In Light of Our Obedience
I recently had the privilege of preaching to a group of young adults at Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, my home church. I have been taking a preaching course at Ouachita Baptist University as an employee. I have learned much and hope to continue in the days and years to come.
This sermon covers the text of 1 John 2:3-11.
The letter of 1 John focuses on the assurance of salvation, repeatedly, all throughout the text. So something has brought this issue to light in the church. If we look forward a few verses in our text we can see that John mentions a group that has left the flock. It is clear that the church is struggling with this. Look at what he says in verse 19:
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
1 John 2:19
There is no doubt that the church is having a hard time with this. They are confused and they're asking John how it is that these people - some of them their leaders - are leaving. Are they losing their salvation by doing so? They thought that if they believed in Jesus as the messiah then they were secure in their eternal salvation.
And John is saying, "No, that is not what I am telling you at all. These people left because they were not of us. They might have been among us, but they weren't part of us. They aren't losing their salvation because they do not have a salvation to lose. They never believed in Christ to begin with."
Now, you can imagine the struggle the church was having. They start to ask questions like: How can we be confident that we are saved? Especially when some of their own leaders have left and now claim false truths. They claim they have no sin, and sinning doesn't really matter anyway. They distort the doctrine of justification by faith to mean what they want it to mean: The more they sin, the more grace will abound.
John's purpose for writing this letter is for the sake of their assurance.
Read with me:
And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. Whoever says "I know Him" but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps His word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in Him: whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked.
1 John 2:3-6
I don't know about you, but it seems to me like John wants us to know something - that God wants us to know something. The word "know" is used four times in this passage alone. John is making something very clear to the church: your salvation does not come down to chance, it's not a matter of guesswork. God wants you to have confidence in your salvation.
The first thing that John makes clear here is this:
We can know Christ. While some may suggest that no one can know God, or they try to keep God in a box or explain Him away, the Bible is clear that God has made Himself known through His son Jesus Christ and through His Word.
From the beginning of this passage, John is writing about knowing Christ, but what does he mean? Let's take a closer look at verse 3.
And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.
1 John 2:3
First, I want to point out that there are different meanings for the word know in this verse. The Greek language is more diverse than the English language, so sometimes the words that we see in our translations have a deeper meaning than their face value. The first use of the word "know" is in the present tense. It is happening at this very moment, right? For John it is a knowledge that is gained by continued experience. And the second use of the word "know" is in the perfect tense. It means a knowledge that is genuine and complete and real. So what is John getting at here?
When I was in high school I was pretty good at science. I loved Biology, most likely because is came so easily to me. So, naturally, I became interested in doing something in the medical field. I had grown up with a hospital administrator as a father, so it wasn't out of the ordinary to suggest this to my parents. So at 17 or 18 years old, as we do with young people, I decided that that was what I was going to do with my life.
When I got to Ouachita as a freshman I was ready for class to begin. I was nervous, but ready. I was sure that it would be fairly easy. I mean, I could memorize things really well. But it only took me three days to realize that I didn't have a passion for science - at least, not like the other students did. I knew a lot of things about science, but I certainly did not feel any kind of excitement towards it.
So I made the first hasty decision of my college career and switched to accounting. And it was in my accounting classes that I discovered people who thought like me. There was a shared excitement in learning about debits and credits, cash flow statements and tax returns. It may sound weird, but I really wanted to know accounting. I wanted to know the ins and outs of accounting.
Isn't that how we should view knowing and loving Christ? A lot of people know about Christ. Many religions speak of Jesus, they can tell you facts about Him. I can tell you facts. He grew up in Nazareth and was a carpenter. He healed the sick and fed the hungry. He walked on water and turned water into wine. He died on a cross and rose again three days later.
But is that what John means when he speaks of "knowing Him." The knowledge that John has in mind when he writes to the church is one that is experiential. It is relational. Do we have a real desire to know the ins and outs of Christ's heart?
Because this knowledge that John speaks of is one that allows Christ into the deepest parts of our life so He can change the way we live. That is knowing Christ.
But John goes on to say something else as well.
We can know that we know Christ. There is a difference between having salvation (knowing Christ) and being assured in that salvation.
In verse 3 John tells us it is by keeping God's commandments. Just as before with the word "know," the word "keep" is in the present tense. It emphasizes regular obedience to God's commandments. The word "keep" in this passage can literally be translated as "to look upon something as treasure and to guard it." We carefully guard treasure because it is precious. It holds value. That is the attitude that John says we should bring to obeying God's commandments.
But what does John mean by "commandments?" Is he talking about the Ten Commandments? Well, from the immediate context of 1 John and even more broadly in the Gospel of John, the answer is clear. John is referring to Jesus' command that Christians love one another. Further more, John uses "commandments" interchangeably with "Jesus' Word."
This happens in verse 5 as well as later in the passage. Basically, anything that Jesus teaches,His word, is his commandment for us to obey.
If you remember, a scribe came to Jesus in Mark 12 and asked Him what the most important commandment was and Jesus answered him: "Love God. Love your neighbor," Jesus knew that by loving God and love people, obedience would follow. He tells his disciples the same thing in John 13:24. "Love one another just as I have loved you." Jesus makes it clear what His commandment is for us.
One of the ways we can know we know Christ is if we have an inward desire to obey Him. I wouldn't have been a good doctor because I had little interest and no desire to know the things doctors need to know. Let's be honest, that's not the kind of guy you would want prescribing you medication - or, quite frankly, cutting you open. In the same way, if we have little interest or no desire to obey God's word, shouldn't that be a red flag?
So John gives us a test for assurance. Let's look at verses 4 and 5. He makes it easy for us.
Whoever says "I know Him" but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps His word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.
1 John 2:4-5
These verses contrast what it looks like to not keep God's Word with what it looks like to keep God's Word. John mentions someone who claims that they know Christ, but they live in disobedience. What does he do - he calls that person a liar! Does John mean that anyone who disobeys God does not know Christ? Certainly not. I don't know about you, but I disobey God's Word every day. I'm a sinner.
What John is getting at here is a life that is characterized by obedience. Someone working to walk in the way Christ walked, but stumbling and struggling along the way is very different from someone who has turned their back to God and is walking away from Him.
At the same time, John is being pretty blunt here. He's certainly not being politically correct by calling someone a liar. That's the point, remember? John is writing to a people that have experienced their fair share of false teachers. People the come and teach that because they are eternally secure in their salvation, how they live doesn't really matter all that much. They go out and get drunk, they covet their neighbor's wife, they even lie/cheat/steal at work.
But John contrasts all of that with what it looks like to keep God's Word. He says that the love of God is perfected in them. Before we unpack that statement, listen to it again. The "love of God is perfected in them." You don't have to know what the phrase love of God or the wordperfected specifically means to know that this is a better alternative to anything else.
What does the "love of God" mean? Does it mean our love for God, His love for us? I'd like to suggest that it really doesn't make too much of a difference, because if God is synonymous with Love, then either way He is glorified. However, the context here is about guarding God's Word because we want to know Him. Therefore, I think the phrase "love of God" refers to our love for God.
The word "perfected" in Greek carries with is the idea of something being brought to maturity or being made complete. It's the idea that we have been transformed by our love for God. By guarding His Word as our treasure, as something that is valuable, He is able to make our love for Him complete.
He transforms us in our obedience.
David Allen, a pastor, puts it this way. There are three possible reasons for why people do what they do:
Some people do things because they have to.
Some people do things because they need to.
Some people do things because they want to.
A slave serves their master because they have to. A child obeys because she has to - there are consequences otherwise. But neither of these two are mature reasons for obedience.
As Christians, we should be focused on wanting to obey God's Word. Right now, ask yourself, do I keep God's word because I am afraid of God - afraid that He will punish me if I don't? Afraid that my disobedience is directly related to the punishment He will give me? Think of it this way. It's like a student that obeys their parents only so they won't take away the keys to the car. That's obedience out of fear.
I am not suggesting that we don't carry a healthy fear of God, but shouldn't we do things because we love the authority that instructs us? John isn't saying anything new here - he is only repeating what Jesus told him and the disciples at the Last Supper: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." Are you obeying God's Word because you want to - out of a deep desire to know Him more?
Because John goes on to say this:
Obedience to God's Word becomes evidence that we know God. John gives the church a charge, a commission, in verse 6.
Whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked.
1 John 2:6
If you say that you know Him, it should be easy to see in the way you live. You should be imitating Christ.
What it comes down to is this: if we do not keep the Word of Christ, we cannot claim to have His love. And if we don't have the love of Christ in us, how could we ever expect to live in the way He lived? John takes these two principles we have been working with: that we can know Christ and that we can be confident in knowing Christ, and he wraps them up into action. If you know that you know Christ, then you need to walk as He walked.
There is a necessary connection between knowing Christ and obeying His Word.
There's a story of a new pastor at the big church in town. He hadn't been there long and wanted to learn about the hearts of his people, of his new congregation. One Sunday a few weeks since his first, a man who looked worn and dirty, tired, and without a place to sleep walking into the church. He came and sat a few rows from the front. As you could imagine, he gained the attention of quite a few of the members that morning.
They had never seen this man before. He smelled and looked as if he'd been drinking as he was shaking and rocking back and forth. There was a wide buffer given between him and the rest of the church body.
The service began and the lights dimmed, the worship band took the stage and the church began to worship God...but everyone kept an eye on the man a few rows from the front. He never stood up, he never raised a hand in worship, never sang a word. He just sat there. It came time for the offering, but for the man he had no one to pass the plate to. It made no difference though, because the usher just passed him up anyway.
And when the time came for the pastor to share God's Word, the man stood up. For many, they hoped he was leaving. It would alleviate some of the tension that had been building. But the man stood up and took the stage. He took his hat off, and his coat and rotten shoes. He wiped his face with his shirt and it was clear to see that the man that stood before them was their new pastor!
And he said to them: "Are we caring for the poor and feeding the hungry? Are we welcoming the unwelcomed? Are we reflecting Christ?" And the congregation was speechless.
Now I tell you this story not to convict you of specific guilt, but to encourage and challenge you. If we say we know Christ, it should be easy to see Him in our walk. In the way we love others, in the way we minister to strangers, in everything we do. How are you working to impact your neighborhood, your workplace, even your city? Maybe what this looks like is you taking steps to invite a neighbor to church with you. Or maybe it means that you should take a few minutes at lunch to share with a coworker what it looks like to know Christ like you do. Reach out to those from a different background that you. Believe me, I know it's tough, but try to think of at least one person that you might be able to share Christ with this week.
We should love one another in obedience to Christ.
If verses 3-6 of our text focus on knowing Christ, living in confidence of knowing Him, and that our obedience is evidence for truly knowing Him, surely verses 7-11 are an illustration of this entire concept.
Beloved, I am writing to you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides int he light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.
1 John 2:7-11
Beloved. The first thing that John says in this passage, what he opens up with, is that the church is loved. Everything else in this passage follows his direct salutation:
You are loved.
Earlier we discussed what the commandment is that John is speaking of. One that says we should love others as Christ loved us. But now the commandment is old and new at the same time. How is this possible? How can it be old? Some scholars contend that it refers to the beginning of Christ's teaching since it is the "word you have heard." It would be the word spoken by Christ.
But how can it also be new? The commandment is new because "the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining." It is new because relationship with Christ is available to every believer. It is a NEW light in us that is shining because of the battle Christ waged on death and won.
In verses 9-11 John contrasts for us once again what it looks like to know Christ by obeying His Word. The Bible tends to repeat itself when something is important. He uses light and darkness to do so. We see these two contrasted in scripture many times, and each time light illustrates closeness to God while darkness illustrates separation from Him.
So, in effect, John is saying those who hate their brother are separated from Christ while those who love their brother are close to Christ. Not just close, scripture says they abide in the light. They remain there. Mark Driscoll says this contrast marks two kinds of people: lip service and lifestyle.
Lip service says "I belong to Jesus, but I live in darkness and I don't love people." Lifestyle says "I belong to Jesus, I live in the light and I do love people." So for those who know and love Christ in their lifestyle, His love flows through them into others. They are enabled to love others because He first loved them.
For those who only know lip service, God's love does not flow through them. They are walking in darkness blinded by their hatred for their brother. They are unable to love others because they haven't allowed their knowledge and love for Christ to change their life.
But - and we know this - separation from the light does not have to be permanent. Jesus wants to forgive so we can be forgiven. He wants to love us so that we can be loving.
If you've been paying attention to the news at all over these past few days, there is no doubt you would have heard about Steve Stephens. He's the man who shot and killed an elderly man on Easter Sunday. Unfortunately, he too took his own life soon after. Just recently the family of the elderly man was interviewed on CNN. This is what they had to say:
"The thing I would take away the most from my father is he taught us about God...how to fear God, how to love God, and how to forgive. Each one of us forgives the killer. I believe God would give me the grace to embrace this man. I just want him to know that even in his worst state, he's loved by God."
That is knowing Christ, isn't it? That is loving the way he loved. In the midst of brokenness and heartache, this family does not hesitate to love this man. He may not have been a brother to them in faith, but they wanted to reach out to him that he might become one. isn't that what Christ did for us.
Jesus reached out to us in our brokenness and offered to bring us close to Him so that we may experience the true light that is already shining.
How can we love like this? Well, is there someone you need to forgive today? A coworker, a friend, a family member? Are you holding resentment towards them? I'm not innocent in this. Preparing for this sermon has convicted me beyond my greatest imagination. There are people who need the love and forgiveness that Christ first showed me.
If we are not focused on living by lifestyle instead of by lip service, we cannot love others and know God fully. Love is an outflow of our obedience to God. Endless and unrepentant hatred not only blinds us, but leaves us alone to wander in darkness.
Knowing Christ is more than just head knowledge. It's giving our life over to Christ so that He can change us and live in us. Knowing Christ means being confident in knowing Him and in our salvation. It means being obedient to His Word because we want to and because it is how we evidence our faith in Him. We are all broken and lost before we are found in Christ. There is equality at the foot of the cross.
My prayer for you is that you would take what you have learned here and present yourself obedient to Christ. Obedient to His Word and obedient to knowing Him. That you would leave this place ready and willing to share the love of Christ so that others may know the glorious gift of grace He blesses us with.