Fellowship | Mike's Place on the Web

Posts Tagged 'Fellowship'

THE CROSS OF CHRIST, PART 8

Published July 23, 2012 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: cross of christ, Fellowship

Fellowship of the Cross

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

We sing hymns and worship choruses with phrases just like Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ,” but rarely do we stop to consider what those words really mean and what their implications may be. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Second Adam, was potentially the crucifixion of the human race because all humanity is represented in Him, just as all humanity is represented in the first Adam. The unredeemed name Adam as their head, but the redeemed name Christ as theirs. It is a profound discovery when a Christian discovers Galatians 2:20 and realizes it applies as much to them as it did to Paul. It’s a profound, life changing thought—a true “lightbulb-over-the-head” moment—when you discover that you have already been crucified for your sins on the Cross of Christ.

How is this possible? you may ask. Jesus was crucified two thousands years ago; how could I have been crucified with Him? In the case of the apostle Paul, his conversion occurred over year after Jesus was crucified, yet he made the startling discovery that he had been crucified with Christ. It was a done deal before he became a believer—while he was yet a sinner! Paul, arguably the greatest thinker of all time, made the discovery that His Savior, Jesus Christ, had so identified Himself with him and his sins that he, Paul, had been put to death for them with Christ. That’s why he could now say, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” The man that Paul used to be—the man who persecuted Christians—died with Christ on His Cross. When Paul named Jesus as His Lord and appropriated the work of the Cross, the moment he accepted by faith what Jesus did for him, Paul’s old self died and he became born again! The man he used to be was dead and gone!

What we should note is that Paul did not write that he crucified himself; nobody can do that! Nobody could drive the nails through his own hands. But we are commanded to crucify the flesh and put to death the sinful desires and lusts that are part of the old human nature. That command puts every Christian in quandary; how can you do something that’s impossible? Paul faced this impossibly and wrote about it Romans 7:24, 25—

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

That’s Paul’s “lightbulb-over-the-head” moment: By the death of the Jesus Christ, Paul became dead to sin.

The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:10, 11)

“Count yourselves dead to sin,” wrote Paul. In other words, you are to consider yourselves already dead, as far as sin is concerned. After all, if Christ lives in you, should you expose Him to your old, sinful desires? IF you are a Christian, then Christ lives in you. IF you have been crucified with Christ, then you must consider your old, sinful self as already judged by God in His Son on the Cross in your place. What an incredible paradox: dead, yet alive! What a deep mystery: Christ living in us!

...don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. (Romans 6:3—5)

Of course, we reckon all this has happened by faith; it takes faith to believe all this had occurred two thousand years ago!

Let’s look closer at what happened all those generations ago:

1. The world was crucified, Galatians 6:14

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

We don’t often make the connection Paul made in this verse: the world was crucified on the Cross. As far as Paul was concerned, the world had been stripped naked of all of its outward trappings of beauty and power and nailed to the Cross, helpless and shameful. The world was exposed that day on the Cross in all of its hideous, wicked glory. To Paul, the world had become a pathetic, withered up and dying thing, devoid of any power to tempt him in any way. The glory of the grace of God manifested in Christ on the Cross so blinded Paul to the things of this world that they began to appear to him as rotting, dead zombie-like corpses. The power of God on the Cross put the world in its proper light and forever put to death the notion that things of this world are beautiful and helpful to man. The light of God’s glory showed the exact opposite, in fact. To view the world through the prism of the Cross is to see the world for what it really is. And whatever else the world is, it is not a pretty sight.

It wasn’t just Paul that came to this conclusion, John also found this truth:

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15)

How could you love a stinking, rotten zombie husk? The world is supposed to be dead to you, assuming you are a Christian. What a nasty thing it is for a Christian to love something so rotten; what does that say about his estimation of Christ?

2. Self was crucified, Romans 6:6

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin…

The death of Christ not only separated the world from you, but it also separated you from the world. The mighty, glorious Cross of Christ now stands between you and the world, and has crucified it to you and you to it. The “old self” that loved the world and lusted after the things of the world is now dead. In fact, it died two thousand years ago.

The one who has paid the penalty for his sin is now free from that sin. Sin no longer has a claim on him. That person is you, if you have come to Christ and by faith claimed what He did for you. Thanks to the Cross of Christ, you have NO obligation left owing to sin. If you owe sin nothing, why would you want to go back to it? If you know Christ is living in you, why would you want to expose Him to it? It’s a profound truth that carries a profound responsibility: you are dead to sin, the world has been crucified, Christ lives in you, so now live like you believe all that to be true! That is what “living by faith” is all about.

Once when Paul had grown exasperated with the worldly attitude of his Corinthian friends, he wrote this:

You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? (1 Corinthians 3:3)

To act “worldly” is to act like a mere man. In other words, Christians are NOT mere men, any longer! A Christian is more than a “mere man.” Or he’s supposed to. As we look around at the state of the Church, it is glaringly apparent that there are a whole of “mere men” sitting in the pews, living life far, far below where they could be.

You, if you call yourself a Christian, have been set free from the old way. You have been given a second chance to live a full life; a life full of satisfaction and peace and joy. Why in the world would any believer choose to live like a “mere man” when they are so much more? If only we could latch on to the truth of 1 Peter 1:4—

And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. (NLT)

Do you understand the profundity of that verse? As Christians, it is our right and privilege to share in God’s essential nature—we are able to somehow take on His attitudes towards things; to share His thoughts and opinions towards the things of this world. How is this possible? Paul gave us a clue:

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:2)

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

We become more and more like God—we take on more and more of His characteristics—as our minds are transformed through the work of His Spirit in us. It is Christ in us, which Paul once referred to as “the glorious riches” and “the hope of glory” who remakes us into the person HE wants us to become.

3. A new life of power

Returning to Galatians 2:20, Paul concluded that: “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” What does that mean? In Romans 6:5, the apostle sheds some light on this deep mystery:

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.

Like they say, “In for a penny, in for a pound.” If we died with Christ, then we must surely rise with Christ; what happened to Him must happen to us.

If the Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from death, lives in you, then he who raised Christ from death will also give life to your mortal bodies by the presence of his Spirit in you. (Romans 8:11)

This is not referring to the eventual resurrection of your bodies, which will happen some time in the future. It is referring to the here and now. Thanks to the work of Christ on the Cross, you are guaranteed entrance into heaven—which is a great thing! But the real marvel of the Cross is that you don’t have to wait until you’re dead to start reaping the benefits of what Christ did for you! According to what Paul wrote—under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, mind you—you are already full of the same power that raised Christ from the dead. That same Spirit is in YOU right now, and will give life to your mortal body now. Imagine this: the life of Jesus Christ is being manifested in YOU right now!

At all times we carry in our mortal bodies the death of Jesus, so that his life also may be seen in our bodies. (2 Corinthians 4:10, GNT)

What a powerful verse! People in the world—mere men—can’t see the Jesus we serve. But, they do see us. The question becomes: Do they see Jesus in us?

You’re the only Jesus some will ever see,

You’re the only words of life some will ever hear,

So let them see in you the One in whom there’s all they’ll ever need,

You’re the only Jesus some will ever see.

The Cross of Christ changed everything; it changed YOU. Let’s start living like the new creations we are. When some see the Cross, they see a horrible thing. Others see the Cross for what it is: a second chance to get life right. Take the chance that leads to life.

TRUTHS FOR CHRISTIAN LIVING, PART 4

Published January 20, 2012 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: 3 John, False Teachers, Fellowship, leadershhip examples

CLASSIC EXAMPLES OF GOOD AND BAD LEADERSHIP

3 JOHN

John probably wrote his letters after he wrote the Book of Revelation. If this is the case, then these epistles were written at the close of the first century, close to 100 AD when John was an old man. Even though all three letters were written by the same man, and probably written close together, and have similar themes, they are all quite different. The first letter stresses the importance of the love that holds the family of God together. In his second letter, John warns about the treacherous nature of false teachers and false teaching. As we come to the third letter, we note that it is similar to the second one in that t is also a personal letter, addressed to an individal. It’s theme is also the importance of truth. But it is different. 3 John deals with personalities; with three real people who influenced the church.

1. Gaius: Faithful and helpful, verses 1-8

To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth. (vs. 1)

This is address on the envelope. Like in his second letter, John refers to himself as “the elder.”

a. Heartfelt expressions, vs. 1, 2

“Gaius” was a very common name in the New Testament era. In fact, Paul knew three of them! Whoever this Gaius was, John thought a lot of him; his relationship with him was founded on love and trust. Four times the elder refers to this Gaius as “beloved” or “(my) dear friend.” He must have had a wonderful, Christ-like character, and this impressed John. When John wrote that he loved Gaius “in the truth” he is indicating that Gaius was a man of sound doctrine. He believed in the deity of Jesus Christ; he believed in the teaching of the apostles. This must have been refreshing to John who, like Paul, spent so much of his time fighting false teachers and encouraging believers to remain faithful. Here was man who was faithful! John’s wish for Gaius is something we ought to wish for all believers:

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.

John is hoping that Gaius would continue to be healthy and prosperous; he was interested in Gaius’ whole life, not just his spiritual life. There is nothing wrong with praying for either good health or prosperity.

b. Reasons to rejoice, vs. 3-8

The “brothers” whom John refers to in verse 3 were probably traveling evangelists or missionaries. They apparently ministered in Gaius’ church and eventually met up with John and told him all about Gaius. Obviously they impressed the brothers greatly. But what was it that impressed these men so much? A clue is given in verses 5-8:

Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth.

John praises Gaius for this man’s faithful conduct. Not only did Gaius believe the right things, but his conduct grew out of his beliefs. He had given visible proof that he was walking in the truth. These traveling preachers had told John about the kindness of Gaius. Gaius received these “strangers” as friends; as brothers in the Lord. He opened not only his heart to these strangers, but also his home. He showed them “hospitality,” putting these strangers up for a time. This was a big deal, even though it seems like such a simple thing. Traveling preachers and missionaries depended on the hospitality believers, which they didn’t always receive. Recall what Paul, a traveling preacher, asked of Philemon:

And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers. (vs. 22)

An interesting piece of extra-biblical writing shows how missionaries and evangelists should both behave and be treated. From “The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles,” we read this:

Let every Apostle who comes to you be received as the Lord, but let him not stay more than one day, or if need be a second as well; but if he stay three days, he is a false prophet.

Those who devote themselves to the ministry deserve to be cared for by the Church. Verse 7 seems to indicate that John considered it admirable that these itinerant peachers devoted themselves completely to God’s work, literally not engaging in any kind of secular work at all. Not all members of the church are called to be traveling preachers or missionaries. But helping to support such individuals makes those who stay behind “partners.” Every single believer is a priest, we are all responsible for doing the work of “the ministry” and taking Jesus to the lost. Those who write the check or provide lodging are all involved in doing just that.

2. Diotrephes: Sinfully ambitious, verses 9-11

After heaping much praise on Gaius, John gets to the heart of the matter: a jerk named Diotrephes. He is totally different than Gaius; a polar opposite, in fact. Obviously, Diotrephes was an arrogant person, but elder John comes short of judging him. Instead, John says he will try to visit the church personlly and deal with him in person.

a. Beware of this person, vs. 9-10

We know nothing about this man, except that his name means “foster child of Zeus,” which suggests he was of Greek ancestry. He was leader in Gaius’ church, but he appeared to be using his position for his own personal advanage.

I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.

Diotrephes “loves to be first,” meaning that instead of serving his congregation, this man was proud man didn’t recognize any other authority and did what he pleased. His behavior was exactly contrary to the admonition of Jesus found in Matthew 20:26, 27–

Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave…

To make matters worse, refusing to recognize John’s credentials, Diotrephes was making it impossible for the elder to do his job by spreading false stories and tall tales about both John and the other disciples. Not only that, while Gaius behaved like a true believer, Diotrephes did his best to stop any other preachers from coming to “his” church.” He was a meddler at best, and dictator at worst. We may wonder why John felt the need to discuss Diotrephes with Gaius when both men are members of the same church. One possible explanation could be the fact that Gauis freely submitted to the authority of John, while Diotrephes wanted to assume full authority of the church. This little “power struggle” was probably playing out in churches all over the world at this time, as the death of the apostples was leaving a kind of “leadership vacuum.”

b. Following godly examples, vs. 11

Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.

Diotrephes was a terrible example for any believer to follow, so John warns Gauis accordingly. John is not saying that Gauis is following a bad example, but evil is powerful. Every believer needs to be reminded to shun evil.

3. Demetrius: Highly respected, verses 12-14

Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.

a. A man of integrity, vs. 12

Here is a man sound in the faith! Dependable and reliable; the kind of man you’d like to have as a friend. Demetrius was probably one of the members whom Diotrephes was giving a hard time; likely a missionary made to feel unwelcome in Gaius’ church. This is the only time he is mentioned in Scripture. We know only these things about him for sure:

His good reputation preceded him. Notice that “everyone” spoke well of this man.
His devotion to the Gospel was obvious to all. He lived according to the teachings of Scripture, and people noticed that.
Other elders like John, thought highly of Demetrius.

Given what Demetrius had going for him, Gaius should feel comfortable in not only receiving Demetrius and extending him hospitality.

b. Final words, vs. 13, 14

I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.

Even though John wrote the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation, two of the longest books of the New Testament, he writes here that he would rather rather talk “face to face” than send a letter. 3 John is a true gem that gives us some powerful insights on personal relationships in the church. The koinonia—fellowship—of 1 John is not easily achieved within a local church and its even harder to maintain. It was even more difficult in the first century. But in these three letters, we see the ideal and the way to achieve it. Godly fellowship is made possible only through the way of love. Fellowship cannot be built on any other foundation.

Longing For the Presence of God

Published July 30, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: body of Christ, Fellowship, Psalms, worship

choir

Psalm 84

Psalm 84 has been considered one of the most beautiful expressions of love and heartfelt feelings toward the house of God. It contains a number of genres; this psalm is part hymn, part prayer, and part lament. It is very similar in thought to Psalms 42 and 43, which leads many Bible scholars to believe the author is responsible for all three.

The history behind this psalm is unknown, but we can be fairly certain that it was written some time before the destruction of Israel and exile of the Jews, given the many references to the temple, “God’s house.” It is likely that this psalm was written with a distinct purpose; to be sung or recited while on a procession to the temple, perhaps to celebrate one of the festivals.

1. Desiring the house of God, verses 1—4

How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD Almighty!

My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.

Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
Selah

At the very outset of this psalm, we are struck with the affection the psalmist has for the temple, the “dwelling place” of God. However, as we read this group of verses, we notice that it is the Lord the psalmist loves and it is the Lord’s presence he desires above all else.

The temple was the symbolic of the presence of God in the Old Testament and we should take note of that. While it is true that after the work of Christ the presence of God dwells in individual believers, there is something special and something powerful about being in God’s house. Is the presence of God greater and more personal in church than elsewhere? There is nothing more personal than the living God dwelling within a Christian. We may not always be conscious of His presence, but He is there nonetheless. What makes the Church so special in the life of the believer is what made the temple so special in ancient Israel: the presence of other believers. Note carefully what the psalmist says in verse two, for many of us miss its significance—

My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

These “courts of the Lord” refer to the public areas of the temple where the people would gather to worship. He “yearns” and “faints” to be assembled with others worshiping the Lord. How badly the author wanted to be with other believers is almost too intense to put into words. Yearning and fainting suggest that a physical pain and a physical weakness accompanied being away from the temple courts and separated from God’s followers. This man pines to the fullest extent possible be with fellow believers in the house of God.

The author of the psalm found himself envying even the birds that were fortunate enough to make their nests in and around the courts of the Lord. How fortunate they were, he thought, for they got to live in the presence of God continually. Not only that, these common, lowly birds lived under the protection of God.

How fortunate is the believer today, who walks in the presence of the Lord all the time. How blessed is he to enjoy not only the privilege of the presence of God, but also His protection?

2. Trusting and traveling, verses 5—8

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.

As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.

Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty;
listen to me, O God of Jacob.
Selah

Not only are believers blessed by being in the house of God, they are blessed if their hearts are there. Those who know their that their strength is in God alone, those who long to be in His presence will find that they are in His presence even while they long to be in His house. But their longing is active: the one who desires to be in the hose of God is actively traveling to the house God.

Getting to the temple may be treacherous, however. The “Valley of Bacca” means literally the “valley of weeping.” The faith, joy, and determination of the faithful on their way to the house of God can turn the driest, dustiest valley of weeping into a valley of happiness. Going “from strength to strength” means a continual reliance of the supernatural strength the God provides. Isaiah 35 is a companion passage to this psalm; in it the prophet encourages the weak to gain strength in their knowledge of God’s presence. Where do strength, joy, and courage come from? Not from outer circumstances, surely! Not from the “valley of weeping!” For the believer, these essential qualities come from one’s hope in God. Faith in God can transform the weakest of souls into a paragon of vitality. Reba Rambo, in her signature song from the late 1970’s captured this idea perfectly:

He can take a heart so cold, as the Tin Man’s,

And warm it up with His love;

He can give you the courage of the Lion,

To stand up in the devil’s face.

And if you have a mixed up Scarecrow’s mind,

Your thoughts He will renew;

If you think there’s no place like home,

You should see the one He’s built for you!

We’re off to the pearly white City,

Where all of our dreams come true;

Words can’t describe its splendor,

It’s the Land of Oohs and Aahs.

Somewhere over the rainbow,

We’ll see the King, Jesus;

He’s not exactly a wizard,

But He can make new creatures out of us!

Or, as the inspired prophet wrote so long ago—

Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away. (Isaiah 35:10)

3. Reward of God’s presence, verses 9—12

Look upon our shield, O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.

Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.

O LORD Almighty,
blessed is the man who trusts in you.

The blessings of God’s house are exceeded only by the blessing of His own presence, as indicated by the marvelously evocative phrase, “the Lord is a sun and shield.” A single day of fellowship with God is far better than a thousand days anywhere else! And in the psalmist’s opinion, serving as a temple guard was much more desirable that fame and wealth. Why? Like the lowly birds nesting in the rafters of the temple, the guard lives and works in the presence of God all the time. What could be better than that?

God “is a sun” is an interesting phrase. The LXX and the Vulgate translate this phrase, “For the Lord loves mercy and truth,” but the NIV is likely the correct rendering. From the sun, man receives warmth, light, and beauty. So God is the source of all of our joy and happiness. He is also our “shield,” our protection, our grace, and favor.

Another phrase is worthy of our attention—

no good thing does he withhold

There is a New Testament equivalent to this amazing statement—

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:13)

With each statement, there is a caveat, however. In Psalm 84, God will not withhold any good thing from those whose walk is blameless. In 2 Peter, God has given believers everything they need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him. In each case, the onus is on us. We are not receptacles into which God merely pours His good blessings. We must appropriate them by being obedient and living according to the light we possess.

In concluding his psalm, the writer addresses God as his great and personal king and pronounces a benediction. The blessings of the Lord all boil to down to “trust.”

This whole psalm makes us pause and wonder about our own attitude toward the house of God, the Body of Christ. Do we have that same longing? Do we desire to be in God’s house serving? Do we reflect fondly on time spent in His presence, in His house? Whether we realize it or not, we are all on a journey. From faith to faith, we journey together until we reach our final destination, to dwell in the presence of the Lord forever.

He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named.

(c) 2009 WitzEnd

Letters From an Old Man

Published March 9, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: 1 John, Fellowship, John

Obedience and Love, 1 John 2:3—11

Fellowship a tricky thing to engage in because it involves lowering your defenses and allowing people to get close to you; sometimes in a literal sense, other times in a metaphysical sense. Not everybody is good at fellowship. Some people are good at fellowshipping with one person at a time. Others are good at fellowshipping in large groups. And still others just don’t care for a lot fellowship with anybody. But all believers should want and experience unbroken fellowship with God. All believers should desire that closeness with their Creator. Through Jesus Christ, we are able to enter into a close personal relationship with God; we lower our defenses and let Him come close to us. Through the blood of Christ, we can get close to God. These are the things John was discussing up till now in his letter.

1. Knowledge and Love, 2:3—6

We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

The first phrase, We know that we have come to know him, summarizes what John thinks fellowship with God is based on. The verb “know” occurs twice in nine words, the first time in the present tense, the second time in the perfect tense, meaning “knowing” God is something that never ends.

Fellowship with God and knowledge of God are two sides of the same coin (Kistmaker). For believers, we are able to have a wide range fellowship with God, from a casual one to an intimate one. God, however, desires intimate fellowship with us, not just a casual one. For that to happen, our knowledge of Him needs to be ever deepening. Knowing God suggests learning about Him and His will, loving Him, and experiencing His love for us. John, who had given his readers some tests to tell who (maybe themselves) is truly walking in the light, offers one more test. If the test of knowing God results in moral conduct, then knowing God means keeping God’s commandments. Bultmann makes a worthy observation that keeping the commandments, including fellowship with one another as stated in 1:7, is not the condition but the characteristic knowledge of God. He wrote:

There is no knowledge of God which as such would not also be “keeping the commandments.”

John restates his main thought in verse 4, but pulls out all the stops. To claim to know God but at the same time to be disobedient to the Word of God, makes that person an outright liar. Literally, a person like that is “devoid of all truth” (Barker).

Of course, that does not mean that merely obeying God’s laws automatically makes a person a Christian. A distinctive characteristic about a genuine believer is that they do their best to obey God’s commands because they have a relationship with Him. In John’s theology, knowledge of God is not seen as academic, theoretical, speculative book learning, but rather as practical and experiential. This is implied by this statement of John:

Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. (verse 6)

David Smith remarked,

To know about Christ, to understand the doctrine of His person and work is mere theory; we get to know Him and to know that we know Him by practice of His precepts.

Jesus Himself said this—

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)

Emotionalized religion without discipline becomes sentimental, and intellectualized religion becomes sterile…Moral discipline is the path to Christian character. (Paul Hoon)

Our love for God is measured against the life of Jesus. We must live as He did and love God as He did. If a man and a woman can know what it is to love each other “until death do us part,” it is not too much to expect those who profess to love God to do so with undivided hearts, exerting all the effort they can muster.

2. New and old love, verses 7—8

Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.

“Dear friends” is not nearly strong enough in verse 7. The Greek is agapetoi, “beloved,” and John uses it because what has to say is so important and he wants his readers to pay attention. This passage is clearly a parallel to what John wrote in his gospel—

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (John 13:34)

John knows well that his readers knew the words of Leviticus 19:18 and Deuteronomy 6:5 but though those words were ancient even in John’s day, they were not obsolete; Jesus, in fact, took those words given by God in ages past and reinterpreted them for His new age. That’s why John refers to it as a “new command” in verse 8. Its newness lies at the point of its fulfillment in Jesus (Barker). Jesus lived a life that exemplified love, and He extended this love to His followers as a new command. Believers found that after the coming of the Holy Spirit, they were enabled to walk as Jesus walked; they were able to love as Jesus loved. While John calls it a command, it can also be looked at as a promise; what was true in the life of Jesus, what He demands in the life of His followers, becomes part of our reality when we live in the Spirit. Paul grasped this—

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

3. Love in light and darkness, 9—11

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.

So far in his letter, John has exposed the fallacy of the claims of the false teachers and some members of the church who had claimed to be Christians but were not true believers. He did so in regard to fellowship, to sin and sins, and to knowledge of God. In each case, John gave his readers a test to determine the veracity of their claims. Now John turns his attention to love; some claimed to be genuine believers and claimed to love the body of Christ, yet their actions seemed to disprove that claim. The test of genuine Christian love is the absence of hate toward other believers.

John’s definition of “hate” is a simple one. Just as love is proven by acts, so hate is proven by acts. To walk in the light is to love members of Christ’s body, and that love will be manifested by concrete actions. If these concrete actions are not seen a person’s life, then love is not there. As Barker succinctly wrote:

Love unexpressed is not love at all. Love has no neutral capabilities. When it is absent, hate is present.

For John, there was never any twilight; it was either light or dark. In the church, there is either love or hate, and love is not so much a matter of words but of deeds. Whoever loves his brother in the Lord is living in the light, and when a person is living in the light, they do not stumble and fall because they can see clearly. Anyone who hates his brother causes his own downfall.

Concluding thoughts

John may be known as the apostle of love, but he was also a straight forward preacher who pulled no punches. Anyone who hates his brother is living in darkness because he has separated himself from the light of God. It is as though this person has bricked up the windows to his soul. This kind of person lives in peril because he cannot see where he is going; he is spiritually blind. Kistmaker observed that darkness has a devastating effect on eyes; for when eyes are idle for too long, blindness invariably results.

We must be ever on our guard to ensure that we are always walking in the light and loving the body of Christ in tangible ways. If we find ourselves stranded in spiritual darkness, life becomes meaningless and we live with no goals and no direction. No Christian needs to be like that for God’s light is available to all.

(c) 2009 WitzEnd

The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. (John 1:9)

« Previous Page — Next Page »

Mike's Place on the Web

Posts Tagged 'Fellowship'

THE CROSS OF CHRIST, PART 8

TRUTHS FOR CHRISTIAN LIVING, PART 4

Longing For the Presence of God

(c) 2009 WitzEnd

Letters From an Old Man

(c) 2009 WitzEnd

Recent Posts

Another great day!

Meta

Blog Stats

Jump To…

Never miss a new post again.

Archives

Email Subscription

Top Studies

Places I find interesting

Who’d have guessed?

My Conservative Identity: