joined together with those who read of Him, in fellowship with the Father and the Son (1 John 1:3). He now adds that he is writing so that his readers will understand how they are to live – not in sin, but in faithfulness to the Lord. Even though that is his goal, his personal experience tells him that complete faithfulness to the Lord is not fully possible while we bear about a body of sin.
Paul addressed the matter this way: “22. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members” (Romans 7:22-23). To Peter, on the night of His betrayal, Jesus said, “… the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41b); we might determine a course of action, but its execution could very well be flawed because of our human weaknesses. John was well aware of this tendency toward failure, and he assures us that if anyone does sin (and we will), Jesus, Who is purely righteous, will advocate with His Father for our cleansing; however, as he has already stated, we must agree with Him regarding our sin, and then He will provide forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:9).
Advocate is from the Greek parakletos; as used here, it is a legal term that speaks of someone who comes to the defense of another.3 As we agree with Jesus concerning our sin (confess), He will bring cleansing and forgiveness so that we are righteous before God. The word parakletos literally means to call to one’s side for the purpose of providing help;4 it appears five times in the NT Scriptures, and all of them are in John’s writings. Each of the four times that it is used in his Gospel, it is translated as Comforter, with specific reference to the Holy Spirit (John 14:26); yet we must not be misled by Comforter, because the Spirit of God comes alongside of us to provide help, and not to make us feel good. He is called the Spirit of truth (John 15:26) Who comes to us for the purpose of guiding us into all truth (John 16:13)! Jesus told His disciples that He would send them another (allos, another of the same kind) Parakletos (John 14:16) Who would come to abide with them forever. At this time, Jesus was telling His disciples that He would be leaving them, but that He was going to send the Spirit to abide within them forever; both Jesus and the Holy Spirit fill the role of parakletos for us (Romans 8:26, 34). The Spirit of God comes to us to take up permanent residence (that was Jesus’ purpose in sending Him); however, we must not forget that our faithfulness to the Lord is not a foregone conclusion when we place our faith in Him. “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).5 This is a warning issued to brethren to guard against unbelief, lest it lead us away from God into apostasy. There is a reason that Jesus declared that our salvation is future (not present), because unless we remain faithful to Him unto the end of our days on this earth, we will not receive the salvation that He as prepared for us (Matthew 24:13). When we place our faith in the Lord Jesus, this is what God does for us: He writes His Ten Laws into our hearts and minds (Hebrews 10:16), He sends the Spirit to abide within us (John 14:16), and, as we have just seen, both the Spirit and the Lord Jesus are interceding with the Father for us. God has thoroughly equipped us to persevere in Him, yet He allows us to choose how we will live; the criteria to enter His presence one day is established, and it will not be changed by either our theology or logic.
2. And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
And He is the means of forgiveness for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for [the sins] of all of humanity (literal).6
Here we have that difficult English word propitiation; it is defined as the act of gaining, or regaining, the favor of someone,7 or, more strongly, the act of appeasing someone’s wrath.8 It appears twice in the NT, and both are in this epistle of John. Within the context of God’s Word, its focus is on the atonement that has been made for our sins by the blood of Jesus; the only way for anyone to appease God’s wrath against sin, is through faith in the full payment that Christ made for all of sin. Therefore, as John notes here, Jesus is the Way whereby we are able to claim God’s forgiveness for our sins – there is absolutely no other way to the Father. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one is coming to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6, literal).9 Sinners who are not in Christ will not come before the Father in heaven; that should be very evident from Jesus’ words.
Despite Jesus’ words being very clear to anyone who reads them, there are still many who do not accept this truth. The very influential Evangelical, the late Billy Graham, did not accept this truth; consider his words: “Outside the Christian groups, I think everybody who knows Christ, whether they are conscious of it or not, they’re members of the Body of Christ … whether they come from the Muslim world, or the Buddhist world, or the Christian world … They may not even know the name of Jesus, but … they turn to the only light they have, and I think they are saved, and that they are going to be in heaven with us” (emphasis in source).10 It is no wonder that Evangelicalism is shot through and through with Ecumenical thinking; among Evangelicals, Graham was held in very high regard, and many followed his lead into greater apostasy. Many ways to heaven may be a popular consideration among the ungodly, but those who profess to know the Lord and His Word should recognize that this is not true. Consider Paul’s words: “Let God be true, and every man a liar” (Romans 3:4a, literal);11 the challenge is for us to accept God and His Word as being absolutely true (John 17:17)! His Word must be our Standard by which we weigh all of the thoughts and musings of man; clearly, Graham, if he ever made such an evaluation, chose to follow what was reasonable in his own thinking, and he permitted his heart of unbelief to lead him away from the Truth (Hebrews 3:12) – he did not believe the words of Jesus, that is unbelief.
My little children, these things I am writing to you so that ye sin not, and if anyone should sin, we have an Advocate with the Father: the righteous Jesus Christ (literal).1
There is a general consensus that John did most of his writing toward the end of the first century AD, although some contend that the Revelation could have been written as early as the late 60’s. Nevertheless, there is agreement that his epistles were written in the AD 90’s, when he would have been an old man.2 Therefore, to address his readers as my little children is in keeping with his age, and his familial love for them.
Earlier, John made it clear that he was writing from his experience as a close follower of Jesus during His earthly ministry, so that he (along with others like him) could be joined together with those who read of Him, in fellowship with the Father and the Son (1 John 1:3). He now adds that he is writing so that his readers will understand how they are to live – not in sin, but in faithfulness to the Lord. Even though that is his goal, his personal experience tells him that complete faithfulness to the Lord is not fully possible while we bear about a body of sin.
Paul addressed the matter this way: “22. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members” (Romans 7:22-23). To Peter, on the night of His betrayal, Jesus said, “… the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41b); we might determine a course of action, but its execution could very well be flawed because of our human weaknesses. John was well aware of this tendency toward failure, and he assures us that if anyone does sin (and we will), Jesus, Who is purely righteous, will advocate with His Father for our cleansing; however, as he has already stated, we must agree with Him regarding our sin, and then He will provide forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:9).
Advocate is from the Greek parakletos; as used here, it is a legal term that speaks of someone who comes to the defense of another.3 As we agree with Jesus concerning our sin (confess), He will bring cleansing and forgiveness so that we are righteous before God. The word parakletos literally means to call to one’s side for the purpose of providing help;4 it appears five times in the NT Scriptures, and all of them are in John’s writings. Each of the four times that it is used in his Gospel, it is translated as Comforter, with specific reference to the Holy Spirit (John 14:26); yet we must not be misled by Comforter, because the Spirit of God comes alongside of us to provide help, and not to make us feel good. He is called the Spirit of truth (John 15:26) Who comes to us for the purpose of guiding us into all truth (John 16:13)! Jesus told His disciples that He would send them another (allos, another of the same kind) Parakletos (John 14:16) Who would come to abide with them forever. At this time, Jesus was telling His disciples that He would be leaving them, but that He was going to send the Spirit to abide within them forever; both Jesus and the Holy Spirit fill the role of parakletos for us (Romans 8:26, 34). The Spirit of God comes to us to take up permanent residence (that was Jesus’ purpose in sending Him); however, we must not forget that our faithfulness to the Lord is not a foregone conclusion when we place our faith in Him. “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).5 This is a warning issued to brethren to guard against unbelief, lest it lead us away from God into apostasy. There is a reason that Jesus declared that our salvation is future (not present), because unless we remain faithful to Him unto the end of our days on this earth, we will not receive the salvation that He as prepared for us (Matthew 24:13). When we place our faith in the Lord Jesus, this is what God does for us: He writes His Ten Laws into our hearts and minds (Hebrews 10:16), He sends the Spirit to abide within us (John 14:16), and, as we have just seen, both the Spirit and the Lord Jesus are interceding with the Father for us. God has thoroughly equipped us to persevere in Him, yet He allows us to choose how we will live; the criteria to enter His presence one day is established, and it will not be changed by either our theology or logic.
2. And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
And He is the means of forgiveness for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for [the sins] of all of humanity (literal).6
Here we have that difficult English word propitiation; it is defined as the act of gaining, or regaining, the favor of someone,7 or, more strongly, the act of appeasing someone’s wrath.8 It appears twice in the NT, and both are in this epistle of John. Within the context of God’s Word, its focus is on the atonement that has been made for our sins by the blood of Jesus; the only way for anyone to appease God’s wrath against sin, is through faith in the full payment that Christ made for all of sin. Therefore, as John notes here, Jesus is the Way whereby we are able to claim God’s forgiveness for our sins – there is absolutely no other way to the Father. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one is coming to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6, literal).9 Sinners who are not in Christ will not come before the Father in heaven; that should be very evident from Jesus’ words.
Despite Jesus’ words being very clear to anyone who reads them, there are still many who do not accept this truth. The very influential Evangelical, the late Billy Graham, did not accept this truth; consider his words: “Outside the Christian groups, I think everybody who knows Christ, whether they are conscious of it or not, they’re members of the Body of Christ … whether they come from the Muslim world, or the Buddhist world, or the Christian world … They may not even know the name of Jesus, but … they turn to the only light they have, and I think they are saved, and that they are going to be in heaven with us” (emphasis in source).10 It is no wonder that Evangelicalism is shot through and through with Ecumenical thinking; among Evangelicals, Graham was held in very high regard, and many followed his lead into greater apostasy. Many ways to heaven may be a popular consideration among the ungodly, but those who profess to know the Lord and His Word should recognize that this is not true. Consider Paul’s words: “Let God be true, and every man a liar” (Romans 3:4a, literal);11 the challenge is for us to accept God and His Word as being absolutely true (John 17:17)! His Word must be our Standard by which we weigh all of the thoughts and musings of man; clearly, Graham, if he ever made such an evaluation, chose to follow what was reasonable in his own thinking, and he permitted his heart of unbelief to lead him away from the Truth (Hebrews 3:12) – he did not believe the words of Jesus, that is unbelief.
John goes on to explain that Jesus is not the Source of forgiveness for our sins only, but for the sins of the whole of humanity! In other words, we find forgiveness of sins by placing our faith in the Lord Jesus’ full payment for sins: He is our propitiation! However, John tells us that His capacity to forgive sins is not limited to us, but it goes out to everyone in the world.
This truth runs contrary to Calvinism, which has gained great popularity in the last few decades. The Calvinist declares that Jesus did not die for the sins of all of humanity, but only for those who are His sheep; they readily admit that “this does not mean that the power of His death could not have saved all men if He wanted to.”12 This almost makes it sound like they are agreeing with the truth that John has proclaimed, but we must not be too hasty in jumping to that conclusion. Another element of their theology states this: “God did, by His most wise and holy counsel, of His own, freely and unchangeably ordain some men to heaven and some men to hell by the nature of His good pleasure. In eternity, God has predetermined the course of everything and everyone” (emphasis added).13 This is what they call unconditional election, by which they remove the free will of men to make their own determinations concerning God. This Calvinistic teaching declares that God has, from eternity past, established who will be saved and who will be condemned. Therefore, when they say that the power of Jesus’ death could have saved all men if He wanted to, they are making God to be the villain Who has predetermined some people to hell – even if they wanted to be saved, they could not because of God’s predetermination! We have just touched on the “L” and “U” of their theological “TULIP,” but the foundation upon which they build the whole TULIP is the “T” – Total depravity. The late John MacArthur was a very popular Calvinist who declared that sinners are not “always as bad as they could be,” and then he went on to say: “Total depravity means sinners have no ability to do spiritual good or work for their own salvation from sin. They are so completely disinclined to love righteousness, so thoroughly dead in sin, that they are not able to save themselves or even to fit themselves for God’s salvation. Unbelieving humanity has no capacity to desire, understand, believe, or apply spiritual truth …” (emphasis added).14 It is the error of Total depravity that requires the errors of Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and Perseverance of the saints in order for anyone to be “saved.” This is not my perspective, but comes from one of their own (Ronald Hanko, who has preached this theology for over forty years): “Because the doctrine of total depravity describes man’s sinfulness and wretched condition, it shows the need for the grace of God that is described in the other four points.”15
Unfortunately for Calvinism, men like MacArthur have great difficulty holding to the script; he declared: “True saving faith is the sinner recognizing his own hopeless condition and trusting Christ as his righteous and sacrificial substitute—the only possible means of escape from God’s just wrath” (emphasis added).16 Someone recognizing their sinfulness and trusting Christ’s redemption is the only possible way to avoid God’s condemnation of sin? Recognizing and trusting are actions that must be taken by the sinner (according to MacArthur), yet neither of these fit within the total depravity, unconditional election, and irresistible grace of Calvinism, which is something that MacArthur also preached! In essence, MacArthur was a man with a divided tongue, who taught Calvinism (God does it all) and yet advocated the need for the individual to trust in Christ. But fear not, there is a Calvinistic explanation for this as well: “Not only does God provide the means of salvation, He bestows the very ability to lay hold of that salvation through faith in His Son.”17 Yes, we must trust in Christ, but even the ability to believe comes from God – if He has chosen you to salvation from eternity past (upholding the “U” of TULIP)!
John declares Jesus to be the means of forgiveness from sins for all of humanity, and specifically details that His deliverance is not limited to those who are believing. This can only mean that Jesus’ death and resurrection, as the payment for sin, is for everyone; not just the potential ability of His atoning death, but the reality that He made atonement for the sins of all of humanity. However, it is only through faith in the Lord that this atonement is applied to the individual; yet, for those who remain bound in sin, Jesus is still the only means of forgiveness from sin – there is no other (John 14:6). God loved humanity and willingly gave His Son, the Lord Jesus, to become the means of forgiveness for all of humanity through His death and resurrection (John 3:16). God’s purpose for doing so (loving and giving) was so that the sinner who is believing (believeth is a present tense, active voice verb; a continual action that is taken by the sinner) will not come to ruin, but is having everlasting life; God’s purpose is only realized in the one who is believing! Paul wrote: “[the Lord Jesus] by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:2). We, by faith, have access to the grace and hope that is in Jesus; “for by grace are ye saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8a): by faith we enter into Christ, Who is the means of forgiveness, where we find God’s grace extended to us and His salvation, which He prepared from eternity past (1 John 5:11; Ephesians 1:4). Our salvation is only secure in Christ, for He is the sole means of forgiveness for everyone; the condition is that we must remain in Him!
3. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
And by this we are coming to know that we have known Him: if His commandments we are obeying (literal).18
John is becoming more specific; he has just made the broad statement that Jesus is the means of forgiveness for all of humanity. Despite being available to everyone, John now identifies the specific way that we can come to understand (know) that we are His: obeying His commandments. Jesus said: “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). If we are in Christ, then it would be safe to say that we are loving Him; if we are loving Him (the verb is present tense), then we must obey (keep) His commandments (imperative mood – it is a command!).
Many Evangelicals have great difficulty with this – both with the obedience and the commandments. Let’s briefly consider these so that we are better equipped to avoid these Evangelical pitfalls.
Obedience is defined as compliance with a command, a law or a prescribed duty.19 I think that most Evangelicals understand this in the physical sense, but when they try to bring this into the spiritual, they frequently falter. On more than one occasion, my wife and I have heard this: “we (speaking of Christians) are not under law, but under grace;” by this, they mean that obedience to commandments has no place in the lives of Christians – God’s grace allows us to live in freedom. This is nothing new, for Paul dealt with this very thing. “14. For your sin will not control [you (plural)], for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15. What then? Will we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? May it not be!” (Romans 6:14-15, literal).20 Because we are under grace, are we free to live as we please? The resounding answer is: may it not be! – God forbid carries the sentiment of the expression, but nothing of the Greek words that are used. Paul had just explained that our old man has been crucified with Christ so that, as a result, we no longer serve sin (Romans 6:6). He clarified it this way: “For when we were in the flesh [i.e., the old man], the passions of sins through the law were working in our members, bearing fruit unto death” (Romans 7:5, literal).21 When we are outside of Christ, it is the law of sin that works in us unto death; in other words, there is a principle (or, law) at work here: living under the rule of the flesh is to live in sin, and the final end is death. In such a state, we are following the world and the prince of this world (Satan), and are driven by the passions of our flesh and mind, which marks us as those who are destined for God’s wrath (Ephesians 2:1-3). Those who live in this way, doing the works of the flesh, will not inherit God’s kingdom (Galatians 5:19-21).
Many in today’s world would consider themselves to be free to live however they desire, but, what they don’t realize, is that they are living under the law of sin, and are its slaves. “Ye did not understand that to whom [ye] offer yourselves [to be] enslaved unto obedience, ye are slaves to whom ye are obeying: either sin unto death, or obedience unto righteousness” (Romans 6:16, literal).22 Notice that there are only two positions: 1) enslaved to sin (the flesh and Satan), which leads to death, or 2) enslaved to obedience to God, which will lead to His righteousness and life. There are two principles for life on earth: 1) follow the dictates of your sinful heart (this is the law of sin), or 2) follow the leading of the Spirit of God (the law of grace). The misconception that some Evangelicals are under is that when they place their faith in Christ, they are free from the law of sin and are now under grace, where there is no law! Paul demolishes this deception: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, did deliver me from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2, literal).23 Do you see it? There is a law when we are in Christ, but it is a law unto life; being under God’s grace does not mean that we are lawless! Let’s reconsider Jesus’ words: “If ye are loving Me, [then] My commandments ye must obey” (John 14:15, literal).24 This is the law to which we must submit ourselves (My commandments). This brings us to the second difficulty for Evangelicals: to what commandments are Jesus and John referring?
This truth runs contrary to Calvinism, which has gained great popularity in the last few decades. The Calvinist declares that Jesus did not die for the sins of all of humanity, but only for those who are His sheep; they readily admit that “this does not mean that the power of His death could not have saved all men if He wanted to.”12 This almost makes it sound like they are agreeing with the truth that John has proclaimed, but we must not be too hasty in jumping to that conclusion. Another element of their theology states this: “God did, by His most wise and holy counsel, of His own, freely and unchangeably ordain some men to heaven and some men to hell by the nature of His good pleasure. In eternity, God has predetermined the course of everything and everyone” (emphasis added).13 This is what they call unconditional election, by which they remove the free will of men to make their own determinations concerning God. This Calvinistic teaching declares that God has, from eternity past, established who will be saved and who will be condemned. Therefore, when they say that the power of Jesus’ death could have saved all men if He wanted to, they are making God to be the villain Who has predetermined some people to hell – even if they wanted to be saved, they could not because of God’s predetermination! We have just touched on the “L” and “U” of their theological “TULIP,” but the foundation upon which they build the whole TULIP is the “T” – Total depravity. The late John MacArthur was a very popular Calvinist who declared that sinners are not “always as bad as they could be,” and then he went on to say: “Total depravity means sinners have no ability to do spiritual good or work for their own salvation from sin. They are so completely disinclined to love righteousness, so thoroughly dead in sin, that they are not able to save themselves or even to fit themselves for God’s salvation. Unbelieving humanity has no capacity to desire, understand, believe, or apply spiritual truth …” (emphasis added).14 It is the error of Total depravity that requires the errors of Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and Perseverance of the saints in order for anyone to be “saved.” This is not my perspective, but comes from one of their own (Ronald Hanko, who has preached this theology for over forty years): “Because the doctrine of total depravity describes man’s sinfulness and wretched condition, it shows the need for the grace of God that is described in the other four points.”15
Unfortunately for Calvinism, men like MacArthur have great difficulty holding to the script; he declared: “True saving faith is the sinner recognizing his own hopeless condition and trusting Christ as his righteous and sacrificial substitute—the only possible means of escape from God’s just wrath” (emphasis added).16 Someone recognizing their sinfulness and trusting Christ’s redemption is the only possible way to avoid God’s condemnation of sin? Recognizing and trusting are actions that must be taken by the sinner (according to MacArthur), yet neither of these fit within the total depravity, unconditional election, and irresistible grace of Calvinism, which is something that MacArthur also preached! In essence, MacArthur was a man with a divided tongue, who taught Calvinism (God does it all) and yet advocated the need for the individual to trust in Christ. But fear not, there is a Calvinistic explanation for this as well: “Not only does God provide the means of salvation, He bestows the very ability to lay hold of that salvation through faith in His Son.”17 Yes, we must trust in Christ, but even the ability to believe comes from God – if He has chosen you to salvation from eternity past (upholding the “U” of TULIP)!
John declares Jesus to be the means of forgiveness from sins for all of humanity, and specifically details that His deliverance is not limited to those who are believing. This can only mean that Jesus’ death and resurrection, as the payment for sin, is for everyone; not just the potential ability of His atoning death, but the reality that He made atonement for the sins of all of humanity. However, it is only through faith in the Lord that this atonement is applied to the individual; yet, for those who remain bound in sin, Jesus is still the only means of forgiveness from sin – there is no other (John 14:6). God loved humanity and willingly gave His Son, the Lord Jesus, to become the means of forgiveness for all of humanity through His death and resurrection (John 3:16). God’s purpose for doing so (loving and giving) was so that the sinner who is believing (believeth is a present tense, active voice verb; a continual action that is taken by the sinner) will not come to ruin, but is having everlasting life; God’s purpose is only realized in the one who is believing! Paul wrote: “[the Lord Jesus] by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:2). We, by faith, have access to the grace and hope that is in Jesus; “for by grace are ye saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8a): by faith we enter into Christ, Who is the means of forgiveness, where we find God’s grace extended to us and His salvation, which He prepared from eternity past (1 John 5:11; Ephesians 1:4). Our salvation is only secure in Christ, for He is the sole means of forgiveness for everyone; the condition is that we must remain in Him!
3. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
And by this we are coming to know that we have known Him: if His commandments we are obeying (literal).18
John is becoming more specific; he has just made the broad statement that Jesus is the means of forgiveness for all of humanity. Despite being available to everyone, John now identifies the specific way that we can come to understand (know) that we are His: obeying His commandments. Jesus said: “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). If we are in Christ, then it would be safe to say that we are loving Him; if we are loving Him (the verb is present tense), then we must obey (keep) His commandments (imperative mood – it is a command!).
Many Evangelicals have great difficulty with this – both with the obedience and the commandments. Let’s briefly consider these so that we are better equipped to avoid these Evangelical pitfalls.
Obedience is defined as compliance with a command, a law or a prescribed duty.19 I think that most Evangelicals understand this in the physical sense, but when they try to bring this into the spiritual, they frequently falter. On more than one occasion, my wife and I have heard this: “we (speaking of Christians) are not under law, but under grace;” by this, they mean that obedience to commandments has no place in the lives of Christians – God’s grace allows us to live in freedom. This is nothing new, for Paul dealt with this very thing. “14. For your sin will not control [you (plural)], for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15. What then? Will we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? May it not be!” (Romans 6:14-15, literal).20 Because we are under grace, are we free to live as we please? The resounding answer is: may it not be! – God forbid carries the sentiment of the expression, but nothing of the Greek words that are used. Paul had just explained that our old man has been crucified with Christ so that, as a result, we no longer serve sin (Romans 6:6). He clarified it this way: “For when we were in the flesh [i.e., the old man], the passions of sins through the law were working in our members, bearing fruit unto death” (Romans 7:5, literal).21 When we are outside of Christ, it is the law of sin that works in us unto death; in other words, there is a principle (or, law) at work here: living under the rule of the flesh is to live in sin, and the final end is death. In such a state, we are following the world and the prince of this world (Satan), and are driven by the passions of our flesh and mind, which marks us as those who are destined for God’s wrath (Ephesians 2:1-3). Those who live in this way, doing the works of the flesh, will not inherit God’s kingdom (Galatians 5:19-21).
Many in today’s world would consider themselves to be free to live however they desire, but, what they don’t realize, is that they are living under the law of sin, and are its slaves. “Ye did not understand that to whom [ye] offer yourselves [to be] enslaved unto obedience, ye are slaves to whom ye are obeying: either sin unto death, or obedience unto righteousness” (Romans 6:16, literal).22 Notice that there are only two positions: 1) enslaved to sin (the flesh and Satan), which leads to death, or 2) enslaved to obedience to God, which will lead to His righteousness and life. There are two principles for life on earth: 1) follow the dictates of your sinful heart (this is the law of sin), or 2) follow the leading of the Spirit of God (the law of grace). The misconception that some Evangelicals are under is that when they place their faith in Christ, they are free from the law of sin and are now under grace, where there is no law! Paul demolishes this deception: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, did deliver me from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2, literal).23 Do you see it? There is a law when we are in Christ, but it is a law unto life; being under God’s grace does not mean that we are lawless! Let’s reconsider Jesus’ words: “If ye are loving Me, [then] My commandments ye must obey” (John 14:15, literal).24 This is the law to which we must submit ourselves (My commandments). This brings us to the second difficulty for Evangelicals: to what commandments are Jesus and John referring?
There are those who adamantly declare that the Ten Commandments formed the Old Covenant, or, at the very least, were a part of it. This is “supported” by carefully selecting Scriptures that are somewhat less assertive in the declaration of the truth that contradicts their position. However, there is a marked distinction between the Law of God (the Ten Commandments) and the Law of Moses (the detailed laws that governed the daily lives of the children of Israel). When the children of Israel came to Mt. Sinai, Jehovah spoke the Ten Commandments (TC) directly to them (Exodus 20:22; Deuteronomy 4:36), and they asked that that not happen again – they committed to taking heed to the word that Moses would bring to them from the Lord (Exodus 20:19); consequently, this was the only time that He spoke to them in this way. The TC are unique and separate from the Law of Moses (LM), yet they are the foundation upon which the LM was built.
Let’s consider these two Laws that were given to the children of Israel:
These are a few of the most significant differences between the two, and it clearly shows that they cannot be considered to be equal. Jesus was asked by a lawyer of the Pharisees as to the great commandment (singular) in the law; as a religious lawyer (someone who was an expert in the interpretation and application of the Mosaic Law), he was very familiar with the Law of Moses, and sought to catch Jesus in an error. Jesus’ response left the lawyer silent, and it sheds light upon our subject as well as. “37. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38. This is the first and great commandment [from Deuteronomy 6:5]. 39. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself [from Leviticus 19:18]. 40. On these two commandments hang [depend] all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40).25 What Jesus presented is a concise summary of the TC: the first four Commandments deal with our relationship with the Lord, and the last six, with our fellowman; then He declared that all the law and the prophets depend upon these two commands, which are a synopsis of the TC. The LM guided the Israelites very specifically as to what Jehovah expected of them on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis – and even included specific instructions for every seventh and fiftieth years. Yet, the Jewish prophets spent most of their time trying to get the people to return to a proper recognition of Jehovah (the first four Commands); during the time of Jesus, the religious leaders spent their days fine-tuning the outward expression of the LM. By highlighting these two commands (when He was only asked for one), Jesus also demonstrated the significance of the TC. As a matter of fact, He was critical of the Pharisees for their emphasis on the details of the LM, while they chose to ignore the more important matters of justice, mercy and faith that flow out of the TC, and should have been evident in their interpretation of the LM (Matthew 23:23).
Let’s consider these two Laws that were given to the children of Israel:
These are a few of the most significant differences between the two, and it clearly shows that they cannot be considered to be equal. Jesus was asked by a lawyer of the Pharisees as to the great commandment (singular) in the law; as a religious lawyer (someone who was an expert in the interpretation and application of the Mosaic Law), he was very familiar with the Law of Moses, and sought to catch Jesus in an error. Jesus’ response left the lawyer silent, and it sheds light upon our subject as well as. “37. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38. This is the first and great commandment [from Deuteronomy 6:5]. 39. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself [from Leviticus 19:18]. 40. On these two commandments hang [depend] all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40).25 What Jesus presented is a concise summary of the TC: the first four Commandments deal with our relationship with the Lord, and the last six, with our fellowman; then He declared that all the law and the prophets depend upon these two commands, which are a synopsis of the TC. The LM guided the Israelites very specifically as to what Jehovah expected of them on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis – and even included specific instructions for every seventh and fiftieth years. Yet, the Jewish prophets spent most of their time trying to get the people to return to a proper recognition of Jehovah (the first four Commands); during the time of Jesus, the religious leaders spent their days fine-tuning the outward expression of the LM. By highlighting these two commands (when He was only asked for one), Jesus also demonstrated the significance of the TC. As a matter of fact, He was critical of the Pharisees for their emphasis on the details of the LM, while they chose to ignore the more important matters of justice, mercy and faith that flow out of the TC, and should have been evident in their interpretation of the LM (Matthew 23:23).
In our consideration of this matter, we have made reference to Galatians 3:19; let’s look at it just a little more closely. “Why then the law? Because of disobedience it was added until the time when the Seed [Christ] should come to Whom the promise was intended, [the law was] ordered through angels by the hand of a mediator [Moses]” (Galatians 3:19, literal).26 What is immediately evident is that this is not a reference to the TC, which were written by Jehovah upon two tables of stone, and which He personally gave to Moses (Exodus 31:18); therefore, we must understand that the LM was brought into place by the Lord because of disobedience, and it was to be in effect until the coming of the Promised Seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15). The LM designated the tribe of Levi to attend to the tabernacle (for which the Lord gave very specific instructions), with the descendants of Aaron being the priests; also included were numerous sacrificial requirements for the covering of sin, both for the individual and for the nation as a whole. Before they received such specific instruction from the Lord, Israel heard the Lord proclaim the TC to them, yet, when Moses was gone for forty days meeting with the Lord, they made a calf of gold and called it Jehovah (Exodus 32:5). Like all of humanity, they had a great propensity to disobey Jehovah, and so the Lord gave them the LM, which provided them with a defined way of life and specific guidance concerning their obligations to Him. Despite this, the children of Israel frequently followed the ways of the pagan peoples whom they replaced in the Promised Land (Judges 2:12).
In writing the letter to the Galatians, Paul provided them with evidence that following the Jewish traditions (as per the LM) was no longer acceptable; being in Christ and in the New Covenant, they were to leave their traditions behind. “We [Jews] have known that no man is proclaimed righteous by the works of the law [Hebrews 10:1, 14], if not through faith in Jesus Christ; and we in Christ Jesus do believe so that we are declared righteous by the faith of Christ, and not from the works of the law, for no one will be justified by the works of the law” (Galatians 2:16, literal).27 In other words, the LM never brought cleansing from sin – not even for those who were faithful to the Lord while living under it; upon death, the faithful entered Paradise (Luke 23:43), awaiting the day when the price for their sins would be paid in full so that they could then be declared righteous and appear before God. Our righteousness before God comes not from attempting to keep the LM, or even the TC, but only through faith in the Lord Jesus.
The writer of Hebrews quotes the words of the Lord through Jeremiah that a day was coming when He would make a new covenant with His people (Jeremiah 31:31-33; Hebrews 8:7-12). The writer identifies the first covenant as pertaining to the physical tabernacle, in which were the Holy sanctuary and the Holy of Holies (Hebrews 9:1-7); this is the spiritual aspect of the LM, which was in effect as long as the way into the Holy of Holies was restricted to the earthly high priest (Hebrews 9:8-9). However, when Jesus died, the separating veil of the temple was torn apart from the top to the bottom (Matthew 27:51) – through Christ, Jehovah opened the way for all people to come into His presence, it was no longer restricted to the high priest of the LM! “For through him [Christ] we both [the Jew and the Gentile (Ephesians 2:11-14)] have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Ephesians 2:18). The writer of Hebrews clarifies that with the coming of the New Covenant (through the death and resurrection of Jesus), the first (the Old Covenant; the LM) has been rendered obsolete, and what was now obsolete was about to be removed (through the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem by the Romans; Hebrews 8:13).
Now that we have established that the TC and the LM are vastly different, and that the LM has been fulfilled and removed by Christ, what do we do with the TC? We noted earlier that Paul wrote of a law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus that frees us from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). As we come into Christ by faith, we become subject to a law that, through the Spirit, gives life; Christ died and, because He was the sinless Son of God, He destroyed Satan who held the power of death (Hebrews 2:14); moreover, He rose from the dead in order to give life to all who come to Him in faith. In Christ, we identify with His death (considering our sin nature to have died with Him; we are now dead to sin), and by His endless, resurrected life, we live in newness of life (Romans 6:11); we account the old man to be dead, and we don the new man, which is life in Christ (Ephesians 4:22-24).
Since we are now in Christ, we must live in a manner that is in keeping with such a position. Jesus said that if we are loving Him, then we must obey His commandments (John 14:15); therefore, as we abide in Him, we must live in obedience to what He has commanded us to do. Consider the Lord’s promise through Jeremiah: “After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:33). In the New Covenant, the Lord places His Law (the TC, spoken to Israel and written by God’s finger upon tables of stone) into our hearts and writes them upon our minds (Hebrews 10:16-17). As we place our faith in Christ, the Spirit of God comes to abide within (1 John 4:13), and God places His Law within our hearts and minds – the Spirit of God has ready access to the Law of God in order to guide us carefully in our obedience to His commands; we are thoroughly equipped to live in obedience to Jesus’ commands!
This is what John declares here; it is through our obedience to the Lord’s commands that we are able to come to understand that we are known by Him. The words of John the Baptist are a testimony to the reality of the New Covenant in Christ: “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).28 John the Baptist understood that the New Covenant required two things: 1) a continual believing in the Lord Jesus Christ (faith), and 2) obedience to His commandments. Jesus affirmed the same thing: “If ye love me [faith], keep my commandments [obedience]” (John 14:15). It is only through our obedience to the Lord that we will know Him in truth.
4. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
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 (literal).29
John has just said that we come to know the Lord through our obedience to Him; now he forthrightly exposes the reality of the other side of this thought. For the one who says that he knows the Lord but does not live in keeping with His commands, John identifies him as being a liar. Today’s Evangelical community is filled with those who profess to know the Lord, yet, it is evident from their lives that they do not obey the commandments of the Lord (the TC, at the very least). Rather, they have been deluded into thinking that it is God’s grace alone that will see them into heaven; they have prayed for salvation, and they need do nothing more.
However, Jesus said that He is the only way to the Father (John 14:6), and that obedience to His commands is an essential part of being in Him (John 14:15). John echoes this necessity by declaring that whoever claims to know the Lord but is not living in obedience to His commands, is a liar; to strengthen this, “is” is in the indicative mood – it is a statement of fact!
Jesus said that there is no truth in the devil, and that he is the father of the lie (John 8:44). Therefore, when John identifies the disobedient, professing Christian as a liar and without the truth, he is revealing to whom such a one belongs: the devil, who has no truth and is the source of all lies. Paul wrote of this to Titus: “They are professing to know God, but they are denying [Him] by [their] works; they are detestable, both disobedient and, with every good work, rejected” (Titus 1:16, literal).30 Despite being quite capable of doing a good work, they still fail to pass the test of acceptance by the Lord (they are rejected)!
As Jesus taught the multitudes concerning asking (receiving), seeking (finding) and knocking (opening), He cited the example of a child asking his father or mother for food, and that they would provide that which was good for them. He made this observation: “If ye then, being evil [poneroi, wicked], know how to give good [agatha, the opposite of poneroi] gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:11). What is noteworthy is that the wicked can do what is good; therefore, we must guard against seeing good works and associating that with a godly heart.
A little later, Jesus explained that heaven is only open to those who are doing the will of the Father (Matthew 7:21), and again presented an example to make His point: “22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22-23). This time, the people are those who have prophesied, cast devils out, and performed miracles in the name of the Lord, yet they are told, I never knew you, you who work iniquity. These people appeared to be very godly, and did many things in the Lord’s name, and, no doubt, they would have proclaimed that they knew the Lord – yet, they were rejected! Therefore, those who may appear to us to be very spiritual, may, in fact, be wicked before the Lord – He does not know them! On another occasion, Jesus said, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24); these who appeared to be so spiritual, were rejected by the Righteous Judge because their activities were not of Him. Jesus did not call us to spiritual activities, He called us to obedience! These religious people were busily performing many seemingly wonderful things, yet they had never come to the Lord in faith in order to receive His cleansing from sin. They were very religious, but they functioned under the authority of Satan; they thought that they were truly destined for heaven (a lie from Satan), but were rejected by the Lord as being wicked. Alas, the majority of Evangelicals will find themselves in this very situation; Jesus does not require activities that appear to be godly, He requires obedience to His commands! To reject this, whether by choice or through blindness, is to reject His truth – the truth is not in this one!
5. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
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 (literal).31
The relative pronoun (forms of who and which), in this case, is indefinite, masculine and singular, and so, whoever is an appropriate translation.32 Keep, or obeying, (from tereo) is in the present tense; hence, we have the obedience to God’s Word being open to everyone (whoever). However, as we have just seen, such obedience needs to be the product of a living faith in the Lord; simply doing what we may perceive as being the works of God, but doing so without a living relationship with Him, is folly, and He will reject us in the end (Matthew 7:22-23). John has already expressed the necessity of fellowship with the Father and His Son (1 John 1:3), and we must, therefore, understand that the obedience that he now identifies, is predicated upon such a fellowship.
With this firmly in mind, John now declares that it is within the obedient-one that the love of God is made complete, or perfect. We understand that God has a great love for humanity (John 3:16), but, in most cases, that love is one-sided – it is not reciprocated by man. However, when His love meets with love from one of His redeemed children (someone who has placed his faith in the Lord), then His love is made complete – He has a restored relationship with someone created in His image! How is that love reciprocated? Through obedience! Jesus said: “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth [is obeying] them, he it is that loveth [is loving] me: and he that loveth [is loving] me shall be [will be, future tense] loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (John 14:21).33 It should be crystal clear by now: obedience is a reflection of our love for the Lord.
As we, through obedience, express our love for the Lord, John tells us that we are growing in our understanding that we are in Him. The words of Jesus that we just looked at, tell us that He will reveal Himself to the one who is loving Him through obedience to His commands (John 14:21); there is no better way to grow in our knowledge of Him than for Him to reveal Himself to us! Peter charged his readers: “But grow [be growing, present tense, imperative mood (command)] in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18a). Both Jesus and John confirm that such growth will only come through obedience to the commands of the Lord.
6. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
The one who is saying that he is remaining in Him, that person is obligated also to live in the same manner as He lived (literal).34
To this point, John has written much about the necessity of obedience in order to understand that we know the Lord, and, without obedience, we cannot know the Lord. Now he brings it another step forward by addressing those who say that they are abiding (remaining) in Christ; such a person is under obligation to live like unto Christ. Let’s consider this before we dismiss it as being impossible, since, as we all know, in this life we are not at all like the Son of God.
As Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, all four Gospel writers record that the Spirit of God, like a dove, descended upon Him, but only John notes that the Spirit abode upon Him (John 1:32), or the Spirit remained on Him (the word is in the indicative mood – it is a statement of fact).35 Jesus was not only the Son of God, but the Spirit of God was also particularly with Him throughout His earthly ministry. As Jesus spoke with His disciples about His return to heaven, He assured them that He would send the Spirit of Truth, with the intention that He would remain with them forever (John 14:16-17).36 When we place our faith in the Lord, the Spirit of God comes to abide within us (Romans 8:9b); the same Spirit Who remained with Jesus during His ministry, is living within us! Yes, we are creatures scarred by sin, but, with His Spirit abiding within us and His Law written in our hearts and minds, we are well equipped to become His overcomers! Indeed, we have been given all that is necessary in order to remain faithful to Him (to be His overcomers). Yet, Jesus’ words to us are: “Be continually alert, lest someone should lead you astray” (Matthew 24:4b, literal).37 Despite the protection that we have in Him, He will not override our choices: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief [unfaithfulness, commonly expressed through disobedience], in departing [to become apostate] from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12).38 We must continually guard against a heart of unbelief, because to become apostate from the Lord is our decision – we may be led away from the truth by deception, but to do so is our choice.
Jesus said that the Spirit would come to guide us into all truth: He will instruct and lead us in the truth.39 However, we must note that in order for the Spirit to instruct and lead, there needs to be an element of willingness on our part, which means that we must choose to submit to the Spirit. In other words, unless we are prepared to follow the Spirit’s instruction and guidance, we will not grow in the Truth, nor will we remain in Christ, nor will the Spirit remain with us. Consider Jesus’ words: “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad” (Matthew 12:30); it isn’t possible to be neutral when it comes to the Lord: we are either with Him (in faith and obedience), or we are against Him (regardless of what we might say). It was to the Ephesians that Paul taught that those who are in Christ have been sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13b), but we must understand that the word sealed means to apply a mark of identity – the Spirit is not a preservative.40 This fits perfectly with his next words: “Who [speaking of the Holy Spirit] is a deposit of our inheritance …” (Ephesians 1:14a, literal).41 Jesus said that the Spirit would come with the intention of remaining with us forever – a Deposit of our eternal inheritance in Christ. However, if we do not live in obedience to the Lord’s commands, then we are not in Him; and if we do not remain in Him, then the Spirit, Who marks our identity with Christ and Who has been given as a deposit, will not remain in us. We must not assume that our one-time faith in Christ eternally secures our destiny in heaven; without obedience, our faith does not exist (James 2:26). If our faith does not exist, then we are faithless and have become apostate from God (Hebrews 3:12), or have never been His; if we are apostate, then the Deposit of our inheritance has been withdrawn (our identity is no longer in Christ, and so the Mark of identity [the Holy Spirit] must be removed), and our eternal ruin is sure (Hebrews 6:4-6). Unless we are living under the guidance of the Spirit, He will leave us; it is only as we live in faithful obedience to the Lord that we are able to remain in Him, and have the hope of eternal life (Matthew 24:13). To the Romans, Paul wrote: “For all of those who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8:14, literal); “and if children [the sons are children], [then] also heirs; indeed, heirs of God, and fellow heirs with Christ …” (Romans 8:17a, literal).42 This glorious inheritance is only possible through faithful obedience enabled by the leading of the Spirit of God. It is as we are being led by the Spirit that we are living in a manner that is similar to Jesus, during His earthly ministry – that is our obligation!
John told us that he wrote the Gospel that bears his name so that we will believe that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31). Inasmuch as this is his focus, it is only fitting that he is the only writer who recorded the many times that the Jewish religious leaders sought to kill Jesus, most frequently because He presented Himself as the Son of God, thereby making Himself equal to God (John 5:18). The other writers recorded the many times that Jesus was tested by the religious leaders; this was not to affirm His deity, but to trip, or trap, Him in His speech so that they could accuse Him. Before Jesus began His ministry, He was tested by Satan (Luke 4:1-2), and throughout His ministry, Satan’s attacks came through the Jewish religious leaders; ultimately, it was these who appealed to Rome to have Jesus crucified (John 18:31). To say that Jesus’ time on earth was difficult, would be a gross understatement; Jesus walked among those who were created in His image, yet those who knew the Law of Moses thoroughly, refused to see Him as the promised Prophet, but considered Him to be a threat to their carefully crafted positions of authority (John 11:48).
“12. Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13. But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy” (1 Peter 4:12-13). As Jesus walked this earth, He was continually harassed and persecuted by the leaders of His own people – the Jews; therefore, Peter tells us not to be surprised if you, as His disciple, suffer the same fate – or rather, enjoy the same fate! “And also all who are desiring to live in a godly manner in Christ Jesus, will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12, literal).43 Within the Evangelical community in the west, persecution is thought of as something that takes place in foreign lands, but not here. However, the real reason that they do not face oppression of any sort is because they make no effort to live in a godly manner in Christ Jesus; the moment that you seek to follow the Lord in truth, and make His commands a priority in your life, then you will lose association with family and friends. Why are so many Evangelical preachers so popular (and wealthy)? It is because they do not teach the truth of God’s Word; they will compromise God’s truth in an effort to retain their popularity among their following, and will preach their theology with great eloquence and fervor, but will avoid, at all cost, the narrow truth lest they cause offence and lose favor. Seminaries, for the most part, all teach from the same script – there may be some small variations, but preachers today are taught and so teach a gospel (small “g”) that is foreign to God’s Word. Paul would proclaim these modern teachers to be anathema – accursed (Galatians 1:8-9).
However, Jesus declared that unless we make Him our foremost priority, we cannot be His disciples (Luke 14:26), and this is the strait gate that we must enter in order to walk on the narrow way to eternal life; little wonder that He also noted that there would only be a few who will find it (Matthew 7:14). As John so aptly notes, if we profess to abide in Christ, then we are under obligation to live as He did: under the guidance of the Spirit of God. There is a cost to being His disciple: “whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33); if we have forsaken all for Him, then, as we follow His Truth, the shunning by family and friends will be seen from a new perspective – the price that we must pay in order to be like Him.
7. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
Brethren, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment, which ye have held from the beginning; the old commandment is the word, which ye did hear from the beginning (literal).44
In essence, John is saying to his readers: “I am not telling you anything new.” Rather, he is reminding them of what they heard when the Gospel first came to them. It seems very evident that the Apostles understood the need to count the cost of following the Lord, for John speaks much of His commandments. We just noted that Jesus said that in order to become His disciple, we must forsake all that we have (Luke 14:33). Believe, within a Biblical context, includes the process of evaluation in order to determine the truth of a matter; such an assessment is not complete without including the personal cost to believing so as to strengthen the commitment to believe, should it come to that.
Jesus illustrated this truth in His parable of the sower. The Seed (the Word of God) that fell upon the rocky soil quickly grew into a plant, but when some adversity came, it withered and died; its commitment was not sufficient to weather the trials that came. The Seed that fell among the thorns grew in the midst of the weeds, but the cares of this world soon overwhelmed it, and it, too, died; it lasted longer than the plant in the rocky soil, but its commitment, too, was not strong enough to see it through. The Seed that fell into the fallow ground, produced a plant that brought a harvest of grain with patience, with endurance (Luke 8:15); it’s not that the plant in the fallow ground did not face challenges, but it persevered through them to produce a harvest. There needs to be a strong commitment to believing in the Lord and remaining faithful to Him; Jesus said, “he who endures unto the end, this is the one who will be saved” (Matthew 24:13, literal).45 Patience and endures are noun and verb forms of the same Greek word; there must be a commitment to remaining faithful!
To this point, John has written about God being light (1:5), us having fellowship with Him if we live in the light (1:7), Christ as the means of forgiveness of sins (2:2), and that we must live in obedience to His commands (2:5). What is the old commandment to which John refers? We are not told specifically (other than that it was what they heard from the beginning), but we could hazard a guess. The central theme of the Gospel is Jesus Christ, and the central message is: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 16:31a); believe is in the imperative mood – it is a command! John is reminding his readers of the first thing that they heard when the Gospel came to them: believe! – to be understood within its full Biblical meaning. What he has written prior to this is founded upon such a belief being in place; hence, his reminders of the need to live in obedience to His commandments.
8. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.
Furthermore, a new commandment I am writing to you, what is true in Him and in you: that the darkness is passing away, and the true Light is now shining (literal).46
Furthermore (again) links what will follow to what has come before. John has just said that he is not writing a new commandment, but an old one that they had received in the beginning; now, based upon that old commandment, he begins to lay the groundwork for a new one.
This new commandment is something that is true in the Lord (Him) and in those who are living in obedience to His commands (you).
John now provides the broad strokes of the picture that he will begin to paint: on the one hand, darkness is passing away, and on the other, the true Light is now shining. Drawing on his earlier words, we know that God is light and without any darkness at all (1:5); as we live in His light, the darkness, that place of no fellowship with Him (1:7), is passing away. This diminishing darkness is something that we gain by living in Him, the Light; as we abide in the Light through obedience, the darkness will go away. Jesus commanded us to abide in Him (John 15:4; abide is in the imperative mood – it’s a command!), and it is as we remain in Him (the Light) that the darkness of our former life will vanish away (1 Peter 2:9). Jesus said: “I did come, a Light, into the world, so that everyone who is believing in Me will not remain in the darkness” (John 12:46, literal).47 In Christ there is a transition from our former state of darkness into His glorious light!
The true light of Christ is best appreciated when we think of it within the context of the New Covenant. It was through His shed blood that Jesus established the New Covenant (Luke 22:20); through His death and resurrection, the Old Covenant, the Law of Moses, was fulfilled and ended. The price for the sins of humanity was now paid in full – forever; even the sins of the OT faithful ones had not yet been removed because the blood of animals could never pay for man’s sins (Hebrews 10:1, 4). The Lamb of God, by one sacrifice, has secured the defeat of Satan (Hebrews 2:14), become the means of forgiveness for all of humanity (1 John 2:2), and ushered in the New Covenant wherein we receive His Spirit and His Law within us (1 John 4:13; Hebrews 10:16). The true Light, indeed, is now shining!
9. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
He who is saying that he is in the light, and his brother he is hating, he is in darkness until now (literal).48
John now draws on his earlier note that God is light, without any hint of darkness (1:5), and that Christ is the true Light Who is now shining (2:8). He is coming back to deal a little more thoroughly with the light of God, and how that relates to our daily living – all in preparation for the new commandment that he will reveal a little later.
For anyone to say that he is in the light, within the context of this letter, indicates that that person is professing to be in Christ and living in obedience to Him, otherwise there would be no basis for such a claim. John has made it very clear that to know Christ (to be in Him, or to be in the light) requires obedience to His commands (1 John 2:3). This identifies the spiritual position in which this person sees himself.
However, even as this person claims his position to be in Christ, he is actually harboring hatred toward his brother, who could be either his sibling, a fellow countryman, or someone within the ekklesia, the Body of Christ (the Greek word is not specific).49 Jesus spoke to this matter early in His ministry: “Ye heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Thou shalt not murder,’ and whoever should murder will be answerable to the judgement [a local council of judges (Deuteronomy 16:18)]; but I am saying to you that whoever becomes angry with his brother without cause will be answerable to the judgement; and whoever should say to his brother, ‘Empty-head,’ will be answerable to the Council [the Sanhedrin, the ultimate Jewish authority centered in Jerusalem]; and whoever should say, ‘You fool,’ will be deserving of the Gehenna of fire [God’s judgement]” (Matthew 5:21-22, literal).50 Let’s take a closer look at this to see if we can understand what Jesus is saying. He begins by pointing to the Sixth Commandment (Exodus 20:13), and notes that the one who murders (the Hebrew word includes intent to kill51) must appear before the judges who were appointed for each of the cities in Israel; the judges would then determine the just punishment. Jesus applies this same thought to the one who is angry with his brother; behind the act of murder stands an anger that has simmered until it burst forth. Perhaps if the anger was dealt with early on, then murder would not result. Solomon observed: “Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth [to settle down and remain] in the bosom of fools [kᵉciyl; the Hebrew word for the mildest fool]” (Ecclesiastes 7:9);52 fools, in this case, refers to those who make poor moral choices in life.53 It is this resting anger that will lead to murder.
Next, Jesus says that the one who calls his brother Empty-head or Raca, will have to answer to the Council – a higher court than the judges in each city. The Greek word raka means empty, and is related to the Hebrew req: for example, the pit into which Joseph’s brothers cast him was empty, req (Genesis 37:24).54 By bringing the judgement for such to a higher court, Jesus is saying that it is worse to utter such an offensive name against someone than it is to hold an unexpressed or little expressed feeling of anger. Then the one who says, “You fool,” is deserving of Gehenna, or the Lake of Fire; it is only the Lord Who is able to banish someone to Gehenna (Matthew 10:28), something that will take place at His Great White Throne judgement (Revelation 20:15). Jesus went on to say that if we know that someone has something against us, then we must make reconciliation with them a priority; this is a resolution of the anger before it ever comes to the judges. However, the other two matters noted (in addition to anger) are of greater significance, which is evident by them being taken before higher courts (the Sanhedrin and the Lord, Himself).
The first, raca, is an attack upon someone’s ability to think and reason – something that the Lord has given to everyone. The Greek raka is a term of utter contempt, signifying that someone is intellectually blank; we might use terms like stupid, numskull or blockhead, yet seldom are these applied with the level of contempt that raka includes.55 Those who are not able to think and reason (like little children, who are innocent), Jesus said that of such is His kingdom (Matthew 19:14), and unless we become as they are, then we will not be able to enter into His kingdom (Matthew 18:3). To the Romans, Paul advised that they were not to think too highly of themselves (Romans 12:3) – a warning against pride; rather, we are to be of a sound mind, knowing that we are nothing without the Lord. Just before Jesus unleashed His scathing evaluation of the scribes and Pharisees, He said this: “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). The one who calls his brother raca has just exposed his feeling of personal superiority and his utter contempt for his brother; the Lord says that such a one will be abased – brought low and humiliated before the highest Jewish court.56
The second, you fool, strikes at the heart, or soul, of a person, and Jesus says that those who so judge will fall under God’s judgement, and are deserving of eternal fire. The Greek word moros (fool) speaks of someone who is dull, slow of mind, and unable to make decisions that are thoughtful and discerning.57 The Psalmist made this observation: “The fool [nabal; the Hebrew word for the worst fool] hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good” (Psalm 14:1; virtually repeated in Psalm 53:1).58 The fool denies God (perhaps not vocally, but this is what he thinks), and so he becomes the sole authority in his life; like Nabal of old, such a person refuses wise counsel, and does whatever he deems to be in his best interest (1 Samuel 25:3). Notice that the conclusion to which the fool comes, by his own determination, is that God does not exist. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools [the foolish; ‘eviyl; this Hebrew word for fool comes between kᵉciyl and nabal, more arrogant that the first, but not as uncouth as the second] despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7);59 a little later we read: “For that they [the fools who despise wisdom] hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD” (Proverbs 1:29). It is the one who chooses to show reverence for the Lord who begins to understand Him, while the foolish choose to despise the wisdom that leads to the Lord. It is very evident that the fear of the Lord is a choice, and it is a fool who refuses to choose a reverence for Him – he has simply closed his heart to the Lord. Therefore, a fool is someone who has chosen to follow his own way, and holds no regard for the Lord or His truth. Jesus explained that if we are not for Him, then we are against Him (Matthew 12:30), which means that if someone does not choose to follow the Lord or to fear Him, then he has chosen the opposite, and stands against Him. With the Lord, there are only two positions, and if we do not choose Him, then we have rejected Him. The one who says, “You fool,” is, in effect, judging that person to have eternally rejected the Lord, when, in fact, he may not have heard sufficient truth to make his decision; “you fool” becomes a condemnation that is limited to the Lord’s judgement at the moment of death (Hebrews 9:27; Luke 12:20).
It is interesting to ponder that the Scriptures tell us that the fool chooses his own way. This stands in sharp contrast to Calvinism, which states that God has predetermined some to condemnation; their doctrine of unconditional election says that, from eternity past, God has predetermined some individuals to eternal life, and everyone else to eternal condemnation.60 The Scriptures teach that even a fool is such by his own choice – he has closed his heart to the truth and is convinced that he is his own final authority! If the fool is capable of making such a choice, then it only follows that fallen man still bears the image of God, and is able to think, reason, and make choices. We must be alert to the errors that man’s theologies will contain, and test all things against the Word of God (1 John 4:1).
John says that if anyone professes to know the Lord and yet is angry with his brother, that person remains in darkness – the light of the Lord is not shining in his heart. Jesus says that this one needs to seek restoration with that brother, and then he will be able to step into the light of restored fellowship with the Lord.
10. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
He who is loving his brother, is abiding in the light, and in him is no cause of offence (literal).61
This stands in contrast to the previous verse. Loving is from the Greek agape, which is a love that includes evaluation, a choice, and action.62 This is not phileo, which is a love due to positive circumstances – sourced in the emotions; the love of friendship.63 The love to which John refers is constant and consistent because it does not spring from the emotions; this is the love that God has for all of humanity (John 3:16), and the love that we are commanded to have for Him and for our neighbor (Matthew 22:37, 39). As Jesus expressed the two summarizing commands from the Law of Moses, He showed the difference between our love for the Lord and our love for our neighbor; the first (to the Lord) is to be all consuming, which is in keeping with the Lord being our first priority in life (Luke 14:33), while the second (to our neighbor) is to be like the love that we have for ourselves. It is the Lord’s desire that we determine to express this unwavering love for those about us; it is this love that John calls to mind here.
Since such a love is in obedience to Jesus’ second summary command (of the last six of the Ten Commandments), John says that the one who has this love, is abiding in the light. God is light (1 John 1:5), and the one who is living in obedience to the Lord is in His light and fellowship (1 John 1:7). John then adds that such a person is not a cause for anyone to stumble in their walk with the Lord; in other words, no one can be legitimately offended by the one who is living in obedience to the Lord’s commands. Those who become offended by our obedience are either convicted by how we live, or they despise all things holy in an effort to rationalize how they are living. “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 10:22). Notice that to those who hate us, we are not the cause of their offence – it is the name of Jesus that fuels their hatred. Peter understood this: “14. 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. 15. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters” (1 Peter 4:14-15).
John tells us that in the one who is abiding in the light of God there is no cause of stumbling for those who are also in Christ; but Jesus said that because we bear His name, we will be hated.
11. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
But the one who is hating his brother, he is in the darkness, and is living in the darkness and does not understand where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes (literal).64
John reiterates the reality that if someone is hating his brother, such a person is in darkness (v. 9). The difference from earlier is that this person is not necessarily professing to be in the light, yet John’s description that follows is equally applicable to the one who says that he is in the light (professing is not reality). This is someone who is living in a state of spiritual darkness – his thinking and all that he does is in this place that is without light; such a place is not where God is dwelling (1 John 1:5). Beyond that, this one who is living in darkness has no understanding of where he is going, because he is spiritually blind, and it is the darkness that has blinded him!
Concerning Israel, Jehovah proclaimed this: “9. And he [Jehovah] said [to Isaiah], Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 10. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed” (Isaiah 6:9-10). Just before this, Israel is described as being a people who had cast the Law of God away and despised His words to them (Isaiah 5:24). Israel was in a state of rebellion against the Lord long before the Lord gave them over to their spiritual deafness and blindness; the prophets of Israel sought to draw them to the Lord, but they were ignored, despised, imprisoned and killed.
Jesus explained His use of parables this way: “Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand” (Matthew 13:13). Jesus faced the very same spiritual climate as Isaiah; the Lord’s words through Isaiah found expression again through Jesus: “For this people’s heart is waxed gross [insensitive], and their ears are dull of hearing [cannot comprehend what they hear], and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them” (Matthew 13:15). Israel of old and those of Jesus’ day had the same problem: they had been turned away from the Lord’s truth for so long that they had rationalized their rebellion as being service to God. Jesus taught the people using parables so that the rebels (who could not understand His words) could continue in the way that they had chosen – Jesus never forced anyone to believe in Him. The closest that the religious rebels came to hearing Jesus’ words was when they understood that He had spoken a parable against them (Luke 20:19); for the most part, they were preoccupied with seeking to discredit Him, or to do away with Him entirely, in an effort to protect their current situation (John 11:48). They had chosen their path, and the Lord honored their choice by ensuring that His words did not disturb them.
The words of Jesus are: “For the Son of Man did come to seek and to save the ones who are lost” (Luke 19:10, literal). The ones who are lost refers to those who are spiritually destitute and alienated from God65 – and know it! The Jewish religious leaders saw themselves as being spiritually enlightened and in a right-standing before God; Jesus said that because they say, “We see,” their sins remained in place (John 9:41). In their eyes they were not lost, and so they were left to their own righteousness. To His disciples, Jesus said: “… 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); in truth, they were lost, but refused to acknowledge it.
The scribes and Pharisees were blinded by the darkness in which they lived but did not perceive. Jesus said: “22. The lamp of the body is the eye; if, then, your eye is sound [healthy], your whole body will be full of light; 23. But if your eye is useless [unhealthy, blind], your whole body is dark; if, then, the light in you is darkness, how great [is] that darkness!” (Matthew 6:22-23, literal).66 Immediately before this, Jesus declared that our hearts will be focused on those things that are important to us, and He followed this by saying that it is not possible for anyone to serve two masters: God and wealth (Matthew 6:20, 24). Consider the illustration within the spiritual realm: if our spiritual eye is sound, then it will be focused on the Lord (Hebrews 12:2), and our hearts will be filled with the light of God (1 John 1:5); but if our eye has become distracted by that which is not the truth, then it will fill our hearts with that which is spiritual darkness. Since our spiritual eye is the gate through which light enters into our souls, then it must be focused solely on the Lord in order to fill our hearts with the light that is now shining; if it is attentive to anything other than the Lord, then darkness is flooding our hearts, which are already blackened by sin – truly, how great is that darkness! As we learn from the scribes and Pharisees, spiritual blindness is not always perceived for what it is; they thought that they were the spiritually enlightened ones, yet they were blind and lost – and remained in that state because they could not comprehend that they were sinners before God. They placed a greater significance upon their position within their culture (both religiously and politically – John 11:48) than upon the Lord Whom they professed to serve. The darkness that enveloped them, blinded them to the truth.
12. I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.
I am writing to you, little children, because [your] sins have been forgiven you through His name (literal).67
Once again, John addresses his readers as little children, which, as we noted earlier, does not mean the infants within his spiritual family, but his readers generally, who were much younger than he was. This is further affirmed by what follows.
John says that he is writing because their sins have been forgiven through the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Since this can only take place by believing on the name of Christ (which requires understanding), it is evident that little children are not the very young who cannot yet understand.
Forgiven is in the perfect tense, describing a one-time action that never needs repeating because its effects are presently active.68 You will recall from our studies that our salvation is yet future, and will not be received until we have faithfully endured in Christ until the end of our time on earth (Matthew 24:13). Notice that John is not speaking of their salvation as having been accomplished in the past, but, rather, the forgiveness of their sins; the first step in our salvation is placing our faith in the Lord Jesus, at which time our sins are forgiven. Not only are our sins forgiven, but we also receive the Spirit of God, and the Law of God is written within us; nevertheless, none of this means that we have been saved forever (a past completed action).
Jesus taught this truth through His parable of a king and his servant who owed him a massive sum (60 million denarii)69; the servant begged for time to repay it all, and the king, in his mercy, forgave him the full debt. That same servant then found someone who owed him 100 denarii, demanded immediate payment, and threw him into prison until it was paid. This reached the king’s ears: “32. Then his lord [the king], after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33. Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34. And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him” (Matthew 18:32-34). The massive debt of this servant had been forgiven in full, yet, because of his subsequent actions, the king withdrew his forgiveness and reinstated his debt in full. When we place our faith in Christ, the Lord forgives our massive debt of sin; however, if we do not then live faithfully for Him, He will withdraw His forgiveness (and His Deposit), and we will abide under the full debt of sin that we will never be able to pay. Jesus’ conclusion is this: “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses” (Matthew 18:35). We must understand that forgiveness is not the same as salvation; for those who say that you cannot lose your salvation, in fact, that is true because salvation is only granted at the end of life to those who have remained faithful to the Lord. However, the Lord’s forgiveness of sins can easily be withdrawn.
The Spirit is given as a Deposit toward a possible future saving event that will take place when we depart from this earth; we all know that a deposit does not guarantee the completion of the transaction – it must be followed by the faithful fulfillment of the terms of the agreement. In order for the Lord to award us with the salvation that He has prepared, we must live in faithfulness to Him unto our end on this earth (faithfulness requires obedience to His commands). John has already made this very clear (1 John 2:3-4); if, as John says here, their sins have been forgiven, then all that remains is for them to live in continual, faithful obedience to the Lord’s commands.
13. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. 14. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.
13. I am writing to you, fathers, because you have known Him from the first; I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one; I am writing to you, young children, because you have known the Father; 14. I wrote to you, fathers, because you have known Him from the first; I wrote to you, young men, because you are strong and the Word of God is remaining in you, and you have overcome the evil one (literal).70
It might seem that John is grouping his readers by age: fathers, young men, and young children; yet, in all likelihood, he is endeavoring to reach all of his readers regardless of their spiritual maturity.
He is writing to the fathers because they have known the Lord from the very beginning; it would seem that John is anticipating a greater level of spiritual maturity from those who have known the Lord from the time that the Gospel first reached them. Such maturity comes through exercising faith in the Lord and obedience to His commands. The writer of Hebrews bemoaned the fact that there were some who still desired the milk of the Word, and, in fact, needed to be taught, again, the elementary concepts of the faith, even though, with the passage of time, they should be teachers of God’s truth (Hebrews 5:12). “13. For everyone who is partaking of milk [is] unacquainted with the Word of righteousness, for he is an infant. 14. Now solid food is for the mature, whose ability to understand, through continual use, has become trained; who possess the ability to distinguish [between what is] good and evil” (Hebrews 5:13-14, literal).71 As John writes to the fathers, he is expecting that they already have a well-trained discernment and a mature understanding of God’s Word, which only comes through faith in the Lord and obedience to Him. James knew this balance very well: “20. And do you desire to know, O foolish man, that faith apart from works is dead? 21. Was not our father Abraham pronounced righteous by reason of works – who did offer his son, Isaac, upon the altar? 22. You understand that faith did work together with his works, and, out of works, the faith was made complete … 24. Therefore, you see that by works man is pronounced righteous, and not from faith alone” (James 2:20-22, 24, literal).72 James’s conclusion is this: “For even as the body without breath is dead, so also, faith without works is dead” (James 2:26, literal).73 Faith, and works of faith, cannot be separated; James has told us that faith without works is dead, and Jesus told us that works without faith is iniquity (Matthew 7:23). John’s letter will be a reminder to the fathers of their need to continually exercise faith and obedience in their service for the Lord.
John is writing to the young men because they have overcome the evil one – they are overcomers. A little later, John makes this observation: “For everything that has been begotten from God is overcoming the world; and this is the victory [that] did overcome the world: our faith” (1 John 5:4, literal).74 For everything, John used the neuter singular form (pan), which might seem unusual; however, it places the emphasis for the active overcoming upon God, and not on everyone (if it had been masculine) – in other words, whatever comes from God will be overcoming the world. Therefore, we understand that the young men have been begotten of God because they have overcome the evil one – the evil one being the active force within the world (Ephesians 2:2). Jesus assured us that in the world we will suffer all sorts of afflictions, but, He says, “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33; a completed past action); the victory does not come through our efforts, but from being in Him! These young men are begotten of God and are abiding in Him.
In the second mention of the young men, John adds that they are strong and the Word of God is remaining in them. It is not a coincidence that these two things are brought together; spiritual strength will not come without the Word of God being an integral part of our thinking. The Psalmist understood this: “In my heart I have stored Your Word, in order that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11, literal).75 Stored includes the thought of hoarding; he has an insatiable appetite for God’s Word in his effort to keep sin at bay. Clearly, the young men have learned this truth, and John is assuring them that he has them in mind as he is writing. I would suggest that this is more than simply memorizing Scripture; most of the verses that I have memorized throughout the years, I have forgotten, but if I study the Scriptures carefully so that I understand the meaning, that will stay with me much longer.
John mentions writing to the young children, spiritually speaking, because they know the Father. They may not be as mature as the fathers, or even as the young men, but they have joined in the fellowship with the Father and His Son (1 John 1:3) – they are where they need to be in order to grow and mature in the Lord.
15. 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.
Do not love the world, nor the things in the world; if anyone is loving the world, the love of the Father is not in him (literal).76
Earlier (v. 8), John declared that he was writing a new commandment to his readers – one that is true in the Lord and in his readers; this is his first use of the imperative mood since verse 8. So far in his letter, John has been emphasizing the need to live in obedience to the commands of the Lord, otherwise we will never know Him. This is another of the Lord’s commands (true in Him), and it is founded upon a retreating darkness and the light of the Lord now shining (v. 8).
Love, in its verb and noun forms, appears three times in this one verse, and, in each case, the source word in Greek is agape. In its first appearance, it bears the imperative mood (it is a command). You will recall that agape is a love that is an act of the will, not the emotions; it is the love that we are to have for the Lord and for our neighbor.
World is from the Greek kosmos, which first means something that is well arranged, and then personal adornment. As Peter describes a godly wife, he says: “whose adornment [kosmos], let it not be external: interweaving of the hair, wearing of gold, or putting garments on” (1 Peter 3:3, literal).77 However, that is not how it is used here. Within other contexts, kosmos can refer to the created universe in general, the earth, more particularly, to all of humanity on the earth, or of the human experience on this earth.78 It is the last of these that finds expression in this verse by John: included in what we will encounter are our possessions, joys, cares, and sorrows.79 John declares that we are to have no love for all that we come into contact with in our lives, and then he zeros in on the things in the world. Humanity, generally speaking, is oriented to what we can see, hear, smell, touch and taste; anything that is beyond our physical senses, we have a greater difficulty comprehending. Therefore, it is understandable that the temptations of Satan will come to us from within the realm of our senses; these can be particularly alluring because they lie within our ability to fully comprehend them. Satan, the prince of the power of the air who works in the disobedient (Ephesians 2:2), knows the heart of man, and has crafted the cultures of this world so as to entice the people to follow him (even if unwittingly, sometimes). When Satan and his demons were cast out of heaven, it was the inhabited world (oikoumene, humanity) that became their domain (Revelation 12:9) – the various cultures of this world are the dwelling place of Satan and his hordes. John issues the command to not love the world – do not be loving that which functions under the control of Satan.
We can learn something from the prayer that Jesus offered for His disciples: “15. I am not asking that You [Father] take them out of the world, but that You protect them from the evil one; 16. they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:15-16, literal).80 In truth, we are in this world that is subject to Satan’s rule, but we must not become of this world; moreover, Jesus is interceding with His Father for our protection from the evil one. Unfortunately, most professing Christians do not desire the Lord’s protection from Satan, nor do they want to be excluded from the world. I am reminded of the words of Harold Ockenga as he spoke of the Neo-evangelicalism that he announced in 1948: this new approach differed “in its repudiation of separatism and its determination to engage itself in the theological dialogue of the day.”81 In essence, his call was for Evangelicals to renounce separation (from error and the world), and to become deeply involved in the religious affairs of this world (Satan’s territory); he exhorted Evangelicals to disobey the new commandment that the Spirit of God gave to us through John. Regrettably, Ockenga’s call to disobedience caught the ear of many, and what he proclaimed to be new very quickly became the standard for Evangelicals everywhere.
As John received the Revelation of Jesus Christ, he was shown a woman riding a beast (Satan), and she is identified as being “that great city, which reigneth [is ruling] over the kings of the earth (Revelation 17:18)82 – this is readily recognized as being Rome, the world power at that time that would very soon add religious authority to its political weight. Because of this, many have concluded that the woman is the Roman Catholic Church, and they would be partly right. The woman is actually an Ecumenical church that has a worldwide reach: she is first described as sitting upon many waters (Revelation 17:1), and the waters are defined as peoples of great number, nations and languages (Revelation 17:15). There is no denying that the Catholic Church is Ecumenical to the core; they readily admit as much: “Ecumenism is a fundamental concept in the life and mission of the [Roman Catholic] Church.”83 However, with the close of the Second Vatican Council, the Catholics took a more aggressive role in the promotion and achievement of a very broad religious unity – well beyond their own religion.
Ecumenism, like Ockenga’s Neo-evangelicalism, stands in direct contradiction to the new commandment that John has presented to his readers. Therefore, when John heard a voice from heaven declare: “Come out of her, my people” (Revelation 18:4), we must recognize that it is a call to separate from all things Ecumenical; the woman riding the beast is broadly Ecumenical (not strictly Roman Catholic) and has infiltrated all of the religions of the world (she is sitting upon many peoples, nations, and tongues). The pope, in his role as Ecumenical enabler, has said that the Roman Catholic Church seeks to create a spiritual collaboration where “each faith contributes its unique wisdom and compassion in service of the common good.”84 Each faith includes all of them: animism, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, and every sect and denomination within Christendom; their open arms of welcome are extended to everyone. The Ecumenical woman is riding the beast (Satan), she is a means for Satan to reach everyone in the world, and so her influence is worldwide (Satan’s domain). With her destruction, John notes this: “And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and all of those who have been murdered on the earth” (Revelation 18:24, literal).85 This clarifies something very important about this woman: the focus of her destruction has been the Lord’s people (prophets and saints), but in her is also found the blood of all of those who have been murdered, whether saints or not. This false religious system that is carried about by Satan, has included murder as a part of her arsenal of skills to retain control over those who are caught in her spell. She is not an end-time world church (as some like to portray her), she has been active ever since Cain killed Abel because the Lord did not accept his offering; Cain felt justified in coming before the Lord on his own terms, and that is the heart of Ecumenism, and also why it can be molded and shaped to meet the felt needs of anyone. Many of the ancient religions included the rite of child sacrifice in order to appease their numerous gods and goddesses; such murder is no less a part of our modern, sophisticated society: some contend that such child sacrifice is still carried out in secret, but abortion has become the blatant, acceptable, government-funded murder of the helpless – and many forms of this fluid religion (Ecumenism) are all right with that.
This new commandment reaches to the heart of our relationship with the Lord. It requires a separation from the world that will only come through a whole-hearted commitment to the Lord; all that is Ecumenical has absolutely no place under this command. Consider Paul’s words to the Ephesians: “22. Ye have put off, as to the former way of life, the old man that is corrupted as a result of deceptive desires, 23. now to be renewed by the Spirit in your mind, 24. and the new man ye have put on, for God did create [him] in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Ephesians 4:22-24, literal).86 The former way of life, which was very much under the control of the devil and under the influence of the world, has been put off – the verb is in the aorist tense, describing a whole and complete action: the former way of life is completely removed, and, within this context, we also view it as having been done in the past. The new man of righteousness, holiness and obedience to the Lord stands in distinction from the world that is under the influence of the devil; there is nothing in common. With the new man, the love is for the Lord, not the world, nor anything in it.
To ensure that he will not be misunderstood, John then makes a stronger statement from the opposite perspective. His command is: do not love the world, nor anything in it. By way of explanation, he goes on to say that if anyone is loving the world, then he has no love for the Father; once again, it is clear that there is a distinct and complete separation between the world and the Lord. If we claim to be in Christ, then we cannot be of the world; if we are a participant in the world, then we are absolutely not in Christ. Jesus said, “He that is not with me is against me …” (Matthew 12:30a); there is no fence to straddle!
As John received the Revelation of Jesus Christ, he was shown a woman riding a beast (Satan), and she is identified as being “that great city, which reigneth [is ruling] over the kings of the earth (Revelation 17:18)82 – this is readily recognized as being Rome, the world power at that time that would very soon add religious authority to its political weight. Because of this, many have concluded that the woman is the Roman Catholic Church, and they would be partly right. The woman is actually an Ecumenical church that has a worldwide reach: she is first described as sitting upon many waters (Revelation 17:1), and the waters are defined as peoples of great number, nations and languages (Revelation 17:15). There is no denying that the Catholic Church is Ecumenical to the core; they readily admit as much: “Ecumenism is a fundamental concept in the life and mission of the [Roman Catholic] Church.”83 However, with the close of the Second Vatican Council, the Catholics took a more aggressive role in the promotion and achievement of a very broad religious unity – well beyond their own religion.
Ecumenism, like Ockenga’s Neo-evangelicalism, stands in direct contradiction to the new commandment that John has presented to his readers. Therefore, when John heard a voice from heaven declare: “Come out of her, my people” (Revelation 18:4), we must recognize that it is a call to separate from all things Ecumenical; the woman riding the beast is broadly Ecumenical (not strictly Roman Catholic) and has infiltrated all of the religions of the world (she is sitting upon many peoples, nations, and tongues). The pope, in his role as Ecumenical enabler, has said that the Roman Catholic Church seeks to create a spiritual collaboration where “each faith contributes its unique wisdom and compassion in service of the common good.”84 Each faith includes all of them: animism, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, and every sect and denomination within Christendom; their open arms of welcome are extended to everyone. The Ecumenical woman is riding the beast (Satan), she is a means for Satan to reach everyone in the world, and so her influence is worldwide (Satan’s domain). With her destruction, John notes this: “And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and all of those who have been murdered on the earth” (Revelation 18:24, literal).85 This clarifies something very important about this woman: the focus of her destruction has been the Lord’s people (prophets and saints), but in her is also found the blood of all of those who have been murdered, whether saints or not. This false religious system that is carried about by Satan, has included murder as a part of her arsenal of skills to retain control over those who are caught in her spell. She is not an end-time world church (as some like to portray her), she has been active ever since Cain killed Abel because the Lord did not accept his offering; Cain felt justified in coming before the Lord on his own terms, and that is the heart of Ecumenism, and also why it can be molded and shaped to meet the felt needs of anyone. Many of the ancient religions included the rite of child sacrifice in order to appease their numerous gods and goddesses; such murder is no less a part of our modern, sophisticated society: some contend that such child sacrifice is still carried out in secret, but abortion has become the blatant, acceptable, government-funded murder of the helpless – and many forms of this fluid religion (Ecumenism) are all right with that.
This new commandment reaches to the heart of our relationship with the Lord. It requires a separation from the world that will only come through a whole-hearted commitment to the Lord; all that is Ecumenical has absolutely no place under this command. Consider Paul’s words to the Ephesians: “22. Ye have put off, as to the former way of life, the old man that is corrupted as a result of deceptive desires, 23. now to be renewed by the Spirit in your mind, 24. and the new man ye have put on, for God did create [him] in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Ephesians 4:22-24, literal).86 The former way of life, which was very much under the control of the devil and under the influence of the world, has been put off – the verb is in the aorist tense, describing a whole and complete action: the former way of life is completely removed, and, within this context, we also view it as having been done in the past. The new man of righteousness, holiness and obedience to the Lord stands in distinction from the world that is under the influence of the devil; there is nothing in common. With the new man, the love is for the Lord, not the world, nor anything in it.
To ensure that he will not be misunderstood, John then makes a stronger statement from the opposite perspective. His command is: do not love the world, nor anything in it. By way of explanation, he goes on to say that if anyone is loving the world, then he has no love for the Father; once again, it is clear that there is a distinct and complete separation between the world and the Lord. If we claim to be in Christ, then we cannot be of the world; if we are a participant in the world, then we are absolutely not in Christ. Jesus said, “He that is not with me is against me …” (Matthew 12:30a); there is no fence to straddle!
16. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Because everything in the world (the lust of the flesh, and the lust of eyes, and the pride of life) is not from the Father, but is of the world (literal).87
John now provides supporting arguments for the new commandment that he has given. His central message is that everything that is in the world (all that we encounter in life by way of our senses) does not find its origin in the Father; if it does not come from the Father, then it must come from the devil. However, for clarity, he elaborates on what everything in the world means.
He lists three things as the attractions of the world that are fueled by the devil, and made particularly appealing because they involve our senses: 1) the lust of the flesh, 2) the lust of the eyes, and 3) the pride of life. John has just exposed the weapons that Satan used to convince Eve that the forbidden fruit was desirable. “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food [lust of the flesh], and that it was pleasant to the eyes [lust of the eyes], and a tree to be desired to make one wise [pride of life], she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” (Genesis 3:6). Eve had never sinned, yet the devil was crafty enough so as to persuade her that much could be gained by disobeying the Lord. Peter warns us to “be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Paul counsels us to consider ourselves dead to sin, because we are in Christ (Romans 6:11) – such a consideration is an indication that we are clear-minded and alert to the tactics of the devil.
Notice that each of these three aspects to the world’s (the devil’s) temptations lie within the range of our physical senses, yet to account ourselves to be dead to sin (Romans 6:11), that lies outside of our senses, and therein lies our vulnerability to the temptations of Satan. We must remain continually watchful so that we are not drawn by Satan into his web, and devoured. “So then, he who is appearing to stand, beware, do not fall!” (1 Corinthians 10:12, literal)88; everyone who is in Christ will face the roaring of the devil, but we must determine to keep our focus on the Lord, for our security comes only from being in Him! It is as we remain in Christ that we cannot be snatched out of His hand by any outside force, but we must also guard against unbelief entering into our hearts that we should become apostate from the Lord (Hebrews 3:12). The devil’s question to us will be the same as what he used on Eve: “Yea, hath God said?” (Genesis 3:1); if he is able to insert a modicum of doubt into our thinking, then he has gained the claw-hold that he desires. We must remain alert at all times, for he does not rest in his quest for a child of God who has permitted his guard to relax for just a moment. We must keep our focus on the Lord Jesus, so that we are able to run with endurance, the race that the Lord has prepared for us (Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:10).
It is interesting that the word translated as lust is actually neutral, and not negative, as we perceive it. In itself, the Greek word epithumia, speaks of a strong desire, or longing;89 however, it is used only three times in the NT in a positive way. Jesus had a desire to eat the Passover with His disciples, knowing that He would not because He was to be the Passover Lamb Who would be offered to take the sins of the world away (Luke 22:15); Paul had a desire to depart from this life to be with the Lord, but knew that the Lord had a work for him here (Philippians 1:23); he also had a great desire to see the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 2:17) – in each case, desire (epithumia) speaks of a deep longing. However, epithumia is used, for the most part, regarding the longings, or cravings, of the flesh. Paul addressed the full reality of such longings, as they relate to the flesh: “5. For those who are living in the flesh, are intent on the flesh; but those living [in] the Spirit, [are intent on] what is of the Spirit. 6. For the striving of the flesh [is] death, but the striving of the Spirit [is] life and peace. 7. Because the striving of the flesh is enmity against God, for to the Law of God [such striving] is not obedient, for [it is] not able to [be obedient]” (Romans 8:5-7, literal).90 Therefore, when John identifies the desire of the flesh to be not from the Father, he is completely accurate; the lusts of the flesh demonstrate a hostility against God, and must certainly not be a part of the one who is in Christ.
When the religious rulers accused His disciples of breaking their tradition by eating without first washing their hands, Jesus explained that it is not what goes into the mouth that brings defilement, but what comes out of it from the heart. “For out of the heart come evil schemes, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses [and] abusive speech” (Matthew 15:19, literal).91 All of these proceed from an unregenerate heart – a fleshly mind that is hostility against the Lord; the lust of the flesh comes from the heart.
The lust of the eyes is specifically what we can see, and then long for; the visual that stirs the desires, thereby compounding the lust of the flesh. The tenth Commandment addresses this very specifically: “Thou shalt not covet [desire] thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s” (Exodus 20:17). To covet is to permit what we see to fuel greed within our minds, which then adds to what we lust after. Paul provides a short list of activities that will keep individuals out of heaven: “9. Do you not know that the unrighteous, being led astray, will not inherit the kingdom of God? Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor catamites [the submissive partner in homosexuality], nor homosexuals, 10. Nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, no revilers [those given to abusive speech], [and] no swindlers [the violently greedy] will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, literal).92 Those who are covetous keep company with those who have given themselves wholeheartedly to the cravings of the flesh in all of its debauchery. We are not to look upon what other people have with longing (to covet), for those who are covetous are numbered among the unrighteous who will not inherit the kingdom of God.
The pride of life is just a little bit different from the previous two, yet will frequently fuel the other two, and, in turn, be fed by them. Pride is from the Greek alazoneia, which includes arrogance, conceit and vanity, and is frequently, as here, because of possessions.93 Those who exude such a pride of life are a bane to the covetous; they not only seem to have it all, but they are not shy about putting it on display for all to see. However, too often the pride of life follows activities that are a part of the lust of the flesh and eyes; success in the areas of lust will often lead to the pride of life. It is easily seen how these three work together, and why Satan would choose to use them to destroy the child of God; it worked against Eve who, to that point, had never known sin. Indeed, it is incumbent upon us to remain alert and vigilant against the trickery of the devil, for he is angry and has made the child of God his target (Revelation 12:17).
Although life, in this case, points specifically to possessions, I believe that this can refer to much more than merely the physical. Consider Eve’s thought that the forbidden fruit could make one wise (Genesis 3:6); she was convinced by Satan’s treachery that disregarding the word of the Lord would bring her a greater wisdom – certainly something that would belong to her (a possession). Truly, Satan was correct; eating of the fruit did make her wise – she came to know evil. The pride of life can include accumulating many physical possessions, but it also includes holding great power within this world – something that frequently becomes evident within those who rise in the world of politics, and those who seek to establish a new world order.
John makes it very clear that the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life have no part in the life of the one who is in Christ. Each of these is a part of the world, and together they are deceptive devices that Satan uses to capture the hearts and minds of the unsuspecting. We are not to be among the unsuspecting. Paul warned that there are those who teach that which is not in keeping with the Scriptures, and that they do so with great eloquence and smooth words in an effort to deceive the simple, the naïve, the unsuspecting – and we are commanded to avoid them (Romans 16:17-18). Peter commands us to be sober and vigilant – alert to the scheming of the devil so that we do not become his next victims!
17. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Not only is the world passing away, but also its lusts; now the one who is doing the will of God is remaining forever (literal).94
Passing away (from the Greek paragetai) is exactly the same word that was used concerning the darkness in verse 8. World (kosmos) is still referring to the human experience within the cultures that function under the control of Satan. Like the fading darkness for the one who is living in the light, the world system is in the process of disappearing – the indicative mood makes this a statement of fact. The ending of the Greek verb identifies this as being either middle or passive voice (the endings are exactly the same), and so we must rely upon the context to determine which voice is intended.95 The middle voice has the subject being both the active participant and the recipient of the action; since the world is under the direction of Satan, you can rest assured that he will not bring his own activities to an end (thereby eliminating the middle voice). Therefore, we can conclude that the action of passing away is in the passive voice, which means that God is already acting to bring this world to a conclusion that is in keeping with His plan; there are many passages of Scripture, including the book of Revelation, that give us clues as to how He is orchestrating all things to His glory for eternity.
Satan will be bound during Jesus’ Millennial reign (Revelation 20:2), but when he is loosed at the end of the one thousand years, he will make one final effort to defeat the Lord (Revelation 20:7-9). God destroys his horde of followers, and Satan is cast into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:10); at this very moment, the created heaven and earth, which have been the scene of all of man’s sin and rebellion, will vanish away (Revelation 20:11) – this will be the time when the world will truly pass away, or vanish, and the dead (the unrighteous from all ages, and the righteous from the Millennium who died when the earth disappeared) will stand before God to be judged (Revelation 20:12): the unrighteous dead will be judged according to their works and be condemned to the Lake of Fire; the names of the Millennial righteous will be found in the Book of Life, and they will enter into the glories of heaven (Revelation 20:15). The world and its lusts are gone forever, and the deceiver (Satan), along with his demons, has been cast into to the Lake of Fire.
John concludes with this: the one who is doing the will of God is remaining forever; this stands in contrast to the domain of Satan that is passing away. Jesus said: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth [is doing] the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). What is the will of God? God, “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4); it is God’s desire that everyone should be saved, after all, Christ’s payment for sins was for all of humanity (1 Timothy 2:6). Despite this being God’s desire and His salvation being available to everyone, He has also told us that only a few will find cleansing for their souls (Matthew 7:14). “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification …” (1 Thessalonians 4:3a); it is also the will of God that we, His children, should be holy (sanctification, hagiasmos). Jesus, the Son of God Who spoke only the words that were given to Him by the Father (John 8:26), said: “if ye are loving Me, [then] My commandments ye must obey” (John 14:15, literal).96 Therefore, it is the will of God that we obey His commandments; as we learn to live in obedience to Him, then His holiness will become ours, and we will be numbered among His overcomers who will inherit eternal life with Him. It is by our obedience that we demonstrate our love for Him and our desire to remain in Him. “If ye keep [obey] my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love” (John 15:10).97 The will of God is not some great mystery that we need to try to discover, it is simply believing in the Lord Jesus and then obeying His commandments. It is not difficult to understand what we must do, but it will not be easy to do it; Jesus said that unless we are prepared to make Him our first priority, we cannot be called His disciples – we must be willing to bear the cross of tribulations, sufferings, and persecutions that will be ours as we follow Him. Jesus also said: “These things I have spoken unto you so that My joy will remain in you, and that your joy will be made full” (John 15:11, literal).98 One of these things was: if we obey His commands, then we will remain in His love; the Lord has made very clear what He expects of us – it is only for us to commit to live out our faith in obedience to Him. As we make that commitment, His Spirit is willing and able to guide us into His truth so that the righteousness of the Law of God will be lived out through us (Romans 8:4). This is the will of God for us!
18. Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
Little children, it is the last hour, and just as ye have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, [and] by this we know that it is the last hour (literal).99
John, once again, addresses the little children – those whose sins have been forgiven, who know the Father (1 John 2:12-13), and are growing in their spiritual maturity. He addresses them with some important information about the time in which they were living.
He begins by declaring that it is the last hour; the verb (is) is in the indicative mood – it is a statement of fact! Hour (hora) can refer to a portion of a day (as we understand an hour), or, as in this case, to an extended period of time that bears unique characteristics. The distinction of this hour is that it is the last one. Since John wrote this over 1,900 years ago, is it still the same last hour, and, if so, why would he have called it the last hour?
John has just stated that the world and its lusts are passing away; God, in His wisdom, began to work toward the removal of Satan’s domain with the promise of his defeat in Genesis 3:15. However, with Christ’s sacrifice made for sins, Satan’s eternal demise became a certainty, and he knows it – hence, the last hour. As already noted, hour, in this case, refers to an indefinite period of time that is characterized by the Lord’s working to draw all things together in Christ. “In [God’s] arrangement of the fullness of times, all things do come together in Christ, both in the heavens and on the earth” (Ephesians 1:10, literal).100 The features of this last hour, beginning with Christ’s victory over sin, Satan and death, is God unfolding events that will: fulfill the prophecies of old, see the removal of this sin-stained earth and heaven, see His judgment of the wicked, and end with His new heaven and earth that will be eternally free of any stain (Revelation 22:3). In this last hour, everything is working toward an eternity in the presence of the Lord for all who are living faithfully for Him.
John states that his readers have heard that Antichrist (singular) is coming; the indicative mood is used, making this a statement of fact. However, as we consider the NT, the Greek antichristos only appears five times, and is used exclusively by John in his letters. Jesus spoke of the coming of false christs (pseudochristos) and false prophets (Matthew 24:24); although some contend that they are different,101 both the antichristos and pseudochristos seek to replace the Christ, the Son of God, in the hearts and minds of people – they are not as different as we might first suppose. The Antichrist stands in opposition to the Christ; all of his energies (including lies and deception) are focused on destroying Christ and His followers, and assuming the role for himself – exalting himself as God. The false christ seeks, also through lies and deception (great signs and wonders), to promote himself as being the Christ, or an incarnation of Him; “for many will come in My name saying: I AM, and they will lead many astray” (Mark 13:6, literal).102 The Antichrist endeavors to become God by destroying everything and everyone representing Christ on earth – his activities have a very broad scope (Revelation 13:7); the false christ, has a much smaller focus, yet he, too, seeks to be God (I AM) to those whom he is able to deceive. Both function under the authority and guidance of Satan, and both seek to replace God in the minds of those whom they are able to deceive.
However, John states that the Antichrist is coming, and his readers are already aware of it; this is the coming of one individual who will be the Antichrist. How would his readers have become familiar with the concept of an Antichrist? Some forty years earlier, Paul had written this to the Thessalonians regarding the return of Christ: “3. do not let anyone deceive you completely in any way [as to the return of the Lord], because [He will not come] except the apostasy come first, and the man of sin appear, the son of destruction, 4. the Adversary who also exalts himself over all that is called god or worshipped …” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4a, literal).103 Paul is allaying their concern that they had missed the return of Christ, and, in doing so, he identifies two things that must take place first: 1) there must be a significant falling away from the faith, there have always been those who have departed from the faith (1 Timothy 6:10), but this is noted as being the apostasy; 2) there must come the man of sin – the Adversary, the Antichrist – all people are sinners, but this is the man of sin, a specific individual who is thoroughly controlled by Satan, the Adversary (1 Peter 5:8)! There is evidence to suggest that Paul’s letters were in circulation well before the canon of Scripture was established, even before quite a portion of the NT had not yet been written.104 Therefore, it is not beyond reason that the audience of John’s writings was familiar with Paul’s letter that confirmed the coming of the Antichrist – the Adversary; as a matter of fact, John’s declaration that his readers already knew this would serve to confirm this to be true.
John goes on to note that there are already many antichrists – many who stand in opposition to the teachings of the Lord. John defines these as being those who deny the deity of God and His Son, Jesus Christ (1 John 2:22), and who deny that Jesus is God come in the flesh (1 John 4:3; 2 John 7). We will look more closely at these when we come to them. The opposition to Christ and His earthly ministry that culminated in His death and resurrection, began immediately. The Jewish religious leaders bribed the Temple guards stationed at Jesus’ tomb (Matthew 27:64-66) to say that His disciples had stolen the body while they slept (Matthew 28:12-14); this was Satan’s immediate attempt to discredit Jesus’ resurrection. Even though sleeping was a punishable offense,105 the Jewish leaders promised immunity for the guards if they would circulate this story; their pledged protection even went as far as appeasing Pilate if it should become a problem for him. It is only fitting that Satan would multiply those who would oppose the teachings of Christ (antichrists), particularly as it related to His death and resurrection, for, by these, Christ sealed Satan’s defeat in fulfillment of Genesis 3:15.
Interestingly, Paul noted that the crucifixion of Christ was a hindrance to many: “…we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness” (1 Corinthians 1:23). For the Jews to accept the Gospel message of Christ, they had to acknowledge that Jesus was their Messiah (a huge stumblingblock for them), and the Greeks needed to accept the fact of His resurrection (something that they generally considered to be foolishness). Yet it is through His death and resurrection that cleansing from sin is possible, and new life is available through the New Covenant that He established. Satan did his utmost to discredit the Gospel message for some, and for many, many others, he provided them with reasons to change the Gospel so that the life of Christ was no longer present, even though they would not realize it.
John states that the presence of many antichrists identifies this as the last hour; this is a time when Satan is fiercely working to call into question everything that Christ has done, and destroy those who follow Him. “And the dragon [Satan] became angry because of the woman [the kingdom of God], and he went to make war with the remnant of her seed – those who are obeying the commandments of God and are holding the witness of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17, literal).106 We noted earlier that the earth and heaven are the domain of Satan, and in his great fury at being unable to thwart Jesus’ mission to earth, he is now specifically targeting those who are living in faithfulness to the Lord. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
19. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they were of us, [then] they would have remained among us; but [they went out from us] in order to reveal that [they] are not all of us (literal).107
John now provides an explanation for those who depart from among the Lord’s followers; not everyone who comes together for fellowship is of the same heart. He has just spoken of antichrists who are everywhere, but not necessarily just within the world culture – Satan’s domain. John begins this by stating that they went out from us; the antichrists, of whom there are many, will appear among those who are living faithfully for the Lord. This is another strategy of Satan: have those who are his mingle with those whom he is targeting in this last hour, perhaps with the hope that they will find some who are unsuspecting and naïve – vulnerable to a gospel that may sound familiar but holds no life. Does everyone who is so used by Satan know that they are his pawns? No! Satan’s subtlety is far more refined than that; he is able to remove the heart of the Gospel and convince those who hold the empty shell that they still have the full truth. These who hold the empty shell of the Gospel are antichrists because they will freely, and often convincingly, present their shell as being the Truth of God.
However, since these who were not of us, went out from us; it seems that even though they mingled with the saints of God, there came a point in time when they can no longer bear it – they were not comfortable trying to maintain their shell, their façade, in the midst of those who held the Truth. To Timothy, Paul noted: “3. For a time will be, when correct teaching they will not accept, but according to their own lusts they will accumulate to themselves teachers – their hearing is itchy; 4. and, indeed, from hearing the truth, they will turn away, and will be turned unto myths [that which is not true]” (2 Timothy 4:3-4, literal).108 Even those who do not present strange teachings will be drawn to those who do, because they crave a different teaching that appeals more to their own desires – a message that promises them as much as the Gospel, but without placing any demands upon them. Among Evangelicals, this is the gospel of once-saved-always-saved – a simple prayer for salvation will secure a place in God’s heaven! Such heresy is built upon a false premise – namely, that we utter a prayer for salvation, when, in truth, we must ask for the Lord’s forgiveness of our sins. Jesus made it very clear that salvation is not granted until the end of a life that has been lived in faithfulness to Him (Matthew 23:13); forgiveness of sins, on the other hand, is granted when we ask. However, the granted forgiveness must then be followed by a life of obedience to the Lord’s commands (John 14:15) – only then will the Lord award His faithful ones with the salvation that He has purchased. That is when the once-saved-always-saved reality is applicable; the Evangelical error is that they are so sure that salvation is a present-day possession, when it is not! The modern approach is to claim eternal life before the Lord grants it; since they have been convinced that it is a present possession, they have also believed the lie that they can then live however they please – they covet eternal life, but have been deceived to think that it will cost them nothing! Jesus said that unless we are prepared to make Him the first priority in our lives, then we are not His disciples (Luke 14:26-33) – we must relinquish all to Him!
John says that if they had been truly of the same persuasion as we (holding to the truth of God’s Word), then they would have remained with us, because our fellowship is centered in the Father and His Son (1 John 1:3). It is because they could not have such fellowship with us that they could no longer abide maintaining their façade of genuine spirituality; it takes great effort to appear to be something that you are not – they left because it was no longer worth the effort. The lesson for us is this: we must remain steadfast in our commitment to the Lord and His Word, for then those who do not hold the same faithfulness will depart, and, thereby, reveal that they were never truly one with us.
Within modern “Christianity,” this is most effective in weeding the Ecumenically-minded out from among us. Even though tolerance is foundational to the proper functioning of Ecumenism, it is only applicable to their own (those who are like-minded); toward those who adhere to the objective truth of the Scriptures and God’s unchanging commands, there is nothing but intolerance! A strong commitment to the Lord’s truth will result in the Ecumenically-minded departing; when they realize that they will not persuade you to accept their “love,” they will leave, and seek “fellowship” elsewhere. Or, far more likely, it will require you to leave them, because they will typically represent the majority of their “fellowship” caught under their spell; their excuse is that they feel that we are judging them – something that is not permitted within Ecumenical circles. However, Jesus commanded us: “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24); in other words, we are not to judge superficially, but allow the Spirit (our Guide into all truth, John 16:13) to reveal the heart (righteous judgment). Since the Ecumenical do not have the presence of the Spirit, they cannot understand this, nor are they able to carry out righteous judgment; their judgment is only against the faithful, whom they are unable to tolerate.
John’s words are written from the perspective of those in error being a minority – they will leave the company of the faithful. Today, it is the other way around; it is the faithful who will need to leave the company of those who do not adhere to God’s Word – the faithful will undoubtedly be the remnant in the midst of those who refuse to abide the accurate teaching of the Truth (Revelation 18:4).
20. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
And ye have an anointing from the Holy One, and have understood all things (literal).109
This follows John’s warnings against the Antichrist who is coming, and the many antichrists who were already present at that time, as well as his explanation as to how we are to view those who have departed from among us. He now presents two phrases, and both are in the indicative mood – they are statements of fact.
The first phrase, ye have an anointing from the Holy One, is not only a fact, but the verb is in the present tense – it is a current reality. Anointing (unction) is from the Greek word chrisma, and appears three times in the NT and only in this letter; of its three uses, this is the only time that the KJV translators used the word unction.110 Interestingly, unction is one of the seven sacraments of the Church of England (ceremonies “enjoined by Christ” that impart grace to the participant), where the sick are anointed with a special “holy oil.”111 However, John’s use of chrisma has nothing at all to do with the “sacrament” of the Church of England.
As Jesus emerged from the waters of baptism, John the Baptist testified that the Spirit of God descended and remained upon Him (John 1:32). Under the Mosaic traditions, before the priests were permitted to enter their office, they were anointed with oil (Exodus 30:30); before Jesus began His earthly ministry, He was anointed with the Holy Spirit (oil is often considered to be a symbol of the Holy Spirit112). John, who baptized many with water, declared that Jesus is “… He who is baptizing with the Holy Spirit” (John 1:33, literal); it was during His ministry that Jesus sent His disciples out to preach, and endowed them with power (the Holy Spirit) to perform miracles (Matthew 10:1, 8). However, this endowment was only for that particular ministry – it did not remain. Just before Jesus ascended to heaven, He told His disciples: “ye will receive power [when] the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8a, literal).113 Jesus spoke to His disciples of the coming of the Holy Spirit (the Comforter): 1) the Father would send Him upon Jesus’ request (John 14:16), and 2) He would send the Spirit from the Father (John 15:26); what is evident is that the Son of God (Jesus) and God the Father would both be involved in sending the Spirit after Jesus’ departure. On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon the Lord’s followers in keeping with Jesus’ promise given just days earlier. John now writes of the anointing from the Holy One; based upon what we have just looked at, this refers to the coming of the Spirit of God upon those who are His, and this anointing comes from the Holy One, which is a reference to both Jesus and the Father. God is a Tri-unity (1 John 5:7) of the Word, the Father and the Spirit. While Jesus was on earth, He was anointed with the Spirit; now that He is in heaven, the anointing of the Spirit comes upon those who are His when they place their faith in Him (Romans 8:9).
Jesus told His disciples: “And I will ask the Father, and another Helper He will give to you, so that He is remaining with you forever” (John 14:16, literal);114 Jesus was the Helper Who was with the disciples at that time, but He promised that the Spirit of God would come with the purpose of remaining with them forever. When we place our faith in the Lord Jesus, we receive forgiveness of sins and the Spirit of God comes to reside within us forever – that is God’s intent in sending His Deposit. However, Jesus also told us that it is only those who remain faithful (obedient) unto the end who are destined to receive His salvation; the Mark of the Spirit will only remain forever upon those who live in obedience to the commands of the Lord! A life of disobedience springs from being faithless, or from becoming faithless, resulting in the Spirit departing from us, becoming apostate from God, and being without any hope of restoration to the Lord (Hebrews 3:12; 6:4-6).
The last phrase, (ye) have understood all things, requires some careful consideration. John is not saying that his readers know everything, but, rather, he is building upon the first phrase: they have been anointed by the Spirit of God. Jesus said that “when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come” (John 16:13). The Spirit of God has been given to guide us into all truth; John has just clarified that the truth is not in the one who claims to know God but does not obey Him (1 John 2:4). Therefore, the Spirit of God is not in those who are not obedient to the Lord; those to whom John is writing have the Spirit of God (the anointing), they are obedient to the Lord, and the Spirit has guided them into all truth – they have understood the truth, which will assist them in discerning all things!
21. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
I did not write to you because ye have not understood the truth, but because ye have understood it, and because every lie is not of the truth (literal).115
John has written this letter, not because his readers have not understood the truth, but because they have. This might seem somewhat counter-intuitive; many of the letters within the NT are corrective in nature – the author is writing in order to help his readers to understand correct teaching. Not so here. It would seem that John is writing to refresh, in their minds, the truth that they have already learned. Paul said to the Philippians: “to write the same to you, to me is not troublesome, and to you [it is] safe” (Philippians 3:1b, literal);116 Paul sees the repetition as a means of bolstering them spiritually. Safe is from a Greek word (asphales) that means not to trip, or fail;117 repeating truth is intended to help guard against letting it slide, and that is, undoubtedly, what John has in mind.
John adds that he writes because every lie is not of the truth; the indicative mood of the verb makes this a statement of fact.118 He has written because they know the truth, and, therefore, they have the understanding that is necessary to discern a lie. I am reminded of the process that is used to train someone to detect counterfeit currency; they do not spend their time studying counterfeit bills, but, rather, learning the security features that are built into the existing, legal currency. We will never detect false teachers by studying the myriad of heresies that are out there; however, we will be able to identify false doctrine by having a thorough knowledge of the truth. The anointing of the Spirit of God is key to our growth in the truth of God, and, subsequently, being able to discern falsehood much more easily and accurately. Unfortunately, to the majority who identify themselves as being Christian, the Scriptures are closed; they have learned theologies and philosophies, but not how to discover the truth of God’s Word through the guidance of the Spirit. John’s desire is to hone his readers’ discernment skills so that they will not fall victim to the eloquent preacher of heresy who uses smooth words (Romans 16:17-18).
22. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
Who is the liar, except the one who is absolutely denying that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the Antichrist, who is denying the Father and the Son! (literal).119
After stating that every lie is not of the truth (v. 21), John now provides an example of someone who spouts a lie: the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ. What is not evident in the KJV translation is that the Greek uses a double negative to emphasize the denial. Denying is from the Greek root, arneomai, which is already a negative (a- prefix), and it appears with the Greek ouk (not), thereby not only strengthening the denial, but also requiring an affirmative response to the question.120 The one who denies that Jesus is the Christ is the liar; the definite article is used in the Greek.
John goes on to clarify that such a liar is the Antichrist; again, including the definite article. Earlier (v. 18), he wrote that his readers knew that the Antichrist is coming, and stated that many antichrists are already everywhere – including among us (v. 19). It appears that he is drawing a distinction between the Antichrist and antichrists. The many antichrists harbor much that is not true (their name confirms that), and are active in promoting their error, but they will remove themselves from among the saints because of their discomfort with the truth. However, John identifies the Antichrist (the liar) as someone who denies that Jesus is the Christ, which strikes at the very heart of the Gospel – this goes well beyond the error of the antichrists to a complete denial of God and His eternal, saving plan for humanity.
John defines the Antichrist by two things: 1) he absolutely denies that Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah, and 2) he denies the Father and the Son. From this we see two identifiers of the coming world leader, the Antichrist; but it is also clear that this final Antichrist will be preceded by many who will be of the same mind. Jesus is the Christ points to the One Who came in fulfillment of Jehovah’s promise to crush Satan (Genesis 3:15), through Whom all of the families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3), and the One Who would bring an end to sin (Daniel 9:24). As the Christ, the Anointed, Jesus is our High Priest after the order of Melchizedek (not according to the Mosaic priests who were of the line of Aaron) having shed His blood to make atonement forever for the sins of humanity (Hebrews 10:12) – this is denied by the Antichrist. Furthermore, the Antichrist also denies the Father and the Son – both! The Jewish leaders accused Jesus of blasphemy when He declared that He was One with God, the Father (John 10:30; the indicative mood of the verb makes this a statement of fact,121 and the Jews knew it); they could not get past seeing Him as the son of Joseph (John 6:42). From this we must conclude that if anyone does not acknowledge that Jesus is God, then that person has denied both the Son and the Father, for they are One!
Are the denials of the Antichrist present with us today? Are there religions today that deny that Jesus is the Christ? There are several: Judaism, of Jesus’ day, refused Him, and that has not changed; Islam, declares Jesus to be a messenger of Allah, a prophet, but asserts that it is beneath Allah to have a son (Quran 4:171); the eastern religions that are filled with many gods may acknowledge Jesus to some extent, but never as being greater than any of their other gods. Even within Christendom, broadly speaking, there are many who refuse to give Jesus the honor that is due to Him as God. Mormons believe that “as man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may become”;122 God has a physical body, Jesus is His spirit-child (as we all are, including Satan) – He is separate from God, not one with Him.123 Jehovah’s Witnesses see God as one person; Jesus was His first creation, perhaps a god but definitely not equal to God.124 These two are not alone, but probably have the largest followings; despite holding such deviant doctrines, they both call themselves “Christian.” In recent years, the Evangelicals have sought to establish a common understanding with the Mormons, but it really began in 1871 when D.L. Moody first preached in the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City at the invitation of Brigham Young. However, such occasions do not herald the Mormons becoming more fundamental in their handling of Scripture; rather, the Evangelicals are ignoring the exhortation of God’s Word to separate from those who do not teach the Bible accurately (Romans 16:17).
Clearly, there are many religions, and even groups within the broad umbrella of Christendom, where Jesus is not granted His proper place as God – a member of the Triune Godhead (1 John 5:7). These all hold teachings that will be welcomed by the coming Antichrist, and are presently acceptable to the many antichrists who already abound. Nevertheless, there are also those within Evangelicalism who deny Christ as the Son of God; John has already identified these people: “The one who is saying, ‘I have known Him,’ and His commandments he is not obeying, is a liar, and the truth is not in this one” (1 John 2:4, literal).125 The Truth is not in the one who professes but does not obey; Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6), and the Spirit of God is called the Spirit of Truth (John 16:13) – neither is abiding in such a person! Jesus made this very clear: “If My commandments ye obey, [then] ye will abide in My love …” (John 15:10a, literal); this is a conditional statement, and must be understood accordingly. If there is obedience to His commands, then we will remain in His love; if not, then not. For all who do not obey the Lord’s commands, they do not have the Truth; despite their claims, they are outside of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is the “prince of the power of the air” (Satan) who is at this time working in the “children of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2). Obedience to the Lord is the key to remaining in Him; disobedience is the sign that faith in the Lord is not present! “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:26); even true faith in the Lord Jesus is rendered to be dead unless it is accompanied by works of obedience. Disobedience to the Lord shows that there is no faith in Him; Jesus said: “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad” (Matthew 12:30) – the disobedient are not with Christ, they are with the devil (against Christ). Such are the antichrists, and the Antichrist.
Because everything in the world (the lust of the flesh, and the lust of eyes, and the pride of life) is not from the Father, but is of the world (literal).87
John now provides supporting arguments for the new commandment that he has given. His central message is that everything that is in the world (all that we encounter in life by way of our senses) does not find its origin in the Father; if it does not come from the Father, then it must come from the devil. However, for clarity, he elaborates on what everything in the world means.
He lists three things as the attractions of the world that are fueled by the devil, and made particularly appealing because they involve our senses: 1) the lust of the flesh, 2) the lust of the eyes, and 3) the pride of life. John has just exposed the weapons that Satan used to convince Eve that the forbidden fruit was desirable. “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food [lust of the flesh], and that it was pleasant to the eyes [lust of the eyes], and a tree to be desired to make one wise [pride of life], she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” (Genesis 3:6). Eve had never sinned, yet the devil was crafty enough so as to persuade her that much could be gained by disobeying the Lord. Peter warns us to “be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Paul counsels us to consider ourselves dead to sin, because we are in Christ (Romans 6:11) – such a consideration is an indication that we are clear-minded and alert to the tactics of the devil.
Notice that each of these three aspects to the world’s (the devil’s) temptations lie within the range of our physical senses, yet to account ourselves to be dead to sin (Romans 6:11), that lies outside of our senses, and therein lies our vulnerability to the temptations of Satan. We must remain continually watchful so that we are not drawn by Satan into his web, and devoured. “So then, he who is appearing to stand, beware, do not fall!” (1 Corinthians 10:12, literal)88; everyone who is in Christ will face the roaring of the devil, but we must determine to keep our focus on the Lord, for our security comes only from being in Him! It is as we remain in Christ that we cannot be snatched out of His hand by any outside force, but we must also guard against unbelief entering into our hearts that we should become apostate from the Lord (Hebrews 3:12). The devil’s question to us will be the same as what he used on Eve: “Yea, hath God said?” (Genesis 3:1); if he is able to insert a modicum of doubt into our thinking, then he has gained the claw-hold that he desires. We must remain alert at all times, for he does not rest in his quest for a child of God who has permitted his guard to relax for just a moment. We must keep our focus on the Lord Jesus, so that we are able to run with endurance, the race that the Lord has prepared for us (Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:10).
It is interesting that the word translated as lust is actually neutral, and not negative, as we perceive it. In itself, the Greek word epithumia, speaks of a strong desire, or longing;89 however, it is used only three times in the NT in a positive way. Jesus had a desire to eat the Passover with His disciples, knowing that He would not because He was to be the Passover Lamb Who would be offered to take the sins of the world away (Luke 22:15); Paul had a desire to depart from this life to be with the Lord, but knew that the Lord had a work for him here (Philippians 1:23); he also had a great desire to see the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 2:17) – in each case, desire (epithumia) speaks of a deep longing. However, epithumia is used, for the most part, regarding the longings, or cravings, of the flesh. Paul addressed the full reality of such longings, as they relate to the flesh: “5. For those who are living in the flesh, are intent on the flesh; but those living [in] the Spirit, [are intent on] what is of the Spirit. 6. For the striving of the flesh [is] death, but the striving of the Spirit [is] life and peace. 7. Because the striving of the flesh is enmity against God, for to the Law of God [such striving] is not obedient, for [it is] not able to [be obedient]” (Romans 8:5-7, literal).90 Therefore, when John identifies the desire of the flesh to be not from the Father, he is completely accurate; the lusts of the flesh demonstrate a hostility against God, and must certainly not be a part of the one who is in Christ.
When the religious rulers accused His disciples of breaking their tradition by eating without first washing their hands, Jesus explained that it is not what goes into the mouth that brings defilement, but what comes out of it from the heart. “For out of the heart come evil schemes, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses [and] abusive speech” (Matthew 15:19, literal).91 All of these proceed from an unregenerate heart – a fleshly mind that is hostility against the Lord; the lust of the flesh comes from the heart.
The lust of the eyes is specifically what we can see, and then long for; the visual that stirs the desires, thereby compounding the lust of the flesh. The tenth Commandment addresses this very specifically: “Thou shalt not covet [desire] thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s” (Exodus 20:17). To covet is to permit what we see to fuel greed within our minds, which then adds to what we lust after. Paul provides a short list of activities that will keep individuals out of heaven: “9. Do you not know that the unrighteous, being led astray, will not inherit the kingdom of God? Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor catamites [the submissive partner in homosexuality], nor homosexuals, 10. Nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, no revilers [those given to abusive speech], [and] no swindlers [the violently greedy] will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, literal).92 Those who are covetous keep company with those who have given themselves wholeheartedly to the cravings of the flesh in all of its debauchery. We are not to look upon what other people have with longing (to covet), for those who are covetous are numbered among the unrighteous who will not inherit the kingdom of God.
The pride of life is just a little bit different from the previous two, yet will frequently fuel the other two, and, in turn, be fed by them. Pride is from the Greek alazoneia, which includes arrogance, conceit and vanity, and is frequently, as here, because of possessions.93 Those who exude such a pride of life are a bane to the covetous; they not only seem to have it all, but they are not shy about putting it on display for all to see. However, too often the pride of life follows activities that are a part of the lust of the flesh and eyes; success in the areas of lust will often lead to the pride of life. It is easily seen how these three work together, and why Satan would choose to use them to destroy the child of God; it worked against Eve who, to that point, had never known sin. Indeed, it is incumbent upon us to remain alert and vigilant against the trickery of the devil, for he is angry and has made the child of God his target (Revelation 12:17).
Although life, in this case, points specifically to possessions, I believe that this can refer to much more than merely the physical. Consider Eve’s thought that the forbidden fruit could make one wise (Genesis 3:6); she was convinced by Satan’s treachery that disregarding the word of the Lord would bring her a greater wisdom – certainly something that would belong to her (a possession). Truly, Satan was correct; eating of the fruit did make her wise – she came to know evil. The pride of life can include accumulating many physical possessions, but it also includes holding great power within this world – something that frequently becomes evident within those who rise in the world of politics, and those who seek to establish a new world order.
John makes it very clear that the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life have no part in the life of the one who is in Christ. Each of these is a part of the world, and together they are deceptive devices that Satan uses to capture the hearts and minds of the unsuspecting. We are not to be among the unsuspecting. Paul warned that there are those who teach that which is not in keeping with the Scriptures, and that they do so with great eloquence and smooth words in an effort to deceive the simple, the naïve, the unsuspecting – and we are commanded to avoid them (Romans 16:17-18). Peter commands us to be sober and vigilant – alert to the scheming of the devil so that we do not become his next victims!
17. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Not only is the world passing away, but also its lusts; now the one who is doing the will of God is remaining forever (literal).94
Passing away (from the Greek paragetai) is exactly the same word that was used concerning the darkness in verse 8. World (kosmos) is still referring to the human experience within the cultures that function under the control of Satan. Like the fading darkness for the one who is living in the light, the world system is in the process of disappearing – the indicative mood makes this a statement of fact. The ending of the Greek verb identifies this as being either middle or passive voice (the endings are exactly the same), and so we must rely upon the context to determine which voice is intended.95 The middle voice has the subject being both the active participant and the recipient of the action; since the world is under the direction of Satan, you can rest assured that he will not bring his own activities to an end (thereby eliminating the middle voice). Therefore, we can conclude that the action of passing away is in the passive voice, which means that God is already acting to bring this world to a conclusion that is in keeping with His plan; there are many passages of Scripture, including the book of Revelation, that give us clues as to how He is orchestrating all things to His glory for eternity.
Satan will be bound during Jesus’ Millennial reign (Revelation 20:2), but when he is loosed at the end of the one thousand years, he will make one final effort to defeat the Lord (Revelation 20:7-9). God destroys his horde of followers, and Satan is cast into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:10); at this very moment, the created heaven and earth, which have been the scene of all of man’s sin and rebellion, will vanish away (Revelation 20:11) – this will be the time when the world will truly pass away, or vanish, and the dead (the unrighteous from all ages, and the righteous from the Millennium who died when the earth disappeared) will stand before God to be judged (Revelation 20:12): the unrighteous dead will be judged according to their works and be condemned to the Lake of Fire; the names of the Millennial righteous will be found in the Book of Life, and they will enter into the glories of heaven (Revelation 20:15). The world and its lusts are gone forever, and the deceiver (Satan), along with his demons, has been cast into to the Lake of Fire.
John concludes with this: the one who is doing the will of God is remaining forever; this stands in contrast to the domain of Satan that is passing away. Jesus said: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth [is doing] the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). What is the will of God? God, “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4); it is God’s desire that everyone should be saved, after all, Christ’s payment for sins was for all of humanity (1 Timothy 2:6). Despite this being God’s desire and His salvation being available to everyone, He has also told us that only a few will find cleansing for their souls (Matthew 7:14). “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification …” (1 Thessalonians 4:3a); it is also the will of God that we, His children, should be holy (sanctification, hagiasmos). Jesus, the Son of God Who spoke only the words that were given to Him by the Father (John 8:26), said: “if ye are loving Me, [then] My commandments ye must obey” (John 14:15, literal).96 Therefore, it is the will of God that we obey His commandments; as we learn to live in obedience to Him, then His holiness will become ours, and we will be numbered among His overcomers who will inherit eternal life with Him. It is by our obedience that we demonstrate our love for Him and our desire to remain in Him. “If ye keep [obey] my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love” (John 15:10).97 The will of God is not some great mystery that we need to try to discover, it is simply believing in the Lord Jesus and then obeying His commandments. It is not difficult to understand what we must do, but it will not be easy to do it; Jesus said that unless we are prepared to make Him our first priority, we cannot be called His disciples – we must be willing to bear the cross of tribulations, sufferings, and persecutions that will be ours as we follow Him. Jesus also said: “These things I have spoken unto you so that My joy will remain in you, and that your joy will be made full” (John 15:11, literal).98 One of these things was: if we obey His commands, then we will remain in His love; the Lord has made very clear what He expects of us – it is only for us to commit to live out our faith in obedience to Him. As we make that commitment, His Spirit is willing and able to guide us into His truth so that the righteousness of the Law of God will be lived out through us (Romans 8:4). This is the will of God for us!
18. Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
Little children, it is the last hour, and just as ye have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, [and] by this we know that it is the last hour (literal).99
John, once again, addresses the little children – those whose sins have been forgiven, who know the Father (1 John 2:12-13), and are growing in their spiritual maturity. He addresses them with some important information about the time in which they were living.
He begins by declaring that it is the last hour; the verb (is) is in the indicative mood – it is a statement of fact! Hour (hora) can refer to a portion of a day (as we understand an hour), or, as in this case, to an extended period of time that bears unique characteristics. The distinction of this hour is that it is the last one. Since John wrote this over 1,900 years ago, is it still the same last hour, and, if so, why would he have called it the last hour?
John has just stated that the world and its lusts are passing away; God, in His wisdom, began to work toward the removal of Satan’s domain with the promise of his defeat in Genesis 3:15. However, with Christ’s sacrifice made for sins, Satan’s eternal demise became a certainty, and he knows it – hence, the last hour. As already noted, hour, in this case, refers to an indefinite period of time that is characterized by the Lord’s working to draw all things together in Christ. “In [God’s] arrangement of the fullness of times, all things do come together in Christ, both in the heavens and on the earth” (Ephesians 1:10, literal).100 The features of this last hour, beginning with Christ’s victory over sin, Satan and death, is God unfolding events that will: fulfill the prophecies of old, see the removal of this sin-stained earth and heaven, see His judgment of the wicked, and end with His new heaven and earth that will be eternally free of any stain (Revelation 22:3). In this last hour, everything is working toward an eternity in the presence of the Lord for all who are living faithfully for Him.
John states that his readers have heard that Antichrist (singular) is coming; the indicative mood is used, making this a statement of fact. However, as we consider the NT, the Greek antichristos only appears five times, and is used exclusively by John in his letters. Jesus spoke of the coming of false christs (pseudochristos) and false prophets (Matthew 24:24); although some contend that they are different,101 both the antichristos and pseudochristos seek to replace the Christ, the Son of God, in the hearts and minds of people – they are not as different as we might first suppose. The Antichrist stands in opposition to the Christ; all of his energies (including lies and deception) are focused on destroying Christ and His followers, and assuming the role for himself – exalting himself as God. The false christ seeks, also through lies and deception (great signs and wonders), to promote himself as being the Christ, or an incarnation of Him; “for many will come in My name saying: I AM, and they will lead many astray” (Mark 13:6, literal).102 The Antichrist endeavors to become God by destroying everything and everyone representing Christ on earth – his activities have a very broad scope (Revelation 13:7); the false christ, has a much smaller focus, yet he, too, seeks to be God (I AM) to those whom he is able to deceive. Both function under the authority and guidance of Satan, and both seek to replace God in the minds of those whom they are able to deceive.
However, John states that the Antichrist is coming, and his readers are already aware of it; this is the coming of one individual who will be the Antichrist. How would his readers have become familiar with the concept of an Antichrist? Some forty years earlier, Paul had written this to the Thessalonians regarding the return of Christ: “3. do not let anyone deceive you completely in any way [as to the return of the Lord], because [He will not come] except the apostasy come first, and the man of sin appear, the son of destruction, 4. the Adversary who also exalts himself over all that is called god or worshipped …” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4a, literal).103 Paul is allaying their concern that they had missed the return of Christ, and, in doing so, he identifies two things that must take place first: 1) there must be a significant falling away from the faith, there have always been those who have departed from the faith (1 Timothy 6:10), but this is noted as being the apostasy; 2) there must come the man of sin – the Adversary, the Antichrist – all people are sinners, but this is the man of sin, a specific individual who is thoroughly controlled by Satan, the Adversary (1 Peter 5:8)! There is evidence to suggest that Paul’s letters were in circulation well before the canon of Scripture was established, even before quite a portion of the NT had not yet been written.104 Therefore, it is not beyond reason that the audience of John’s writings was familiar with Paul’s letter that confirmed the coming of the Antichrist – the Adversary; as a matter of fact, John’s declaration that his readers already knew this would serve to confirm this to be true.
John goes on to note that there are already many antichrists – many who stand in opposition to the teachings of the Lord. John defines these as being those who deny the deity of God and His Son, Jesus Christ (1 John 2:22), and who deny that Jesus is God come in the flesh (1 John 4:3; 2 John 7). We will look more closely at these when we come to them. The opposition to Christ and His earthly ministry that culminated in His death and resurrection, began immediately. The Jewish religious leaders bribed the Temple guards stationed at Jesus’ tomb (Matthew 27:64-66) to say that His disciples had stolen the body while they slept (Matthew 28:12-14); this was Satan’s immediate attempt to discredit Jesus’ resurrection. Even though sleeping was a punishable offense,105 the Jewish leaders promised immunity for the guards if they would circulate this story; their pledged protection even went as far as appeasing Pilate if it should become a problem for him. It is only fitting that Satan would multiply those who would oppose the teachings of Christ (antichrists), particularly as it related to His death and resurrection, for, by these, Christ sealed Satan’s defeat in fulfillment of Genesis 3:15.
Interestingly, Paul noted that the crucifixion of Christ was a hindrance to many: “…we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness” (1 Corinthians 1:23). For the Jews to accept the Gospel message of Christ, they had to acknowledge that Jesus was their Messiah (a huge stumblingblock for them), and the Greeks needed to accept the fact of His resurrection (something that they generally considered to be foolishness). Yet it is through His death and resurrection that cleansing from sin is possible, and new life is available through the New Covenant that He established. Satan did his utmost to discredit the Gospel message for some, and for many, many others, he provided them with reasons to change the Gospel so that the life of Christ was no longer present, even though they would not realize it.
John states that the presence of many antichrists identifies this as the last hour; this is a time when Satan is fiercely working to call into question everything that Christ has done, and destroy those who follow Him. “And the dragon [Satan] became angry because of the woman [the kingdom of God], and he went to make war with the remnant of her seed – those who are obeying the commandments of God and are holding the witness of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17, literal).106 We noted earlier that the earth and heaven are the domain of Satan, and in his great fury at being unable to thwart Jesus’ mission to earth, he is now specifically targeting those who are living in faithfulness to the Lord. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
19. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they were of us, [then] they would have remained among us; but [they went out from us] in order to reveal that [they] are not all of us (literal).107
John now provides an explanation for those who depart from among the Lord’s followers; not everyone who comes together for fellowship is of the same heart. He has just spoken of antichrists who are everywhere, but not necessarily just within the world culture – Satan’s domain. John begins this by stating that they went out from us; the antichrists, of whom there are many, will appear among those who are living faithfully for the Lord. This is another strategy of Satan: have those who are his mingle with those whom he is targeting in this last hour, perhaps with the hope that they will find some who are unsuspecting and naïve – vulnerable to a gospel that may sound familiar but holds no life. Does everyone who is so used by Satan know that they are his pawns? No! Satan’s subtlety is far more refined than that; he is able to remove the heart of the Gospel and convince those who hold the empty shell that they still have the full truth. These who hold the empty shell of the Gospel are antichrists because they will freely, and often convincingly, present their shell as being the Truth of God.
However, since these who were not of us, went out from us; it seems that even though they mingled with the saints of God, there came a point in time when they can no longer bear it – they were not comfortable trying to maintain their shell, their façade, in the midst of those who held the Truth. To Timothy, Paul noted: “3. For a time will be, when correct teaching they will not accept, but according to their own lusts they will accumulate to themselves teachers – their hearing is itchy; 4. and, indeed, from hearing the truth, they will turn away, and will be turned unto myths [that which is not true]” (2 Timothy 4:3-4, literal).108 Even those who do not present strange teachings will be drawn to those who do, because they crave a different teaching that appeals more to their own desires – a message that promises them as much as the Gospel, but without placing any demands upon them. Among Evangelicals, this is the gospel of once-saved-always-saved – a simple prayer for salvation will secure a place in God’s heaven! Such heresy is built upon a false premise – namely, that we utter a prayer for salvation, when, in truth, we must ask for the Lord’s forgiveness of our sins. Jesus made it very clear that salvation is not granted until the end of a life that has been lived in faithfulness to Him (Matthew 23:13); forgiveness of sins, on the other hand, is granted when we ask. However, the granted forgiveness must then be followed by a life of obedience to the Lord’s commands (John 14:15) – only then will the Lord award His faithful ones with the salvation that He has purchased. That is when the once-saved-always-saved reality is applicable; the Evangelical error is that they are so sure that salvation is a present-day possession, when it is not! The modern approach is to claim eternal life before the Lord grants it; since they have been convinced that it is a present possession, they have also believed the lie that they can then live however they please – they covet eternal life, but have been deceived to think that it will cost them nothing! Jesus said that unless we are prepared to make Him the first priority in our lives, then we are not His disciples (Luke 14:26-33) – we must relinquish all to Him!
John says that if they had been truly of the same persuasion as we (holding to the truth of God’s Word), then they would have remained with us, because our fellowship is centered in the Father and His Son (1 John 1:3). It is because they could not have such fellowship with us that they could no longer abide maintaining their façade of genuine spirituality; it takes great effort to appear to be something that you are not – they left because it was no longer worth the effort. The lesson for us is this: we must remain steadfast in our commitment to the Lord and His Word, for then those who do not hold the same faithfulness will depart, and, thereby, reveal that they were never truly one with us.
Within modern “Christianity,” this is most effective in weeding the Ecumenically-minded out from among us. Even though tolerance is foundational to the proper functioning of Ecumenism, it is only applicable to their own (those who are like-minded); toward those who adhere to the objective truth of the Scriptures and God’s unchanging commands, there is nothing but intolerance! A strong commitment to the Lord’s truth will result in the Ecumenically-minded departing; when they realize that they will not persuade you to accept their “love,” they will leave, and seek “fellowship” elsewhere. Or, far more likely, it will require you to leave them, because they will typically represent the majority of their “fellowship” caught under their spell; their excuse is that they feel that we are judging them – something that is not permitted within Ecumenical circles. However, Jesus commanded us: “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24); in other words, we are not to judge superficially, but allow the Spirit (our Guide into all truth, John 16:13) to reveal the heart (righteous judgment). Since the Ecumenical do not have the presence of the Spirit, they cannot understand this, nor are they able to carry out righteous judgment; their judgment is only against the faithful, whom they are unable to tolerate.
John’s words are written from the perspective of those in error being a minority – they will leave the company of the faithful. Today, it is the other way around; it is the faithful who will need to leave the company of those who do not adhere to God’s Word – the faithful will undoubtedly be the remnant in the midst of those who refuse to abide the accurate teaching of the Truth (Revelation 18:4).
20. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
And ye have an anointing from the Holy One, and have understood all things (literal).109
This follows John’s warnings against the Antichrist who is coming, and the many antichrists who were already present at that time, as well as his explanation as to how we are to view those who have departed from among us. He now presents two phrases, and both are in the indicative mood – they are statements of fact.
The first phrase, ye have an anointing from the Holy One, is not only a fact, but the verb is in the present tense – it is a current reality. Anointing (unction) is from the Greek word chrisma, and appears three times in the NT and only in this letter; of its three uses, this is the only time that the KJV translators used the word unction.110 Interestingly, unction is one of the seven sacraments of the Church of England (ceremonies “enjoined by Christ” that impart grace to the participant), where the sick are anointed with a special “holy oil.”111 However, John’s use of chrisma has nothing at all to do with the “sacrament” of the Church of England.
As Jesus emerged from the waters of baptism, John the Baptist testified that the Spirit of God descended and remained upon Him (John 1:32). Under the Mosaic traditions, before the priests were permitted to enter their office, they were anointed with oil (Exodus 30:30); before Jesus began His earthly ministry, He was anointed with the Holy Spirit (oil is often considered to be a symbol of the Holy Spirit112). John, who baptized many with water, declared that Jesus is “… He who is baptizing with the Holy Spirit” (John 1:33, literal); it was during His ministry that Jesus sent His disciples out to preach, and endowed them with power (the Holy Spirit) to perform miracles (Matthew 10:1, 8). However, this endowment was only for that particular ministry – it did not remain. Just before Jesus ascended to heaven, He told His disciples: “ye will receive power [when] the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8a, literal).113 Jesus spoke to His disciples of the coming of the Holy Spirit (the Comforter): 1) the Father would send Him upon Jesus’ request (John 14:16), and 2) He would send the Spirit from the Father (John 15:26); what is evident is that the Son of God (Jesus) and God the Father would both be involved in sending the Spirit after Jesus’ departure. On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon the Lord’s followers in keeping with Jesus’ promise given just days earlier. John now writes of the anointing from the Holy One; based upon what we have just looked at, this refers to the coming of the Spirit of God upon those who are His, and this anointing comes from the Holy One, which is a reference to both Jesus and the Father. God is a Tri-unity (1 John 5:7) of the Word, the Father and the Spirit. While Jesus was on earth, He was anointed with the Spirit; now that He is in heaven, the anointing of the Spirit comes upon those who are His when they place their faith in Him (Romans 8:9).
Jesus told His disciples: “And I will ask the Father, and another Helper He will give to you, so that He is remaining with you forever” (John 14:16, literal);114 Jesus was the Helper Who was with the disciples at that time, but He promised that the Spirit of God would come with the purpose of remaining with them forever. When we place our faith in the Lord Jesus, we receive forgiveness of sins and the Spirit of God comes to reside within us forever – that is God’s intent in sending His Deposit. However, Jesus also told us that it is only those who remain faithful (obedient) unto the end who are destined to receive His salvation; the Mark of the Spirit will only remain forever upon those who live in obedience to the commands of the Lord! A life of disobedience springs from being faithless, or from becoming faithless, resulting in the Spirit departing from us, becoming apostate from God, and being without any hope of restoration to the Lord (Hebrews 3:12; 6:4-6).
The last phrase, (ye) have understood all things, requires some careful consideration. John is not saying that his readers know everything, but, rather, he is building upon the first phrase: they have been anointed by the Spirit of God. Jesus said that “when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come” (John 16:13). The Spirit of God has been given to guide us into all truth; John has just clarified that the truth is not in the one who claims to know God but does not obey Him (1 John 2:4). Therefore, the Spirit of God is not in those who are not obedient to the Lord; those to whom John is writing have the Spirit of God (the anointing), they are obedient to the Lord, and the Spirit has guided them into all truth – they have understood the truth, which will assist them in discerning all things!
21. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
I did not write to you because ye have not understood the truth, but because ye have understood it, and because every lie is not of the truth (literal).115
John has written this letter, not because his readers have not understood the truth, but because they have. This might seem somewhat counter-intuitive; many of the letters within the NT are corrective in nature – the author is writing in order to help his readers to understand correct teaching. Not so here. It would seem that John is writing to refresh, in their minds, the truth that they have already learned. Paul said to the Philippians: “to write the same to you, to me is not troublesome, and to you [it is] safe” (Philippians 3:1b, literal);116 Paul sees the repetition as a means of bolstering them spiritually. Safe is from a Greek word (asphales) that means not to trip, or fail;117 repeating truth is intended to help guard against letting it slide, and that is, undoubtedly, what John has in mind.
John adds that he writes because every lie is not of the truth; the indicative mood of the verb makes this a statement of fact.118 He has written because they know the truth, and, therefore, they have the understanding that is necessary to discern a lie. I am reminded of the process that is used to train someone to detect counterfeit currency; they do not spend their time studying counterfeit bills, but, rather, learning the security features that are built into the existing, legal currency. We will never detect false teachers by studying the myriad of heresies that are out there; however, we will be able to identify false doctrine by having a thorough knowledge of the truth. The anointing of the Spirit of God is key to our growth in the truth of God, and, subsequently, being able to discern falsehood much more easily and accurately. Unfortunately, to the majority who identify themselves as being Christian, the Scriptures are closed; they have learned theologies and philosophies, but not how to discover the truth of God’s Word through the guidance of the Spirit. John’s desire is to hone his readers’ discernment skills so that they will not fall victim to the eloquent preacher of heresy who uses smooth words (Romans 16:17-18).
22. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
Who is the liar, except the one who is absolutely denying that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the Antichrist, who is denying the Father and the Son! (literal).119
After stating that every lie is not of the truth (v. 21), John now provides an example of someone who spouts a lie: the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ. What is not evident in the KJV translation is that the Greek uses a double negative to emphasize the denial. Denying is from the Greek root, arneomai, which is already a negative (a- prefix), and it appears with the Greek ouk (not), thereby not only strengthening the denial, but also requiring an affirmative response to the question.120 The one who denies that Jesus is the Christ is the liar; the definite article is used in the Greek.
John goes on to clarify that such a liar is the Antichrist; again, including the definite article. Earlier (v. 18), he wrote that his readers knew that the Antichrist is coming, and stated that many antichrists are already everywhere – including among us (v. 19). It appears that he is drawing a distinction between the Antichrist and antichrists. The many antichrists harbor much that is not true (their name confirms that), and are active in promoting their error, but they will remove themselves from among the saints because of their discomfort with the truth. However, John identifies the Antichrist (the liar) as someone who denies that Jesus is the Christ, which strikes at the very heart of the Gospel – this goes well beyond the error of the antichrists to a complete denial of God and His eternal, saving plan for humanity.
John defines the Antichrist by two things: 1) he absolutely denies that Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah, and 2) he denies the Father and the Son. From this we see two identifiers of the coming world leader, the Antichrist; but it is also clear that this final Antichrist will be preceded by many who will be of the same mind. Jesus is the Christ points to the One Who came in fulfillment of Jehovah’s promise to crush Satan (Genesis 3:15), through Whom all of the families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3), and the One Who would bring an end to sin (Daniel 9:24). As the Christ, the Anointed, Jesus is our High Priest after the order of Melchizedek (not according to the Mosaic priests who were of the line of Aaron) having shed His blood to make atonement forever for the sins of humanity (Hebrews 10:12) – this is denied by the Antichrist. Furthermore, the Antichrist also denies the Father and the Son – both! The Jewish leaders accused Jesus of blasphemy when He declared that He was One with God, the Father (John 10:30; the indicative mood of the verb makes this a statement of fact,121 and the Jews knew it); they could not get past seeing Him as the son of Joseph (John 6:42). From this we must conclude that if anyone does not acknowledge that Jesus is God, then that person has denied both the Son and the Father, for they are One!
Are the denials of the Antichrist present with us today? Are there religions today that deny that Jesus is the Christ? There are several: Judaism, of Jesus’ day, refused Him, and that has not changed; Islam, declares Jesus to be a messenger of Allah, a prophet, but asserts that it is beneath Allah to have a son (Quran 4:171); the eastern religions that are filled with many gods may acknowledge Jesus to some extent, but never as being greater than any of their other gods. Even within Christendom, broadly speaking, there are many who refuse to give Jesus the honor that is due to Him as God. Mormons believe that “as man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may become”;122 God has a physical body, Jesus is His spirit-child (as we all are, including Satan) – He is separate from God, not one with Him.123 Jehovah’s Witnesses see God as one person; Jesus was His first creation, perhaps a god but definitely not equal to God.124 These two are not alone, but probably have the largest followings; despite holding such deviant doctrines, they both call themselves “Christian.” In recent years, the Evangelicals have sought to establish a common understanding with the Mormons, but it really began in 1871 when D.L. Moody first preached in the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City at the invitation of Brigham Young. However, such occasions do not herald the Mormons becoming more fundamental in their handling of Scripture; rather, the Evangelicals are ignoring the exhortation of God’s Word to separate from those who do not teach the Bible accurately (Romans 16:17).
Clearly, there are many religions, and even groups within the broad umbrella of Christendom, where Jesus is not granted His proper place as God – a member of the Triune Godhead (1 John 5:7). These all hold teachings that will be welcomed by the coming Antichrist, and are presently acceptable to the many antichrists who already abound. Nevertheless, there are also those within Evangelicalism who deny Christ as the Son of God; John has already identified these people: “The one who is saying, ‘I have known Him,’ and His commandments he is not obeying, is a liar, and the truth is not in this one” (1 John 2:4, literal).125 The Truth is not in the one who professes but does not obey; Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6), and the Spirit of God is called the Spirit of Truth (John 16:13) – neither is abiding in such a person! Jesus made this very clear: “If My commandments ye obey, [then] ye will abide in My love …” (John 15:10a, literal); this is a conditional statement, and must be understood accordingly. If there is obedience to His commands, then we will remain in His love; if not, then not. For all who do not obey the Lord’s commands, they do not have the Truth; despite their claims, they are outside of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is the “prince of the power of the air” (Satan) who is at this time working in the “children of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2). Obedience to the Lord is the key to remaining in Him; disobedience is the sign that faith in the Lord is not present! “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:26); even true faith in the Lord Jesus is rendered to be dead unless it is accompanied by works of obedience. Disobedience to the Lord shows that there is no faith in Him; Jesus said: “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad” (Matthew 12:30) – the disobedient are not with Christ, they are with the devil (against Christ). Such are the antichrists, and the Antichrist.
23. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
Everyone who is denying the Son, neither [does he] have the Father (literal).126
In this case, the italicized text is not an indication of the translators having supplied words that were not found in the Greek text and were needed to make the translation more accurate. In fact, the latter half of this verse is not found in the primary Greek manuscripts, but is present in some of the more ancient texts. Noteworthy facts in this regard: 1) the Latin Vulgate (4th century) includes the text in question (without qualification);127 2) Wycliffe included it in his translation into English (1382), which was largely based upon the Vulgate;128 3) Tyndale did not include the text in his English translation (1526);129 4) all of the modern translations include it because it is a part of the corrupted Greek text of Westcott and Hort (1881).130 What is very interesting is that Tyndale, who made use of the original Greek for his NT translation, did not include the additional text;131 whereas Westcott and Hort, who denied most of the core doctrines of the faith but loved the most ancient manuscripts, chose to include it.132
This verse ties directly to what John had just written concerning the Antichrist who denies the Father and the Son; he now clarifies that the one who denies the Son, which is the area of greatest controversy, does not have the Father. For example, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who deny that Jesus is fully God, are left with only a god of their own making; by denying Jesus, they do not have the Father as their God. The greatest errors and heresies have centered around Christ and His ministry on earth; this is to be expected since it was Christ’s sacrifice that sealed Satan’s fate – if he is able to discredit Christ in the mind of someone, then he has drawn another into apostasy! Satan’s war is against those who live in obedience to the Lord’s commands and hold the witness of Jesus (Revelation 12:17); so it is little wonder that he will do his utmost to demean the work of Christ that sealed his fate. Unless we, as the Lords’ faithful ones, are continually alert to him, he will use the logic and reason of friends, family, and eloquent “Christian” preachers in his effort to dissuade us from remaining faithfully in Christ. If he can raise a “Yea, hath God said” (Genesis 3:1) within our minds, then he has gained our attention; we are cautioned that our singular focus must be on the Lord Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) – Satan will do his best to distract us.
Jesus summarized the crux of this verse: “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30); it follows that if someone denies the Son His rightful place as God, then he has also denied the Father. We’ve considered the example of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, but let’s look a little deeper.
What does it mean to deny the Son of God? The Greek word, arneomai, literally means not (a-) to say, or to contradict.133 Jesus said, “If you are loving Me, [then] My commandments you must obey” (John 14:15, literal).134 Loving is from agape, an act of the will – not dependent upon emotions; therefore, loving Him is a result of believing in Him, or having placed our faith in Him. We have already confirmed from God’s Word that faith that does not express itself through works of obedience, is dead (James 2:26); therefore, Jesus said that for our faith in Him to be alive, we must live in obedience to His commands. Consequently, if we refuse to obey one of His commands, then, at that point, we have denied Him; “for whoever will obey the whole Law, but will sin in one [Law], he has become guilty of all” (James 2:10, literal). Therefore, if we do not obey one of His commands, then 1) we are guilty of breaking His Law, and 2) we have denied Him!
Consider one of His commands (the only one that includes an explanation to show its importance): “8. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10. But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:8-11). This command is not obeyed by most within Christendom today, and it hasn’t been for millennia. It was in the 4th-century that Constantine established the first day of the week (the day of the sun) as the day of rest for everyone (in keeping with the pagan practice of the day), so that he could bring an increased unity to the Roman Empire. The bishops of that day who had gained his favor and sought to reduce the persecution of Christians, took this violation of God’s Word and endorsed it at the Council of Laodicea (336AD) to ensure that the people under their oversight would follow the Emperor’s wishes.135 The result was a tremendous apostasy among those who were a part of the early ekklesia; for the most part, they accepted this new teaching given to them by their bishop, and, consequently, denied the Lord. Today, in its catechism designed to help non-Catholics understand their teachings, the Roman Catholic Church openly takes credit for moving the day of rest from the Sabbath (the seventh day) to Sunday (the first day), and attribute their authority in doing so to the “divine power which Jesus Christ bestowed upon her [the Catholic Church].”136 They justify their denial of Jesus by lying about a power that Jesus never gave to them; this error very quickly became commonly accepted.
Evangelicals, and even Fundamental Baptists, continue to deny the Lord Jesus by their disobedience to His Fourth Commandment; yet the Baptists will often express pride in the “fact” that they were never a part of the Catholic Church. Nevertheless, somewhere down through history, they learned and accepted the Catholic handling of the Sabbath, and will defend their flawed position vehemently. Jesus said: “If ye obey My commandments, [then] ye will abide in My love …” (John 15:10a, literal); if we deny Him through disobedience, then we are not in His love, and certainly not in Him.
24. Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
Therefore, what you did hear from the beginning, [let it] remain in you; if what you did hear from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father (literal).137
John writes again about what his readers have heard from the beginning. In 1 John 1:1, it identified the Lord Jesus whom John, and the rest of Jesus’ disciples, had heard, seen, and followed throughout His ministry. In 1 John 2:7, he wrote of a commandment that was issued in the beginning, which we considered to be: believe in the Lord Jesus – the command that is central to the Gospel (Acts 16:31). Now he commands them to permit what they heard from the beginning to remain in them. It seems that there may be something more to what they heard from the beginning.
In 1 John 3:11, he wrote: “For this is the message that you did hear from the beginning, that we are loving one another” (literal).138 John is the only one of the four Gospel writers who records these words of Jesus: “that ye love one another” (John 13:34; 15:12, 17); in each case, Jesus directed these words to His disciples, and twice He added “as I have loved you.” This may bring to mind Jesus’ summary of the last six of the Ten Commandments: “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:39b), and there are striking similarities, but one difference. Love in both cases is from the Greek agape, which is a steady love of determination, and not that of emotion. Love in Jesus’ summary statement is in the future tense and indicative mood, which means that it will happen in the future (this does not mean the distant future, since the next moment is future); this follows the Hebrew of Leviticus 19:18 precisely (thou wilt love …; shalt makes it sound like an imperative, but its not).139 We find something very similar in Jesus’ phrase “that ye love one another”: love, in this case, is in the subjunctive mood (not imperative, as we might think), but, being part of a purpose statement, it’s rendered to be equivalent to a statement of fact – that ye are loving one another. The only difference between the two is the object of that love: in Jesus’ summary, the object is our neighbor; whereas, in His words to His disciples, it is those who are in Him.
When Jesus summarized the Ten Commandments for the religious lawyer, loving your neighbor was the second; the first, which holds a greater priority, was: “Thou shalt love [wilt love] the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37). For this to take place, we must be in a right relationship with the Father: cleansed from sin and living in obedience to the first four of the Ten Commandments. This, then, is the foundation for the love that we are to have toward those who are of like faith – abiding faithfully in Him. As we abide in Christ, Who is the means of our forgiveness, and obey His commands, then the expression of our love to the Lord will be pleasing to Him. Out of a proper love for the Lord will flow our ability to love one another (the last six Commands) – generally speaking, our neighbor, but, more specifically, those who are also abiding in Christ.
However, because we are so oriented to the physical, and would undoubtedly be tempted to stop at “love one another,” John also explains it this way: “And this is the love: that we are living according to His commandments; this is the commandment, just as ye did hear from the beginning; so that in it ye are living” (2 John 6, literal).140 How do we show this love for one another within the Body of Christ? By living in obedience to the Lord’s commandments! Hear John’s expression of this truth: “In this we know that we are loving the children of God: when we are loving God, and as [we are] obeying His commandments” (1 John 5:2, literal).141 We demonstrate our love for our brethren in Christ by loving God and living in obedience to His commands; obeying is in the subjunctive mood (making it a possibility, but not a surety), which means that our submission to the Lord is a matter of our choice. John notes two things that will show our love for our brethren: 1) loving God, a continuous action (present tense), and 2) obedience to the Lord’s commands, something that we must choose to do (subjunctive mood). However, we must understand that even when the Lord gives us the opportunity to choose, the consequences of our action are not within our control. If we obey His commands, then we will remain in Him and live in faithfulness to Him (John 15:10). However, if we decide not to obey the Lord, then: 1) we are not loving Him (John 14:15), 2) without repentance, our faith in the Lord will be dead (James 2:26; Revelation 3:3), and 3) we are showing no love for the brethren. In order to be in Christ, and to remain in Him, we must live in obedience to His commands; therefore, unless we are living faithfully in Him, we will actually be a cause of stumbling to our fellow disciples. What John has expressed so clearly should not come as a surprise, since that is the only way that we can remain among His brethren!
From the beginning, the Message was: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31), and live in obedience to His commands (John 14:15). Moreover, Jesus taught that we must count the cost of following Him before we commit to being His disciple, lest we begin, and then fail (Luke 14:26-27). Jesus used the parable of the soils to illustrate that if the Word in us dies, then there is no recovery for us (Luke 8:13-14). The writer of Hebrews expressed this more plainly:“[It is] impossible for those who have one-time been enlightened … and who have fallen away, to renew [them] once more unto repentance, who, to themselves, the Son of God are crucifying again and holding [Him] up to public shame” (Hebrews 6:4, 6), literal).142 When we place our faith in the Lord Jesus and begin to follow Him, but are then faced with tribulation and persecution because of Him, unless we have counted the cost of being His disciple, there will be a temptation to leave it all behind – to enter into apostasy. However, the writer of Hebrews makes it very clear that to do so is to be destined for destruction without any hope for repentance (Hebrews 10:26-29).
John declares that if what they have heard from the beginning remains in them, then they will continue in the Father and the Son. In other words, if we remain faithfully (believing and obeying) in the Lord, then we will remain in the Lord. There are many who openly profess to believe in the Lord Jesus, but unless such believing includes a determination to follow the Lord and obedience to show that that commitment is genuine, abiding in the Lord is not happening. If John has made anything clear so far, then it must be this: unless there is obedience to the Lord’s commands, we do not know Him (1 John 2:3), and He (the Truth) is not in us (1 John 2:4); therefore, the message that his readers had heard from the beginning included both believing and obeying. That is not the message that is being preached today!
25. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.
And this is the promise that He Himself did promise to us: everlasting life (literal).143
Most Evangelicals have laid claim to the eternal life that the Lord includes as a part of the salvation that He has purchased for His own, yet they refuse to give any consideration to the qualifications that Jesus Himself places upon this salvation. “But he who endures unto the end, this is the one who will be saved” (Matthew 24:13, literal).144 Endures is from the Greek hupomeno, which means to persevere, or to remain faithful; Jesus is saying that salvation will come to the one who remains faithful unto the end. Salvation is not a present possession, but a future gift that the Lord has prepared for everyone who remains faithful to Him to the end of their days on earth. As we are fully aware by now, faithfulness is made up of faith (a presently active believing) and obedience to the Lord’s commands; unless these two are working together, Jesus tells us that salvation will not be ours. Evangelical theologies show total disregard for Jesus’ words, and promise eternal life to everyone who has prayed a prayer for salvation – regardless of how they live afterwards. This is heresy of the worst kind: it promises eternal life to those who will never receive it; Satan is filled with glee to see how many have swallowed this lie without a second consideration.
As Jesus prayed just before His crucifixion, He said: “And this is everlasting life: that they are knowing Thee, the only true God, and Whom You have sent – Jesus Christ” (John 17:3, literal).145 Everlasting life is bound up in knowing God and Jesus Christ; knowing is in the present tense – this is something that must take place in this life! It is this continuous knowing that is the essence of everlasting life, and such knowing only comes through faith in the Lord and obedience to His commands. John has stated very clearly that we will not know the Lord unless we are living in obedience to His commands (1 John 2:3); yet Evangelicals are convinced that they know Him, even while they refuse to obey Him. Such everlasting life is the Lord’s to give, and we certainly cannot presume to dictate to Him the terms for awarding it. But, they will argue, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16); yet they never take the time to understand Jesus’ words correctly. Consider a literal translation that brings so much to light: “For thus did God love humanity that His only-begotten Son He gave in order that everyone who is believing in Him does not perish, but is having life everlasting.”146 Notice that it is the one who is continually believing who is also having life everlasting (both are in the present tense), and won’t perish. Believing, as it is used in Scripture, is so much more than a mental agreement; it includes an assessment to ensure that the commitment will be made to something that is true, and this assessment includes bearing in mind the cost that is implicit should believing take place (Luke 14:33).
Consider how the definition of believe has changed over the years: 1) a modern dictionary: “to consider to be true or honest,” or “to accept the word or evidence of”;147 2) an earlier dictionary: “to be persuaded of the truth of something upon the declaration of another, or upon evidence furnished by reasons, arguments, and deductions of the mind, or by other circumstances …” (bold added).148 The Greek word pisteo (believe) includes the concepts of evaluation and persuasion;149 believing is not based upon mere consideration or acceptance, but springs from a careful examination that leads to a persuasion of the truth of the object of belief. Therein lies the problem with today’s Evangelical believing of the Gospel message – it is founded upon a superficial acceptance, without any evaluation that could lead to a persuasion. God’s truth is lightly accepted, and easily neglected – but that is not the faith that will lead to life everlasting; Evangelicals are convinced that they are destined for heaven while the faith that they hold is dead! “For just as the body without the breath, is dead; in the same way, faith without works is dead also” (James 2:26, literal);150 the works are simply a life of obedience that flows out of the faith that we have in the Lord – faith and obedience are forever joined.
26. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.
These things I have written to you about those who are deceiving you (literal).151
To this point, John has given no indication that his readers are being drawn away from the truth. He has reminded them of many things, some of which they had heard from the beginning, and he’s warned them of other things, but now he states that he has written because of those who are deceiving them. Clearly, this must be a reference to the antichrists who are everywhere, and even among them (1 John 2:18). Some have considered the deception as something that is being attempted, but the Greek construction indicates otherwise, and, perhaps, this is John’s greatest motivation in writing this letter.
If we consider the frankness of what John has written so far, then we can begin to see that he is endeavoring to make his case for a faithful life without any ambiguity. If deception from the many antichrists was finding its mark among those who should be faithful, then he is writing with urgency to remind them of the need for obedience to the Lord’s commands in order to remain faithful. He has made it very evident that without faithful obedience, there is no relationship with the Father and the Son; his pointed reminders should motivate his readers to return to a faithful relationship with the Lord.
At the beginning of this chapter, John specifically addresses little children, and it was noted that this could be an acknowledgement of John’s age compared to that of his readership. A little later, he notes that the little children have had their sins forgiven and that they know the Father (1 John 2:12-13), which indicates that they have begun their walk with the Lord but are not yet at the level of spiritual maturity as the fathers and young men. Following this, John again addresses the little children regarding the coming Antichrist and the many antichrists who are already everywhere, including among them (1 John 2:18-19). Although John has a concern for all of his readers, undoubtedly his greatest fear is for the spiritual welfare of the little children who are facing the deceitful, but convincing, words of the antichrists who are among them – it is the little children who would be falling prey to their deception. His desire is that they will recall what they heard from the beginning, and that that will serve to draw those who may be on the brink of apostasy, back to the Lord. To the elder at Sardis, John wrote Jesus’ words: “1. … I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 2. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 3. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent” (Revelation 3:1b-3a). This was someone who was in an oversight role within the Sardis’ assembly, yet who was failing in his relationship with the Lord; he is called to remember what he had received and heard – not unlike John’s call for his readers to remember what they had heard from the beginning (1 John 2:7).
27. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
And the Anointing Whom you did receive from Him, in you He is remaining; and you have no need that anyone teach you, but as the same Anointing is teaching you about all things, and He is true and is not a lie, even as He taught you to remain in Him (literal).152
Anointing is the same Greek word that we found in verse 20 (unction), where we noted that it is speaking of the coming of the Holy Spirit, and so we understand that its use here is also a reference to the Spirit of God. In the Greek, the words for both Spirit and anointing are neuter, and the translators show this by their use of the word it in reference to the Anointing. However, it is important to remind ourselves that this Anointing is the Spirit of God Who comes upon all who enter into Christ by faith (1 Corinthians 3:16).
John is repeating the words that Jesus spoke regarding the Spirit of God Whom He promised to send to His disciples. Jesus said: “And I will ask the Father, and another Comforter He will give to you for the purpose of remaining with you forever” (John 14:16, literal).153 The Spirit of God is another Comforter, and Jesus notes that He will be given to them with the intent to remain with them forever. This is the Spirit Who is a Mark from the Lord, showing that we belong to Him, and Who is given as a Deposit for our inheritance in the Lord, a Pledge toward the day of our redemption when we will be with the Lord (Ephesians 1:13-14). Truly, the Spirit of God is given with the purpose of remaining in us forever; however, we know that not all intentions (even good ones) come to fruition. We read that God has no desire to see anyone perish (2 Peter 3:9), yet Jesus also taught that only a few would find the Way to life (Matthew 7:14); this tells us that God has issued an invitation to all of humanity to come to Him for life, but that only a few will exercise their will to do so.
Man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), and even sinful man still bears that image (Genesis 9:6); it is that image that permits man to think, to reason, and to choose – something that God will not overrule. So we read this warning (one among many): “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief [no faith], in departing [to become apostate] from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12).154 The Spirit of God has been given to us with the intent that He remain with us forever, but in departing from the living God, you may be sure that the Spirit of God is no longer remaining with this one; this is a strong confirmation that God does allow us to make our own choices – He will even permit us to become apostate from Him! He has issued many warnings against doing so, but He will not hold us against our will.
Therefore, when John writes, in you He is remaining, that is an indication that His readers are faithfully abiding in Christ. If the Spirit is remaining, then apostasy has not been entered into; it is not to say that repentance is not necessary, but, at the very least, there is still life and hope (Revelation 3:1-3). Once that state of no faith (apostasy) has been reached, then there is no longer any hope and no possibility for repentance (Hebrews 6:4-6), only a sure condemnation from the Lord (Hebrews 10:26-29).
John goes on to say that the Spirit (the Anointing) is teaching them about all things; Jesus said: “And the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you, and will remind you of all that I have said to you” (John 14:26, literal).155 Although Jesus spoke these words to His disciples, John makes it clear that the Spirit’s teaching role was not limited to Jesus’ earthly disciples. To the extent that we are willing to learn, the Spirit of God is our Instructor; however, once again, we must understand that He cannot teach us anything that we are not willing to learn. Jesus said: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7); each of the verbs in bold is in the active voice (we must carry the action out), imperative mood (they are all commands), and present tense (each is to be a continual action).156 As we live in obedience to these commands, we can be sure that the Spirit of God will give to us, help us to find, and open our understanding; if we neglect these, then we can be sure that we will languish spiritually.
John notes that the Anointing is true; Jesus said: “And when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will lead you into all truth …” (John 16:13a, literal).157 The Spirit Who has come to abide within us, for the purpose of remaining with us forever, is Truth and will lead us into all truth; lead (guide) is in the indicative mood (a statement of fact) – the Spirit of God will only lead us into truth. However, we need to understand that this is the objective truth of God – a truth that does not change, and cannot be influenced by individual biases, opinions, or desires. This is the truth of the Bible: Jesus is the Truth, and He does not change!
Jesus summarized the crux of this verse: “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30); it follows that if someone denies the Son His rightful place as God, then he has also denied the Father. We’ve considered the example of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, but let’s look a little deeper.
What does it mean to deny the Son of God? The Greek word, arneomai, literally means not (a-) to say, or to contradict.133 Jesus said, “If you are loving Me, [then] My commandments you must obey” (John 14:15, literal).134 Loving is from agape, an act of the will – not dependent upon emotions; therefore, loving Him is a result of believing in Him, or having placed our faith in Him. We have already confirmed from God’s Word that faith that does not express itself through works of obedience, is dead (James 2:26); therefore, Jesus said that for our faith in Him to be alive, we must live in obedience to His commands. Consequently, if we refuse to obey one of His commands, then, at that point, we have denied Him; “for whoever will obey the whole Law, but will sin in one [Law], he has become guilty of all” (James 2:10, literal). Therefore, if we do not obey one of His commands, then 1) we are guilty of breaking His Law, and 2) we have denied Him!
Consider one of His commands (the only one that includes an explanation to show its importance): “8. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10. But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:8-11). This command is not obeyed by most within Christendom today, and it hasn’t been for millennia. It was in the 4th-century that Constantine established the first day of the week (the day of the sun) as the day of rest for everyone (in keeping with the pagan practice of the day), so that he could bring an increased unity to the Roman Empire. The bishops of that day who had gained his favor and sought to reduce the persecution of Christians, took this violation of God’s Word and endorsed it at the Council of Laodicea (336AD) to ensure that the people under their oversight would follow the Emperor’s wishes.135 The result was a tremendous apostasy among those who were a part of the early ekklesia; for the most part, they accepted this new teaching given to them by their bishop, and, consequently, denied the Lord. Today, in its catechism designed to help non-Catholics understand their teachings, the Roman Catholic Church openly takes credit for moving the day of rest from the Sabbath (the seventh day) to Sunday (the first day), and attribute their authority in doing so to the “divine power which Jesus Christ bestowed upon her [the Catholic Church].”136 They justify their denial of Jesus by lying about a power that Jesus never gave to them; this error very quickly became commonly accepted.
Evangelicals, and even Fundamental Baptists, continue to deny the Lord Jesus by their disobedience to His Fourth Commandment; yet the Baptists will often express pride in the “fact” that they were never a part of the Catholic Church. Nevertheless, somewhere down through history, they learned and accepted the Catholic handling of the Sabbath, and will defend their flawed position vehemently. Jesus said: “If ye obey My commandments, [then] ye will abide in My love …” (John 15:10a, literal); if we deny Him through disobedience, then we are not in His love, and certainly not in Him.
24. Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
Therefore, what you did hear from the beginning, [let it] remain in you; if what you did hear from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father (literal).137
John writes again about what his readers have heard from the beginning. In 1 John 1:1, it identified the Lord Jesus whom John, and the rest of Jesus’ disciples, had heard, seen, and followed throughout His ministry. In 1 John 2:7, he wrote of a commandment that was issued in the beginning, which we considered to be: believe in the Lord Jesus – the command that is central to the Gospel (Acts 16:31). Now he commands them to permit what they heard from the beginning to remain in them. It seems that there may be something more to what they heard from the beginning.
In 1 John 3:11, he wrote: “For this is the message that you did hear from the beginning, that we are loving one another” (literal).138 John is the only one of the four Gospel writers who records these words of Jesus: “that ye love one another” (John 13:34; 15:12, 17); in each case, Jesus directed these words to His disciples, and twice He added “as I have loved you.” This may bring to mind Jesus’ summary of the last six of the Ten Commandments: “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:39b), and there are striking similarities, but one difference. Love in both cases is from the Greek agape, which is a steady love of determination, and not that of emotion. Love in Jesus’ summary statement is in the future tense and indicative mood, which means that it will happen in the future (this does not mean the distant future, since the next moment is future); this follows the Hebrew of Leviticus 19:18 precisely (thou wilt love …; shalt makes it sound like an imperative, but its not).139 We find something very similar in Jesus’ phrase “that ye love one another”: love, in this case, is in the subjunctive mood (not imperative, as we might think), but, being part of a purpose statement, it’s rendered to be equivalent to a statement of fact – that ye are loving one another. The only difference between the two is the object of that love: in Jesus’ summary, the object is our neighbor; whereas, in His words to His disciples, it is those who are in Him.
When Jesus summarized the Ten Commandments for the religious lawyer, loving your neighbor was the second; the first, which holds a greater priority, was: “Thou shalt love [wilt love] the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37). For this to take place, we must be in a right relationship with the Father: cleansed from sin and living in obedience to the first four of the Ten Commandments. This, then, is the foundation for the love that we are to have toward those who are of like faith – abiding faithfully in Him. As we abide in Christ, Who is the means of our forgiveness, and obey His commands, then the expression of our love to the Lord will be pleasing to Him. Out of a proper love for the Lord will flow our ability to love one another (the last six Commands) – generally speaking, our neighbor, but, more specifically, those who are also abiding in Christ.
However, because we are so oriented to the physical, and would undoubtedly be tempted to stop at “love one another,” John also explains it this way: “And this is the love: that we are living according to His commandments; this is the commandment, just as ye did hear from the beginning; so that in it ye are living” (2 John 6, literal).140 How do we show this love for one another within the Body of Christ? By living in obedience to the Lord’s commandments! Hear John’s expression of this truth: “In this we know that we are loving the children of God: when we are loving God, and as [we are] obeying His commandments” (1 John 5:2, literal).141 We demonstrate our love for our brethren in Christ by loving God and living in obedience to His commands; obeying is in the subjunctive mood (making it a possibility, but not a surety), which means that our submission to the Lord is a matter of our choice. John notes two things that will show our love for our brethren: 1) loving God, a continuous action (present tense), and 2) obedience to the Lord’s commands, something that we must choose to do (subjunctive mood). However, we must understand that even when the Lord gives us the opportunity to choose, the consequences of our action are not within our control. If we obey His commands, then we will remain in Him and live in faithfulness to Him (John 15:10). However, if we decide not to obey the Lord, then: 1) we are not loving Him (John 14:15), 2) without repentance, our faith in the Lord will be dead (James 2:26; Revelation 3:3), and 3) we are showing no love for the brethren. In order to be in Christ, and to remain in Him, we must live in obedience to His commands; therefore, unless we are living faithfully in Him, we will actually be a cause of stumbling to our fellow disciples. What John has expressed so clearly should not come as a surprise, since that is the only way that we can remain among His brethren!
From the beginning, the Message was: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31), and live in obedience to His commands (John 14:15). Moreover, Jesus taught that we must count the cost of following Him before we commit to being His disciple, lest we begin, and then fail (Luke 14:26-27). Jesus used the parable of the soils to illustrate that if the Word in us dies, then there is no recovery for us (Luke 8:13-14). The writer of Hebrews expressed this more plainly:“[It is] impossible for those who have one-time been enlightened … and who have fallen away, to renew [them] once more unto repentance, who, to themselves, the Son of God are crucifying again and holding [Him] up to public shame” (Hebrews 6:4, 6), literal).142 When we place our faith in the Lord Jesus and begin to follow Him, but are then faced with tribulation and persecution because of Him, unless we have counted the cost of being His disciple, there will be a temptation to leave it all behind – to enter into apostasy. However, the writer of Hebrews makes it very clear that to do so is to be destined for destruction without any hope for repentance (Hebrews 10:26-29).
John declares that if what they have heard from the beginning remains in them, then they will continue in the Father and the Son. In other words, if we remain faithfully (believing and obeying) in the Lord, then we will remain in the Lord. There are many who openly profess to believe in the Lord Jesus, but unless such believing includes a determination to follow the Lord and obedience to show that that commitment is genuine, abiding in the Lord is not happening. If John has made anything clear so far, then it must be this: unless there is obedience to the Lord’s commands, we do not know Him (1 John 2:3), and He (the Truth) is not in us (1 John 2:4); therefore, the message that his readers had heard from the beginning included both believing and obeying. That is not the message that is being preached today!
25. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.
And this is the promise that He Himself did promise to us: everlasting life (literal).143
Most Evangelicals have laid claim to the eternal life that the Lord includes as a part of the salvation that He has purchased for His own, yet they refuse to give any consideration to the qualifications that Jesus Himself places upon this salvation. “But he who endures unto the end, this is the one who will be saved” (Matthew 24:13, literal).144 Endures is from the Greek hupomeno, which means to persevere, or to remain faithful; Jesus is saying that salvation will come to the one who remains faithful unto the end. Salvation is not a present possession, but a future gift that the Lord has prepared for everyone who remains faithful to Him to the end of their days on earth. As we are fully aware by now, faithfulness is made up of faith (a presently active believing) and obedience to the Lord’s commands; unless these two are working together, Jesus tells us that salvation will not be ours. Evangelical theologies show total disregard for Jesus’ words, and promise eternal life to everyone who has prayed a prayer for salvation – regardless of how they live afterwards. This is heresy of the worst kind: it promises eternal life to those who will never receive it; Satan is filled with glee to see how many have swallowed this lie without a second consideration.
As Jesus prayed just before His crucifixion, He said: “And this is everlasting life: that they are knowing Thee, the only true God, and Whom You have sent – Jesus Christ” (John 17:3, literal).145 Everlasting life is bound up in knowing God and Jesus Christ; knowing is in the present tense – this is something that must take place in this life! It is this continuous knowing that is the essence of everlasting life, and such knowing only comes through faith in the Lord and obedience to His commands. John has stated very clearly that we will not know the Lord unless we are living in obedience to His commands (1 John 2:3); yet Evangelicals are convinced that they know Him, even while they refuse to obey Him. Such everlasting life is the Lord’s to give, and we certainly cannot presume to dictate to Him the terms for awarding it. But, they will argue, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16); yet they never take the time to understand Jesus’ words correctly. Consider a literal translation that brings so much to light: “For thus did God love humanity that His only-begotten Son He gave in order that everyone who is believing in Him does not perish, but is having life everlasting.”146 Notice that it is the one who is continually believing who is also having life everlasting (both are in the present tense), and won’t perish. Believing, as it is used in Scripture, is so much more than a mental agreement; it includes an assessment to ensure that the commitment will be made to something that is true, and this assessment includes bearing in mind the cost that is implicit should believing take place (Luke 14:33).
Consider how the definition of believe has changed over the years: 1) a modern dictionary: “to consider to be true or honest,” or “to accept the word or evidence of”;147 2) an earlier dictionary: “to be persuaded of the truth of something upon the declaration of another, or upon evidence furnished by reasons, arguments, and deductions of the mind, or by other circumstances …” (bold added).148 The Greek word pisteo (believe) includes the concepts of evaluation and persuasion;149 believing is not based upon mere consideration or acceptance, but springs from a careful examination that leads to a persuasion of the truth of the object of belief. Therein lies the problem with today’s Evangelical believing of the Gospel message – it is founded upon a superficial acceptance, without any evaluation that could lead to a persuasion. God’s truth is lightly accepted, and easily neglected – but that is not the faith that will lead to life everlasting; Evangelicals are convinced that they are destined for heaven while the faith that they hold is dead! “For just as the body without the breath, is dead; in the same way, faith without works is dead also” (James 2:26, literal);150 the works are simply a life of obedience that flows out of the faith that we have in the Lord – faith and obedience are forever joined.
26. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.
These things I have written to you about those who are deceiving you (literal).151
To this point, John has given no indication that his readers are being drawn away from the truth. He has reminded them of many things, some of which they had heard from the beginning, and he’s warned them of other things, but now he states that he has written because of those who are deceiving them. Clearly, this must be a reference to the antichrists who are everywhere, and even among them (1 John 2:18). Some have considered the deception as something that is being attempted, but the Greek construction indicates otherwise, and, perhaps, this is John’s greatest motivation in writing this letter.
If we consider the frankness of what John has written so far, then we can begin to see that he is endeavoring to make his case for a faithful life without any ambiguity. If deception from the many antichrists was finding its mark among those who should be faithful, then he is writing with urgency to remind them of the need for obedience to the Lord’s commands in order to remain faithful. He has made it very evident that without faithful obedience, there is no relationship with the Father and the Son; his pointed reminders should motivate his readers to return to a faithful relationship with the Lord.
At the beginning of this chapter, John specifically addresses little children, and it was noted that this could be an acknowledgement of John’s age compared to that of his readership. A little later, he notes that the little children have had their sins forgiven and that they know the Father (1 John 2:12-13), which indicates that they have begun their walk with the Lord but are not yet at the level of spiritual maturity as the fathers and young men. Following this, John again addresses the little children regarding the coming Antichrist and the many antichrists who are already everywhere, including among them (1 John 2:18-19). Although John has a concern for all of his readers, undoubtedly his greatest fear is for the spiritual welfare of the little children who are facing the deceitful, but convincing, words of the antichrists who are among them – it is the little children who would be falling prey to their deception. His desire is that they will recall what they heard from the beginning, and that that will serve to draw those who may be on the brink of apostasy, back to the Lord. To the elder at Sardis, John wrote Jesus’ words: “1. … I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 2. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 3. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent” (Revelation 3:1b-3a). This was someone who was in an oversight role within the Sardis’ assembly, yet who was failing in his relationship with the Lord; he is called to remember what he had received and heard – not unlike John’s call for his readers to remember what they had heard from the beginning (1 John 2:7).
27. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
And the Anointing Whom you did receive from Him, in you He is remaining; and you have no need that anyone teach you, but as the same Anointing is teaching you about all things, and He is true and is not a lie, even as He taught you to remain in Him (literal).152
Anointing is the same Greek word that we found in verse 20 (unction), where we noted that it is speaking of the coming of the Holy Spirit, and so we understand that its use here is also a reference to the Spirit of God. In the Greek, the words for both Spirit and anointing are neuter, and the translators show this by their use of the word it in reference to the Anointing. However, it is important to remind ourselves that this Anointing is the Spirit of God Who comes upon all who enter into Christ by faith (1 Corinthians 3:16).
John is repeating the words that Jesus spoke regarding the Spirit of God Whom He promised to send to His disciples. Jesus said: “And I will ask the Father, and another Comforter He will give to you for the purpose of remaining with you forever” (John 14:16, literal).153 The Spirit of God is another Comforter, and Jesus notes that He will be given to them with the intent to remain with them forever. This is the Spirit Who is a Mark from the Lord, showing that we belong to Him, and Who is given as a Deposit for our inheritance in the Lord, a Pledge toward the day of our redemption when we will be with the Lord (Ephesians 1:13-14). Truly, the Spirit of God is given with the purpose of remaining in us forever; however, we know that not all intentions (even good ones) come to fruition. We read that God has no desire to see anyone perish (2 Peter 3:9), yet Jesus also taught that only a few would find the Way to life (Matthew 7:14); this tells us that God has issued an invitation to all of humanity to come to Him for life, but that only a few will exercise their will to do so.
Man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), and even sinful man still bears that image (Genesis 9:6); it is that image that permits man to think, to reason, and to choose – something that God will not overrule. So we read this warning (one among many): “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief [no faith], in departing [to become apostate] from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12).154 The Spirit of God has been given to us with the intent that He remain with us forever, but in departing from the living God, you may be sure that the Spirit of God is no longer remaining with this one; this is a strong confirmation that God does allow us to make our own choices – He will even permit us to become apostate from Him! He has issued many warnings against doing so, but He will not hold us against our will.
Therefore, when John writes, in you He is remaining, that is an indication that His readers are faithfully abiding in Christ. If the Spirit is remaining, then apostasy has not been entered into; it is not to say that repentance is not necessary, but, at the very least, there is still life and hope (Revelation 3:1-3). Once that state of no faith (apostasy) has been reached, then there is no longer any hope and no possibility for repentance (Hebrews 6:4-6), only a sure condemnation from the Lord (Hebrews 10:26-29).
John goes on to say that the Spirit (the Anointing) is teaching them about all things; Jesus said: “And the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you, and will remind you of all that I have said to you” (John 14:26, literal).155 Although Jesus spoke these words to His disciples, John makes it clear that the Spirit’s teaching role was not limited to Jesus’ earthly disciples. To the extent that we are willing to learn, the Spirit of God is our Instructor; however, once again, we must understand that He cannot teach us anything that we are not willing to learn. Jesus said: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7); each of the verbs in bold is in the active voice (we must carry the action out), imperative mood (they are all commands), and present tense (each is to be a continual action).156 As we live in obedience to these commands, we can be sure that the Spirit of God will give to us, help us to find, and open our understanding; if we neglect these, then we can be sure that we will languish spiritually.
John notes that the Anointing is true; Jesus said: “And when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will lead you into all truth …” (John 16:13a, literal).157 The Spirit Who has come to abide within us, for the purpose of remaining with us forever, is Truth and will lead us into all truth; lead (guide) is in the indicative mood (a statement of fact) – the Spirit of God will only lead us into truth. However, we need to understand that this is the objective truth of God – a truth that does not change, and cannot be influenced by individual biases, opinions, or desires. This is the truth of the Bible: Jesus is the Truth, and He does not change!
The early founders of the Evangelical Free Church (EFC) made this observation: “if Scripture alone is the rule, and Scripture is open to various interpretations, and believers are free in conscience to interpret as they feel ‘led’ by the Holy Spirit, it follows that they may be led to different views.”158 This statement alone is adequate reason to avoid the EFC; the founders were of the persuasion that the Spirit of God would lead different people to differing conclusions on matters in the Scriptures. Little wonder that the EFC prides themselves on being inclusive, and not exclusive; they accomplish this by “intentionally leaving out non-essential issues that have been debated throughout Christian history.”159 In other words, they will not take a position on anything that is subject to debate, yet history tells us that everything in the Bible has been disputed and debated. Nevertheless, they have determined what they consider to be non-essential Biblical matters, and have carefully crafted a statement of faith from what is left; consider this: they have subjectively decided what is important within God’s Word, and have thereby disposed of much of the objective, narrow truth of the Scriptures. Such a position has not been arrived at through the leading of the Spirit of God!
John declares that the Spirit is true, even as Jesus declared Him to be, and the Spirit has taught his readers to remain in Christ. It is only as we remain in Christ that the Spirit of God will continue to abide in us; the Spirit will always lead us in obedience to the Lord, and this is how we remain in Christ. Again, we must understand the commitment that Jesus requires from us in order to be His disciples: complete surrender of all to Him (Luke 13:33), and faithful obedience to His commandments (John 14:15).
28. And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
And now, little children, abide in Him, so that we have confidence when He is revealed, and not to be disgraced before Him at His coming (literal).160
John, once again, addresses the little children, those who were young in the faith and being influenced by the antichrists among them. He charges them directly to be abiding in the Lord, and he uses the imperative mood and present tense – a command to be continually abiding in Christ. He is reinforcing what the Spirit has already been teaching them: remain in Christ!
John goes on to identify two results of faithfully abiding in Christ. The first is that when Christ is revealed, we will have confidence, not in ourselves, but in Him because we are abiding in Him. Interestingly, revealed (appear) is in the passive voice; concerning His return, Jesus said: “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father” (Mark 13:32). Jesus will be revealed by the Father at the time that only He knows (hence, the passive voice in our text). As we are abiding in Christ, His coming will only bring joy; it is for those who are not in Him, that this will be a time of sorrow. “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him” (Revelation 1:7a); this will be a joyful occasion for those who are prepared to meet Him, but everyone else will realize that they have missed forever that time of finding safety in Christ. “37. And like as [in] the days of Noah, even so it will be [at] the coming of the Son of Man, 38. For even as, in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day [that] Noah entered into the ark; 39. And they knew not until the flood came and swept them all away, so also it will be [at] the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:37-39, literal).161 Everything will continue as it always has until the Son of Man comes to remove those who are His from the earth, then the world will recognize the reality, but it will be too late. As in the days of Noah, so at the coming of the Lord, the few will be taken out of this sinful world (Matthew 7:14), while the majority will remain on earth and face the expression of God’s wrath – the flood of waters in Noah’s day, and the vials of God’s wrath following the Lord’s gathering of His own. The Lord’s promise is sure: “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10). In Him, we are safe from the expression of God’s wrath that is coming!
Secondly, we will not be disgraced before Him at His coming. This, again, is because we are abiding in Him; as we are in Him, so we are righteous and holy before God. It is only as we remain in Christ that we are able to appear before the Lord without shame (disgrace). “If My commandments ye obey, [then] ye will abide in My love …” (John 15:10a, literal);162 if we are in Christ, then we are abiding in His love, and that will only happen as we are obedient to His commands. This is the message that John has been emphasizing over and over again: “But whoever is obeying His Word, truly, in this one the love of God has been made complete …” (1 John 2:5a, literal).163 As we are obedient to the Lord, so we will abide in Him; as we remain in Him, so we will be prepared to meet Him face-to-face without shame.
29. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.
If you have understood that He is righteous, [then] you are coming to understand that everyone who is living [in] righteousness, has been born of Him (literal).164
Someone who is righteous is law-abiding, upright, honest, and fair; John applies this to Jesus, with the hope that his readers know this. There are two occasions in the NT when Jesus, specifically, is called righteous: 1) the centurion who observed the death of Jesus upon the cross (Luke 23:47), and 2) John refers to Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1). However, since Jesus is the Son of God, we know that He is the epitome of righteousness. If this is understood, then, John says, there is something more to understand from this.
John states that those who are living in righteousness, have been born of God. This does not indicate sinless perfection, but we have an Advocate with the Father Who is able to restore our righteousness before God (1 John 2:1). However, it does mean that we are living in faithfulness to the Lord, and any failures are swiftly followed by confession and repentance – a quick restoration of relationship with the Lord; the pattern for daily living is the righteousness of God. Paul noted that living in accordance with the leading of the Spirit of God will result in the righteousness of His Law being lived out through us (Romans 8:4). The leading of the Spirit only comes through a continual abiding in Christ and living in obedience to His commands. Romans 6:18 explains this: “And having been set free from sin, you have become enslaved to righteousness” (literal).165 Those who are enslaved by sin (characterized by living in sin) face the condemnation of God (Hebrews 10:26-27); those who have been set free from sin by Jesus’ sacrifice, have become enslaved to righteousness – something that is only found in Christ. It is these to whom John is referring: those who are living in righteousness are truly born of God. When Jesus spoke of false prophets (whom He called wolves) who will come disguised as sheep, He said: “Ye shall know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16a). John says that if we see a life that is characterized by righteousness (faith in the Lord and obedience to His commands), then such a one has been born of God. However, we must exercise great caution in this, for God and His Word must be the Standard for measuring such righteousness – not a favored theology!
John declares that the Spirit is true, even as Jesus declared Him to be, and the Spirit has taught his readers to remain in Christ. It is only as we remain in Christ that the Spirit of God will continue to abide in us; the Spirit will always lead us in obedience to the Lord, and this is how we remain in Christ. Again, we must understand the commitment that Jesus requires from us in order to be His disciples: complete surrender of all to Him (Luke 13:33), and faithful obedience to His commandments (John 14:15).
28. And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
And now, little children, abide in Him, so that we have confidence when He is revealed, and not to be disgraced before Him at His coming (literal).160
John, once again, addresses the little children, those who were young in the faith and being influenced by the antichrists among them. He charges them directly to be abiding in the Lord, and he uses the imperative mood and present tense – a command to be continually abiding in Christ. He is reinforcing what the Spirit has already been teaching them: remain in Christ!
John goes on to identify two results of faithfully abiding in Christ. The first is that when Christ is revealed, we will have confidence, not in ourselves, but in Him because we are abiding in Him. Interestingly, revealed (appear) is in the passive voice; concerning His return, Jesus said: “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father” (Mark 13:32). Jesus will be revealed by the Father at the time that only He knows (hence, the passive voice in our text). As we are abiding in Christ, His coming will only bring joy; it is for those who are not in Him, that this will be a time of sorrow. “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him” (Revelation 1:7a); this will be a joyful occasion for those who are prepared to meet Him, but everyone else will realize that they have missed forever that time of finding safety in Christ. “37. And like as [in] the days of Noah, even so it will be [at] the coming of the Son of Man, 38. For even as, in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day [that] Noah entered into the ark; 39. And they knew not until the flood came and swept them all away, so also it will be [at] the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:37-39, literal).161 Everything will continue as it always has until the Son of Man comes to remove those who are His from the earth, then the world will recognize the reality, but it will be too late. As in the days of Noah, so at the coming of the Lord, the few will be taken out of this sinful world (Matthew 7:14), while the majority will remain on earth and face the expression of God’s wrath – the flood of waters in Noah’s day, and the vials of God’s wrath following the Lord’s gathering of His own. The Lord’s promise is sure: “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10). In Him, we are safe from the expression of God’s wrath that is coming!
Secondly, we will not be disgraced before Him at His coming. This, again, is because we are abiding in Him; as we are in Him, so we are righteous and holy before God. It is only as we remain in Christ that we are able to appear before the Lord without shame (disgrace). “If My commandments ye obey, [then] ye will abide in My love …” (John 15:10a, literal);162 if we are in Christ, then we are abiding in His love, and that will only happen as we are obedient to His commands. This is the message that John has been emphasizing over and over again: “But whoever is obeying His Word, truly, in this one the love of God has been made complete …” (1 John 2:5a, literal).163 As we are obedient to the Lord, so we will abide in Him; as we remain in Him, so we will be prepared to meet Him face-to-face without shame.
29. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.
If you have understood that He is righteous, [then] you are coming to understand that everyone who is living [in] righteousness, has been born of Him (literal).164
Someone who is righteous is law-abiding, upright, honest, and fair; John applies this to Jesus, with the hope that his readers know this. There are two occasions in the NT when Jesus, specifically, is called righteous: 1) the centurion who observed the death of Jesus upon the cross (Luke 23:47), and 2) John refers to Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1). However, since Jesus is the Son of God, we know that He is the epitome of righteousness. If this is understood, then, John says, there is something more to understand from this.
John states that those who are living in righteousness, have been born of God. This does not indicate sinless perfection, but we have an Advocate with the Father Who is able to restore our righteousness before God (1 John 2:1). However, it does mean that we are living in faithfulness to the Lord, and any failures are swiftly followed by confession and repentance – a quick restoration of relationship with the Lord; the pattern for daily living is the righteousness of God. Paul noted that living in accordance with the leading of the Spirit of God will result in the righteousness of His Law being lived out through us (Romans 8:4). The leading of the Spirit only comes through a continual abiding in Christ and living in obedience to His commands. Romans 6:18 explains this: “And having been set free from sin, you have become enslaved to righteousness” (literal).165 Those who are enslaved by sin (characterized by living in sin) face the condemnation of God (Hebrews 10:26-27); those who have been set free from sin by Jesus’ sacrifice, have become enslaved to righteousness – something that is only found in Christ. It is these to whom John is referring: those who are living in righteousness are truly born of God. When Jesus spoke of false prophets (whom He called wolves) who will come disguised as sheep, He said: “Ye shall know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16a). John says that if we see a life that is characterized by righteousness (faith in the Lord and obedience to His commands), then such a one has been born of God. However, we must exercise great caution in this, for God and His Word must be the Standard for measuring such righteousness – not a favored theology!
END NOTES:
1 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
2 https://www.understandchristianity.com/timelines/chronology-new-testament-books/.
3 Friberg Lexicon.
4 Ibid.
5 Stephanus 1550 NT; Gingrich Lexicon.
6 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
7 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/propitiation.
8 https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/propitiation.
9 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
10 Cathy Burns, Billy Graham and His Friends, p. 19.
11 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
12 https://www.apuritansmind.com/tulip/limited-atonement-compiled-by-dr-c-matthew-mcmahon/.
13 https://www.apuritansmind.com/tulip/unconditional-election-compiled-by-dr-c-matthew-mcmahon/.
14 John MacArthur, Jr., The Vanishing Conscience, p. 88, 90.
15 https://www.sermonindex.net/sermons/X-xOeTywK8ZfxfwF.
16 https://www.gty.org/blogs/B180124/repent-and-believe.
17 Ibid.
18 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
19 https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/obedience.
20 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
21 Ibid.
22 Ibid.
23 Ibid.
24 Ibid.
25 Gingrich Lexicon.
26 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon; https://pressbooks.pub/ancientgreekatduke/chapter/13/; https://www.wordsense.eu /χάριν/.
27 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
28 Ibid.
29 Ibid.
30 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon; Strong’s Online.
31 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
32 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
33 Ibid.
34 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
35 Strong’s Online.
36 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; https://www.ntgreek.org/learn_nt_greek/subj-purpose.htm.
37 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
38 Gingrich Lexicon.
39 Friberg Lexicon.
40 Gingrich Lexicon.
41 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
42 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
43 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
44 Ibid.
45 Ibid.
46 Ibid.
47 Ibid.
48 Ibid.
49 Friberg Lexicon.
50 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
51 BDB.
52 Ibid.
53 TWOT #1011.
54 Vine’s “raca.”
55 Friberg Lexicon; Vine’s “fool.”
56 Gingrich Lexicon.
57 Friberg Lexicon.
58 Strong’s Online; TWOT #1011.
59 BDB; TWOT #1011.
60 https://www.learnreligions.com/five-point-calvinism-700356.
61 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
62 Friberg Lexicon.
63 Abbot-Smith Greek Lexicon.
64 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
65 Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon.
66 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
67 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
68 Stephanus 1550 NT; https://www.drshirley.org/greek/grammar/g_verb-perf.pdf.
69 Ten thousand talents: the daily wage of an unskilled laborer was one denarius; a Roman talent was 6,000 denarii or equivalent to 60,000,000 days, or 192,308 years of work (6 days/week); https://testamentpress.com/ancient-money-calculator.html.
70 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
71 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
72 Ibid.
73 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
74 Ibid.
75 BDB; Gesenius’ Hebrew Lexicon; https://hebrew.billmounce.com/BasicsBiblicalHebrew-09.pdf.
76 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
77 Ibid.
78 Gingrich Lexicon.
79 Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
80 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
81 Harold J. Ockenga, Foreword to The Battle for the Bible, Harold Lindsell.
82 Friberg Lexicon.
83 https://catholicus.eu/en/what-does-ecumenism-mean-and-how-does-it-promote-unity-among-christians/.
84 https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-09/pope-leo-xiv-message-eight-congress-leaders-religions.html.
85 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
86 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
87 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
88 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
89 Friberg Lexicon.
90 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
91 Ibid.
92 Ibid.
93 Friberg Lexicon; Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon.
94 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
95 https://www.drshirley.org/greek/grammar/g_verb-PIMP.pdf.
96 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
97 Friberg Lexicon.
98 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
99 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
100 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
101 Vine’s “antichrist.”
102 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
103 Ibid.
104 Lucetta Mowry, “The Early Circulation of Paul’s Letters,” Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 63, No. 2, p. 73.
105 https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/12239-police-laws.
106 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
107 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
108 Ibid.
109 Ibid.
110 Strong’s Online.
111 https://owlcation.com/humanities/seven-sacraments-of-the-anglican-church.
112 https://biblehub.com/topical/o/oil_as_a_symbol_of_the_holy_spirit.htm.
113 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
114 Ibid.
115 Ibid.
116 Ibid.
117 Strong’s Online; Vine’s “safe.”
118 Strong’s Online.
119 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
120 https://www.drshirley.org/greek/grammar/g_neg.pdf.
121 Strong’s Online.
122 Stephen R. Covey, The Divine Center, 1982, p. 81.
123 https://www.learnreligions.com/faith-groups-that-reject-trinity-doctrine-700367.
124 Ibid.
125 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
126 Ibid.
127 Latin Vulgate, ESword.
128 https://libraryofthebible.org/Wycliffes-English-Bible-1380-A-D/.
129 https://www.biblestudytools.com/1-john/2-23-compare.html.
130 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ Α΄ 2&version=WHNU.
131 https://biblehub.com/q/what_is_the_tyndale_bible.htm.
132 Westcott denied the authority of the Bible and heaven as a place, was a universalist, and rejected the account of creation; Hort called Christ’s substitutionary death “immoral,” rejected creation, and considered the Greek text underlying the KJV to be “villainous”; both men were founding members of an occult club, the Ghostly Guild, at the same time that they were working on the Greek NT. https://www.sociedadrvg.com/en/post/westcott-hort-their-heresies-and-occult-activities.
133 Vine’s, “deny.”
134 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
135 Canon 29 reads: “Christians must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honouring the Lord's Day; and, if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any shall be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ.” https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3806.htm.
136 Peter Geiermann, The Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine (1930 edition), p. 50 (still in print).
137 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
138 Ibid.
139 https://hebrew.billmounce.com/BasicsBiblicalHebrew-17.pdf.
140 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
141 Ibid.
142 Ibid.
143 Ibid.
144 Ibid.
145 Ibid.
146 Ibid.
147 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/believe.
148 https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/believe.
149 Friberg Lexicon; Vine’s “belief.”
150 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
151 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
152 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
153 Ibid.
154 Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
155 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
156 Strong’s Online.
157 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
158 David V. Martin, Trinity International University 1897-1997, p. 19.
159 Bill Taylor, “The EFC …,” “The Pulse,” Fall 2001, p. 2.
160 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
161 Ibid.
162 Ibid.
163 Ibid.
164 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
165 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
1 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
2 https://www.understandchristianity.com/timelines/chronology-new-testament-books/.
3 Friberg Lexicon.
4 Ibid.
5 Stephanus 1550 NT; Gingrich Lexicon.
6 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
7 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/propitiation.
8 https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/propitiation.
9 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
10 Cathy Burns, Billy Graham and His Friends, p. 19.
11 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
12 https://www.apuritansmind.com/tulip/limited-atonement-compiled-by-dr-c-matthew-mcmahon/.
13 https://www.apuritansmind.com/tulip/unconditional-election-compiled-by-dr-c-matthew-mcmahon/.
14 John MacArthur, Jr., The Vanishing Conscience, p. 88, 90.
15 https://www.sermonindex.net/sermons/X-xOeTywK8ZfxfwF.
16 https://www.gty.org/blogs/B180124/repent-and-believe.
17 Ibid.
18 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
19 https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/obedience.
20 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
21 Ibid.
22 Ibid.
23 Ibid.
24 Ibid.
25 Gingrich Lexicon.
26 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon; https://pressbooks.pub/ancientgreekatduke/chapter/13/; https://www.wordsense.eu /χάριν/.
27 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
28 Ibid.
29 Ibid.
30 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon; Strong’s Online.
31 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
32 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
33 Ibid.
34 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
35 Strong’s Online.
36 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; https://www.ntgreek.org/learn_nt_greek/subj-purpose.htm.
37 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
38 Gingrich Lexicon.
39 Friberg Lexicon.
40 Gingrich Lexicon.
41 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
42 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
43 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
44 Ibid.
45 Ibid.
46 Ibid.
47 Ibid.
48 Ibid.
49 Friberg Lexicon.
50 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
51 BDB.
52 Ibid.
53 TWOT #1011.
54 Vine’s “raca.”
55 Friberg Lexicon; Vine’s “fool.”
56 Gingrich Lexicon.
57 Friberg Lexicon.
58 Strong’s Online; TWOT #1011.
59 BDB; TWOT #1011.
60 https://www.learnreligions.com/five-point-calvinism-700356.
61 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
62 Friberg Lexicon.
63 Abbot-Smith Greek Lexicon.
64 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
65 Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon.
66 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
67 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
68 Stephanus 1550 NT; https://www.drshirley.org/greek/grammar/g_verb-perf.pdf.
69 Ten thousand talents: the daily wage of an unskilled laborer was one denarius; a Roman talent was 6,000 denarii or equivalent to 60,000,000 days, or 192,308 years of work (6 days/week); https://testamentpress.com/ancient-money-calculator.html.
70 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
71 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
72 Ibid.
73 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
74 Ibid.
75 BDB; Gesenius’ Hebrew Lexicon; https://hebrew.billmounce.com/BasicsBiblicalHebrew-09.pdf.
76 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
77 Ibid.
78 Gingrich Lexicon.
79 Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
80 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
81 Harold J. Ockenga, Foreword to The Battle for the Bible, Harold Lindsell.
82 Friberg Lexicon.
83 https://catholicus.eu/en/what-does-ecumenism-mean-and-how-does-it-promote-unity-among-christians/.
84 https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-09/pope-leo-xiv-message-eight-congress-leaders-religions.html.
85 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
86 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
87 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
88 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
89 Friberg Lexicon.
90 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
91 Ibid.
92 Ibid.
93 Friberg Lexicon; Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon.
94 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
95 https://www.drshirley.org/greek/grammar/g_verb-PIMP.pdf.
96 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
97 Friberg Lexicon.
98 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
99 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
100 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
101 Vine’s “antichrist.”
102 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
103 Ibid.
104 Lucetta Mowry, “The Early Circulation of Paul’s Letters,” Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 63, No. 2, p. 73.
105 https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/12239-police-laws.
106 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
107 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
108 Ibid.
109 Ibid.
110 Strong’s Online.
111 https://owlcation.com/humanities/seven-sacraments-of-the-anglican-church.
112 https://biblehub.com/topical/o/oil_as_a_symbol_of_the_holy_spirit.htm.
113 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
114 Ibid.
115 Ibid.
116 Ibid.
117 Strong’s Online; Vine’s “safe.”
118 Strong’s Online.
119 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
120 https://www.drshirley.org/greek/grammar/g_neg.pdf.
121 Strong’s Online.
122 Stephen R. Covey, The Divine Center, 1982, p. 81.
123 https://www.learnreligions.com/faith-groups-that-reject-trinity-doctrine-700367.
124 Ibid.
125 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
126 Ibid.
127 Latin Vulgate, ESword.
128 https://libraryofthebible.org/Wycliffes-English-Bible-1380-A-D/.
129 https://www.biblestudytools.com/1-john/2-23-compare.html.
130 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ Α΄ 2&version=WHNU.
131 https://biblehub.com/q/what_is_the_tyndale_bible.htm.
132 Westcott denied the authority of the Bible and heaven as a place, was a universalist, and rejected the account of creation; Hort called Christ’s substitutionary death “immoral,” rejected creation, and considered the Greek text underlying the KJV to be “villainous”; both men were founding members of an occult club, the Ghostly Guild, at the same time that they were working on the Greek NT. https://www.sociedadrvg.com/en/post/westcott-hort-their-heresies-and-occult-activities.
133 Vine’s, “deny.”
134 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
135 Canon 29 reads: “Christians must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honouring the Lord's Day; and, if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any shall be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ.” https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3806.htm.
136 Peter Geiermann, The Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine (1930 edition), p. 50 (still in print).
137 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
138 Ibid.
139 https://hebrew.billmounce.com/BasicsBiblicalHebrew-17.pdf.
140 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
141 Ibid.
142 Ibid.
143 Ibid.
144 Ibid.
145 Ibid.
146 Ibid.
147 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/believe.
148 https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/believe.
149 Friberg Lexicon; Vine’s “belief.”
150 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
151 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
152 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
153 Ibid.
154 Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
155 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
156 Strong’s Online.
157 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
158 David V. Martin, Trinity International University 1897-1997, p. 19.
159 Bill Taylor, “The EFC …,” “The Pulse,” Fall 2001, p. 2.
160 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
161 Ibid.
162 Ibid.
163 Ibid.
164 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
165 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.