Tag: Christ

The Shepherd's Voice

Pressing Forward, Not Shrinking Back (Pt. 3)

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But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls. (Hebrews 10:32-39)

In this post, the last in our 3-part series on Hebrews 10:19-39, we’re going to look at the last part of our passage and learn about holding on to our confidence when times get touch. Previously, we’ve talk about the need to press forward in love, moving toward God and man. We’ve also talked about what happens when we fail to do that–when we “go on deliberately sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth.” Now we will apply those lessons.

Confident Baby Steps and Maturity

Let’s begin by looking at the first two verses in this passage. It starts out with “But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened . . . ” This suggests first that the author is referring to when his audience was first converted to Christ, and second that the author was present during that time (or at least had knowledge of them during that time). What were those early days like? The author reminds his audience, “You endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.”

Have you ever noticed that new believers often start off that way? A great zeal for the Lord. “We’ll do anything, bear anything, for the Lord!” And, as new believers, we seem to have such great faith. We see our prayers answered. Things seem so easy and natural.

Then…. life hits. The flesh reasserts itself to remind us that we haven’t arrived yet. We grow weary. Things suddenly become harder. That’s where the believers are in this passage. Why do we often start off like that, so well-intentioned and full of faith? I believe it’s because God is helping us learn to trust Him in the easy times. When building endurance and strength, and athlete doesn’t start with the hardest things possible. He or she works up to that. It’s the same with our spiritual muscles. During those early years of faith, we learn that God is good and He is trustworthy.

This is why the author of Hebrews wants his readers to “recall the former days.” He wants them to remember how God gave them great faith and they were able to overcome so many things. Now, they are being tempted to return to keeping the law. Why? Because it’s easier to try to follow the rules than it is to walk by faith. And if they were to return to law-keeping they would be “throwing away [their] confidence” (v. 35). The confidence they had as young believers would be for nothing. Everything they had endured to this point would be for nothing. But holding onto their confidence in God has “great reward,” the author reminds them. Indeed the One who is coming (Christ) will come. And when He comes He will give them their reward.

So, we start out in life–both physically and spiritually–taking baby steps. We learn to do the easy things so that we can lean into the hard things. In order to mature, we have to lean into the harder things, and we can do so based on the confidence we gained earlier. Not confidence in ourselves, but in the One who is faithful and is coming with our eternal reward.

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The Shepherd's Voice

Seeing Christ in Them

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Loving My (Different) Neighbor, Part 2

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31–46)

In our last post (“Breaking Down the Walls”), we talked about how Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us to consider as a neighbor anyone who comes across our path who is in need. This is especially true of those who we might ordinarily dismiss as our neighbor. We also said that we in the church have been given the ministry of reconciliation, and part of that ministry certainly includes ethnic and racial reconciliation.

When Jesus talked about the two greatest commandments, He tied them together. Notice what He says here:

[The lawyer answered,] “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And [Jesus] said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live” (Luke 10:27-28, emphasis added).

As we said in the previous post, it’s impossible to do one without the other. One cannot claim to love God if he is not loving His neighbor. Likewise, one who does truly love his neighbors does so because of his love for God. And, one who truly loves God will love his neighbor, and that especially includes those who are hurt, disadvantaged, marginalized, broken, or forgotten by society. 

Let’s now talk about one important part in loving our neighbor. Our last post made the point that we can be Christ to another. We are to represent Christ to others in our truth, love, and self-giving service. But notice what Jesus says in the statement above: “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. . . . as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me” (Matt. 25:40, 45, emphasis added). It’s an somewhat obvious truth that Jesus counts service to “the least of these” as service to Him. I suggest, however, that there is more to it than that. We actually find Christ when we serve “the least of these.”

Greg Paul, director of Sanctuary, a ministry to Toronto’s poor and homeless, wrote of a deeply forming experience in caring for a gay man dying of AIDS. Neil had deteriorated to a shell of his former self, without strength or mobility. One day, Greg stopped in on Neil to find him in a panic, struggling with his bedsheets after having soiled himself. Greg picked him up, bathed him, cleaned his bed, dressed him, and placed him back in the bed.
     “He lay quietly back against the pillows and allowed me to take his feet, one at a time, and tuck them under the covers. Doing so, I noticed that one foot, somehow, had not gotten completely clean. Getting a washcloth, I wiped that foot. As I did so, I was struck by what I can only describe as a powerful revelation, two streams of thought converging, and both seeming to me to be the voice of God.
     “Cradling his foot in my hands, my mind was filled with the image of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper, a towel around his waist, determinedly taking the servant’s role. I had been meditating on that story from John’s gospel just the day before, and now I could almost see Jesus hunched over Peter’s foot, his hair hanging forward and obscuring his face, quietly insisting against Peter’s protestations that those feet, but only the feet, needed to be washed. This moment was what my whole time with Neil had been for! This was what it meant to be the presence of Christ. I had been looking for opportunities to preach, wanting to effect a clear and possibly dramatic conversion. I realized in that moment that my longing for those things was as much or more an indication of my desire to be successful as they were of my passion for Neil’s soul. It became clear that being Jesus to Neil, while it certainly included praying for him and announcing the good news to him, was most perfectly summed up by the mundane and even odious task of gently wiping excrement from his foot.
     “At the same time, I was deeply touched by his profound vulnerability. His foot was bare, and he hadn’t even enough strength left in his ruined body to lift it and put it back under the covers. The words of Jesus were ringing in my ears: ‘I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me. . . . Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ This, too, was the purpose of my time with Neil. For the first time during our whole relationship, I saw Jesus in Neil. I had been seeing him as someone upon whom I could practice my own imitation of Christ, and had missed the Presence right before me. I recognized that Neil was, at that moment, a physical representation to me of a vulnerable and dying Christ. Jesus was allowing me to clothe him, and look after him, by caring for his ‘brother.’
     “After a quiet moment or two, trying to assimilate these powerful impressions, I asked Neil if he would like to pray. ‘Yes, I’d like that,’ he whispered. I prayed first. I have no idea what I said. When I was done, I thought Neil might have fallen asleep. But then he spoke, whispered, into the stillness of that room. He didn’t address his prayer to anyone, just spoke. And the words he spoke were words of blessing upon me. He knew he was dying, yet he asked nothing for himself; instead, he blessed me! Then he was so quiet and still, I thought again that he might have drifted off. But he spoke once more, without opening his eyes, and his voice this time was clear and surprisingly strong.
     “‘In the name of Jesus.’
     “Apart from saying good-bye, they were the last words I ever heard him speak. When I visited him again a couple of days later, he was curled up in a tight little ball, unconscious. A week after that, he was gone.[1]

Why do we not see Christ in the “others”? We see those who are different from us through lenses that, as we will talk about in our next post, demand that “they” become like “us.” It’s only in serving them that we can see Christ in them. As we become Christ to them, they become Christ to us.

[1] Greg Paul, God in the Alley: Being and Seeing Jesus in a Broken World, cited in The Kingdom Life: A Practical Theology of Discipleship and Spiritual Formation (pp. 221-223).

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The Shepherd's Voice

Idols in the Heart

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Then certain of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. And the word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them? Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols, that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from me through their idols” (Ezekiel 14:1-5).

As we reach the end of yet another year, it’s time to reflect on the past 12 months. At the beginning of the year, many were talking about “20/20 vision,” and developing a vision for the year. Being an election year in America, many found hope in both major candidates and proclaimed that they were the hope of America. Then COVID-19 hit. Masks. Lockdowns. Isolation. While the year started out with great promise to many, the year has seen America more divided than ever–and the church fares little better.

Don’t worry, though, this is not a post about politics–except to say this: Neither Donald Trump nor Joe Biden are the hope of America (or any other country). 

No, this is a post about what the church has learned (or rather still needs to learn) from this year. There have been some things exposed that need to be dealt with in the church, if she is to reclaim her biblical identity and mission.

Idolatry in the Heart

What is the root cause of such nasty division? How could the church, bought with the very blood of Christ turn in on itself in such dramatic fashion to make many believers ashamed? This goes beyond political stances or even disagreements on non-fundamental theological issues. The root cause of this is idolatry. “Idolatry? Here in America?” Certainly. We tend to think of idols in terms of tangible things. A statue. A crucifix. Something to take to a priest to be blessed. 

The truth is, however, that idolatry is firstly a condition of the heart. Notice what the Lord said to Ezekiel in this passage: “Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces” (v. 3, emphasis added). The elders that came to the prophet had idols in their hearts. They were not openly worshipping false gods or images. They were outwardly following the rules. Yet, the Lord pinpointed the real truth, that their hearts were full of idolatry.

How does one have an idol in the heart? When one worships, serves, and/or gives primacy of place to the idol. What kind of idols are we talking about? Anything and anyone can become an idol. Money is an obvious one, so is power, fame, etc. There is, however, one big idol that the western church has not only overlooked but has embraced in large measures: the idol of Christian Americanism.

What is that? What does that mean? The idol of Christian Americanism says that to be an American Christian you must think, vote, and act a certain way. It holds aloft the ideals of democracy, freedom, and individualism, proclaiming them as gospel truths–and indeed almost synonymous with the gospel. At the base of this idol is the foundational idea of “my rights.” Americans have rights. Humans have rights. 

What’s wrong with those things? Aren’t they good? In a way, they are very good. All should be treated as equal and treated as image-bearers of God. Yet, the concepts of democratic individualism and “rights” have done more damage to the church than most of the heresies throughout her history.

While we are individuals and the gospel celebrates our uniqueness, we are joined to others in the Body of Christ. Democratic individualism undermines the corporate identity of the church.

While we are never to place another person above (or alongside) God, we are called to give up our rights in favor of the benefit of others.

The idol of Christian Americanism is not much different than the lie of the serpent to Eve: You can do it your own way. You can be your own god. That is admittedly a strong statement. Yet, what else are we to say when believers turn on each other as they have? What else are we to say when a believer judges another’s salvation based on political stances? What else are we to say when a believer flippantly regards proper directives from authority, simply because he or she disagrees with them–or worse yet because he or she refuses to recognize said authority?

Over the past weeks on social media I have witnessed:

  • believers calling for civil war in the wake of the election
  • believers refusing to recognize the President-elect, saying “he’s not and won’t be my President”
  • believers refusing to follow mask mandates in the midst of the COVID crisis because “it’s illogical and doesn’t make sense”
  • believers saying or implying that if one votes for a particular candidate, he or she must not be a Christian (both sides are guilty of this)
  • believers making fun of, mocking, or implying that those who wear masks are silly, babies, walking in fear, or worse yet, duped by the government (and perhaps traitors).

The Stumbling Block of Iniquity

Notice what verse 3 also says about the idols of the heart. The one who has an idol in his heart has set a stumbling block before himself. He will trip and fall because of his own idolatry. And he will fall into iniquity. One cannot avoid falling into sin when they are being led by idols. It’s impossible. In the passage, the Lord says, “Should I let myself be inquired at all by them?” The tone of the question is, “Why would they even think that I’d listen to them when they try to inquire of me while their heart is full of idolatry?” This happened in Israel and it is certainly happening today. Many who profess Christ have set up such idols in their heart. What does the Lord say about that one who does inquire of the Lord with those idols?

I the LORD will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols, that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from me through their idols (vv. 4-5).

There are several things we need to understand and heed in this passage:

  • Idolatry in the heart estranges one from the Lord. Notice the Lord mentions “the house of Israel, who are all estranged from me through their idols.” Like Israel, a believer can become estranged from the Lord through idols of the heart. He has set his idols up in his heart as god.
  • The Lord will answer the idolatrous one “according to the multitude of his idols” (NKJV). He will give the idolatrous one over to his idols. This is similar to the language of Romans 1 where the Gentiles are said to be given over to their idols and the lies that they have believed. What does that mean? It means the idolatrous one will become more and more set in idolatry.
  • The Lord does this because He wants the whole heart. The Lord tells Ezekiel, “that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel.” The NET says “in order [that I may] capture the hearts.” How does this work? As with all sin, in order to truly repent of it, one must come to the end of self. The Lord gives over the idolater to the iniquity of his idols so that he may eventually see the emptiness of those idols. That is not a pleasant journey. Solomon took a similar journey, and he said, “Vanity! All is vanity!” 

A Call to Repent

What must the church do? The answer to idolatry is always repentance. We must be willing to ask the Holy Spirit to identify and expose the idols of the heart so that we may repent of and forsake them. We must distance ourselves from the idol of Christian Americanism.To do that we must remember:

  • we are first and foremost citizens of heaven and that we are aliens and strangers here
  • this world–let alone this country–is not our home
  • we are citizens of a kingdom–with a King; though he does not physically reign yet, his rules still apply to his subject
  • we are called to look out for others first; if wearing a mask is to the advantage of another then we should lay down any supposed rights and do so

Above all we must repent and repair the breaches within the church. We must go to brothers and sisters that we have hurt through our idolatry. And we must be willing for the Lord to show us those people. For those of us who have been hurt, we must find the grace to forgive.

Let 2020 pass away. Let 2021 mark a new beginning, where the Bride of Christ reclaims her identity.

Behold, I am doing a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.
The wild beasts will honor me,
    the jackals and the ostriches,
for I give water in the wilderness,
    rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
    the people whom I formed for myself
that they might declare my praise. Isaiah 43:19-21

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The Shepherd's Voice

The Law of the Lord II (Ps. 119:17-32)

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Deal bountifully with your servant,
    that I may live and keep your word.
Open my eyes, that I may behold
    wondrous things out of your law.
I am a sojourner on the earth;
    hide not your commandments from me!
My soul is consumed with longing
    for your rules at all times.
You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones,
    who wander from your commandments.
Take away from me scorn and contempt,
    for I have kept your testimonies.
Even though princes sit plotting against me,
    your servant will meditate on your statutes.
Your testimonies are my delight;
    they are my counselors.

My soul clings to the dust;
    give me life according to your word!
When I told of my ways, you answered me;
    teach me your statutes!
Make me understand the way of your precepts,
    and I will meditate on your wondrous works.
My soul melts away for sorrow;
    strengthen me according to your word!
Put false ways far from me
    and graciously teach me your law!
I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
    I set your rules before me.
I cling to your testimonies, O Lord;
    let me not be put to shame!
I will run in the way of your commandments
    when you enlarge my heart! — Psalms 119:1-16

When traveling to another country, we often encounter different cultures and social rules. A traveler from America going to France, for example, might be quite confused with the differences in culture. A traveler from Japan visiting America would definitely be shocked at some of our cultural differences. One can even see differences in culture traveling to different parts of the same country.

A Sojourner in Another Country

If one were only visiting for a short time, such things might only become a nuisance. but if one is planning to live in the new country, many problems can arise. This is the situation in which the Psalmist finds himself in this part of Psalm 119. Notice what he writes in verse 19: I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me! The word translated sojourner simply means “a guest, visitor, foreigner.” The Psalmist finds himself in a place that is not home but in which he has to live. It’s the same idea employed by the writer of Hebrews when talking of the saints of old: 

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth (Hebrews 11:13, emphasis added).

So, the Psalmist, like the other Old Testament saints is acknowledging that he too is in a place other than home, a place through which he is passing. Notice what he says after that acknowledgment: don’t hide your commandments from me! Translation? “I’m in a strange and unfamiliar place, a place in which I don’t know how to live. Tell me how to live here!”In fact, this part of the Psalm opens with a plea for grace: Deal bountifully with your servant . . . open my eyes . . . (vv. 17-18). He continues to ask God for mercy and grace to understand His ways. 

He wants to know the Lord’s ways for living so intensely that his “soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times” (v. 20). He knows that the Lord rebukes and disciplines “the insolent, accursed ones who wander from your commandments” (v. 21). He reminds the Lord that he longs to know and obey the Lord’s ways, to avoid that scorn and contempt. Indeed, he doesn’t care if the power people of the land sit plotting against him; the Psalmist’s mind will be on the Lord’s ways (vv. 23-24).

Difficulties on the Journey

The Psalmist’s journey is hard, he says. Notice the two examples he gives:

My soul clings to the dust . . . 
My soul melts away for sorrow . . . 

What does he say each time?

Give me life according to your word!
Give me strength according to your word!

The Psalmist says the Lord’s word is what he needs. Can’t you hear him say to the Lord, “When I told of my ways, you answered me; teach me your statutes” (v. 26)? Not only did he tell the Lord how difficult his way has been but this also has the idea of confession–wandering from the path. Again, he implores the Lord to teach him. 

As the Lord teaches him, the Psalmist changes his position, so to speak. At first his soul was clinging to the dust, now he says, “I cling to your testimonies, O Lord” (v. 31). He has begun to walk in the ways of the Lord, holding fast to His statues and testimonies.

A Word for Today

Like the Psalmist and the saints of the Old (and New) Testament, we are also sojourners, aliens and strangers on this earth. Though we are fallen (and redeemed), we were not created for the fallen world we live in. Thus, we need the Lord to show us how to live in this world. The Psalmist reminds us to cling to the Lord and His Word–not only referring to the written Word, also to the ultimate Word, Christ.

As we do cling to His precepts and testimonies, an amazing thing begins to happen. Notice the last thing the Psalmist says. He is now not walking but running “in the way of your commandments” (v. 32). Though the ESV translates it as “when you enlarge my heart,” it may also be translated as “when you set my heart free.” This is perhaps a preferable translation, and that is exactly what the Lord does for us at salvation. He frees us to know, live in, walk in, and eventually run in His ways.

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The Shepherd's Voice

The Sin Behind the Sin

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In a previous post (“The Root of the Problem,” 9/30/19), we talked about our underlying fear/belief that God is not as good as He claims to be. Now, as a believer, part of me wants to believe that He is. We are told that God is good. We are encouraged to memorize Scriptures to learn that God is good. But still, we have this nagging belief that He is not.

Unfulfilled Longings

Now, if God is not good, how does that affect me? Besides the fact there is a God who I believe is not good who holds my eternal destiny in His hand, there is the fact that I need and want things, and God doesn’t give them to me as I think He should. We were all created with longings in our soul, and we feel the ache in our soul when we sense that those longings are not being met.

Look at what Scripture says about the creation of man:

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” (Gen. 1:26).

We can draw out two things from this verse about the nature of humanity. First, notice that we were created for relationship and community. God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” God exists as an Eternal Community (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Each relates to the others in perfect love, connection, and harmony. Thus, when man was created in God’s image, part of that is necessarily a longing for relationship.

Second, notice that man was given a purpose: “Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” We still have that purpose. We thus have a longing for impact, to be a part of the eternal plan, to make a lasting difference in our world.

The Root of All Sin

What does this have to do with our belief that God is not good? Remember those longings that we just identified? Those will only be fully met in a perfect world. We were designed for a perfect world–a world of no sin, corruption, or pain. In such a world we would be loved fully and unconditionally, we would likewise love unconditionally and sacrificially, and we would find ourselves having impact on those around us and our world.

But, we don’t live in that world. We live in a world that is fallen–along with us. We experience hurt, rejection, and pain–and often cause the same to others. Worse yet, we experience the ache of these longings that will never be fully experienced until eternity. So, in our fallen state, we want those aches to go away. Now. And since we believe that God is not good, that He won’t provide what we think we need and want on our terms, we decide that we have to arrange for it ourselves.

That’s exactly the path that Eve and then Adam took. Eve decided that God wasn’t good, that He was holding out on her. She sought a way to provide for her own satisfaction. Likewise, Adam decided God wasn’t good because He had not (in Adam’s view) provided a way for Adam to deal with the confusion he now faced. He thus took matters into his hand, leading his wife down the path of self-gratification.

This is the root of all sin, no matter what form it takes. We want life to work. And we are determined to make it work for us, apart from God–because we view Him as not good. Even those of us who have been born again struggle with this. We want to take the principles of Scripture and make them rules. However, we forget that those principles (and we) were designed for a perfect world.

Moving Into Dependence

If all sin essentially boils down to living independently of God, making life work in our own way, then the answer to the sin question does not lie in more Bible reading, prayer, accountability, etc.–though those are good and necessary things. I know that might shock you, especially if you come from a background that emphasizes this. “Oh, you’re struggling? Get into the Word and find the principles that you are not applying and apply them to your life. Pray more. Get involved in ministry more.” The truth is that those things are strong medicine for the soul. But, if we are using them to continue to make life “work,” then they are worse than a band-aid.

The answer to independence is dependence. We must acknowledge our deepest fear that God is not good, despite what the Bible teaches us. We must turn to Him in dependence and trust. Now, this is no easy task, because the times we must depend on Him the most are the hardest and darkest times of life–those times when we desperately seek answers to questions and relief from real pain.

Part of our quest to make life work for us is that we avoid or minimize the pain of life–especially relational pain. If we are to grow, to become like Christ, we must be willing to face that pain–even embracing it–so that He can show Himself good beyond our wildest imaginings and dreams of what “good” is like.

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The Shepherd's Voice

Toward Christ: A Model for Biblical Change

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You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets (Matt. 22:37-40).

In this post we’re going to begin our discussion of biblical change. What does it mean to change? What does change look like? To put the question another way, “What is the goal of biblical change?” Of course, we all know what the word change means. The dictionary defines change as “[to] make or become different.” So, we want to see something different, we want to be different in our lives. But what should be different, and how do we change? These are the questions of this post.

The Goal of Change

When we look at the passage at the top of this post, we can clearly see our goal as believers. We are to love God with everything we are, and love people. In becoming like Christ, we love others. We can say, then, that the goal of biblical change is to help us move toward God in loving trust, dependence and service, and toward others in loving, sacrificial service. By implication, anything that stands in the way of that goal is to be resisted.

Defining Biblical Change

If we are to become like Christ, then we must seek change—the kind of change that will move us toward God and others in love. I suggest there are three statements that we can use to define and frame what it means to change n a biblical sense. When we understand and apply these ideas, we are on the journey to change and growth.

Many people talk of change, and indeed make changes to their life. We change jobs, schools, college majors, houses, spouses, hairstyles, and a host of other things. We seek change because we feel that something is not right, is out of place, or is missing. Similar to the check engine light on the dashboard of a car, we have a sensor in our soul that goes off. And so we try to figure out what is wrong and what needs to be changed. For many people the “change” is simply changing our circumstances or behavior.

However, if we pursue a goal of simply eliminating “bad” behavior (however that phrase is defined in a particular Christian community), we will see only outer behavior modifications based on some standards external to us. A group of people tried that about 2,000 years ago.

The Pharisees of Jesus’ day were experts in this sort of outward change. The adapted their behavior to fit the demands of the Law (at least as they saw them, which they cleverly interpreted to benefit themselves). Jesus, though, uttered strong words against this kind of “change:”

“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:20).

“You clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. . . . For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matt. 23:25-28).

Now, Jesus was speaking about and to the religious experts of the day. If anyone knew the Law, they did. They knew the words but kept their obedience on the surface. Jesus essentially said to them, “That’s not enough. Righteousness that is only outward is not righteousness at all.” So, our first foundation for change is this:

Biblical change must start from the inside, with attitudes of the heart.

Any change that does not start from attitudes of the heart puts us in the same boat as the Pharisees of Jesus’ day.

When we look back at the passage at the top of this post, we are reminded again that the Greatest Commandments are to love God and others. These commandments are relational in nature. Those who attempt to live as “lone ranger” Christians, are not taking these commandments and the implications seriously. Our second foundation for change, then, is this:

Biblical change is change that moves a person toward God and other people in love.

If love is the goal, then any change, to be called ‘biblical change,’ must move us toward that goal. By implication, anything that stands in the way of moving toward God in loving trust, dependence, and service and toward others in loving service and involvement is to be resisted and forsaken. So, our third foundation for biblical change becomes:

Biblical change involves exposing and repenting of thoughts and attitudes that promote self-protection over loving involvement.

If we understand biblical change as moving toward God and others in loving involvement, it follows that anything in us that prevents that is sinful. It’s entirely possible to have nice, socially acceptable behavior that subtly violates the command to love. This is particularly true if the behavior is designed to protect ourselves from criticism, rejection, or other emotional pain.

As we’ll discover on this journey of growth, the kind of change that the Bible commands can be difficult. The flesh is very deceptive, making us think we are being “good Christians,” when in fact we are simply trying to protect ourselves or get what we want. We must ask the Spirit to “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23-24). As we do that, we find ourselves closer to the goal of love.

Next post in the series

Material in this post is adapted from my book, Keys to the Kingdom: Foundations for Growth and Change, available on the website.

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The Shepherd's Voice

Confidence After Passing the Tests (1 John 5:13-21)

Posted on by The Shepherd's Voice

[Note: This is the final post in a six-part series looking at the First Epistle of John. Some of the material is adapted from my commentary That You May Know: The First Letter of John. During this series, we won’t necessarily touch on every single verse, but will look at the major messages that 1 John presents.]

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
   If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.
    We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols (1 John 5:13-21, ESV).

The whole book of 1 John is about assurance of salvation and the evidence of a believer. We’ve seen John lay out the criteria, and we’ve seen the tests that a believer will pass. In this post, we’ll talk about what happens when one passes those tests (tests of love and sound doctrine).

Before talking about how we can have confidence before God, John returns to his original purpose. He writes, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (v. 13). This is really the key verse of the entire book. Aas we have said throughout our studies, context rules. And the purpose of an author behind the letter helps us better understand and interpret the letter.

Confiedence in Prayer (vv. 13-17)

The first confidence we can have after passing the test is in prayer. John writes in vv. 14-15, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”

John’s logic is straightforward: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us (the idea is that God active inclines His ear to listen to us). And since we know that He hears us, if we have asked according ot His will, we will have what we ask.

We need to be careful here. These verses (and others like them) have caused a lot of confusion in the church. John is not giving the believer a “blank check,” as it were, to presume upon God. Notice that He says, “if we ask anything according to His will.” That is an important qualifier. As in previous posts, this does not mean that we should pray wimpy prayers! God calls us to pray in faith and with confidence according to our standing as redeemed sons and daughters. At the same time, we are always to be in submission to His will (see Luke 22:42 for Jesus’ own example of this).

There is another qualification that John mentions about our confidence in prayer. In vv. 16-17, John speaks of a brother who commits a sin “leading to death.” The nature of this sin has sparked confusion in the church for centuries, and we won’t be resolving the debate here. Whatever this sin is, it seems to put the person “over the line,” so to speak, where there is no turning back. Thus, the person would not repent of the sin in question. Some believers who struggle with asurance are prone to wonder if they have committed this sin. If you have such a concern, know that the fact that you can ask the question shows that you have to crossed that line.

Confidence in Living For God (vv. 18-19)

The second thing that John tells us we can be confident about is that we will grow in our faith. John writes in v. 18 that, “We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.” There are two important things we need to mention here.

First is John’s use of “keep on sinning.” Rmember that John often speaks of habitual sin, not just single acts. Does he mean that we’ll become perfectly sinless in this life? Not at all. 1 John 1:5-10 tells us that if we deny that we have sin we deceive ourselves. However, what will happen is that we will sin less and less. Living righteously has become our way of life, and committing sin is now the exception to the rule. Paul echoes John’s teaching here when he writes, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6, emphasis added).

The second thing we should mention is the second half of verse 18. John writes that “he who was born of God protects him.” The preferred rendering here is “He,” indicating Christ. Otherwise, you have the believer protecting himself, which is contrary to what Jesus said in John 10:28-29. At the same time, John writes that “the evil one does not touch him.” Depending on which “him” John is referring to, two interpretations are possible:

  • John refers to Christ, which would mean that Satan indeed cannot “touch” Him (absolute protection).
  • John refers to the believer. In context, this is the preferred meaning. However, we know that believers do suffer trials, harm, and hardship. What does this verse mean, then? It has more the sense of “lay hold of.” The evil one may bring trouble into the life of the believer (as he did with Job), but nothing will come into the believer’s life apart from the will of God or that would hinder His purposes.

Confidence in Knowing the Truth (vv. 20-21)

Finally, John assures the believers that we can have confidence in knowing the truth (“understanding,” v. 20). The heretics of John’s day taught that only they held the truth, and in order to really understand the truth, one had to join their group.

We see that same idea very prevalent today, both inside and outside the church. Groups claim their ideas are “the truth.” But any claim to truth must, as John has shown, be subject to the evidences and tests he laid out earlier.

John’s closing comment, “Keep yourselves from idols,” may seem like a strange way to close a letter. When we remember, however, that an idol is anything (person, thing, even an idea) that sets itself up against the Truth or seek to draw us from Christ, then the statement is not quite so odd. John is issuing a final warning to hold fast to Christ–the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Takeaways From This Passage

  1. As we grow in understanding and walk in obedience to Christ, we move from simple assurance of our salvation to a place of confidence before God. (This confidence is not in ourselves, of course, but in Christ and the work He is doing within us.)
  2. We can be confident that He hears our prayers, and so we are encouraged to come boldly before the throne of grace in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
  3. We can be confident that He is committed to completing the good work He started in us. As we continue to walk with Christ, He will give us understanding of the truth and we will continue to grow and change.
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The Shepherd's Voice

The Tests of the Believer (1 John 4:1-5:12)

Posted on by The Shepherd's Voice

[Note: This is part 5 in a six-part series looking at the First Epistle of John. Some of the material is adapted from my commentary That You May Know: The First Letter of John. During this series, we won’t necessarily touch on every single verse, but will look at the major messages that 1 John presents.]

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

    Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

    By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

    Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

    This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 4:1-5:12).

Today, we continue our look at 1 John. John has now talked about the marks of the believer, and also given some counter-examples. Like a good teacher, he tells his readers what is needed to pass the test. Then, he proceeds to lay out the tests. That is the subject of this passage. One who understands and applies these tests can not only be assured of salvation for themselves but will also be equipped to spot true and false believers in the fellowship.

Test #1: Test the Spirits (4:1-6)

The first part of the test measures how well a believer can distinguish between the Spirit of God and other spirits. The context seems to suggest that he is referring specifically to so-called prophets (v.1). He tells the believers to “test” (“try,” KJV) the spirits to see whether they be from God. Paul apparently gave a similar instruction to the Christians of Berea concerning his own teaching, since Acts records that they searched the Scriptures to see whether what Paul said was true (Acts 17:11-12).

What is the test? John tells us that any spirit (speaking through a person) that confesses that Jesus has come in the flesh is of God, but any spirit that does not confess Jesus is not of God—indeed is the spirit of antichrist (vv. 2-3). John is not laying out some strict formula here. He is not necessarily advocating that a believer ask the person, “What do you think of Jesus?” The sense, rather, is that the spirit behind the prophet will be obvious in what he teaches about Christ. Nowhere in Scripture is it commanded that we interrogate a spirit or a prophet. The assumption is that a true believer, grounded in the truth, will be able to tell. Verses 5-6 support this, in that the implication is that if a prophet is teaching anything at odds with apostolic teaching, it will be obvious to the congregation (“by this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error,” v. 6).

Test #2: Test of Love (4:7-12)

The second part of the test is one of love. The test is meant to cause the believer to ask, “Do I (or another believer) love others as God loves them?” John reminds us that “God is love” (v. 8b). Because God is love, one who does not love does not know God. Then John reminds us of what looks like: God sent His Son into the world so that we might live through Him (v. 9), and He loved us (before we could even think of loving Him) and sent His Son to pay the penalty for our sins (v. 10).

Test #3: Test of Doctrine (4:13-15)

The third part of the test seems at first glance to be a repeat of the first. It is a test of doctrine. Yet, it is a different question here. The first test sought to test the spirit behind a prophetic utterance. This test seeks to determine the actual belief and commitment of a person claiming to know God. The question is a simple one: “Who do you say that Jesus is?” (As opposed to the first test, in which we said that question may not be appropriate or useful.)

There are two confessions here. First, Jesus is the Son of God. In saying that, one confesses that Jesus is one with God (begotten, not created). Second, Jesus was sent to be the Savior of the world. Note here that He was not sent just to save the Jewish nation, but “the world.” Indeed, Christ testified of that when He gave one of His most well-known statements of all time: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16-17). 

Though not stated in the text, the two confessions are inextricably linked, and John says that anyone who confesses Jesus as the Son of God, and thus as his Savior, has God abiding in him. The reverse is also true. Anyone who does not confess Jesus as the Son of God, rejecting His work as Savior, does not have God.

Takeaways:  Results of the Test (4:16-5:12)

At first glance, this section seems to be a series of loose repetitions of what John has already taught. In truth, however, it is John showing the results of the tests put forth. We are told what happens when one passes the tests (i.e., is a true believer). Here is what we learn:  

First, “we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us” (4:16). In the modern church, there seems to be a serious lack of the understanding of the love of God for the believer. Many suffer from a lack of trust in the Father’s love and goodness. Once someone has come to truly know and believe the love of God and abides in that love, John says His love is perfected in us (made complete).  

Second, because the love of God is being perfected in us, we “have confidence for the day of judgment” (v. 17). We have confidence because we are no longer afraid (v. 18). Here John speaks of fear in the sense of terror, not in the sense of the positive “fear of the Lord” that is holy and reverent.  

Third, one who has passed the tests loves his brother.  John says that it’s impossible for one to claim to love God yet hate his brother (v. 20). His logic is unassailable here. It is much easier to love one we can see and touch. Therefore, if one cannot love the one they can see and touch, how can he claim to love the One who is unseen, the One that we interact with through faith? He further ties all of this together. Keeping the commandments necessarily includes loving God and loving the brethren (5:2).

Before moving on, John reminds us that Christ’s commandments are not “burdensome” (v. 3). That is not to say that the act of love is not difficult at times or that a believer will not struggle. “Burdensome” in this context can be compared to the law which was called a yoke and a burden by other writers such as Peter and Paul. It was a burden because the people did not, in themselves have the power to obey, whereas now the Spirit-indwelt believer, with the new heart, has the power to obey; the law is written on his heart.  

Fourth, the one who passes the tests overcomes the world (v. 4). When the New Testament writers speak of overcoming the world, they do so in the sense of the spiritual. That is to say that one who has overcome the world has held steadfast to his faith and has not given in to the lusts and temptations of the world. It is through our faith that we overcome the world. John pointedly remarks that the only one capable of overcoming the world is the one who “believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (v. 5).   Finally, John tells us that whoever passes the tests has the very testimony of God within him. This testimony is concerning the One who came by water (referring to Christ’s baptism) and the blood (his death on the cross).  Whoever receives the Son of God (i.e., trusts in Him for salvation) has this testimony in himself (v. 10a). But, whoever denies the Son of God does not have the testimony, and also is calling God a liar. The testimony is that God has given His Son to us that we might have eternal life through Him (vv. 11-12).

Continue to Part 6 of this series ===>>

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The Shepherd's Voice

Hindrances to the Mission–Money

Posted on by The Shepherd's Voice

From the title of this post, you “might” conclude that you’re going to read about an encouragement to give to missions. Well, giving to missions is of course needed! “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent” (Rom. 10:14-15). What we give to support missionaries is vitally important.

But, that’s a topic for another day, another blog post. Today’s topic is more personally focused.  As the Christian musician Steve Green put it, our mission is “a call to deepen our devotion to the cross of Christ at any price. . . . The heartbeat of our mission is to love the Lord our God.” One of the hindrances to our mission, then, is a wrong view of the topic of money. Now there are a lot of views on the subject of money in the Christian life. What is the biblical view of money? That’s what we will look at today.

First, the Bible treats the subject of money as both the same as, as well as different from, other earthly possessions (stuff and things). That is to say that money, in one sense, is just another possession that one can accumulate. At the same time, however, on this earth money has power. We see it every day. People with money are treated differently than others. Some people think that economic inequality is the real problem.  However, the real problem is the results of that. When Bill Gates, Tim Cook, and the like are treated better than John Smith from Main Street simply because of their bank accounts and influence, that is the problem.

Contrary to some folks, the solution is not to start a class war and redistribute wealth and try to make everyone equal. The root of the problem is spiritual, not financial. Thus, we must change our view of money and possessions.

The Gospel makes it clear that anything that hinders us from fully trusting in God, whether for salvation or in our daily lives, must be forsaken. Jesus made it even more clear: “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). Must we actually abandon everything? In some cases, absolutely. Jesus did, after all, tell the rich young ruler to sell all he had and then “come and follow Me.” And we know that the man went away “very sad, for he was extremely rich” (Luke 18:23).

Now, why was he sad? Not just because he was rich, but because he loved his riches more than God. Jesus called the man to part with them, and he could not do so. He will also ask us to part with anything that is preventing us from being fully devoted to Him. In some cases, that means we lose a lot—or everything. But we have Him. And that is exactly how He wants it.

Let’s talk about some common questions when it comes to money, wealth and poverty.

Q: Is wealth a sign of God’s favor?

In the Old Testament, God promised to bless Israel for as she was obedient to Him. In turn, the covenant also contained curses for disobedience. These blessings and curses were primarily directed at the nation as a whole, though they also applied to individuals—though not all the time.  For example, God granted Solomon and David riches and honor. Why? Because they were faithful to Him (in Solomon’s case, at least for the first part of his reign). Yet, the same thing cannot be said of others. The Levites weren’t even allowed to own land, for “the Lord is your portion.”

We cannot say that money is always a sign of God’s favor, especially for those who have become wealthy at the expense of others.

Q: Is poverty a curse?

There is a teaching in certain segments of the church that says, “If you are poor or struggling financially, something is wrong in your life.”  The teaching suggests that poverty is a curse, and even Christians can suffer from it. Considering the answer to our first question, we must say again, “Not necessarily.”  Jesus was poor. And while He became poor “that we might be rich,” those riches are more spiritual than physical. Again, Jesus did instruct the rich young ruler to sell all he had.

What do we say, then, to a person or a family who is faithful to Christ, gives as they are able out of a grateful heart, and still struggles financially? Do we tell them to repent of some unknown sin? Pray more? Have more faith? Break the curse?

A better counsel would be, “My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches.” Poverty, when understood rightly, can drive us to seek Christ. We have nothing, He has everything. We are nothing, He is everything.

The idea that poverty is a curse generally comes from the Old Testament (see question above). However, if one applies that curse to the believer, then the other curses apply as well, since the law is a unified whole. To accept one part of the law is to accept all, and to stumble at one point is to be guilty of the law. For the believer, though, the curse has been broken because Christ became a curse for us.

Q: Is money in itself evil?

By teaching “renounce all,” some might wonder if I think money is inherently evil. This is not the case, and it’s not a position supported by Scripture. Money is a possession that, like other possessions, can be used to buy things we want and need. However, Jesus did often comment on “the deceitfulness of riches” (Matt. 13:22; Mark 4:19). This suggests that, as we said above, in this world money carries worldly power, and that while money is not evil per se, it has an inbuilt corrupting influence. Money, along with many other things, can easily draw a person away from God. Money makes it easy to trust in oneself.

Paul echoes this point when he says the love of money is the root of all evil. And it’s easy to love money, not only because of the status it can buy, but also because it gives us a form of security. It’s possible (and common) for a middle-class or even one who is poor to ‘love’ money.

Implications of This Teaching

First, we must not seek wealth or earthly power in any form. Those things have an inherent corrupting influence. They entangle us in things that believers ought not be entangled in. Along those lines, we must not see money as our security, regardless of our socio-economic status. Our security is to be found in Christ, not anything or anyone else.

While we’re on this subject, this includes the idea of seeking God’s blessing “to bless others.” That is a subtle trap that many fall into, disguising their longing for earthly blessings in spiritual terms.  Blessings are for the Lord to dispense, and that includes the means of that dispensing. We are to seek Him and Him only, leaving the blessings up to His sovereignty.

Second, we should not seek poverty, unless it is special call from the Holy Spirit. (“Leave all you have and follow Me.”) The Lord calls each of us in various stations in life. The Bible teaches clearly that we are to learn to be content in both want and plenty, for He provides all we need. We are to seek Him and allow Him to provide our needs.

Third, we must abandon ourselves to Him. He calls His disciples to renounce all. What does this mean? It means that if He takes something or someone from us, we are to acknowledge that it or they are His. Even if, in His wisdom, He takes all we have, we are to cling to Him—not in the hopes of getting it back, but because He is truly all we need.

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The Shepherd's Voice

Marks of the Believer Part 2: 1 John 3:1-24

Posted on by The Shepherd's Voice

[Note: This is part 4 in a six-part series looking at the First Epistle of John. Some of the material is adapted from my commentary That You May Know: The First Letter of John. During this series, we won’t necessarily touch on every single verse, but will look at the major messages that 1 John presents.]

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us (1 John 3:1-24).

Today, we continue our study of 1 John. After pausing briefly to discuss the characteristics of an “anti-Christ” (“Antichrists Among Us: 1 John 2:18-29”), John now turns back to the marks or evidences of a follower of Christ. How can we know that we are saved and in Christ? In addition to being theological in nature, this section has strong practical implications and teachings. (Which is, after all, the goal of good theology—to change us and our behavior to align us with God’s Word.)  It also takes us on a journey, from grace and hope to confidence and assurance before God. Read in its entirety, it’s a great encouragement to continue in the faith.

Grace and hope lead to purity (vv. 1-3).

John’s opening words in chapter 3 are meant to evoke a response of “Wow!” And, in truth, once a believer truly understands what has been done for him, that reaction is quite natural. The guilty are forgiven, but that’s not all. They are called righteous in God’s sight, but that’s not all. The ones who were once guilty and alienated from God are called children of God! And if that weren’t enough, we are promised, as children of God, that one day we shall be like Him, once again morally perfect without any spot or blemish.

Some things that stand out here:

  • Not only are we “called” (declared) children of God, but “so we are” (v. 1). There’s a difference between simply being declared a child of God (in a judicial sense) and actually “being one” (in the sense of nature or identity). We are children of God. We are Beloved of the Father.
  • Because we are in fact children of God, we are no longer children of the world. Thus, John says, the world does not know us (v. 2). In the same way, the world did (and does) not know Christ.
  • The end goal is not to just be with Christ. It is to be like Him. And John encourages us to remember that it will happen. It is a certain hope, not simply wishful thinking. And “everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (v. 3). It is that very hope that enables and encourages us to live pure.

Purity means practicing righteousness (vv. 4-10).

To be pure, according to John, is to practice righteousness (v. 7). As we have said many times over, John refers to “the practice of” righteousness, rather than any single act (the same way he looks at sin). A broken clock shows the correct time sometimes. But a working clock does so consistently. In the same way, a believer will consistently, if not perfectly, practice righteousness. The unbeliever, however, is like the broken clock. He cannot help but live a life of sin. John reminds us that the one who practices sin also practices lawlessness. This is because the unbeliever is living as a law unto himself, rather than doing the will of God.

The implication of this, then, is that one who claims to know God yet has not changed from a life of habitual sin has never encountered or known Him, John says. And one who has truly encountered Christ and abides in him cannot help but change from a life of sin to one of righteousness (v. 6). The change may–indeed will–be progressive, but it will absolutely take place, because one who has God’s seed in him cannot help it (v. 9). The practice of righteousness, then, is one of the surest marks of a believer (v. 10).

Practicing righteousness includes loving the brethren (vv. 11-18).

The message that John is reminding his readers is the same one he taught them “from the beginning” (v. 11). The message is that we should love one another.  He then gives a pointed contrast. We should not be like Cain, who killed his brother Abel. Why did Cain kill Abel, John asks? He gives two answers. First, because Cain was “of the evil one” (v. 12). Cain had no fear of or faith in God. How do we know this? Because of John’s second reason: “Because [Cain’s] deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous” (v. 12b). The Lord confirmed this position when He told Cain, “If you do well, will you not be accepted” (Gen. 4:7). The implication is that Cain’s offering was unacceptable to the Lord, and the context suggests that it was because of Cain’s attitude. Therefore, John says, just as Cain hated his brother (hatred being the seed of murder), we should not be surprised that the world hates us.

When we can say we love the brothers (here John seems to focus on the household of faith), “we have passed out of death into life” (v. 14). For, whomever hates his brother walks in darkness. (This is the same conclusion that he gave in 2:9-11 when he mentions loving the brothers.) Further, the one who hates his brother “is a murderer,” John concludes (again, hatred being the seed of murder). This is clearly equivalent to Jesus’ teaching on murder (Matt. 5:21-22).

John concludes this statement with a blunt observation: “And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (v. 15). How are we to take this statement? Does it suggest that murder is an unforgivable sin? For various reasons, that cannot be the case. John’s point here, as in many other places, is simply that one who continues to allow hatred to dwell in his heart is not a true believer. We are not talking about a single act, but rather the attitude of the heart. The Gospel, according to John, sets one free from hatred.

One might then ask John, “What does loving my brother look like?” His answer is very practical: “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him” (vv. 16-17). Love of the brothers consists of generous giving. We place others above ourselves. James would wholeheartedly agree with these statements (see James 1:27; 2:15-16). Love is practical and active. Otherwise it is useless. As John puts it, “Let us love in deed and truth, not just word or talk” (v.18).

Practicing righteousness leads to assurance before God (3:19-24).

A believer who truly practices righteousness and loves the brethren can find assurance before God, John writes. He first addresses an anxious question, that of the one whose heart condemns them (vv. 19-20). We can be assured in two ways: First, if we know that we are practicing righteousness and love toward the brethren as best we know, then we can be assured that we are in Christ. Second, even if our heart should condemn us, God is greater than our heart and knows everything (including our heart).

Can a believer’s heart condemn him? Most certainly. Whether it be from an immature conscience, unrealized sin, or simply the ever-present attacks by the enemies of Christ, it is not uncommon for true believers to experience guilt, doubt and anxiety. This is why John gives this encouragement.

The apostle then turns to the rest–those that have clean hearts that do not condemn them. To these he says that they can have “confidence” before God. This distinction is not by accident. The one who is condemned by their heart, though they are truly saved, can hardly have true confidence in the midst of anxiety, guilt and doubt. But when one is in a place of having a clean heart, then such a person can truly step out with the boldness of Christ to do His will, asking what he will and receiving his requests (vv. 21-22). Such a person, John says can have that confidence because he keeps Christ’s commandments.

It’s important to point out that there is no well-defined progression from one who needs assurance to the one who has confidence before God. It is possible (and common) for a believer to be in one state at one time in his life, move to the other state, and then back to the first. This is often the result of spiritual growing pains.

Finally, John summarizes what he has told us so far: The commandment is that we believe in Jesus Christ and love one another (v. 23). And he promises that those who keep those commandments do truly abide in God and God in them (v. 24a). As a final reminder, John tells us that we can know for certain that we are God’s, by the fact that He has given His Spirit to abide in us (v. 24b).

Continue to Part 5 of this series ===>>

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