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THE GOSPEL OF JOHN, 9

Published March 30, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: belief, Faith, John, light

An amazing comment, John 3:16—21

John 3:16 is arguably the most well-known verse in the whole Bible. It was likely the first verse you memorized as a child in Sunday School. It is such a simple verse; it is hard to believe there is actually some controversy surrounding it! Bible scholars, who always love a good debate, are divided as to whether these are Jesus’ words or John’s. Did Jesus speak the famous John 3:16 or is John 3:16 part of John’s comments on what Jesus had said to Nicodemus?

The translators of the NIV have decided that Jesus spoke these words, and so in “red-letter” editions of the NIV, John 3:16—21 is printed in red. That same body of scholars changed their collective mind with their revision of the NIV, which is known as the TNIV. In the TNIV, John 3:16—21 is attributed John and footnoted thusly:

Some interpreters end the quotation with verse 21.

For my part, I have always thought that this paragraph represented John’s thoughts, not Jesus’ words. But regardless who you think is responsible for John 3:16—21, the paragraph is definitely inspired by the Holy Spirit, and the words are profound and life changing.

1. Limitless love, verse 16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

This, the golden text of the Bible, declares that God’s infinite love was manifested in an infinitely glorious manner! God’s love is a major theme in John’s Gospel, yet this is the very first mention of it. Hendriksen has succinctly observed that this single verse sheds much needed light on the very essence of God’s love:

It’s character: so loved. In the Greek, the tense indicates a timeless quality to God’s love, for it reaches back into eternity and stretches forth into infinity, but it came to fruition in the Person and work of the Son of God. Like God, His love had no beginning and will have no end. The implications are startling!
It’s Author: God so loved. This love originated in the heart and mind of God. He loved us before we were even capable of loving Him back! Once again, the implications are staggering. For example, God’s love for me is not conditioned by my love for Him or my behavior. I cannot make God love me more by being nicer. Because of my faith in His Son, God loves me as He loves Jesus.
It’s object: the world. Though mired in sin, all human beings (Jew or Gentile) still bear the image of their Creator to a certain degree. As beautiful as the rest of God’s creation may be, “the world” refers only to human beings, as indicated by their need to “believe.”
It’s gift: God’s unique Son. The way this phrase appears in the Greek emphasizes the incredible greatness of God’s gift: “that his Son, the only-begotten, he gave.” Though this act of giving is often described by the verb “sent” elsewhere in this Gospel, the idea here is that Jesus Christ’s coming into our world is God’s singular gift to man. The tense of the verb “gave” speaks of the total act of giving. God gave without holding anything back. He gave His “one and only Son,” which is a way of describing the precious and unique nature of God’s unspeakably great gift.
It’s purpose: that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Here the alternatives are set: life or death! God’s gift of Jesus Christ has made it possible for man to make the choice; to respond in faith. Interestingly, the verbs “perish” and “have” are written in two different tenses. “Perish” is in the aorist tense, meaning “once for all time” exiled from God’s presence. “Have,” as in “to have eternal life,” is in the present tense, indicating that eternal life may be possessed right now and carried into eternity by the one possessing it. The contrast is stark: to receive eternal life, one has to believe in Christ. But to perish, all one has to do nothing.

Salvation is God’s remarkable gift to man, but it is a gift received only upon believing God for it. Belief (or faith) means accepting something, not doing something. The direct result of belief is that the one believing in Christ receives eternal life; he is no longer under condemnation for his sins and is free to live in peace with God because he knows that he has nothing to fear from God ever again.

2. No more condemnation, verses 17, 18

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

How these two verses must have rocked Nicodemus’ world! As far as the Jews were concerned, when the Messiah comes, He would come with condemnation and judgment for all the nations that opposed and oppressed Israel from its birth, but not for Israel. Though this misunderstanding of prophecy was taught by the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day, it was soundly condemned generations earlier by one of their very own prophets!

Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD ? That day will be darkness, not light. (Amos 5:18—20, verse 18 cited)

The plain teaching of verse 17 is crystal clear and stands against the Pharisaic exclusivism that characterized Judaism in NT times. God’s Son, the Messiah, had arrived, and instead of bringing condemnation and judgment, He brought salvation. Of course, judgment is inevitable; but it is man who brings it on himself if he stubbornly refuses to accept God’s Gift.

God’s purpose in sending Jesus Christ into the world was to show His love and to draw sinful man to Himself. Russian philosopher Nicholas Berdyaev once wrote, “Man is free to choose torment without God rather than happiness in God; he has a right to hell, as it were.” If any human being is lost, it is solely because they have not committed themselves to God.

Judgment and condemnation, however, are not part of the believer’s life. Literally, verse 18 looks like this: He who puts his faith into him [Jesus Christ] is not being judged. In vivid contrast to the believer stands the unbeliever who refuses to believe. The strength of the contrast brought out in verse 18 is strengthened by the verbs “is not condemned” and “have not believed,” which are written in the prefect tense in the original, which means that the present state of the unbeliever (condemned) is a fact; because of his unbelief, he has already been judged.

3. The verdict is in, verses 19—21

The TNIV’s translation of verse 19 is more accurate than the KJV and captures the sense of the original Greek—

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (KJV)

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. (TNIV)

With verse 19, the light/dark imagery comes into play as John attempts to explain what he has just written regarding the current condemned state of unbelievers. Some people may not have accepted the truth of the standing of unbelievers; surely such a truth would have been difficult for Nicodemus to swallow! The big difference between the believer and the unbeliever does not lie in the guilt or innocence of either, or whether some found pardon or not; it lies in their attitude toward the “light.” The unbeliever ignores the light because it reveals his sin. In fact, not only do unbelievers prefer the darkness, they actually “love” it! The unbelievers John is referring to are those who could not be described as ignorant, never having heard the Gospel, rather those whose works are evil.

Both faith and unbelief have their inevitable consequences, which are enumerated in verses 20 and 21.

All those who do evil hate the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. (verse 21)

There are two striking things about the unbeliever in this verse. First, an unbeliever does not believe in and does not have faith in Jesus Christ and as a result hates Him. It is not a question of having some love for Christ; one who has not confessed Christ as Savior has no love for Him; he hates Him. There is no in-between. And to “hate the light” is love evil and do evil. Second, this person consciously avoids the light; they will have nothing to do with anything that comes close to Jesus Christ.

Ever wonder why there is so much antipathy toward the Church? Every wonder why some people just won’t come to church? The answer is simple: the Church is the Body of Christ, and those who don’t love Him won’t love His Church. This person not only avoids the Church, but avoids the Bible and other Christians. Why does this person hate the light and anything associated with the light? It is because the light exposes his sin.

The sequence is very clear: unbelief –> darkness –> evil deeds. Unbelief and evil living go hand in hand. A person who says they are “good” even though they have no relationship with Christ is deluded.

On the other hand, however, and in contrast, in a person of faith—

But those who live by the truth come into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. (verse 22)

Note the sequence of events for the believer: faith–> life –> light –> good deeds. To live a “good life,” one must live in the light. To be a “good person,” you have to be a holy person. The two are inseparable. Another contrast between those who believe and those who do not is this: though the unbeliever may in fact do good things, they count for nothing because they are done in the darkness; the believer’s good deeds, because they are done in the light, are seen by God.

Here is the point. Some people may be tempted to confuse acts of kindness and good citizenship with a relationship with Christ. Without Christ, a person cannot be considered a “good person,” no matter how good they may appear to be. Why? Because they are not living by the truth. A believer lives by the truth so that when they do “good deeds” they are doing them with a pure motive and in the light. Even though a believer and an unbeliever, side by side, may do the same “good deed,” only the believer has done his in the light, in the sight of God, seeking God’s approval, according to God’s law. Nothing an unbeliever can do can bring him from the darkness into the light; only a work of God in his heart can do that. For that work of God to take place, this person must believe in Christ and place his full faith and confidence in Him.

(c) 2010, WitzEnd

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN, 2

Published January 25, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: John, Life, light

The Word Becomes Flesh, John 1:1—5

The Gospel of John begins magnificently. It not only establishes the eternity of the Son of God, but it confronts the popular false teachings of John’s day head on. The Stoics and Greek philosophers of the New Testament era all spoke of “the word,” the logos, a cold intellectual and philosophical abstraction. Here, though, the real Word is presented as the Person of the Living God, living and walking among men, who came to recognize Him, worship Him, and bore witness of Him to the world. The idea of the Incarnate Word is prevalent in John’s Gospel, yet the word logos only appears in verses 1 and 14 of the first chapter. It is clear, though, that the idea of the Word as being the personal revelation of God to man left an indelible mark on the heart of John and was never far from his mind. He even wrote of the Word in Revelation—

¹³He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. (Revelation 13:19)

Scholars often refer to the first 15 verses of chapter 1 as the “Logos Hymn.”

1. The Prologue, verses 1, 2

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning.

The very best way to study these two verses is phrase-by-phrase so as not to miss a single morsel of spiritual nourishment.

In the beginning was the word.

These opening words are clearly intended to remind the reader of the opening words of Genesis. “In the beginning” was the creation of the material universe, yet the Word existed even before then. This is another way to say that the Word has been in existence from all eternity. Perhaps as a slight at the heretical teachings that claimed the Word was created, John establishes in no uncertain terms that He was not created; the He existed before anything was ever created. Perhaps as a nod toward Judaism, John uses this phrase to acknowledge the Word, existing from all eternity, was also present at the creation of the Hebrew religion.

Just as God is eternal, so is the Word. He is, as John would later write, “the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending” (Revelation 1:8).

Was the Word.

Both John and the Christians and the heretics taught their followers about the logos—the word. But like the word “god,” it meant something completely different to them. This is why John went to such lengths to explain who the real Word is as opposed to what the false teachers were saying he was. For John, the Word was a Person, to the Greek philosophers, the word was hard to define. Philo, a Greek philosopher whose ideas of “the word” influenced many false teachers of his day, used the word “logos” over a thousand times, but never with a firm definition. But John leaves no doubt about the real Word. The real Word, John wrote, was “with God.” The small word “with” is packed with meaning which does not translate well into English; in the Greek it indicates a kind of forward motion toward something or being “face to face” with someone. The Word, then, is described as being “with God,” but He was with God in the most intimate relationship possible.

Being “with God” as John wrote, can also imply personality and co-existence with God and it strongly suggests an expression of God. These are very big ideas to be sure, but Merril C. Tenney offers a helpful summary:

This is the real meaning of the phrase. Unity of nature rather than similarity or likeness is implied. The eternal co-existence and unity of the Word with God is unmistakably asserted.

The Word was God.

This is a straight forward statement of fact. In fact, in the Greek it is much more forceful as John places the predicate before the subject. To we 21^st century Christians, the fact that the Word, Jesus Christ, is God, is a statement of an obvious fact. However, to 1^st century Christians such a blatant statement would have been met with cheers of vindication from John’s readers.

He was with God in the beginning.

If verse 2 seems like a repetition of what John said in verse 1, that’s because it is. Again, it is very forceful in the Greek: “This One was in the beginning face-to-face with God.”

Many fine Biblical scholars have written pages and pages on these two verses of John 1, but probably the best commentary of all is Proverbs 8:27—30

²⁷ I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, ²⁸ when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, ²⁹ when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth. ³⁰ Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence.

2. Four relationships with the Word, verses 3—5

This section describes four basic relationships of the Word—

(1) To the world, verse 3

³Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

The implications of the verse are staggering and cannot be overstated; one by one, all things in the material universe came into being through this Word. The word “made” (egeneto) means “became,” not “constructed,” referring to an event, not a process. The amazing universe in which we live, with all its intricate complexities, owes its origin to the imagination of its Creator, expressed in through His Word.

The second half of the verse, “without him nothing was made that has been made,” is emphatic, as though to guard against first century false teaching that taught certain things were really created by inferior creators, with God supervising. What John made clear is a doctrine known as the “primacy of Christ.” A similar thought is beautifully expressed in Colossians 1:16 and Hebrews 1:2—

¹⁶For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. (Col. 1:16)

²[B]ut in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. (Heb. 1:2)

(2) To life and light, verse 4a

⁴In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

An important distinction should be pointed out: John wrote IN, not THROUGH. That first clause means that from all eternity life was in the Word. The word “life” is zoe , and it occcurs 36 times in this Gospel. It is frequently coupled with the adjective “eternal,” and most often refers spiritual life, occasionally to physical life. What is alluded to here is that the Word is seen as Source of all life, both physical and spiritual—that is, “life from above.”

As the Word is the great Source of all life, so He is also the Source of all light. Here is another allusion to the book of Genesis: the first act of God’s creative week was the creation of light. In Psalm 36:9 we read another instance of where the idea of light and life is mentioned—

⁹ For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.

Jesus Himself, the Incarnate Word, described Himself as being “the light of the world” in John 8:12. The peculiar thing about this particular Light is that while it shines in the darkness, it is not appropriated by sinful men (1:5).

(3) To men, verse 4b

[T]hat life was the light of men.

Where there is light, there is life. Since the fall, mankind has been characterized by darkness, evil, and hatred, all antonyms of light. Truth and love are the synonyms of light.

The Word is God’s personal revelation to men. We refer to it as being personal because the Word proceeded from God, directed to man, like a beam of light shining into the darkness, illuminating hidden objected.

(4) To darkness, verse 5

⁵The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

The first thing we notice in verse five is the change from the imperfect to the present tense: not only was the light shining throughout the darkness that existed before His coming; it continues to shine to this day after His coming. In other words, the coming of the Word into the darkness of a sinful world was not like a sudden burst of light that came and went, but rather like a continual beam of light, forever eliminating any vestiges of the darkness.

However, verse 5 is made up of two clauses, one a promise, the other a response. The response of the darkness to the Light depends on our interpretation of the second clause. The traditional interpretation is this:

The sad fact is, as John noted, while the Light is blazing like the noonday sun, “the darkness has not understood” the Light. The “darkness” refers to fallen mankind, their souls shrouded by sin, disbelief, and rebellion. Mankind, epitomized by the Jews, did not accept or appropriate the Light.

In recent years, another view has gained a sizeable following:

The darkness did not “overcome”, or “overpower” or “extinguish” the Light. The idea is that despite how Christ was treated, it did not stop His light from shining.

Both views have merit; however, the traditional view is likely the correct one. While it is true that the darkness did not extinguish the Light, that view does not fit the immediate context. Note what verse 11 says—

¹¹He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

Though the world is seen as a hostile power, opposing the Light of the Word, it must be stressed that the Light not only shines in the dark world of sin, but it also shines into the hearts of individual sinners to chase the darkness of sin out. When a sinner appropriates that Light, the Light triumphs over the darkness and a sinner is saved. In time, the Light will return as a conquering Light, reshaping and recreating the world He originally created. This day is a day we all look forward to.

William Hendriksen offers the following synthesis of 1:1—5:

a. In the beginning. When the universe was created, He already existed.

b. At the creation. All things came into being through Him. Not a single thing in all creation came into being apart from Him.

c. After the fall. The world lay in the darkness of sin and hopelessness. When the Light came, life was made manifest and He offered it to those dying in their sin. However, the world at large rejected this offer of light and life, and violently opposed God’s message of truth and love. But to individuals who respond in faith to the Light, eternal life is given.

Letters From an Old Man, 2

Published March 2, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: 1 John, dark, Fellowship, John, light

Walking in the Light, Part 2

The idea of “fellowship” is a major theme in 1 John, both fellowship with God the Father and with the Son, but also fellowship with other believers. But fellowship is not practiced blindly; if we would have unbroken fellowship with the Father and the Son and with the Body of Christ, we must understand what makes that possible. In simplest of terms, fellowship with God, and indeed genuine fellowship with anybody, is not possible unless we understand who God is in Himself and who we are as creatures of God.

1. God’s character, 1:5

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

With verse 5, John seems to be changing his subject, which he announced in verse 2—

The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.

So according to this verse, the subject of the letter is “eternal life.” But in verse 5, the subject seems to change to “the message we have heard” which was “God is light.” Has John suddenly changing his mind and the direction of his letter? Not at all, as Blaney observed—

All of John’s thoughts are interlocked; but as the apostle passes from one to the other and back again, with the shuttle of lofty inspiration, he weaves a pattern of rare beauty and profound insight.

Indeed, John’s description of God’s infinite character is masterful and deeper than it appears on the surface.

John begins by referring to a message “heard from Him,” referring to something he and the other disciples heard directly from Jesus. We’re not sure exactly what teaching John was referring to. Some scholars think John is alluding to the sum of all of Christ’s teaching about Himself (Barker) but others see something quite different. The apostles heard the teachings from the very lips of Jesus, but they also knew the message from their considerable knowledge of the Old Testament. They knew, for example, this observation of David—

For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light. (Psalm 36:9)

God also revealed Himself to His people through the words of the prophets, like Isaiah 49:6—

I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.

2 Peter 1:19 makes it clear that Isaiah was writing about the coming Messiah. John’s point is that the message he brings to his readers came directly from Christ, whether they were words about Himself or words from their Scriptures about Himself, it didn’t matter for Jesus Christ is the Word of God in the flesh.

The message was simply “God is light.” Elsewhere in his writings, John uses other short declarations about God’s character:

God is spirit, John 4:24
God is love, 1 John 4:8

All three of John’s brief descriptions of God’s character stress the immaterial nature of God (Barker) and all three statements when taken together present some of the most profound things ever written about the nature of God.

God is spirit, stressing God’s essential nature: He is not made of substances like wood and stone. God cannot be approached as one would a perfect man. God is not an animal or some kind of created thing. God is not one spirit among many spirit, God IS spirit, and if human beings want to have any kind of relationship with Him, they must take heed of John 4:23

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

God is not all that interested in the songs we sing as we approach Him or the position of our bodies. Under the New Covenant, we approach God in spirit for He is spirit. Under the Old Covenant, true believers had to follow an elaborate ritual in order to approach God for that was the only way the could relate to Him, through their careful obedience to His meticulous admonitions—things like ritual sacrifices and orchestrated music and choreographed dance and special clothing. But New Covenant believers are under no such teaching. In fact, according to Paul, Christians approach God like this:

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:19)

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16)

Worship comes from within, motivated by the Word of God. Our songs and hymns are not primarily how we are to worship God, for they are of the flesh, and He is Spirit.

God is love, but that love is not some kind of touchy-feely emotion God has toward men, rather, God’s love was manifested in an action—

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

We say the phrase “I love you” often times to people as flippantly as we say “Pass the salt” at dinner time. But when God said “I love you” to sinful man, He did it by sending His one and only Son to die for their sins.

God is light, emphasizing the splendor and glory of God, His self-revelation to man, the truthfulness and purity of His person. Our God is not a light among many lights, nor is the brightest light that shines in the darkness; He does not carry the light like a lantern and light is not one of His characteristics: God IS light, and although He created light, He Himself is uncreated. And the light that is God is visible in Jesus Christ:

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

It is part of God’s nature to give Himself to man without limit, and this is illustrated prefect with light. God’s light shines into our hearts and illumines every dark nook and cranny, nothing is hidden from His light. Light also accents God’s empowering activity, for God as light not only shines downward for man’s salvation, but also enables that same man to walk in the light.

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

Walking in the light means also means walking with confidence, and walking in God’s ever present grace and remaining in His very presence.

2. Three tests of Christian faith, 1:6—10

If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

With verse 6, John returns to a favorite contrast of his: light and darkness. As John uses them, both light and darkness are spiritual terms denoting the opposite qualities of holiness and sin (Blaney). God is light, He is holy, and He is pure and light cannot be hidden. However, light, no matter how brilliant it may shine, cannot be seen by anything incapable of receiving it. God has revealed Himself through the world around us, according to Paul in Romans 1, but not to it. In other words, only a rational human being who can make a decision is capable of making the choice to walk according to the light or not; they can accept God’s revelation or reject it. Haupt wrote—

Only man is capable of light, that is, can so receive the nature of the Logos pouring toward him, that he himself shall be consciously transformed into it.

God has revealed Himself for the sole purpose of sharing His life and light with man, so that man’s character may be transformed from a character of darkness into a character of light. The fact is, unless a person’s life has been touched by the light of God, that person is incapable of having any kind of fellowship with God or with God’s people.

· First test: If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness. In the strict context of John’s letter, he probably has in mind the Gnostics, who boasted about having fellowship with God but by their very actions denied it: the had no love for one another, they hated their brothers, they claimed to be sinless, and they denied that Jesus came in the flesh. These people, far from walking in the light, knew only the darkness. Similarly, today, those who claim to be Christians yet exhibit none of the fruits of the Spirit can be said to living in the dark, regardless of what they confess.

· Proof of possessing the faith: [W]e have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we are truly walking in the light, we will walk as Jesus walked and we would be fellowship with other believers. Those “Christians” who never seem to want to be in the company of other Christians are clearly not showing that desire and their faith has to be suspect. Another proof of genuine faith is that we have experienced the forgiveness of sin by Christ’s shed blood. Walking in faith means that this experience is continuous, because not one of us sinless and we are all in need of forgiveness. Sin alienates man from God and from his fellow man. Sin throws the body of Christ into confusion, and instead of the peace of God there is only the discord of disunity. That is why forgiveness is so vital. John Stott’s observation is priceless:

What is clear is that if walk in the light, God has made provision to cleanse us from whatever sin would otherwise mar our fellowship with Him or each other.

· Second test: If we claim to be without sin. Verse 8 repeats in a general way the thought of verse 6 but carries it even further. If we claim to be without sin, we are not only making a false assumption about our own goodness that runs contrary to God’s revealed Word, but we are deceiving ourselves and others and heading down a path that leads to self-destruction. This reminds us of Proverbs 28:13

He who conceals his sins does not prosper,
but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

· Proof of possessing the faith: If we confess our sins. In other words, only a genuine believer is capable of grasping the enormity of one single sin—and they are compelled to confess it to God to rid them of its awful, offensive stain. The beauty of this verse is beyond compare—note the fulfillment of confession: He will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. The NIV puts the verbs in the future tense, the Greek is far more decisive: God forgives and purifies the moment confession is made. The verb “to forgive” describes the act of canceling a debit and the restoration of the debtor. The second, “to cleanse,” refers to making the sinner fit for fellowship with God by making him holy. When we come to God, all we are doing is confessing our sins, but God takes the initiative to do so much more for us! This is reminiscent of what the prophet Isaiah wrote:

Come now, let us reason together,”
says the LORD.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool. (Isaiah 1:18)

· Third test: If we claim we have not sinned. It sounds as though John is repeating himself, but this test is different from that of verse 8, where there John seems to be saying that some might now claim to be sinless because of some religious commitment they have made. Here the thought is slightly different, where a person actually claims to have never sinned once in their whole life. This is the most arrogant of all assumption a person can make about themselves because it denies the very fact of sin. This is so reprehensible because it makes God out to be a liar.

· Proof of possessing the faith: [H]is word has no place in our lives. This last proof that one possesses genuine faith is stated from the negative: one who denies the reality of sin is one who denies what God has said plainly in His Word; therefore His Word is not relevant to such a person. The opposite characterizes a true believer: the Word is given a prominent place in their lives.

3. Conclusion

Many Christians drive around with “God is Love” bumper stickers on their cars. But how many of us have ever stopped to consider “God is light?” We should, because light of God must always come before the love of God. It is God’s light that that shines into our blackened hearts, reveals that which is hidden, which keeps us from experiencing the fullness of God’s amazing love, and forces a choice upon us: leave the darkness behind and walk in the light, or block God’s light from our lives. When we have fellowship with God, our sins cannot be hidden because sin, like darkness, has no place in God’s light. It must be dealt with and removed.

God is the one who removes our sins by (1) cleansing us with the blood of Jesus, and (2) God tells us what we must do for that to happen: confess our sins to Him. The blood of Jesus is powerful enough to wash away all our sins, but we must first confess our sins. God’s provision and man’s responsibility work together.

Mike's Place on the Web

Posts Tagged 'light'

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN, 9

(c) 2010, WitzEnd

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN, 2

Letters From an Old Man, 2

(c) 2009 WitzEnd

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