HEBREWS: THE DOCTRINE OF FAITH, PART 1

After handling all those snakes, no wonder a healing service followed.

Faith is the essential component of Christianity, yet so many Christians have no clue what Biblical faith is. Faith is not “positive thinking.” It has nothing to do with psychology. To some, faith means believing that you will be able to get a job done on time or that your child’s fever will go down. While there is definite value in positive thinking—Christians should be the most positive people on Earth—this has nothing to do with Biblical faith. The object of real Biblical faith is not one’s need or one’s faith, but God and His Word. We believe in God and we trust in His Word. Of course, this means that a Christian needs to know what the Bible says in order to exercise his faith. With so much Biblical illiteracy in the modern Church, little wonder the nature of faith is so misunderstood.

1. The meaning of faith, 11:1

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (NIV 84)

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (NIV)

Now faith means putting our full confidence in the things we hope for, it means being certain of things we cannot see. (J.B. Phillips)

Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see. (CEV)

Oral Roberts, praying for healing. Is this what Biblical faith looks like? Some people think so.

You can search the Bible from cover to cover but you won’t find a definition of what faith is. However, a number of facts about faith are given. Those facts taken together will lead us to a better understanding of Biblical faith.

This verse in the Greek begins with the verb “is.” Faith, then, is a present, ongoing reality in the life of every believer. Faith is not an on again, off again thing practiced in difficult times. Faith is not some ancient virtue simply to be studied. Christian faith is a living faith; it is a way of life. While the word “faith,” pistis, is translated in various ways: belief, trust, fidelity, firm persuasion and conviction, in the Bible faith is always linked to God. So at the outset, we must understand that Biblical faith is not a belief in self or man but in God.

Going a little further, faith is the hypostasis of things hoped for. The Greek word is interesting; it was commonly used in the sense of a “title deed.” A title deed is the foundational document or contract of some transaction. So then, faith is the “title deed” of things hoped for. Hypostasis is sometimes used subjectively, as the NIV has: we are “sure.” But it can also be used objectively, as in the KJV’s “substance.” The common thought promoted by the KJV has led to what used to be known as “the prosperity Gospel,” which taught that believers will be given what we want if we have enough faith. That’s basically what the KJV says; that the things we want, which at present have so substance, will be made real by faith. The problem with that translation is that it doesn’t line up with what the author has been and will be teaching about faith. Genuine Biblical faith is the absolute conviction that God will do what has said He would do. There are spiritual realities, like the promises of God for example, that have no substance at present, but are made real nonetheless—they will be given “substance”–by faith. Our faith convinces us that God’s Word; God’s promises, are true and that they exist whether we can see them or not.

Now, having faith in the promises of God suggests that we actually know what God has promised He would do. This is why so many modern believers live lives full of disappointment and disillusionment: from their perspective, God has not conformed to their wills; He has not given them the things they had been hoping for. But faith has nothing to do with God bending to our wills; faith takes God at His Word. Faith bends our wills to His will for us.

2. The assurance of faith, 11:2, 3

This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Genuine faith is what “the ancients,” or “the elders” were commended for. The ancestors of the the Hebrews reading this very letter had the right kind of faith. But those present-day Hebrews were struggling; they were getting restless, maybe even impatient with God. As far as they were concerned, God was not solving their problems. For the recipients of this letter, life certainly didn’t seem to be getting any better. A lot of frustrated Christians are just like these ancient Hebrews. It’s way too easy to assume God doesn’t care or God isn’t involved when it seems like our prayers go unanswered. But as verse 1 stated, faith in the invisible things of God is “proof” or “evidence” that we know God knows what He is doing. The “things” themselves are not proof of anything; it’s faith that’s important, not the thing hoped for.

If that sounds a little too metaphysical, verse 2 tells us that such thinking is rooted in faith; it’s historically provable. The Hebrews holding this letter were at the end of a long line of faithful men. As this chapter progresses, the author will use examples of people in Hebrew history who bore witness to genuine faith. The faith Christians have is not some pie-in-the-sky ideal, but historical. An apocryphal book, Ecclesiasticus, has a whole section devoted to looking at the faith of historical figures. It begins like this: “Let us now praise famous men…” Faith is self-evident. Rich or poor; sick or healthy; these things don’t enter into it. Possessing a “thing hoped for” is not evidence of faith. Having faith is evidence of faith. All the people noted in Hebrews 11 would be unknown to us today if they didn’t have faith. The faith they had was what made them “famous.”

Granted, all this is hard to grasp. To help us get our minds wrapped around the nature of faith, the writer gives us an example of the nature of faith: creation. The material universe all around us is understandable only on the basis of faith. Christians are sure God did the work, but we weren’t there to see it happening. Not only that, we are told that everything, including the very ground upon which we are standing, was made out of invisible things. Think about the implication of 3: what seems real to our senses is really only a byproduct of that which our senses tell us unreal. So, Biblical faith is so much bigger than merely hoping that your flu symptoms will go away quickly or that you’ll get that new job you’ve been hoping for. Biblical faith is not denying reality, it is the ability to penetrate this superficial world of what we can see so that we can grab hold of the supernatural and eternal realities that lay behind it. Biblical faith is able to punch a hole through this world into the next, and reaching through, bring back that which God has promised.

Biblical faith transcends time and space; it reaches past the boundaries and barriers of this world of flesh and into the high places where the vistas of eternity can be seen. By faith we hold the title deed to that piece of property. When you understand that, you’ll understand what real faith is.

The Gunsmoke set. It looked real, but just like the material world, it was all just a façade.

This material world is a façade; an illusion. What’s real is what we cannot see. Biblical faith is not child’s play; it’s not something for weak-willed, easily influenced losers who see faith as a short cut to getting what they think they deserve in life. Biblical faith is something only mature, reasoning believers can practice. It is based on God’s Word. If you don’t know what’s written in your Bible, you’ll never understand or appreciate what Biblical faith is. But when you know what God’s Word says and you have confidence in what God has said in it, history becomes filled with meanings, your life will make sense, and you’ll face whatever your future may hold without fear.

Another illusion. The lagoon on Gilligan's Island was actually set, right next to the Hollywood Freeway.

TRUTHS FOR CHRISTIAN LIVING, PART 4

CLASSIC EXAMPLES OF GOOD AND BAD LEADERSHIP

3 JOHN

John probably wrote his letters after he wrote the Book of Revelation. If this is the case, then these epistles were written at the close of the first century, close to 100 AD when John was an old man. Even though all three letters were written by the same man, and probably written close together, and have similar themes, they are all quite different. The first letter stresses the importance of the love that holds the family of God together. In his second letter, John warns about the treacherous nature of false teachers and false teaching. As we come to the third letter, we note that it is similar to the second one in that t is also a personal letter, addressed to an individal. It’s theme is also the importance of truth. But it is different. 3 John deals with personalities; with three real people who influenced the church.

1. Gaius: Faithful and helpful, verses 1-8

To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth. (vs. 1)

This is address on the envelope. Like in his second letter, John refers to himself as “the elder.”

a. Heartfelt expressions, vs. 1, 2

“Gaius” was a very common name in the New Testament era. In fact, Paul knew  three of them! Whoever this Gaius was, John thought a lot of him; his relationship with him was founded on love and trust. Four times the elder refers to this Gaius as “beloved” or “(my) dear friend.” He must have had a wonderful, Christ-like character, and this impressed John. When John wrote that he loved Gaius “in the truth” he is indicating that Gaius was a man of sound doctrine. He believed in the deity of Jesus Christ; he believed in the teaching of the apostles. This must have been refreshing to John who, like Paul, spent so much of his time fighting false teachers and encouraging believers to remain faithful. Here was man who was faithful! John’s wish for Gaius is something we ought to wish for all believers:

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.

John is hoping that Gaius would continue to be healthy and prosperous; he  was interested in Gaius’ whole life, not just his spiritual life. There is nothing wrong with praying for either good health or prosperity.

b. Reasons to rejoice, vs. 3-8

The “brothers” whom John refers to in verse 3 were probably traveling evangelists or missionaries. They apparently ministered in Gaius’ church and eventually met up with John and told him all about Gaius. Obviously they impressed the brothers greatly. But what was it that impressed these men so much? A clue is given in verses 5-8:

Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth.

John praises Gaius for this man’s faithful conduct. Not only did Gaius believe the right things, but his conduct grew out of his beliefs. He had given visible proof that he was walking in the truth. These traveling preachers had told John about the kindness of Gaius. Gaius received these “strangers” as friends; as brothers in the Lord. He opened not only his heart to these strangers, but also his home. He showed them “hospitality,” putting these strangers up for a time. This was a big deal, even though it seems like such a simple thing. Traveling preachers and missionaries depended on the hospitality believers, which they didn’t always receive. Recall what Paul, a traveling preacher, asked of Philemon:

And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers. (vs. 22)

An interesting piece of extra-biblical writing shows how missionaries and evangelists should both behave and be treated. From “The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles,” we read this:

Let every Apostle who comes to you be received as the Lord, but let him not stay more than one day, or if need be a second as well; but if he stay three days, he is a false prophet.

Those who devote themselves to the ministry deserve to be cared for by the Church. Verse 7 seems to indicate that John considered it admirable that these itinerant peachers devoted themselves completely to God’s work, literally not engaging in any kind of secular work at all. Not all members of the church are called to be traveling preachers or missionaries. But helping to support such individuals makes those who stay behind “partners.” Every single believer is a priest, we are all responsible for doing the work of “the ministry” and taking Jesus to the lost. Those who write the check or provide lodging are all involved in doing just that.

2. Diotrephes: Sinfully ambitious, verses 9-11

After heaping much praise on Gaius, John gets to the heart of the matter: a jerk named Diotrephes. He is totally different than Gaius; a polar opposite, in fact. Obviously, Diotrephes was an arrogant person, but elder John comes short of judging him. Instead, John says he will try to visit the church personlly and deal with him in person.

a. Beware of this person, vs. 9-10

We know nothing about this man, except that his name means “foster child of Zeus,” which suggests he was of Greek ancestry. He was leader in Gaius’ church, but he appeared to be using his position for his own personal advanage.

I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.

Diotrephes “loves to be first,” meaning that instead of serving his congregation, this man was proud man didn’t recognize any other authority and did what he pleased. His behavior was exactly contrary to the admonition of Jesus found in Matthew 20:26, 27–

Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave…

To make matters worse, refusing to recognize John’s credentials, Diotrephes was making it impossible for the elder to do his job by spreading false stories and tall tales about both John and the other disciples. Not only that, while Gaius behaved like a true believer, Diotrephes did his best to stop any other preachers from coming to “his” church.” He was a meddler at best, and dictator at worst. We may wonder why John felt the need to discuss Diotrephes with Gaius when both men are members of the same church. One possible explanation could be the fact that Gauis freely submitted to the authority of John, while Diotrephes wanted to assume full authority of the church. This little “power struggle” was probably playing out in churches all over the world at this time, as the death of the apostples was leaving a kind of “leadership vacuum.”

b. Following godly examples, vs. 11

Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.

Diotrephes was a terrible example for any believer to follow, so John warns Gauis accordingly. John is not saying that Gauis is following a bad example, but evil is powerful. Every believer needs to be reminded to shun evil.

3. Demetrius: Highly respected, verses 12-14

Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.

a. A man of integrity, vs. 12

Here is a man sound in the faith! Dependable and reliable; the kind of man you’d like to have as a friend. Demetrius was probably one of the members whom Diotrephes was giving a hard time; likely a missionary made to feel unwelcome in Gaius’ church. This is the only time he is mentioned in Scripture.  We know only these things about him for sure:

• His good reputation preceded him. Notice that “everyone” spoke well of this man.
• His devotion to the Gospel was obvious to all. He lived according to the teachings of Scripture, and people noticed that.
• Other elders like John, thought highly of Demetrius.

Given what Demetrius had going for him, Gaius should feel comfortable in not only receiving Demetrius and extending him hospitality.

b. Final words, vs. 13, 14

I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.

Even though John wrote the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation, two of the longest books of the New Testament, he writes here that he would rather rather talk “face to face” than send a letter. 3 John is a true gem that gives us some powerful insights on personal relationships in the church. The koinonia—fellowship—of 1 John is not easily achieved within a local church and its even harder to maintain. It was even more difficult in the first century. But in these three letters, we see the ideal and the way to achieve it. Godly fellowship is made possible only through the way of love. Fellowship cannot be built on any other foundation.

(c) 2012, WitzEnd

HEBREWS: A New Way

Hebrews10:19—25

As we approach this section of Hebrews chapter 10, the first thing we notice is that the feeling of the letter changes. The author has effectively completed his teaching of doctrine and now he begins his exhortations on the basis of the doctrine. Like any good Bible teacher, he realized that his readers simply being given information wasn’t enough—they needed to be shown practical ways to apply the things they just learned. If this second part of chapter ten speaks of anything, it must surely speak of privilege and responsibility. Christians are the recipients of manifold blessings they neither deserve nor have earned. Because of that, they have a heavy responsibility to the One who blessed them in His  grace.

1.  A new way, 10:19—22

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God …  (verses19—22a)

The main predicate in these four verses is “let us draw near.” Every thing else is secondary to the thought that believers can now “draw near” to God. This great privilege afforded Christians is a result of the actions of Jesus Christ.

Thanks to the shed blood of Jesus, believers are now able to approach God with confidence. This “confidence” is a holy boldness, which is a result of our new relationship with God through Jesus Christ. This is not arrogance or pride in action. Recall the words of the prophet:

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does the LORD require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy  and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)

According to the teacher, we are able to “enter the Most Holy Place,” which he uses symbolically as the presence of God. All believers are now able to do something that was at one time limited only to members of the priesthood! All believers can enter into the very presence of Almighty God! This great privilege is made possible, not by the shed blood of animals, but by the shed of blood of our Lord and Savior.

This way of approaching God is described as a “new and living way,” as opposed to the old way, which involved the death of animals. This revolutionary way of approaching God was “opened for us through the curtain, that is his body.” This is a very interesting phrase that needs to be looked at and understood.

When our Lord was on the cross, we read this:

...for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. (Luke 23:45)

As Jesus hung bleeding and dying on the Cross, somehow the heavy curtain or veil of the Temple was ripped in two, indicating that the way to God was now open. The word for “veil” is katapetasmatos, meaning “curtain,” but coming from the Greek katapetannumi, meaning “expand.” So this veil was a kind of spiritual “iron curtain” that not only served to separate God from man, but “expanded,” emphasizing the great gulf that exists (and is always growing) between God and man apart from Jesus Christ.

The phrase “that is, his body” is hotly debated. What does it refer to? The natural way to interpret it in the Greek is to associate “his body” with “the veil.” If we take it to mean that, then how do we explain how the body of Jesus separated God from man? Haldman offers this helpful observation:

So long as Christ walked the earth in His beautiful and perfect humanity, He shut men out from God.

Jesus, as the perfect example of how to live, brought only condemnation of sinful man; He demonstrated, while in the flesh, how far from God sinful man really was. His life was a stark and living contrast to life of sinful man. If the “veil” was to become the “way” to God, then it had to destroyed. When the physical body of Jesus was destroyed on the Cross, the way was cleared for sinful man to approach God. His body was destroyed in place of sinful man’s body. The flesh of Jesus was taken out of the way, just like the veil to the Temple was, and offered as a sacrifice so that we could approach God.

The other way to read “that is, his body” is to continue associating “his body” with “the veil,” but to interpret “the veil” with man’s sinfulness, not Christ’s physical body. It is, after all, man’s sin that separates him from God. When Jesus took upon Himself the flesh of man, He eventually bore in that same body, the sins of the world. While He Himself remained sinless, He carried our sins with Him to the Cross. The broken and bleeding Body on the Cross released a power that ripped man’s sinfulness from himself. Because Jesus’ body was destroyed, ours would be saved. He was punished, opening the door for us and we are now free to walk through that door and approach God.

No matter how you interpret this phrase, the point is the same. The thing that once separated us from God has been removed and we therefore have full access into the most holy place.

2. The right way, 10:22—25

Thanks to the continued work of Jesus, our Great High Priest, we can approach God. But there is a right way to enter the new way. We are give a series of exhortations to help us do this right.

Let us draw near (vs. 22). We are to come near to God “with a sincere heart,” which is way of saying that the inner life of man must be right with God. Outward gyrations are not what’s important in approaching God; it’s what’s on the inside of man that counts.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (Matthew 5:8)

If we would approach God, it must be done sincerely, with a complete dedication to fulfilling the will of God in our lives. A divided or lukewarm heart can never approach God.

Let us hold unswervingly (vs. 23). The great foundational truths of the Word of God must be held and believed so deeply and with such conviction that our entrance into the presence of God will be with absolute confidence. This was the problem with these Hebrew Christians—faith and confidence in the Gospel message had given way to doubt and disbelief. When a Christian gives second place to the Word of God you can be sure they are not spending time in God’s presence because they cannot.

Let us consider, (vs. 24). The final exhortation is to consider others in the Body of Christ. This is a mutual activity in which believers are supposed to be encouraging one another. The word translated “spur” comes from the Greek paroxysmos, which means, oddly enough, “to irritate” or to “to exasperate.” Usually those are negative things, but in the context of this passage, “spur” is a positive thing.

Christians, instead of gossiping and nitpicking each other to death, should be provoking each other to love and good deeds. In other words, we need to take notice of fellow believers, find ways to encourage them and help them where needed. But also, we need be aware of their gifts and talents and find creative ways for them to use those gifts and talents in the performance of “good deeds.”

Verse 25 sounds like another exhortation, but it actually isn’t.

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

“Meeting together” is the most effective way to fulfil our calling as Christians; we perform the previous exhortations within the local church—in the context of “meeting together.” It seems as though some of these Hebrew Christians were not attending services any longer; they had given up meeting with other believers. The fact is, the practice of meeting together is not dispensable but indispensable to our growth in holiness as Christians.

The modern church is plagued with this problem; individuals who call themselves Christians who join a local church then for some reason seldom if ever show up for services. But apparently this is not a modern problem, even the early church suffered with it. However, this is not just a frustrating problem, it’s a very dangerous practice. Moffatt wrote:

Any early Christian who attempted to live like a pious particle without the support of the community ran serious risks in an age when there was no public opinion to support him.

Or to put it another way, where will a Christian find encouragement if not in his church? Christianity is a belief system that reaches out to people, drawing them together. Other events may draw a crowd—sporting events, concerts, movies—but only Christianity brings people together for a distinct purpose: participation in worship, praise, and work. Christianity is not supposed to be a spectator sport! In a culture that sometimes stresses individualism a little too much, we need to understand that believers need each other to strengthen the spiritual bond they share with Jesus Christ. And you cannot do that by yourself or with your family alone or with your circle of Christian friends alone. You need the local church, and the local church needs you. In a sense, the most selfish thing a Christian can do is to stop attending services at their church.

Going to church is not like going to your local garden club meeting or scout meeting. When you go to church, you are being obedient to teachings of Scripture and you are showing your love for Christ. Jesus is the Head of the Church. He is present at church when you are there. Jesus is not the president of your local scout troop or garden club. Jesus is the Head of your church and he wants to have fellowship with you in that context. Naturally you can fellowship with your Lord any time of the night or day; but He wants to fellowship with you in context of fellowship with other believers. The Head of church cannot function without the body. The believer is part of the Body of Christ, which Christ presents “to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. “ (Ephesians 5:27)

(c)  2011 WitzEnd

TRUTHS FOR CHRISTIAN LIVING, PART 3

The apostle John, writing.

THIS YOU CAN KNOW!

1 John 4:1—21

The recipients of this letter were members of a church in controversy. The trouble-makers who John was dealing with were not worldly pagans, but people who claimed to be Christians. These false teachers were smart and clever; they cloaked their unbiblical teachings in such a way as to lead some believers astray and plant the seeds of doubt in others.

1. Know what is true, 1 John 4:1—6

Without naming it as such, John is about to teach his readers about one of the gifts of the Spirit given to all born again people: the discerning of spirits. Here is how John begins teachings about this spiritual gift:

Dear friends,do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1John4:1)

An interesting point in this verse is John’s use of the word “spirit.” It comes from a Greek word that can mean “wind” or “spirit.” It is the same word of the Holy Spirit. But John’s teachings in this passage are really a profound insight into the spirit-world. Behind every human teacher, false or genuine, is a superhuman force—either the Holy Spirit or an evil spirit, and behind ever spirit is its head—either God or Satan.

a. Test the spirits, verse 1-3

It is the responsibility of individual believers to determine whether or not the person to whom he is listening is teaching something from God or Satan. The Holy Spirit dwells in every true believer, but another spirit lives in the false teachers and John gives two pieces of advice:

• Do not believe every spirit. Common sense tells us that we are unable to actually see a spirit, but we can certainly hear and understand its teachings. Just because a Bible teacher looks good and uses the right words, that doesn’t mean what he is teaching is from God. This is the first part of the discernment process: listen carefully to the teacher and his teaching; don’t blindly accept it. All teachings must be verified in light of the Word of God (see 1 Thessalonians 2:4 and 5:21).

• Many false prophets have gone out into the world. False teachers have made the world their classroom; they are literally all over the place, insidiously making themselves a part of churches and denominations. Their goal is to be heard by Christians and to lead as many of them astray as they can.

But Christians don’t have to be gullible; there is a test to determine the origination of the teaching and the teacher.

Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. (verses 2b, 3a)

The test involves a positive confession that hinges on the doctrine of the Incarnation: Jesus Christ came in the flesh. The false teachers of John’s day taught a corrupt version of the Incarnation, denying the lynch pin teaching of the Gospel that the Son of God became the Son of man.

The second part of this test is a negative confession; actively teaching something that is completely contrary to the revealed Word of God that teaches the divinity of Jesus Christ.

Liberal theology involves both of these points. Liberal theologians never accept on faith orthodox Biblical doctrines that Jesus Christ was, is, and will always be the Son of God; that He came from Heaven, assumed the flesh of man in order to save His people; that Herose bodily from the dead, ascended to heaven and that at an appointed time, that same Jesus will return as He left.  Liberal theologians will always seek to rationalize the teachings of Scripture by downplaying the supernatural elements.

b. Live as overcomers, verses 4—6

John’s emphasis shifts now from the content of the false teacher’s message to the character of his readers.

What about God’s people? Positively there are two things to note. First, even if they don’t feel like it, they have already overcome the false prophets. No matter how many false teachers there are or how smart they appear, Christians have overcome them. Second, believers are from God, false teachers are not. We therefore have Him dwelling in us in the Person of the Holy Spirit.

Another important point often overlooked in this group of verses teaches us something about the true message of God and His messengers:

We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood. (verse 6)

Whoever knows God listens to the real Word being proclaimed from real messengers. Those who don’t know God are not interested in hearing any genuine teaching. This makes common sense. Christians love to hear God’s Word being taught because that Word carries with it a divine authority. But the world doesn’t want to be under God’s authority, therefore it will always prefer false teaching to the real thing.

Part of having godly character is to live as an overcomer; as one who recognizes false teaching and avoids it.  This victory over false teaching and false teachers has nothing to do with our abilities,but with “the one who is in us.”  This One, is of course, the Holy Spirit.  No matter what spirit is opposing us,the Holy Spirit within us will enable us to live as overcomers.

2. Know God through love, 1 John 4:7—14

If the first group of verses in chapter 4 represents John’s teaching on the gift of discernment, then this next group of verses illustrates just one of the results of having the gifts of the Spirit operating in your life: love for the body of Christ. This section of John’s letter is perhaps the best loved part of any of John’s writings. It is the definitive statement about agape love. It is, also, very difficult to follow.

a. Love starts with God, verses 7—11

Verse 7 marks either an abrupt end to a discussion of false teachers or an abrupt beginning of a new teaching. Actually, it’s a continuation of the idea that genuine Christians are markedly different from the imitation Christians called false teachers. Unlike them, true believers love one another. This may be a fruit of the Holy Spirit, but it is our responsibility.

This love we are to have for members of the body of Christ is agape love; this kind of love does not depend on the quality of its object. If we have fellowship with God, if we are born of God, if we walk in the light, we will love others because “love is of God.”

Love, then, is another test of a person’s relationship with God. John does NOT say that everyone who is born of God manifests love, but rather he says this:

Every one who loves has been born of God and knows God. (verse7b)

But this is not a sentimental or emotional love John is referring to. There is a distinction between “natural love” and “Christian love.”  Natural love, the love a man has for a women or parents for children, comes from within the person himself, but it is conditioned by some quality in the other person. But agape love has nothing to do with anything in the other person. Agape love is the kind of love God has for human beings. His love for us is not a response to our love. The response is ours. This is the kind of love we are to have for others, particularly for members of the Body of Christ, but not just for them, for all people.

b.God’s Spirit lives in believers, verses12—16

Verse 12 seems like a statement out of place, but it might have reference to the false teachers who claimed to have supernatural visions of God. John’s response to their grandiose claims is: No one has ever seen God. This is John’s way of saying something Paul said to the Corinthians:

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. (1 Corinthians 13:1)

A false teacher can make all kinds of big claims, but if they don’t have God’s love in them, God is not in them. Three times in this paragraph John writes about the indwelling of God in the true believer—see verses 13, 15, and 16. Each time, he cites an evidence of this indwelling. Here is another test to see if the Holy Spirit is in a person:

• The evidence:...he has given us of his Spirit.(verse13). How is this an evidence?  While we can’t see the Spirit, we can see His fruit. The following two pieces of evidence build on this.

• The evidence: If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God… (verse15) Any body can claim to believe in God, but faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God is evidence that a person is a true believer.

• The evidence: Whoever lives in love.. . (verse16) The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is really the indwelling of love.  John Stott comments: “The natural man can neither believe nor love.  In his fallen and unredeemed state he is both blind and selfish. It is only by the grace of the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of truth and whose first- fruit is love, that man ever comes to believe in Christ and to love others.”

3. Know you abide in God, 1 John 4:15—21

a. Confident in the love of God, verses 15—18

The people Jesus saves are the the people who acknowledge the divine sonship of Jesus Christ. Those who make the confession have the God dwelling in them. Of course, that confession is not enough. The phrase, “Jesus is the Son of God” should not be viewed as a mere confessional statement. Knowing and believing in the divinity of Jesus Christ means having complete faith and confidence in Him and in God’s love.

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. (verse16)

This verse teaches us something of the nature of saving faith. It involves the intellect: knowing and relying go together. The growth of knowledge results in the growth of faith and they feed off of each other. When it comes to faith, ignorance is not bliss. One of the reasons why so many believers live in disappointment, often feeling neglected by God and being disappointed in God, is because their knowledge of God and how God works is so lacking. These kind of believers have expectations of God not based in His reality.

However, the more we learn about God in His Word, the more we understand His ways, the more our faith and confidence in Him grows because we have realistic expectations of God and we pray prayers that get answered because we pray according to His will.

John’s point is that no believer should ever live in fear because God is dwelling in them. God is love, and perfect love pushes away all fear.

b. Divinely enabled to love, verses 19—21

We love because he first loved us.(verse19)

This is an odd sentence because it is incomplete. We love what or whom? What was on John’s mind when he wrote the words “we love?” Do we love God? Or do we love each other? Perhaps John had both options in mind. No human being can claim that his love for God existed before God’s love for Him! And at the same time, no human being can claim to love everybody on his own! The fact is, our love for God and our love for all people is a copy of God’s love for us. He is the very nature of love and we follow His example.

And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. (verse21)

John ends his discussion on love by summarizing the law which his readers knew so well. Jesus also brought together the first and greatest commandment (Deuteronomy 6:5) and the second commandment (Leviticus 19:18). Throughout the New Testament, the notion of loving one’s neighbor is stressed. Why is that? We are called to love those around us because to varying degrees they bear the image of God and God has commanded us to love them. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we are able to do just that.

I. Howard Marshall wrote:

The more we realize how much God loved us, the more we shall realize our obligation to love Him in return. It is therefore good for us to constantly renew our knowledge of God’s love as we read of it in the Bible, as we hear it proclaimed in the worship of the church, and as we consider the ways in which our whole life has been molded by experiences of God’s love and care for us.

God’s great love for us allows us to love others the way He loves them. The one who abides in God will obey His commands, and the two greatest commands are to love God and to love others. The two are inseparable.

(c)  2011 WitzEnd