A Tour Through John, Lesson 43

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. 00:00  00:00  Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume. 5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christhas been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, 4 for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. 5 Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?Those who accept that Jesus (the fully human, earthly man) is the Christ (the Messiah) are the Christians, not those who replace Jesus with a spirit or apparition or any subhuman theology.It isn't possible to accept God while rejecting the biblical Jesus (v.1).When we are close to someone who becomes a parent, we rejoice in the birth of the child.The Gnostics took little pleasure in the real, historical Jesus—a sign they did not have a relationship with God. (See John 3:18.)Loving God means obeying his commandments (v.3), as in John 14:15, 23-24. It is unthinkable that one could be faithful to God while being willfully disobedient to him. See Matt 11:28-30.His commands are not burdensome, when kept out of a faithful heart.In Deut 30:11-20 God assured the Israelites of the same thing.Obedience lifts the burdens of sin, bad relationships, meaningless living, and more. Faith overcomes the world (v.5). It leads to obedience, and obedience to God leads to victory.6 This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth. 7 There are three that testify:8 the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree. 9 If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. 10 Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in Godhave made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.In vv.6-12, John assures us that to enjoy the Christian life we must have the correct Christ. A similar idea is expressed in 2 Corinthians 11:3-4.Jesus came by water and blood.This refers to his humanity, over against the Gnostic claim that he was not God incarnate, or that the Spirit of God left him before the crucifixion. In the ancient world, it was widely believed that humans were composed of water and blood.It may also be an allusion to John 19:34, where, while Jesus hung dead on the cross, both blood and water gushed from his side when the Roman soldier pierced it.Click to read about the Johannine Comma of verse 7.13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.Can we know we're saved?Isn't “arrogant” to claim we are on the narrow road? Is it wrong to “judge” our own salvation?Not according to John (v.13). Those eager to live for Christ know that a saving faith is an active faith (James 2:14-26).They learn to accept God’s grace, struggling less and less with trusting Christ for eternal life, ever growing in confidence.The Bible is clear: you can absolutely know you are saved.Further to verse 13, some ask whether we are only saved at the judgment day. Click here for further discussion.14 And this is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him. 16 If you see your brother or sistercommitting what is not a mortal sin, you will ask, and Godwill give life to such a one—to those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin that is mortal; I do not say that you should pray about that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not mortal.How can we be sure God will answer our prayers?The prayer must be according to God's will (v.14).Often against this truth, the modern “Word-Faith” movement (followed by so many evangelical churches) teaches that if you believe it, it will happen.This is based on Mark 11:24 (out of context), ignoring the hyperbole.This is also the spirit of paganism: We can manipulate the gods to get what we want.What is “the sin that leads to death” (v.16)?In the context of 1 John, it is probably related to the errors of Gnosticism in rejecting the true Christ and falling away (see Heb 6:4-6).James tells us that death is the end-result of full-grown sin (James 1:13-15).Another idea: We can be forgiven for any sin that we will repent of, but if someone is unwilling to repent, it won’t help to pray for their forgiveness. This principle is also found in Jeremiah 11:14 and 14:11.For more on the sin that leads to death (v.16), click here.18 We know that those who are born of God do not sin, but the one who was born of God protects them, and the evil one does not touch them. 19 We know that we are God’s children, and that the whole world lies under the power of the evil one. 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true;and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.Being born again means that we will not continue to sin (v.18).Not that we'll never sin, but that we won't continue in a sinful lifestyle.See also Hebrews 10:26-31.We can be confident that we will be kept safe from the evil one.John isn't reneging on his word that we must walk in the light (1:7), confess sin (1:9), obey the commandments and follow Jesus (2:3-6) and love our brother (4:19-21), etc.The whole world is under the control of the evil one (v.19), but we follow one who is even more powerful (v.20), who is truly man and also truly God.Exactly how Satan controls the world through his spiritual forces (Eph 6:10-12) is never spelled out in scripture.This is despite the plethora of books postulating the exact mechanisms ("spiritual warfare").It is certain, however, that he has considerable dominion over the earth. No one but a true believer escapes his control.21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.The striking final verse (v.21) fits well with the theme of 1 John.What are the “idols” which he warns us against if not the false concepts of Jesus and God taught by the Gnostics?A wrong-headed concept of Jesus is a dangerous thing: by it a man or woman can be lost just as surely as by the true Jesus a man or woman will be saved.To follow the Lord we must keep ourselves from idols.Tomorrow we will study 2 John, which has been called "1 John in miniature." Thought questions:How do you feel about the truths of verses 3 and 13? Do his commands feel burdensome, or do you doubt your salvation? If so, what is to be learned from this chapter?Can you summarize the errors of Gnostic theology? It is important to understand their distorted concepts of Christ, sin, the world, the light, and God. Do you see how what you have learned will help you better understand 1 John and other N.T. documents dealing with Gnosticism?When I see my brothers and sisters sinning, compromising their faith, do I pray for them? Do I want them to pray for me when I myself am drifting?