Confident
Joyful Obedience
1 John
5
Jim
Davis
An American scientist once visited the offices
of the great Nobel-prize-winning physicist, Niels Bohr, in Copenhagen.
He was amazed to find that over Bohr's desk was a horseshoe, securely mailed
to the wall, with the open end up in the approved manner (so it would catch
the good luck and not let it spill out). The American said with a nervous
laugh, "Surely you don't believe the horseshoe will bring you good luck,
do you, professor Bohr? After all, as a scientist -- " Bohr chuckled, "I
believe no such thing, my good friend. Not at all. I am scarcely likely
to believe in such foolish nonsense. However, I am told that a horseshoe
will bring you good luck whether you believe in it or not." (Bits &
Pieces, September 17, 1992, Page 6)
Is it possible to have faith without
real confidence in what is believe? John leaves no illusion as
to how to define faith. He defines faith by how it affects the way we live.
John reveals that true faith struggles with sin and those who oppose God.
John confirms the sin in our lives. (1 John 1:8-10) John confirms our struggle
with sin. (1 John 2:1-2) John confirms that true faith is a struggle to
overcome sin through Jesus Christ. However, John is confident that we can
overcome the difficulties ahead through joyful obedience.
1 John 5:1-4
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ
is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.
This
is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying
out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands
are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.
This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. (NIV)
Everything God created--except man--obeys
the will of God. The Psalmist portrays the creation obeying God's will.
"Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean
depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding
. . ." (Psalms 148:8 NIV) (Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Real, 1 John, Victor Books,
Wheaton, Illinois, Page, 163)
"In the book of Jonah, you see the winds and
waves, and even the fish, obeying God's commands; but the prophet persisted
in disobeying. Even a plant and a little worm did what God commanded. But
the prophet stubbornly wanted his own way." (Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Real,
1 John, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, Page, 163)
John writes to us about the necessity of walking
in the light Christ provides. Obedience is the means of walking in the
light.
Obedience Begins with Christ
Obedience begins and ends with what
we believe about Jesus Christ.
John continually impresses upon us that we must believe Jesus is real.
In chapter one, John testifies to the reality of Christ. He had seen him
with his eyes and looked at him, he had heard him teach and he had touched
him. Believing that Christ was born of God is the basis for our rebirth.
Jesus is really God's Son. He
was conceived and born of God through the intervention of the Holy Spirit.
Today, as in John's day we are challenged to believe differently. We are
challenged to deny that Christ was born of God. The world recognizes Jesus
as a great teacher and as a good man, but they deny the virgin birth of
Christ. They deny that he is God's only begotten Son. John makes it clear
that there is no way to believe in God without believing Christ is born
of God.
Three things testify that Christ is born
of God: the water, the blood and the Spirit.
1 John 5:7-8
For there are three that testify: the Spirit,
the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. We accept
man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony
of God, which he has given about his Son. (NIV)
"Believing things 'on authority' only means
believing them because you have been told them by someone you think trustworthy.
Ninety-nine percent of the things you believe are believed on authority.
I believe there is such a place as New York. I could not prove by abstract
reasoning that there is such a place. I believe it because reliable people
have told me so. The ordinary person believes in the solar system, atoms,
and the circulation of the blood on authority--because the scientists say
so. Every historical statement is believed on authority. None of us has
seen the Norman Conquest or the defeat of the Spanish Armada. But we believe
them simply because people who did see them have left writings that tell
us about them; in fact, on authority. A person who balked at authority
in other things, as some people do in religion, would have to be content
to know nothing all in this life." --C.S. Lewis
God gave his testimony about Christ.
The Law of Moses required two or three witnesses to establish testimony
as true. God lived by his own law as He gave the witness of the water,
blood and Spirit. It was at Christ's baptism in the waters of Jordan when
God said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Matthew
3:13-17) At the same time the Spirit descended upon his Son like a dove
as a testimony of God's approval. God's witness was given when Jesus shed
his blood on the cross as the darkness descended upon the earth at midday
and the earth shook at his death. (Matthew 27:45, 50-53) The Spirit of
God continued to teach that Christ was approved of God by the signs and
miracles He wrought through the apostles. God's Spirit continues to teach
us the truth about Christ.
God's testimony continues to reside
in hearts that believe.
1 John 5:10
Anyone who believes in the Son of God has
this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him
out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given
about his Son. (NIV)
Romans 8:15-17
For you did not receive a spirit that makes
you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And
by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit
that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--
heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings
in order that we may also share in his glory. (NIV)
It is no accident that Jesus portrays
his disciples receiving eternal life because they hear his voice and follow
him. This is the life of a true believer.
John 10:27-29
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them,
and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish;
no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to
me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.
(NIV)
Confidence Comes Through Obedience
Confidence is a double-sided coin; confidence
cannot be had until it is expressed. Assurance and confidence comes as
we express our confidence in Christ commands through obedience.
"Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore,
seek not to understand that thou mayest believe, but believe that thou
mayest understand." --Augustine
John gives us several birthmarks so
that we can be confident that we have been born of God.
1 John 2:29
If you know that he is righteous, you know
that everyone who does what is right has been born of him. (NIV)
1 John 3:9
No one who is born of God will continue to
sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because
he has been born of God. (NIV)
1 John 3:14
We know that we have passed from death to
life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in
death. (NIV)
1 John 4:7
Dear friends, let us love one another, for
love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows
God. (NIV)
1 John 5:3-4
This is love for God: to obey his commands.
And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes
the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
(NIV)
The only evidence that Christ and his
Spirit reside in our hearts is that we obey him. If you don't seek
to obey God's commands, you don't believe. God gave proof that Jesus is
his Son through the water, blood and the Spirit. Our faithful obedience
is proof of our faith in Christ. Those who call themselves Christians reveal
their belief that Christ is born of God through their willingness to obey
him. The real test of our belief and desire to be reborn lies in our willingness
to carry out God's commands. John makes it simple, if we don't seek to
obey and carry out God's will on earth, we do not truly believe Christ
is born of God.
1 John 5:11-15
And this is the testimony: God has given
us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life;
he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things
to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that
you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God:
that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know
that he hears us-- whatever we ask-- we know that we have what we asked
of him. (NIV)
When we recognize our sin, confess our
sins and pray to overcome sin we know we have eternal life. Prayerfully
striving to do God's will is proof of saving faith. It is not the level
or perfection of obedience that counts, but it is the depth of our desire
to do God's will that counts. If you are prayerfully striving to obey Christ,
you know you have eternal life.
John makes it clear that it is through
our desire to obey that we can know we have eternal life.
John does not say that perfect obedience saves, but rather our desire to
completely obey God is evidence of our salvation. He has made it clear
from the outset of his book that we are all sinners. This certainly proclaims
our inability to save ourselves through perfect obedience.
John assures us that God hears our prayers
as we struggle with the evil in our lives. John says he will give
us whatever we ask for. Paul prayed for God to remove his thorn in the
flesh. God did something beyond what Paul anticipated. He was given strength
to bear it so he could become a stronger person. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)
John sees obedience as a matter of life
and death. You never know how much you really believe anything
until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death. It is
easy to say you believe a rope to be strong as long as you are merely using
it to cord a box. But suppose you had to hang by that rope over a precipice.
Wouldn't you then first discover how much you really trusted it? (C.S.
Lewis, A Grief Observed)
1 John 5:16-19
If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that
does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer
to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads
to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. All wrongdoing
is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death. We know that
anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born
of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. We know that we
are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the
evil one. (NIV)
All wrongdoing is sin, but not all wrongdoing
leads to spiritual death. There are sins, which bring spiritual
death and some sins, which do not bring spiritual death.
This has nothing to do with gravity
of the sin committed. We all know the consequences of some sins
are greater than others, but John is not speaking of the consequences of
certain sins as opposed to the consequences of other sins. It is our desire
to continue in sin that brings death. Denying Jesus is born of God manifest
this desire to continue in sin. Denying the teaching of the Holy Spirit
given to us through the word of God is also another sign of our desire
to continue in sin.
Mark 3:28-30
I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies
of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin." He said this because
they were saying, "He has an evil spirit." (NIV)
The sin unto death sin is an antichrist
attitude, which reveals an unwillingness to believe and obey Christ. A
desire to continue in sin reveals that Satan is in control of our lives.
C. H. Spurgeon claimed that 98 percent of
the people he met-- including the criminals he visited in England's prisons--told
him that they believed the Bible to be true. But the vast majority had
never made a personal, life-changing commitment to Jesus Christ. For them,
"believe" was not an active verb.
Confidence Comes Through Joyful Obedience
John is not speaking of the kind of
burdensome obedience that fills us with grief and robs us of joy.
1 John 5:3-4
This is love for God: to obey his commands.
And
his commands are not burdensome, This is the victory that has overcome
the world, even our faith. (NIV)
Jesus didn't come to bring condemnation.
(John 3:17) Jesus came to lighten our burdens. Sin had already
condemned the world to misery.
Matthew 11:28-30
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for
I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (NIV)
Psalms 119:41-45
May your unfailing love come to me, O LORD,
your salvation according to your promise; then I will answer the one who
taunts me, for I trust in your word. Do not snatch the word of truth from
my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws. I will always obey your
law, for ever and ever. I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought
out your precepts. (NIV)
The Psalmist recognizes God's law brings
delight when we are troubled and distressed.
Psalms 119:140-144
Your promises have been thoroughly tested,
and your servant loves them. Though I am lowly and despised, I do not forget
your precepts. Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true.
Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight.
Your statutes are forever right; give me understanding that I may live.
(NIV)
The joy of salvation is realized when
we understand that it is Christ who keeps us safe in the midst of our troubles.
John says, " . . . the one born of God keeps him safe." When we prayerfully
seek to obey Christ keeps us safe from the clutches of Satan.
After reflecting on his propensity to
sin, Paul rejoiced because of the salvation that only Christ could provide.
Romans 7:22-25
For in my inner being I delight in God's
law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war
against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at
work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from
this body of death? Thanks be to God-- through Jesus Christ our Lord! So
then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature
a slave to the law of sin. (NIV)
Jesus keeps us safe as he continues
to keep us cleansed from sin moment by moment.
1 John 1:7-10
But if we walk in the light, as he is in
the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus,
his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive
ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word
has no place in our lives. (NIV)
Victory is always a joyous event, no
matter how fierce the battles.
1 John 5:3-5
This is love for God: to obey his commands.
And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes
the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is
the Son of God. (NIV)
"These are the times that try men's souls:
The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink
from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the
love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered;
yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict the
more glorious the triumph." (Thomas Paine, The Crisis -- December 1776.)
2 Corinthians 4:8-11
We are hard pressed on every side, but not
crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned;
struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the
death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
For we who are alive are always being given
over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our
mortal body. (NIV)
John says, "This is the victory that
has overcome the world, even our faith." He leaves no doubt; a
victorious faith is a faith that seeks to walk in the light through obedience
to Christ commands.
1 John 5:19-21
We know that we are children of God, and
that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. We know also
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-- even in his Son
Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Dear children, keep
yourselves from idols. (NIV)
Conclusion:
Jesus tenderly called those who denied
him and he calls us.
Matthew 23:34-39
Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise
men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will
flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will
come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood
of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered
between the temple and the altar. I tell you the truth, all this will come
upon this generation. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets
and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children
together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not
willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you
will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name
of the Lord.'" (NIV)
In the book of John we are called to
demonstrate love for God and our brothers through obedience to Christ’s
commands.
