Sunday Evening Bible Study

April 8, 2001

Introduction

Purpose of the letter: John gives us four reasons for writing this letter:

(1 John 1:3 KJV) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

John wants his readers to have “fellowship” with him.

(1 John 1:4 KJV) And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

John wants his readers to have “joy”

(1 John 2:1 KJV) My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.

John wants his readers to have victory over sin.

(1 John 5:13 KJV) These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

John wants his readers to have assurance of their salvation.

Gnosticism: The heresy of Gnosticism had begun to infiltrate the church in John’s day. It taught things like:

Knowledge is best of all, better than virtue (John uses the word “know” in some 31 verses), in fact the word “knowledge” (gnosis) is the root word in “Gnostic”. You will see John put their kind of “knowledge” to the test to see if it is a true “knowledge”

1John 3

3:1-3 Hope purifies

:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

what manner – potapos – from what country, nation or tribe; of what sort or quality (what manner of)

sons – teknon – offspring, children

Lesson

It’s all about God’s love

Much of what the following passage is about all depends on this idea of the love that the Father has given to us.

Paul prayed that his readers would begin to comprehend just how wonderful this love was because it was the key to life:

(Eph 3:14-19 NLT) When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, {15} the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. {16} I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. {17} And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. {18} And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. {19} May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

sons – teknon – offspring, children

We don’t know what our resurrection bodies will be like, but we know one thing, that we will be like Him.

What was Jesus’ resurrection body like?

He could fly.

(Acts 1:9 KJV) And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

He could walk through walls.

(John 20:19 KJV) Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

He could disappear.

(Luke 24:31 KJV) And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.

Cool!

:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

that hath – present participle, continuous action

purifieth – hagnizo – ceremonially; to make pure, purify, cleanse; morally

pure – hagnos – exciting reverence, venerable, sacred; pure; pure from carnality, chaste, modest; pure from every fault, immaculate; clean

If we are aware of how much God loves us, if we are aware that Jesus is coming back soon, then we will want to be just like Him, to be pure like Him.

Lesson

True expectancy brings life change

If you truly believe that Jesus is going to come back at any moment, then your life will reflect it. You will want to be pleasing to Him when He returns.

Jesus said,

(Mat 24:44-51 NLT) You also must be ready all the time. For the Son of Man will come when least expected. {45} "Who is a faithful, sensible servant, to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his household and feeding his family? {46} If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. {47} I assure you, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. {48} But if the servant is evil and thinks, 'My master won't be back for a while,' {49} and begins oppressing the other servants, partying, and getting drunk-- {50} well, the master will return unannounced and unexpected. {51} He will tear the servant apart and banish him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The seriousness of your walk will show you just how much you believe in the soon return of Jesus Christ.

There are people who we might call “prophecy junkies”. They read all the latest books on prophecy, can tell you all about the differences between pre, mid, and post trib raptures. They can wax eloquent on the various signs of the times.

But if their life isn’t “pure”, then it says to me that they don’t really believe in what they’re studying.

A correct study in prophecy will ALWAYS affect your life.

God doesn’t tell us things prophetically just so we have something to discuss at Starbucks over a cup of coffee. He tells us to wake us up and get us serving Him.

3:4-9 Knowing Him stops sin

:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

committeth – poieo – to make; to do; present participle, continous action, “the one doing sin”

transgresseth … law – anomia – the condition of without law; contempt and violation of law, iniquity, wickedness.

Better translation, “everyone who is doing sin is also doing lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness”

This is a definition of sin, that of being “lawless”, breaking the Law of God.

:5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

was manifested – phaneroo – to make manifest or visible or known what has been hidden or unknown, to manifest, whether by words, or deeds, or in any other way

As when He was born, taking on human flesh, referring to His first coming.

take away – airo – to raise up, elevate, lift up; to take upon one’s self and carry what has been raised up, to bear; to bear away what has been raised, carry off

It’s not just the idea of Jesus having paid for our sins on the cross that’s in mind, but the idea of removing our sins away from us. Jesus didn’t just come to pay for our sins, but leave us sitting in them, but to take them away from us.

Illustration

Part of the ritual known as the “Day of Atonement” involved the high priest confessing the sins of the people over the head of a goat, and then the goat was to be taken and released into the wilderness, where it would run far away, taking the peoples’ sins with it. (Lev. 16:21-22)

Jesus doesn’t just want to forgive you when you sin, He wants to take the sin away from you.

:6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

abideth – meno – to remain, abide; present participle, continuous action

sinneth not – present tense, continuous action

whosoever sinneth – present participle, continuous action

seen – horao – to see with the eyes; to see with the mind, to perceive, know; to see, i.e. become acquainted with by experience, to experience; to see, to look to; perfect tense

known – perfect tense

If you have a life of continuous sin, it shows that you are not a person who has in the past seen and known Him in such a way that your sight and knowledge still affect you in the present.

:7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

little children – teknion – a little child; in the NT used as a term of kindly address by teachers to their disciples

deceive – planao – to cause to stray, to lead astray, lead aside from the right way; metaph. to lead away from the truth, to lead into error, to deceive. Present imperative – “let no one keep on leading you astray”

as he is righteous – ekeinos – he, that one, referring to Jesus.

The one who is doing righteousness is righteous, even as Jesus is righteous.

There were some of the Gnostics that were teaching that since the body is material, and hence evil, that there’s nothing you can do about sin, so why try to fight it? If a person is a Christian, there should be a difference in their life.

Lesson:

God desires righteousness in our lives.

I think that sometimes we seem to be able to live this dual life of coming to church, confessing our sins, feeling like we’re forgiven, then go back home and live like hell during the week.

I’ve heard lots of us pastors talk about how “positionally” we are righteous in heaven. There is a great truth to this, that in God’s eyes, He sees only Jesus when He looks at us. God sees righteousness when He looks at us.

But don’t be deceived.

If God has declared you “righteous”, then a little bit of that “righteousness” ought to leak into your life every once in a while.

:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

committeth – poieo – to make; to do; present participle – continuous action.

destroy – luo – to loose any person (or thing) tied or fastened; to loosen, undo, dissolve, anything bound, tied, or compacted together; to dissolve something coherent into parts, to destroy; metaph., to overthrow, to do away with

Lesson

Jesus gives you victory

The word “destroy” here does not mean “annihilate”, but carries more the idea of “to render inoperative, to rob of power”.

In other words, for now, you will still have times when you taste the power of Satan, but you also have the means to render His attacks inoperative.

Jesus has provided for victory over the devil:

Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy (render inoperative) him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

Jesus took on flesh, being made like us, so that He could be a proper sacrifice, substituting Himself for us. It’s through His blood that our sins are paid for, it’s through His blood that the power of sin is broken.

:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

seed – sperma – from which a plant germinates; the seed i.e. the grain or kernel which contains within itself the germ of the future plants; the semen virile; of divine energy of the Holy Spirit operating within the soul by which we are regenerated

A person who has been born by God now has a bit of God’s nature in him, God’s seed, God’s Word. This makes him different, his life different, so that he cannot just keep on sinning.

Who is your father? Who do you take after?

3:10-18 Doing good means loving others

:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

manifest – phaneros – apparent, manifest, evident, known; manifest i.e to be plainly recognised or known

doeth – present participle – continuous action

John has now made his point that you can’t claim to be related to God and still live continually in sin. Something’s got to change.

Now he’s going to give us a concrete example of what it means to not live in sin – he’s going to talk about loving each other.

:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

message – aggelia – message, announcement, news; a proclamation, command, order

we should love – agapao – of persons; to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly. Present subjunctive.

:12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

that wicked one – poneros – full of labours, annoyances, hardships; bad, of a bad nature or condition; in an ethical sense: evil wicked, bad

slew – sphazo – to slay, slaughter, butcher; to put to death by violence; mortally wounded

wherefore – charin – in favour of, for the pleasure of; for, for the sake of; on this account, for this cause

Cain was the first child of Adam and Eve.

(Gen 4:3-9 KJV) And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. {4} And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: {5} But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. {6} And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? {7} If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. {8} And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. {9} And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?

Cain was jealous of his brother Abel’s offering, and ended up killing Abel because of it.

Cain becomes the picture of the person who is a “child of the devil” (3:10) because he did not do righteousness.

He demonstrated his wickedness by hating and killing his brother.

:13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

marvel – thaumazo – to wonder, wonder at, marvel; to be wondered at, to be had in admiration

The world is made up of people who do not do “righteousness”, it’s made up of people who are the “children of the devil”. These are not people who will love others, they are people who will hate others.

So don’t be surprised is a little of their hatred comes your way.

:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

we know – perfect tense – we have known in the past and the benefits of this knowledge continue on into the present.

we have passed – metabaino – to pass over from one place to another, to remove, depart. Perfect tense, “passed over” in the past, and it still continues on today.

we love – agapao – to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly. This is not “subjunctive” here, meaning, “if we should sometimes love the brethren”, but it is indicative, “because we are continually loving the brethren”.

he that loveth not – present participle, “is not continually loving”

abideth – present tense, “is continually abiding in death”

This is one of the ways we know if we’ve passed from being “of the world”, from being a “child of the devil”, by whether or not we love others.

:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

hateth – present participle, “continually hating”

murderer – anthropoktonos – a manslayer, murderer

Cain was a murderer.

Jesus said,

(Mat 5:21-22 KJV) Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: {22} But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

perceive we – ginosko – to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel. Perfect tense.

John is again addressing the folks who are affected by the “Gnostics”, those who thought they had super special knowledge. There’s nothing incredibly difficult to understand about God’s love.

love – agape – brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence

life – psuche – breath; the breath of life; the soul

we ought – opheilo – to owe; to owe money, be in debt for; that which is due, the debt

Lesson

The Cross and God’s love

Any time you begin to doubt whether or not God loves you, look to the cross.

This is how we know that God loves us, because Jesus died on the cross for us?

When we are going through difficult times, we may begin to question God’s love for us, wondering if God is really out to destroy us.

But then, why would He have died in my place if He didn’t love me?

Lesson

True Love is sacrificial

By this time, the readers may be asking, “just how do I know if I really love someone or not?”

True love, God’s love (agape), is all about giving up your self for another.

Lesson

Love is required

We owe it to each other to love each other like Jesus loves us.

When I’ve counselled with husbands about learning to love their wives like Jesus loves the church, I’ve heard many a husband say, “That’s nice, but I’m not Jesus”. That’s not a legitimate excuse.

God doesn’t require us to do things that are impossible.

You may not be perfect in loving others, but we still need to aim at loving people like Jesus loves us.

:17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

good – bios – life; that by which life is sustained, resources, wealth, goods

seeth – theoreo – to be a spectator, look at, behold; to see

need – chreia – necessity, need

shutteth up – kleio – to shut, shut up; metaph. to shut up compassion so that it is like a thing inaccessible to one, to be devoid of pity towards one

bowels – splagchnon – bowels, intestines, (the heart, lungs, liver, etc.); the bowels were regarded as the seat of the more violent passions, such as anger and love; but by the Hebrews as the seat of the tenderer affections, esp. kindness, benevolence, compassion; hence our heart (tender mercies, affections, etc.); a heart in which mercy resides

Lesson

Risk loving others.

We need to be careful when we’ve been hurt by others, that we don’t fall into the trap of not loving anybody.

We need to follow Jesus’ example of loving the entire world, even when the world turned around turned around, rejected Him, and crucified Him.

(Col 3:12-13 KJV) Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; {13} Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

little children – teknion – a little child; in the NT used as a term of kindly address by teachers to their disciples

word – logos – of speech; a word, uttered by a living voice, embodies a conception or idea; its use as respect to the MIND alone; account, i.e. regard, consideration

tongue – glossa – the tongue, a member of the body, an organ of speech

deed – ergon – business, employment, that which any one is occupied; any product whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind; an act, deed, thing done: the idea of working is emphasised in opp. to that which is less than work

truth – aletheia – objectively; what is true in any matter under consideration

Lesson

Real love can be seen

It’s one thing if a person says they love you, but can you see it in their actions?

3:19-24 Confidence before God

:19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

we know – ginosko – to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel. Present active indicative.

before – emprosthen – in front, before; before, in the presence of, i.e. opposite to, over against one; before, in the sight of

shall assure – peitho – persuade; to persuade, i.e. to induce one by words to believe; to make friends of, to win one’s favour, gain one’s good will, or to seek to win one, strive to please one; to tranquillise; be persuaded; to trust, have confidence, be confident; Future indicative

lit., “and we shall persuade our hearts …”

We are the ones that do the assuring, that do the persuading of our own hearts.

(1 John 3:19 NIV) This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence

Lesson

Loving leads to assurance.

One of the things it takes to have confidence and peace in God’s presence is knowing that you are doing the right things.

One of the right things we ought to be doing is loving one another like He loves us.

:20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

condemn – kataginosko (“against” + “know”) – to find fault with, blame; to accuse, condemn. Present active subjunctive.

knoweth – ginosko – to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel. Present active indicative.

There are times when my own heart condemns me incorrectly. God is greater than my heart and in those circumstances does not condemn me.

Lesson

Be careful of self-condemnation

Sometimes we heap condemnation on ourselves incorrectly.

How can I tell if the Holy Spirit has been convicting me, or if I’m just condemning myself?

One way is to see the direction it’s pushing you. If it’s leading you back to the Lord, it’s the Holy Spirit. If it’s driving you away from the Lord, it’s either yourself or the devil.

When our heart is condemning us, we need to trust in God, not our heart.

God is greater than our heart, and it’s what He thinks that counts.

Rom 8:31-34 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? {32} He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? {33} Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. {34} Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

I think it’s interesting how the modern translations put this verse together and punctuate it with the previous one:

(1 John 3:19-20 NIV) This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence {20} whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

But there are times when my own heart (or conscience) condemns me correctly.

Illustration

A defendant was on trial for murder. There was strong evidence indicating guilt, but there was no corpse. In the defense’s closing statement the lawyer, knowing that his client would probably be convicted, resorted to a trick. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have a surprise for you all,” the lawyer said as he looked at his watch. “Within one minute, the person presumed dead in this case will walk into this courtroom.” He looked toward the courtroom door. The jurors, somewhat stunned, all looked on eagerly. A minute passed. Nothing happened. Finally the lawyer said, “Actually, I made up the previous statement. But, you all looked on with anticipation. I therefore put to you that you have a reasonable doubt in this case as to whether anyone was killed and insist that you return a verdict of not guilty.” The jury, clearly confused, retired to deliberate. A few minutes later, the jury returned and pronounced a verdict of guilty. “But how?” inquired the lawyer. “You must have had some doubt; I saw all of you stare at the door.” The jury foreman replied, “Oh, we looked, but your client didn’t.”

Sometimes we’re just simply guilty. And even then I need to understand that God is greater than my heart and knows just how much condemnation I need.

:21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

condemn – kataginosko – to find fault with, blame; to accuse, condemn. Present active subjunctive.

confidence – parrhesia – freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech; free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance

John is talking about the Christian who has a sensitivity to the Lord. There are some people whose conscience is seared and don’t feel anything. John isn’t talking about those people.

Lesson:

Freedom from condemnation leads to boldness in prayer.

When our heart isn’t condemning us, we find ourselves able to come boldly before God’s throne.

It’s not that we can’t come boldly when our heart is condemning us, but in our practical experience, we don’t come because we feel condemned.

:22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

we ask – aiteo – to ask, beg, call for, crave, desire, require. Present active subjunctive. Third class condition, it’s fairly probable that we would ask.

we receive – lambano – to take; to receive (what is given), to gain, get, obtain, to get back. Present active indicative.

we keep – tereo – to attend to carefully, take care of; to guard; to observe; present active indicative

pleasing – arestos – pleasing, agreeable

in his sight – enopion – in the presence of, before; of occupied place: in that place which is before, or over against, opposite, any one and towards which another turns his eyes

Lesson

Answered prayer comes from an obedient life

We have to be careful here not to get the wrong idea. We don’t in any way “earn” brownie points by being good. We don’t receive the answers to our prayers because we are good.

The idea is that if we are living a life of obedience, we are living a life that “has a clue” as to what God wants us to be praying for. We will be people who are praying for the right things.

And because we are living correctly, our own hearts don’t condemn us and keep us from coming to God and praying for others.

Lesson

Answered prayer comes from a loving life

In context here, the “obedient” life is the one of loving others.

Lesson:

Do it for Dad.

Do we realize that He’s always watching?

Some people have the concept that when they’re sinning, that somehow God has stopped watching. They think that when they enter the bar, Jesus stays outside of the bar, waiting for you to come out. The truth is, He never leaves you. He goes with you.

We aren’t supposed to be performing in that we’re trying to pretend to be something that we’re not, but that we’re doing our best because our Dad’s in the audience, and He’s watching, and we want to please Him.

Illustration

In His Father's Eyes

Bob Richards, the former pole-vault champion, shares a moving story about a skinny young boy who loved football with all his heart. Practice after practice, he eagerly gave everything he had. But being half the size of the other boys, he got absolutely nowhere.

At all the games, this hopeful athlete sat on the bench and hardly ever played. This teenager lived alone with his father, and the two of them had a very special relationship. Even though the son was always on the bench, his father was always in the stands cheering. He never missed a game.

This young man was still the smallest of the class when he entered high school. But his father continued to encourage him and also made it very clear that he did not have to play football if he didn’t want to. But the young man loved football and decided to hang in there. He was determined to try his best at every practice, and perhaps he’d get to play when he became a senior. All through high school he never missed a practice nor a game but remained a bench-warmer all four years. His faithful father was always in the stands, always with words of encouragement for him.

When the young man went to college, he decided to try out for the football team as a “walk-on.” Everyone was sure he would never make the cut, but he did.

The coach admitted that he kept him on the roster because he always put his heart and soul into every practice, and at the same time, provided the other members with the spirit and hustle they badly needed. The news that he had survived the cut thrilled him so much that he rushed to the nearest phone and called his father. His dad shared his excitement and was sent season tickets for all the college games. This persistent young athlete never missed practice during his four years at college, but he never got to play in a game.

It was the end of his senior football season, and as he trotted onto the practice field shortly before the big playoff game, the coach met him with a telegram. The young man read the telegram and he became deathly silent. Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, “My father died this morning. Is it all right if I miss practice today?” The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and said, “Take the rest of the week off, son. And don’t even plan to come back to the game on Saturday.”

Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In the third quarter, when the team was ten points behind, a silent young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear. As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were astounded to see their faithful teammate back so soon. “Coach, please let me play. I’ve just GOT to play today,” said the young man. The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted his worst player in this close playoff game. But the young man persisted, and finally feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in. “All right,” he said. “You can go in.” Before long, the coach, the players, and everyone in the stands could not believe their eyes. This little unknown, who had never played before, was doing everything right. The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, blocked, and tackled like a star. His team began to triumph. The score was soon tied. In the closing seconds of the game, this kid intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown. The fans broke loose. His teammates hoisted him onto their shoulders while the crowd cheered.

Finally, after the stands had emptied and the team had showered and left the locker room, the coach noticed that this young man was sitting quietly in the corner all alone. The coach came to him and said, “Kid, I can’t believe it. You were fantastic! Tell me what got into you? How did you do it?” He looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and said, “Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know that my dad was blind?” The young man swallowed hard and forced a smile, “Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time he could SEE me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it!”

Your Father in heaven has never been blind.  He’s always been watching.  Do it for Him.

:23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

It is God’s will that you believe in Jesus.

(John 6:28-29 KJV) Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? {29} Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

It is God’s will that you love one another.

(John 13:33 KJV) Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.

:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

We know that He is in us because He has put His Spirit in us. The work of the Holy Spirit is part of what gives us assurance.

(Rom 8:15-16 KJV) For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. {16} The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

1John 4

4:1-8 Truth or lies

:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

believe – pisteuo – to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in. Present indicative.

try – dokimazo – to test, examine, prove, scrutinise (to see whether a thing is genuine or not), as metals; to recognise as genuine after examination, to approve, deem worthy

false prophets – pseudoprophetes (“lying” + “prophet”) – one who, acting the part of a divinely inspired prophet, utters falsehoods under the name of divine prophecies; a false prophet

There are going to be times when a person seems to be under the influence of a “spirit”.

We may see this in many different ways. We may see a person as being “spiritual”. We may simply have great respect for a person. It may be that they will start talking in a different kind of manner or voice that says to you that something unusual is happening. It may appear as if they have lost control and are under the influence of something. You may be under the impression that they are under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

John is saying that you shouldn’t believe everything you hear.

Lesson

Test it.

Paul gives a rule in the church regarding the giving of prophecies –

(1 Cor 14:29 KJV) Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.

1) Theology.

Who does this person think God is?

(Deu 13:1-5 KJV) If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, {2} And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; {3} Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. {4} Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. {5} And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.

It’s important to understand what a person believes about God.

Even though a person may use the name of “Jesus”, it may be a “different Jesus”. (2Cor. 11:4; Gal. 1:8)

2) Fulfillment of predictions.

Has this person predicted something that hasn’t happened?

(Deu 18:20-22 KJV) But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. {21} And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? {22} When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

If it doesn’t come to pass as they predicted, then God didn’t speak.

3) Fruit Inspection.

People like to hide behind the “don’t judge me” thing (Mat. 7:1). But when Jesus spoke of judging, the word He used carried the idea of condemning to hell. Jesus Himself, in the very same chapter that He says not to judge, says,

(Mat 7:15-20 KJV) Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. {16} Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? {17} Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. {18} A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. {19} Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. {20} Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

What are the characteristics of this person’s life? What kind of fruit comes from their life?

If a person’s life is characterized by anger, hostility, impatience, and lack of self-control, then it doesn’t sound as if the Spirit of God is working too strongly in their life.

:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

confesseth – homologeo – to say the same thing as another, i.e. to agree with, assent; to concede; to confess; declare; to declare openly, speak out freely

:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

antichrist – antichristos – the adversary of the Messiah

The word “antichrist” can be used in Scripture to talk about that soon to be revealed individual who will deceive the world into thinking he’s the Messiah. The word is also used to describe the “spirit” that is behind all kinds of false prophets.

John gives a test of his own – does the person agree that Jesus came in the flesh?

This test is because of the “Docetic Gnostics”, a group that believed that since everything fleshly is evil, that Jesus must not have been a real, flesh and blood person, but just a phantom, a ghost.

John says that this is nonsense.

Anyone teaching this Gnostic heresy is not teaching from the Spirit of God.

:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

of God – you may not notice it in the English, but this phrase “of God” is kind of the theme through the next couple of verses. John is making a point about discernment, that we need to find out what a person “is of”. Where are they coming from?

overcome – nikao – to conquer; to carry off the victory, come off victorious. Perfect tense.

Lesson:

Victory is God’s job.

He’s the one that has already fought and won the battle over you. Now all we have to do is to learn to walk in that victory, and take full advantage of it in our lives.

Illustration

In his book Forever Triumphant, F.J. Huegel told a story that came out of World War II. After General Jonathan Wainwright was captured by the Japanese, he was held prisoner in a Manchurian concentration camp. Cruelly treated, he became "a broken, crushed, hopeless, starving man." Finally the Japanese surrendered and the war ended. A United States army colonel was sent to the camp to announce personally to the general that Japan had been defeated and that he was free and in command. After Wainwright heard the news, he returned to his quarters and was confronted by some guards who began to mistreat him as they had done in the past. Wainwright, however, with the news of the allied victory still fresh in his mind, declared with authority, "No, I am in command here! These are my orders." Huegel observed that from that moment on, General Wainwright was in control. Huegel made this application: "Have you been informed of the victory of your Savior in the greatest conflict of the ages? Then rise up to assert your rights. Never again go under when the enemy comes to oppress. Claim the victory in Jesus' Name." Huegel observed, "We must learn to stand on resurrection ground, reckoning dead the old-creation life over which Satan has power, and living in the new creation over which Satan has no power whatever."

:5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Lesson

Do they pay attention to God’s Word?

We want to be careful that we don’t take this the wrong way and think that this is purely subjective in thinking that anyone who disagrees with “us” is wrong.

When John is writing, the “us” is an apostle who is writing Scripture.

If a person is not willing to read the Scriptures or pay attention to them, they’re in trouble.

I find it interesting that people in the Mormon Church might know how to get around in a Bible, but it seems to be my experience that they rarely read it.

:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

let us love – agapao – to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly; present active subjunctive, “we should love”

is born – perfect tense

knoweth – present tense – Hitting the Gnostics again at their “knowledge”.

Lesson

Love is a test

Jesus said you would know them by their fruits.  John says that love is the test.

:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

loveth – present participle – “he that is not continually loving”

knoweth – aorist tense – “has not at a point in time come to know”

love – agape – brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence

God is love –

“God is by nature love”.

Be careful here – John isn’t saying “Love is God”.

Some people want to turn this around and say that any kind of “love” is of “God”, and so they try to justify all kinds of immorality by claiming that it is “love” and therefore it’s okay with God. Not so.

4:9-13

:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

manifested – phaneroo – to make manifest or visible or known what has been hidden or unknown, to manifest, whether by words, or deeds, or in any other way

Jesus took on human flesh and died on a cross to pay for our sins so that we might have eternal life with Him.

This is a proof of God’s love for us.

:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

propitiation – hilasmos – an appeasing, propitiating; the means of appeasing, a propitiation

We were not the first ones to initiate this love. It was God who loved us first.

(Rom 5:8 KJV) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

so – houto – in this manner, thus, so

In what way did God love us?

By loving us first. By covering our sins.

we ought – opheilo – to owe; that which is due, the debt

Lesson:

Be God’s kind of lovers.

1) Be the first to love.

Sometimes we have this idea that we’ll be glad to forgive the other person, as long as they take the first step.

Love like God does, take the first step.

Jesus didn’t wait for you to repent and be a “nice guy” before He loved you.

2) Cover their sins.

You can’t die for their sins, or cover them with your blood, but there’s another way that we can cover one another’s sins –

1Pe 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

:12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

hath seen – theaomai – to behold, look upon, view attentively, contemplate (often used of public shows); to view, take a view of; to learn by looking, to see with the eyes, to perceive

dwelleth – meno – to remain, abide

is perfected – teleioo – to make perfect, complete; to carry through completely, to accomplish, finish, bring to an end

Lesson

We know God’s love when we love each other

We may not see Him face to face yet, and so we might at times question whether or not He loves us.

But when we love each other the way He loves us, we see the reality of His love for us.

(1 John 4:12 NLT) No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love has been brought to full expression through us.

:13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

4:14-16

:14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

seen – theaomai – to behold, look upon, view attentively, contemplate (often used of public shows)

Saviour – soter – saviour, deliverer, preserver

:15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

shall confess – homologeo – to say the same thing as another, i.e. to agree with, assent; to concede; not to deny; to confess; declare. Aorist subjunctive

:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

4:17-21 Love and fear

: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.

made perfect – teleioo – to make perfect, complete; to carry through completely, to accomplish, finish, bring to an end; to complete (perfect)

boldness – parrhesia – freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech; openly, frankly, i.e without concealment; free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance

The King James is a little weak here in the translation, and the NIV actually is a little closer to the Greek –

1Jo 4:17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. (NIV)

The sense seems to be this, going back to verse 12 –

As we are loving one another, and God is seen in our midst through our love for one another, and His love is being perfected in us, we find ourselves being more and more like Jesus in this world, and find that we have less and less to be concerned about in facing the day of judgment.

:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

fear – phobos – fear, dread, terror; that which strikes terror

perfect – teleios – brought to its end, finished; wanting nothing necessary to completeness; perfect; full grown, adult, of full age, mature

This is the noun form of the word used in:

1Jo 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

God’s love in a person is “perfected” when they are obeying Him.

1Jo 4:12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

God’s love is perfected in a person when they are loving one another.

1Jo 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.

Our love is made perfect when we are acting like Him in this world.

Could it be that “perfect love” is love that has been perfected by obedience?

I used to think that this meant that if a person just had enough of the right kind of “love”, then they wouldn’t be afraid. But perhaps there is more to it than this. Obedience.

casteth – ballo – to throw or let go of a thing without caring where it falls; to scatter, to throw, cast into

torment – kolasis – correction, punishment, penalty

Mt 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Ac 4:21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all [men] glorified God for that which was done.

2Pe 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

made perfect – teleioo – to make perfect, complete; to carry through completely, to accomplish, finish, bring to an end; to complete (perfect)

Lesson:

Perfect love is the solution to fear.

When you’re afraid of what tomorrow is going to bring because you’re afraid that God’s going to have something terrible happen to you, then you have lost sight of His love for you.

The answer isn’t to drive out the fear, the answer is to turn on the love.

Lesson:

Acquire perfect love

The reason we’re afraid is because the love we’re acquainted with is faulty.

I have told people in the past that when they’re afraid, they just need to allow God’s love to overwhelm them. Which is true.

But John has already told us how to acquire this “perfected love”, back in verse 12.

By learning to love one another with His love.

As we learn to love each other correctly more and more, fear goes out the door.

:19 We love him, because he first loved us.

Our love started with Him.

He is the originator of real love.

You can’t have real love without Him.

:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

You can’t say you love God and hate your brother.

:21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

We MUST love one another.

If you don’t have the idea by now, you have fallen asleep on me, or you’re deaf.

1John 5

5:1-5 Victory

:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

If you love God, you will love His children as well. He’s talking about loving one another.

:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

grievous – barus – heavy in weight; metaph. burdensome; severe, stern; weighty; violent, cruel, unsparing

(1 John 5:3 NLT) Loving God means keeping his commandments, and really, that isn't difficult.

Lesson

Loving is good

If you are trying to love others with your own faulty, human love, you’re going to have a problem.

The more time you spend with the same people, the more of their faults you are going to discover and the harder it will be to love them.

But God wants you to love them anyway.

God wants you to love them with His love.

:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Lesson:

Victory comes through faith.

Faith is learning to trust in things you don’t see.

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The “world” is the place where we are tempted. Yet the Bible says,

1 Cor 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Will God provide a way of escape? He is faithful and will always provide the way of escape.

My faith overcomes the world when I learn to take the escape route.

Do I trust Him?  How well do I know Him?

:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

It’s not just faith in faith, but faith in Jesus that gives us the victory.

(John 16:33 KJV) These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Are you going to trust Him or not?

5:6-9 Testimony

:6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

came by water and blood –

I think this is speaking of the beginning and the ending of Jesus’ earthly ministry.

Jesus’ earthly ministry began with the water of baptism:

(Mat 3:13-17 KJV) Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. {14} But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? {15} And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. {16} And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: {17} And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Jesus’ earthly ministry ended with blood:

(John 19:30-34 KJV) When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. {31} The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. {32} Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. {33} But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: {34} But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

Much of verse 7 is not in the modern translations because of a difference in Greek manuscripts.  It does not occur in Greek manuscripts until after the 10^th century.  It is generally agreed that this verse was probably not in John’s original letter.

Lesson:

God’s Word is reliable.

Keep in mind that we don’t have any of the original copies of any of the books or letters of the New Testament. All we have are copies. And copies of copies. And copies of copies of copies.

Look at a comparison with other well known, ancient writings of the same time period in history:

Author	When written	Earliest Copy	Time Span	No. of copies
Caesar	100-44 BC	900 AD	1,000 yrs.	10
Livy	59 BC – AD 17	900 AD	1,000 yrs	20
Plato (Tetralogies)	427-347 BC	900 AD	1,200 yrs.	7
Tacitus (Annals)	100 AD	1,100 AD	1,000 yrs.	20
Pliny (History)	61-113 AD	850	750 yrs.	7

Illustration Idea: Have some people volunteer to stand in pairs, one as the original, the other as the copies. Distance apart is number of years, have the copy person hold a sheet of paper for each ten copies.

In contrast, we have around 5,000 copies of the Greek New Testament, some of which have been dated as close as 40 years after their writing.

The early Christian copyists didn’t take the same kind of painstaking trouble making their copies as the Jewish scribes did, and as a result, there are some 200,000 known discrepancies in the Greek manuscripts. Yet it’s important to know that the way these discrepancies are counted – if a word is misspelled in 3,000 of the copies, it is counted as 3,000 discrepancies. Of these discrepancies, they are in actuality in only 10,000 places in the New Testament. Of these, Philip Schaff in Comparison to the Greek Testament and the English Version concluded that only 400 of them caused any kind of doubt as to the meaning of the text, and of these, only 50 were of any great significance. NOT ONE of these discrepancies alters “an article of faith or a precept of duty which is not abundantly sustained by other and undoubted passages, or by the whole tenor of Scripture teaching”.

Back to this passage –

One of my more reliable commentaries (A.T. Robertson’s Word Pictures of the New Testament) says that this portion of text is only found in two Greek manuscripts. He says that when scholar Erasmus was compiling his work Textus Receptus (from which the King James was translated), his first edition didn’t include this verse. He told his critics that he wouldn’t include it unless he was shown a 16^th century Greek manuscript that contained it. He was shown one of the two manuscripts, and he then included it.

Another of my more reliable commentaries (John Gill’s Expositor) said that it was ridiculous not to include this verse because it was quoted by many scholars throughout church history, “by Fulgentius, in the beginning of the "sixth" century, against the Arians, without any scruple or hesitation; and Jerome, as before observed, has it in his translation made in the latter end of the "fourth" century; and it is cited by Athanasius about the year 350; and before him by Cyprian, in the middle, of the "third" century, about the year 250; and is referred to by Tertullian about, the year 200; and which was within a "hundred" years, or little more, of the writing of the epistle; which may be enough to satisfy anyone of the genuineness of this passage;

:8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

:9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

A person may have difficulty receiving what another human says about Jesus. But what about what God has said about Jesus?

5:10-13 Assurance

:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

What is the witness God has made concerning His Son? I can think of five of them.

1) The Holy Spirit

As He lives in us. (Rom. 8:16)

2) Prophetic fulfillment.

Jesus was not fluke. Long before He showed up on planet earth, God had whispered into the ears of the prophets, and they had recorded much about the coming Messiah.

There were over 300 specific prophecies fulfilled by Jesus’ first coming to earth. Details such as His genealogy, His place of birth, what His ministry would be about, descriptions of His death, burial, and resurrection.

3) God’s witness during Jesus’ earthly ministry

Several times during Jesus’ ministry, God the Father gave an audible witness to who Jesus was.

(Mat 3:16-17 KJV) And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: {17} And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

(Mat 17:5 KJV) While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

4) The resurrection

This was what Peter’s sermon was all about on the Day of Pentecost, as he was preaching Jesus to be the Messiah:

Ac 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

5) The message of the apostles

This is the message that John is giving right now. God is speaking through the apostles to the people.

For the one who is unwilling to believe in Jesus as the Son of God, the question is, are they willing to call God a liar?

:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

record – marturia – a testifying; what one testifies, testimony, i.e. before a judge

John clarifies what God’s witness is about Jesus.

God has given to us eternal life.

Eternal life is found in Jesus.

:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

Lesson

Got life?

It’s all about Jesus. If you have Jesus, you have eternal life. If you don’t have Jesus, you don’t have eternal life.

:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Lesson

God wants you to know

He doesn’t want you wondering whether or not you are saved. God wants it to be a settled issue.

Illustration

In "The Whisper Test," Mary Ann Bird writes: I grew up knowing I was different, and I hated it. I was born with a cleft palate, and when I started school, my classmates made it clear to me how I looked to others: a little girl with a misshapen lip, crooked nose, lopsided teeth, and garbled speech.

When schoolmates asked, "What happened to your lip?" I'd tell them I'd fallen and cut it on a piece of glass. Somehow it seemed more acceptable to have suffered an accident than to have been born different. I was convinced that no one outside my family could love me.

There was, however, a teacher in the second grade whom we all adored--Mrs. Leonard by name. She was short, round, happy--a sparkling lady.

Annually we had a hearing test. ... Mrs. Leonard gave the test to everyone in the class, and finally it was my turn. I knew from past years that as we stood against the door and covered one ear, the teacher sitting at her desk would whisper something, and we would have to repeat it back--things like "The sky is blue" or "Do you have new shoes?" I waited there for those words that God must have put into her mouth, those seven words that changed my life. Mrs. Leonard said, in her whisper, "I wish you were my little girl."

God says to every person deformed by sin, "I wish you were my son" or "I wish you were my daughter."

5:14-15 Prayer

:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

confidence – parrhesia – freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech; openly, frankly, i.e without concealment; without ambiguity or circumlocution; without the use of figures and comparisons; free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance

This was a word John used earlier in relation to prayer:

(1 John 3:21-24 KJV) Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. {22} And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. {23} And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. {24} And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

We’ve already seen that confidence in prayer comes as we have been living in obedience to the Lord, obedience through believing in Him and loving others.

ask – aiteo – to ask, beg, call for, crave, desire, require

His will – thelema – what one wishes or has determined shall be done; of what God wishes to be done by us; commands, precepts; will, choice, inclination, desire, pleasure

heareth – akouo – to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf; to hear; to attend to, consider what is or has been said; to understand, perceive the sense of what is said. Present active indicative.

:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

we ask – aiteo – to ask, beg, call for, crave, desire, require. Present subjunctive

the petitions – aitema – petition, request, required. This is the noun form of aiteo, “to ask”.

desired – aiteo – to ask, beg, call for, crave, desire, require. Perfect active indicative.

You could translate this, “And if we know that he hears us in whatever we should be asking, we know that we have the “askings” that we asked of him.

Lesson

The key to prayer is God’s will

Prayer is all about getting God’s will done on earth, not our will.

Part of the great learning that is supposed to occur in our lives as we are learning to pray is that we would be learning more and more about what God’s will is.

5:16-17 Sin unto death

:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

he shall ask – aiteo – to ask, beg, call for, crave, desire, require. Future active indicative

he shall pray – erotao – to question; to ask; to request, entreat, beg, beseech

What is a “sin unto death”?

1) It is a sin that ends in physical death.

Ananias and Sapphira

The church was brand new, and people began selling their possessions and giving the money to the church to help the needy. Ananias and Sapphira decided they wanted that kind of noteriety, and sold a piece of property, but rather than give it all to the church, they claimed to give it all, but held back some of the money for themselves.

(Acts 5:3-5 KJV) But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? {4} Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. {5} And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

James talks about the possible relationship between sin and illness. Not all illness is a result of sin, but sometimes it is –

(James 5:14-16 KJV) Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: {15} And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. {16} Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

2) It is a sin that ends in spiritual death.

We might call this the “unpardonable sin”.

Mt 12:32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the [world] to come. (also Mark 3:29; Luke 12:10)

We believe that this is the constant rejection of the work of the Spirit, who is constantly convicting the world of sin and bearing witness of Jesus, that He is the Savior.

Lesson:

Pray for sinners.

It really doesn’t matter how you take this verse, whether it’s talking about physical death or spiritual death. The point is still the same. Pray.

When you see someone caught in a sin, don’t get mad. Pray.

:17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.

unrighteousness – adikia – injustice, of a judge; unrighteousness of heart and life; a deed violating law and justice, act of unrighteousness

5:18-21 Protection

:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

sinneth – hamartano – to be without a share in; to miss the mark; to err, be mistaken; to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honour, to do or go wrong; to wander from the law of God, violate God’s law, sin. Present active indicative; continually sinning

toucheth – haptomai – to fasten one’s self to, adhere to, cling to

It could refer to us, as those born of God, keeping ourselves from sin, but it most likely refers to Jesus, the One born of God, keeping us. (lit., “He that is begotten of God keeps His”). Remember in 1John 5:1, it was God who begat, and Jesus was the begotten. And so the newer translations –

(1 John 5:18 NASB) We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him and the evil one does not touch him.

Lesson:

You are protected.

Jesus protects you.

(John 10:27-29 KJV) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: {28} And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. {29} My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

Lesson:

Christians can’t be demon possessed.

The enemy is going to attack us from time to time, but he cannot “cling” to us.

(1 Cor 10:21 KJV) Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.

:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

wickedness – poneros – full of labours, annoyances, hardships; bad, of a bad nature or condition; in an ethical sense: evil wicked, bad

lieth – keimai – to lie; of things put or set in any place, in ref. to which we often use "to stand"; metaph. lies in the power of the evil one, i.e. is held in subjection by the devil. Present indicative.

:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

understanding – dianoia – the mind as a faculty of understanding, feeling, desiring; understanding; mind, i.e. spirit, way of thinking and feeling; thoughts, either good or bad

we may know – ginosko – to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel; to know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of; present active indicative

Again to the Gnostics – Jesus has given us the ability to know the truth, to know the One who is True, the ability to have “knowledge”.

This is the true God – The word “this” refers back to the last named person, which in the Greek (as well as the English) is “Jesus Christ”. Jesus Christ is the “true God”.

This is a great verse that speaks of the deity of Jesus Christ.

:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

little children – teknion – a little child; in the NT used as a term of kindly address by teachers to their disciples

keep – phulasso – to guard; to watch, keep watch; to guard a person (or thing) that he may remain safe; lest he suffer violence, be despoiled, etc. to protect

idols – eidolon – an image, likeness; i.e. whatever represents the form of an object, either real or imaginary; the image of an heathen god; a false god

Lesson:

Do your part.

In verse 18, we saw that Jesus protects us from the evil one.

But here we see our part. We are being “attacked” from the outside, and we need to guard ourselves.