Tying up Loose Ends

Gift bags are my salvation…I cannot wrap things

I’ve had my mother wrap Peggy’s gifts, my friends’ wives; my daughters in law, grand daughter…even put things in a plain box and had her wrap them herself

For a short book, it’s been a rather long journey

These final few paragraphs do a good job a wrapping the thoughts in an interesting, and somewhat surprising way

First is...

Plea

…for intercessory prayer

This follows on the heels of the promise given in 1 John 5:14-15

1 John 5:14–15 ESV

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

John moves to praying for people caught in sin

Prayers so made and answered by God will give life to the sinner

Greek is literally “he gives;” scholars argue whether the giver here is the one interceding or as the ESV renders it, God Himself; but the end result is the same—life.

Exactly how this plays out can be confusing

I would read it that when we pray for a sinner to repent and he does, he gets a restored vibrancy to his life

…but what about that

sin that leads to death

There are three general thoughts among the scholars

#1 Some specific sin—the problem is, John doesn’t really explain that

This has lead to the theories of mortal, venal, deadly sins...

Problem is even such a thing as murder is forgivable with confession/repentance

#2 Apostasy—again, there is a problem: if a person is truly saved and backslides, can he be “snatched” from the Father’s Hand? John’s Gospel would say NO

#3 Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

Mark 3:29 ESV

but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—

John Stott—20th century Brit. scholar:

The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary b. Our Consequent Assurance (5:13–17)

It leads him inexorably into a state of incorrigible moral and spiritual obtuseness, because he has wilfully sinned against his own conscience

It’s possibly, maybe even likely, that John is referencing the false teachers,

Those who had been among them, but were never a true part of them, not preaching another Gospel

They were not apostates—they were counterfeits (Stott again)

Interestingly, John doesn’t say you can’t pray for a person caught it such sin…he just doesn’t command it!

He does however direct intercession when we see believers falling into sin that does not lead to death

Moving on, we have a

Protector

The same one who gives life

1 John 5:18 ESV

We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.

The concept of not continuing in sin is one we’ve seen before...

Starts way back in chapt 1… 1 John 1 6

1 John 1:6 ESV

If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

Yet, 1 John 1 8

1 John 1:8 ESV

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

…and now this idea the one born of God does not keep on sinning…How do we work all that out?

Here is the solution: The pattern of a believer should not be a pattern of repeated, un-confessed sin; but of confessing and repenting

1 John 1:9 ESV

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The one “born of God” here refers to Jesus Himself

Even though we are living in a sin-darkened, satan controlled world, Jesus will take us through to the end

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come

Let this blest assurance control

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate

And has shed his own blood for my soul

All that is linked to the preceeding sentence:

Proof

1 John 5:20 (ESV)

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.

Here is a clear statement of the deity of Jesus Christ

That’s been one of John’s themes—if not the main theme

Knowing—being sure of the divinity of of Jesus

Especially in light of all the false teaching that was being tossed around in that day

Perplexity

1 John 5:21 ESV

Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

What has this verse got to do with the rest of the book?

Was John using a word processor and accidently dump a stray line into the wrong document?

An idol is anything that takes our focus off the true God

The heretical teachers were essentially throwing idols in front of the believers—false gods; substitutes for the true Jesus

May have been other things in there of which we are not aware.

Performance

How do we measure up to these thoughts

Have we answered the plea?

Do we intercede for those who are in sin—assuming not the unforgivable sin?

Do we notice it, do we attempt to deal with it when we see our friends sinning…or teetering on the edge of a temptation, about ready to fall?

We are our brother’s keeper

Have we come to terms with the Protector?

Have we met Jesus?

…come to a saving knowledge of Him?

…been indwelt and transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit?

Even though you’re in enemy territory, are you walking in His protection?

Understanding that the enemy will still play havoc with believers; but only in this lifetime—a believer’s eternity is secure

That’s what the ultimate protection is all about

Do you have the proof?

Do you know and show the reality of Christ

Are you perplexed?

The perplexity in this text relates to idols—our idols are different than the 1st century idols

However, anything that comes before you and God—is an idol