Bro Kenneth Yoder
1 John 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we mat we know him.
6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
7 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.
9 He that saith he is in the light, and ha tern his brother, is in darkness even until now.
10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness ham blinded his eyes.
The above passage declares that simply claiming to know God is not enough. If we claim to know God but do not keep His commandments, then we are liars and our claim is proven to be false. If you claim to know God, then certain attitudes and conduct should be evident. There is a necessity of living in the light in order to have fellowship with God, because God is light and in Him is no darkness at ail. Light symbolized two ideas:
First, in an intellectual sense, it symbolized truth. Second, in the moral sense, it symbolized righteousness. God is absolute Truth, and absolute Holiness. Since there is no darkness at all in God, if we are to have fellowship with Him, then we must live in the light.
One of the important functions of light is that it reveals darkness for what it is. Jesus said in John 3:19-21 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light neither cometh to the tight, test his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. People whose deeds are evil will not come to live in the light because the immediate effect of the light is to expose their sin and error. When a man comes into the presence of this light he will become conscious of that which separates him from God. To be able to live in the light, where one has fellowship with God, one must renounce all error and all that is sinful.
The majority of professing Christians today believe that no one can live without committing sin, but any claim to have fellowship with God which is not supported by righteous living is nothing more than a lie. If you claim to have fellowship with God, and are allowing known sin in your life, then you are deceiving yourself. To claim to have fellowship with God is not enough in itself. Such a claim must be demonstrated to be genuine by living a holy life.
Jesus said in Matthew 7:20-23 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
One of the reasons that the church has ceased to be the light of the world and has lost much of her influence is because many professing Christians do not live a holy life. Some are as dishonest as the unconverted, and as much in love with material possessions as a man of the world. It is public knowledge that power and money have corrupted some Christian leaders.
The expression, "walking in the light", does not refer to intellectually accepting a certain set of doctrinal truths, but an openness to what the light reveals. By openness I mean an absolute honesty and a willingness to be totally exposed before God. Openness to what the Sight reveals which results in a response of obedience.
Our present lesson in the above text (I John 2:3-11) deals with some further tests of genuineness of any claim of being in fellowship with God. John lists several tests. He declared that we must be obedient, walk as Jesus walked, and love our brother, if we are going to be in fellowship with God.
The first test of genuineness is obedience to God’s commandments contained in His moral law. I John 2:3-5 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
One of the ways in which our spiritual integrity can be measured is by our obedience to what we know. Our problem is not one of ignorance, but rather one of not doing that which we know we ought to do. I am not saying there are no morally ignorant people because there are many. The basic problem of those who will read this article is not that they are morally ignorant, but that they are not living to the light that they enjoy. Some have no free access to God in prayer because the standards of their own conscience have been violated. I John 3:20-21 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
God knows everything. In fact, He knows more than we do about ourselves. If anyone is aware that they are violating their conscience, then they ought not to be surprised that God knows the same. If our own heart condemns us, it is because we are conscious of violating our own accepted principles of righteousness and holiness. God is surely aware of this also. If people understood the essential reason they cannot pray with liberty and assurance, they would discover that it is because they are violating their own conscience, (their own standards of right and wrong).
If you are totally open to God, absolutely honest and living in the light, you cannot help believing that God accepts you. If there are attitudes or actions that are dubious in your life then you will be condemned by your conscience.
Some have drawn away from the crystal clear light and are now living in the shadows. They are living carelessly, allowing precarious things in their life, and wondering why they cannot pray with liberty. The reason is simple; they have a condemning conscience. If you will live in the light, God will cleanse you from all sin, (See I John 1:7).
Notice in I John 2:3 the expression, "We do know that we know Him". What does this expression mean? It refers to one who definitely knows that he knows God. First, knowledge of God is not intellectual, but experimental. To know God is not a matter of a correct thought process or learning certain truths about God. To know God is to have a genuine relationship with Him. We can be sure that we know God by our continued obedience to His commandments.
We live in a generation that does not even like the word "commandment". The word "command" carries with it the idea of an authority to order or to demand. God's law is not the Ten Requests, but the Ten Commandments. God commands with an absolute authority. He orders us and demands our obedience. If you love God, you will submit to His commandments, because it is your purpose to please God. John is saying that we know that we know God because we keep His commandments. The Bible plays a vital role in this because it contains the revealed commandments of God. It is within the Scripture that God reveals to us what to do, what not to do, what attitudes to have and what attitudes not to have. To the extent that we understand these commandments we are to put them into practice.
If you claim to know God and are not resolved to obey Him in everything, then your claim to know God is a lie. If you only obey Him in the areas that are matters of reputation in the congregation, then you do not truly know God, because one must obey God in everything. Sometimes the peer pressure of congregational persuasion will cause people to obey certain commandments. Please understand. I admire a person who will yield to congregational conviction even though they may not fully agree, for the sake of harmony and unity. My point is that if the only commandments you are careful to obey are the ones that have reference to your public notoriety, then you do not know God.
The implication of this passage is that you will keep all the commandments that you know. If you allow yourself to disobey simply because there will be no loss of standing among the brethren, then you are not truly obeying God from the heart. Your real character shows up in the matters that are just between you and God. If you love God, then you do not want to displease Him in anything. When you lack that purpose of heart then your claim to know God is nothing more than a false claim.
Such a claim cannot possibly be valid at the final judgment. Matthew 7:21 Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Those who will enter the kingdom of heaven are not those who claim that Jesus is Lord, but those who do the will of God.
There are going to be some surprises at the final judgment. Matthew 7:22,23 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in toy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. If you claim to know God, but are not really obeying Him in everything, you are in a dangerous situation.
Let us return to our Scripture lesson in I John 2:3-11. In Verse 4 notice the expression, "the truth is not in him". This means that the truth has no place in that person. The truth as used here is an active principle of righteousness. When the truth as an active principle of holiness is in you it regulates your thoughts, intentions, purposes, motives, and all that you do and say. A person who does not keep God's commandments does not have this principle of truth present in him. The truth does not govern his attitudes or his actions. Our relationship with God should be sincere and authentic. We should not be keeping up a religious front while we are not for real.
Can one be sure that they know the Lord? Yes, simply answer the following questions honestly. Are you careful to keep God's commandments? Have you decided that you are going to do everything God requires of you? Is that your heart's resolve? You know the answer in your conscience. We know that we know!
I John 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. This verse teaches that our love to God is perfected when we obey His commandments. Notice Jesus teachings in John 14:21&23 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
Jesus was stating a fact about the nature of true love for God. If you really love God, then you will keep His commandments, and if you do not love Him, you will not keep His commandments.
This is the second of the four tests of genuineness of a claim to know God. The first was; we must be living in the light to have fellowship with God. The second was; we must be obedient to God's commandments. The third is found in verse 6 which states that one who claims that he is abiding in Christ must live as Jesus lived. The fourth claim is found in verse 9. If one claims he is living in the light, he must love his brother. We have already discussed the first two; now let us turn our attention to the third and fourth claims.
The third claim is found in I John 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. To put this verse in plain English, "Anyone who claims to abide in Jesus Christ must himself live as Jesus lived." The word "abide" comes from "abode" which means ones home, place of residence, or where one lives. To abide with Christ means to live continually with Him. Now, how is such a claim to be tested as to it's reality and genuineness? The answer is found in the expression, "ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked". I realize that this is a high standard, but to teach anything less would not be what God has intended for us. Many have lowered the standard today, and when a preacher states that Christians must live as Jesus did, they cry "legalist" and accuse you of Pharisaical pride. The Scriptures teach that we should imitate the life of Jesus Christ. Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. This refers to the attitude of a servant. We are to have the same attitude that Christ had in giving His life for us.
I Peter 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps. An example is a pattern to be imitated.
I John 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure. A present purity like Christ's purity is indispensable to a life worthy of a Christian, (See Matthew 5:8 also).
I John 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness In the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. This is a high standard but if you claim to abide in Christ, then you must live as Jesus did.
Our standard of measurement should be "unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ", (Ephesians 4:13). If we do not intend to live as Jesus lived, then our claim to abide in Him is false.
Most of the popular books in Christian Bookstores today are basically to help one live in sinful weakness instead of living a life of victory over sin. By sinful weakness I mean continually failing God, or continually violating one's conscience in thought, word or deed. Are Christians to live continually in sinful weakness? Thank God, we may live in victory!
Many of the popular gospel songs today carry a message that is similar to the above, namely: the need of perpetual forgiveness because Christians live in sinful weakness. I believe in the availability of forgiveness but I also believe one can live like Jesus did.
The fourth claim and it's test of genuineness is found in I John 2:7-11 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness ham blinded his eyes.
This command to love one's brother is not a totally new commandment because it is found in the Old Testament and yet it is a new commandment. What John meant was that it was old in the sense that it was familiar to them from the teachings of the Old Testament, but it was also a new commandment in the sense that Jesus taught. John 13:34,35 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know mat ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
We are to love one another as Jesus loved us. Jesus was willing to lay down his life for us. This is the greatest degree of love possible. John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Rarely do the members of any congregation love one another to that degree.
Most of you who are reading this article hold as one of your central doctrines the message of unity of all God's people. We owe our separate existence as a people to this message. I want to challenge you with this question: Have we really found the answer to division?
Jesus placed great importance on loving one another. He said that by this love shall all men know that we are his disciples. This kind and degree of love is so rare that if you ever find a people who possess it then you should recognize them as God's people. Most of us long for something beyond doctrinal agreement. We hunger for fellowship and love. Many are constantly searching for a people who give evidence that they love one another as Jesus loved.
Notice the following expression in I John 2:8, "which thing is true in him and in you". What John meant was that this love which was demonstrated in Jesus can be realized in us. The word "true" means something real or genuine. We may actually love one another as Jesus loved, "because the darkness is past and the true light now shineth". When Jesus came he brought the true light. John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Jesus brought light into a world that was filled with darkness and one who claims to be in that light should love his brother.
I John 2:9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. You may claim that you are in the light, but if you hate your brother, you are not in the light but in darkness. The word "hate" is an attitude of the heart. The attitude of hate can take many forms. It may take the form of slander, gossip, bitterness, unforgiveness, strife, fighting, anger, grudges, division, and envy. It is these hateful attitudes that are destroying our fellowship. If you possess any of these hateful actions or attitudes, then you are not living in the light. If you were living in the light, you would love your brother. Hate in any form will put you out of the light and back into darkness.
Do you know why I am writing this? It is because that with all our claims to be in fellowship with God, we often fail to manifest the evidence that would prove that our claims are genuine. We either love or we don't. We are either in the light or we are in darkness. The moment you begin to hate, you step out of the light of God and into the darkness. Living in darkness will produce a spiritual blindness to the degree that you will not know where you are going. Notice Verse 11, But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness (that means living in darkness), and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness haft blinded his eyes. When you hate your brother, you are walking in darkness. If you find yourself in a dark room, the best thing for you to do is not to move around. If you move around, you could stumble and fall, because you cannot see things. People have spiritually lost their bearing today. Churches have lost their way, and are staggering around blindly in the dark. When people begin to hate one another they drift off course spiritually. Show me a congregation full of hate and I will show you a people who have lost their bearings. When this happens much of the preaching will be prompted by hate. A preacher may excite the people with a spirit of anger and think he is accomplishing something for God, but when the dust settles, the people will discover that they have drifted away from God.
Jesus said in John 12:35, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. John probably had this saying of Jesus in mind when he wrote the verse of I John 2:11. People who hate their brother are drifting farther and farther away from God. They are far off course spiritually.
There are some battles that Christians wage in which there are no winners. When brother fights brother there will be no real winners. They will all be losers in the end. Many have ignored this warning and are now drifting farther away from God and the true light. In spiritual darkness one does not know where he is going. Living in spiritual darkness makes it increasingly difficult to find our way back to God. There are hundreds of professing Christians who do not know what to do to retrieve God's presence in their midst, because the longer they live in darkness the more blind they become. I John 3:14,15 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer. I can honestly say there is not a human being on the face of the earth that I hold ill-will against. Some have wronged me, but I have forgiven every one of them. You can commit murder in more ways than one. There is such a thing as character assassination, the killing of one's reputation and influence, (and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.)
We have studied four different tests of the genuineness of our claim of fellowship with God. First, if one makes a claim that they have fellowship with God, they must live in the light by renouncing all error and evil. Second, they must be obedient to God's commandments. Third, they must be living as Jesus lived. Fourth, they must love their brother. Our claims of being in fellowship with or knowing God are false if we do not meet these requirements.
If you have come up short in the light of these articles, remember, I have only revealed and exposed your need. I didn't create it. You were in that situation before you read this article. If the light has exposed anything in your life, then you should thank God.
Now you have a choice and that choice is this: whether to accept the light and live in it, or whether to withdraw from it. Let us have some judgment day honesty. Does your claim to know God stand the test of genuineness? Are you walking in the light or stumbling around in the darkness?
God is still as real today as He ever was. God can be found today, but He can only be found as Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your hearts. *END*