Authentic Christianity Part 2
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Please turn to 1 John 2:7-11 as we look at Authentic Christianity Part 2.
This epistle, which was written by the Apostle John, was written for the express purpose of helping his readers be assured of the authenticity of their profession of faith in Christ Jesus.
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.
There are at least three types of assurance which we find written about in the New Testament.
The first type is objective assurance. This is the assurance that says “God said it, and that settles it!” Objective assurance might be compared to how a birth certificate indicates that a person belongs to a specific family. Gail and I, as parents have copies of our four children’s birth certificates stating the Tim, Caleb, Amanda, and Luke all belong to us. And I’m sure that you folks have the same regarding your children.
Objective assurance may also be compared to the old TV show DRAGNET. I can hear Sergeant Friday saying to a witness, “Just the facts, mam, just the facts!” What are the facts regarding salvation?
Fact number 1 — God created mankind in absolute perfection. When He was finished with His work of creation He noted that it was very good.
Fact number 2 — Man rebelled against God’s rule and sought to usurp His authority, under the deceiving influence of the serpent who is Satan. Therefore man lost his open fellowship with God.
Fact number 3 — God had a plan by which His Eternal Son would leave the glories of heaven and become a man so that He could accomplish what man could not. He fulfilled all righteousness, and He died to pay the penalty for all who believe in Him. Finally He rose from the dead claiming victory over sin and death.
Fact number 4 — All who repent of their sin, and place their faith savingly in Jesus Christ are saved from their sins and brought into the family of God.
The second type of assurance is subjective. Paul wrote of this to the Roman church.
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
The third type of assurance is what I will call behavioral assurance. And that is what John is writing about in our current passage. If certain traits are found in a persons life it might indicate that this person is a true believer in Jesus Christ. Peter wrote of such assurance.
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,
and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,
and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
These are behavior traits which indicate that a person belongs to Jesus Christ. And in chapter two of this epistle, John details three traits or tests by which there is an indication that a person belongs to Christ. The first trait, which we looked at two weeks ago, is obedience to the commands of Christ. Today we look at the second trait which is love for our fellow believers, which, by the way, is one of the commands of Christ. The way John actually puts it in his text is that if these traits are missing then it may indicate that a person does not belong to Christ.
Remember that John is writing to a struggling group of people to help them with their inner assurance of faith in Christ. His readers have been bombarded with the teachings of various false teachers who were challenging everything they had ever learned about Christ and His ways. If John’s original audience was the Ephesian church, which is very likely the case, remember that this church had a tremendous pedigree of Pastors and teachers. The church was founded by the Apostle Paul on his third missionary journey. And people such as Apollos, as well as the husband and wife team of Priscilla and Aquila also ministered there. After Paul left, Timothy became their Pastor. And eventually, the Apostle John settled in Ephesus and ministered there.
Before Paul went to Jerusalem and then was arrested, he gathered the elders of the church of Ephesus to him and gave them some instructions. To them he said:
Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.
I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;
and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.
This prophecy came true in the last couple of decades of the first century men, when men, such as Cerinthus, came and perverted the Christian gospel. And now people were questioning the authenticity of their faith.
After this lengthy introduction (which, admittedly, was written during a time of sleep deprivation) let’s read our passage for this morning.
Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.
At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.
Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.
But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Let’s begin by asking
How Old is Old?
How Old is Old?
Do you remember, as a young child, when people would ask you how old you are? I have a faint memory of someone asking me that when I was three, and at that time I couldn’t pronounce the “th” sound, so my answer sounded like “I am free.” The lady replied that if I was free then she would take me — and my mom agreed, with a chuckle, to let her have me! My big brother also agreed, but he was more serious about it than my mom was.
Look at verse 7.
Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.
It is possible that John was being charged by these false teachers with having distorted the gospel of Christ. For them knowledge of Christ was the end, and not a life-changing response to the message. Glen Barker wrote, “To John, the gospel is fulfilled in the knowledge of God that is revealed in Jesus, and this in turn requires obedience to his commands and results in a new relationship with God expressed in a life of love.” (Glenn W. Barker, “1 John,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 316.)
So, John is saying that he is not writing a new commandment, but an old one. But how old is the commandment? John qualified his statement by writing that this is commandment is something they have had from the beginning. The beginning of what? John could be referring to the beginning of time as He did in John 1:1. Or he could be referring to the beginning of the gospel as he did in 1 John 1:1. Or he could be referring to the beginning of the believers Christian life.
Warren Wiersbe wrote, “The commandment to love one another is not an appendix to our Christian experience, as though God had an afterthought. No! It is in our hearts from the very beginning of our faith in Jesus Christ.” (Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 487.)
Note that,
From the Beginning of our Journey of Faith We Have Known the Commandment of Christ Since it is Written in our Hearts by the Holy Spirit
and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
John goes on to qualify that the old commandment is the word that they have heard. It is the gospel message which Paul first preached to them forty or more years before. It is the apostolic message of the gospel which is foundational to the church. It is related to the truth that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. It is related to the truth we all have a problem with sin which must be dealt with. That sin was dealt with through the transference of our sins to Christ as He hung on the cross. And it is related to the commandment which Christ gave to the apostles on the night of His betrayal.
Let’ s move on to consider
How Can Something Old be Something New?
How Can Something Old be Something New?
Look at verse 8.
At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
Again, I ask, how can something old be something new? I originally named this sermon something old, something new. But then I remembered that this was part two of authentic Christianity, and so I had to go back and change the title. (Again I will mention that when I was writing this message I was dealing with sleep deprivation due to the power outage we had — two days without power at our home — this might indicate to you how far ahead I am working right now).
Note that,
The Commandment to Love One Another is New in Emphasis, Quality, Extent, and Experience
John Stott wrote, “The idea of love in general was not new, but Jesus Christ invested it in several ways with a richer and deeper meaning. First, it was new in the emphasis he gave it, bringing the love commands of Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 together and declaring that the whole teaching of the Law and the Prophets hung upon them. Secondly, it was new in the quality he gave it. A disciple was to love others not just as he loved himself but in the same measure as Christ had loved him, with selfless self-sacrifice even unto death. Thirdly, it was new in the extent he gave it, showing in the parable of the Good Samaritan that the ‘neighbour’ we must love is anyone who needs our compassion and help, irrespective of race and rank, and includes our ‘enemy’ (cf. Matt. 5:44). It was also, fourthly, to continue new by our fresh apprehension of it, ‘for though doctrinal Christianity is always old, experimental Christianity is always new’ (Candlish).” (John R. W. Stott, The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 19, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 97–98.)
Notice how John amplifies the newness of this commandment by saying that it is true in Him and in you.
At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
Regarding how this command was true in Christ, MacArthur wrote, “Even though the Old Testament taught the duty to love, never before had perfect love been so plainly manifested as it was in the incarnate Christ (John 13:1; 15:13; Acts 10:38; 2 Cor. 8:9; cf. Isa. 40:11; Matt. 4:23–24; 11:28–30; 23:37–39; Luke 19:41). So the newness is not in the command to love, but in the perfect manifestation of love in the person of Christ.” (John MacArthur, 1, 2, 3 John, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2007), 64.)
But how could John say that it was true in the original audience of this letter? Perhaps it has to do with John’s familiarity with his audience. Had he seen this commandment being lived out in them?
What did John mean about the darkness passing away and the true light already shining? Zane Hodges wrote, “His point was that the command to love (which Jesus and His followers exhibit) belongs to the new Age of righteousness which has begun to dawn. It does not belong to the old Age of darkness which was passing away. Christ’s Incarnation brought a light into the world which can never be extinguished. The love He manifested and taught His disciples to manifest is a characteristic of the Age to come. It is the darkness of the present world and all its hatred which is destined to disappear forever (cf. 1 John 2:17a).” (Zane C. Hodges, “1 John,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 889.)
So far we have looked at the old and the new. Now let’s consider
What is Hatred?
What is Hatred?
Look at verse 9.
Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.
Scholars disagree as to whether those in darkness, in this passage, are the false teachers who were leading people astray, or true believers who were lacking in love for their brothers and sisters in Christ. Since this entire epistle is a defense against Gnosticism, or any other false teaching for that matter, it could be argued that those in darkness are either the false teachers or those whom they were leading astray. However, the term “brother” is problematic to this idea. In the NT epistles the term “brother” most often refers to a fellow believer, or at least a professing believer. And since false teachers are not true believers, it seems best to see this as a reference to professing believers. We do have to understand that not all who profess their faith in Christ are true believers — and in John’s mind, those who are lacking in love may demonstrate that their profession of faith in Christ was a false profession.
So, what is hatred? Note that,
Hatred is the Absence of Deeds of Love
Glen Barker wrote:
“How does John understand hate? Does he think in conceptual terms or concrete ones? Undoubtedly the answer for him lies primarily in what one does. Hate is the absence of the deeds of love. To walk in the light is to love one’s brother, and God’s love will express itself in concrete actions. If these are missing, it is not because love can be neutral or can exist unexpressed. Love unexpressed is not love at all. Love has no neutral capabilities. When it is absent, hate is present … Whenever a brother has need and one does not help him, then one has despised and, in fact, hated his brother.” (Glenn W. Barker, “1 John,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 317.)
I first read this about ten years ago when I was preaching a topical message on this same passage. And I had, what I called at that time, a Macauly Culkin moment. You know, the kid from the movie HOME ALONE. You probably even know the expression I am referring to. You see, I thought I was doing pretty good in this because I don’t harbor any feelings of malevolence toward anyone, to the best of my knowledge. But I can be indifferent to people from time to time, and according to John, that is hatred. A little later in this epistle John wrote,
But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
Is there anyone in this assembly for which you harbor feelings of indifference? If so, be honest with the Lord about it in prayer, and ask Him to teach you how to love them in a concrete way.
While I have not been here long enough to develop such feelings, I can’t honestly say that I have never been indifferent to someone.
Let’ move on to consider
What is Love?
What is Love?
Look at verse 10.
Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.
I would imagine that most people who have been in church for a number of years would be familiar with the Greek term used here for love. The term is Agapē . Note that,
Agapē Love is a Love that is Unselfish in Nature, a Love that Gives and Expects Nothing in Return
It is the kind of love which God demonstrated at the cross of Christ.
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
It is the kind of love which Jesus expressed when He died for His friends.
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Again, if this epistle was originally written to the church in Ephesus it could be argued that they once had a strong love, but that love had diminished in recent years. I say this because of what Christ instructed John to write to the church in Ephesus in the Book of Revelation. Jesus instructed John to write,
‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.
I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.
But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
Look at verse 10 again.
Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.
Believers who love their fellow believes abide in the light. That means that they continuously demonstrate their love for their brothers and sisters in Christ. For such a person there is no cause for stumbling. In this metaphor, stumbling would have to do with becoming indifferent or hateful toward a brother or sister in Christ.
I am almost always the first person in the house to get out of bed in the morning. Out of love for my wife and children I do not turn on the lights when I get up, at least until I have closed the bathroom door. And so, I often stumble around in darkness while trying to make my way around the house in the dark. At least I did in the past. In our new home there is an outdoor light that stays on all night long (maybe that’s why our electric bill is so high?), and some of that light filters in through the windows of the house. So, in a sense, I am walking in the light and not stumbling in the dark.
Let’s move on to consider
Being Blinded by the Darkness
Being Blinded by the Darkness
Look at verse 11.
But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Note that,
When we Hate a Member of our Spiritual Family, We are Blinded by the Darkness Caused by being out of Fellowship with God
Have any of you ever been temporarily blinded? I’m not talking about playing a game in which you are blindfolded, but actually not being able to see for a few days. I have been.
On March 14, 1980, as a sixteen year old Sophomore in high school, I was in a near fatal car accident while driving to school. My friend, Rob Sundelius, had spent the night at our house since his parents where gone for the weekend, and we had band festival on Saturday. And as teens often do, I was driving too fast. I think I hit about 72 miles an hour on a paved back road. On the underside of a hill I hit a patch of snow which someone had accidentally left in the road while plowing a driveway from the snow storm of the previous night. And I lost control of the car, and it went into a spin, and we ended up going into a ditch and hit a stone culvert (at 70 mile per hour). The car then went airborne, did a 360 in the air, and landed upright on the other side of the culvert.
I took the steering wheel in the face (no, I was not wearing a seat belt), and ended up with a fractured skull, several lost teeth, and every bone in my face (except my jaw) was broken. The doctors told my parents at the ER in Lapeer not to get their hopes up — there was no way they thought that I could possibly survive. I was transported to Hurley Hospital via ambulance since that was the nearest trauma unit. I stopped breathing four times in route, and had to be revived each time. But for the grace of God I would not have survived. But He had other plans!
Part of my injuries was that my eye sockets were shifted out of place, and I could not open my eyes without prying them open. And I could see very little when I managed to pry them open. I was like this for the better over two weeks. Though I looked like an adult male, I was placed in the pediatric ICU. One night I had to get up and use the toilet. I was supposed to use a bed pan, but I couldn’t. Somehow I managed to get myself out of bed, and while holding onto my IV pole, I was stumbling around the room in the dark trying to find the bathroom. Then a nurse entered the room and said, “Young man! What do you think you are doing? Get back in bed!” I said (excuse my French) “I have to pee!” She said “that’s what the bedpan is for.” I said, “I tried it, and it didn’t work!” She said, “get back in bed and try again!” Now, I was taught the hard to always be respectful when talking with an adult, but I think I forgot the lesson during this conversation. I remember saying, “either you help me find the toilet or else I’m going to keep trying!” So, she decided to help me.
When we, as believers in Jesus Christ, do not love our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are stumbling around in the darkness, trying to find our way. We are out of fellowship with both God and man, and that is not a good place to be! And remember, this includes having an attitude of indifference towards our spiritual family members.
If this describes you, then how do you deal with it?
First, pray. God knows the truth of your situation, so you might as well be honest with Him about it. As you pray, ask God to help you love your brother in Christ. As you pray, pray specifically for the brother or sister for whom you lack love. It is hard to remain indifferent to someone whom you are praying for.
Second, learn to consider this person as more important than yourself. This requires a heavy dose of humility. But remember that humility may be the most Christ-like virtue that we can develop. I am convinced that a lot of what John refers to as hatred, is because we, as members of the human race, usually make too much of ourselves, and not enough of others. We are prideful people, and pride is the breeding ground for all forms of sin.
Third, learn to say “I am sorry.” These may be the three hardest words to say in the English language. Leroy Jethro Gibbs got it wrong when he said that “to say sorry is a sign of weakness”. It actually is a sign of spiritual strength.
Fourth, learn to say “I forgive you.” Another hard thing to say. We do not have to wait for someone to apologize in order to forgive them. The Bible never teaches that. When there is some sort of a dispute, or some other thing which causes us to be estranged from someone, it is always our turn to take the first step toward reconciliation. Where would we be if God refused to forgive us? Remember that our offense against God is far greater than anyone’s offense against us!
I want to close by asking you, how is your love life? Oh, I don’t mean romantically. I mean, do you truly love your brothers and sisters in Christ as you ought? Are you demonstrating that love in some tangible way? Be brutally honest with yourself, and with God in this matter. If you are then, the Lord will help you to love one another as Christ love you.
Let’s pray.
Dear Lord,
I come to You acknowledging that I have not always love my brothers and sisters in Christ as I ought to. There have been many times when I have become indifferent to them and to their needs. Forgive me, Lord, and empower me to love as You have loved me.
Lord, I pray for this assembly, that we would come to be know as the church which loves one another. That Your Holy Spirit would enable us to set aside any petty thing which separates one from another, and to truly love each other in a sacrificial way. Then all will know that we are Christ’s disciples.
Lord, I pray for any here who have never embraced the love of Christ, that this would be the day in which Your Spirit open’s the eyes of their hearts to perceive the truth of the gospel, to embrace Jesus Christ and His accomplished work, and be saved.
I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
