The Epistle of 1 John – Part Five

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

This is the fifth part of a series on the epistle of 1 John written by John the apostle. In this series we will cover the basic concerns John had for writing this letter to Christians. Included are the fourteen reasons he wrote these epistles of 1, 2 and 3 John as well as the eleven assurances we have that establish our salvation as a Christian.

 

In 1 John 2:14 John appears to be repeating himself because the wording of verse 14 is so similar to verse 13. He states, ” I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.”

 

There are many possible explanations for why John seems to repeat himself in this verse. The most likely one is that he wishes to emphasize the importance of these two groups of Christians that make up the local church. In verse 13 he wrote to the fathers, the young men and the younger children of the faith. Here in verse 14 he again addresses the older men who are the established leaders of the faith and the younger men who will grow spiritually and eventually replace the older men as spiritual examples of good Christian living. He repeats almost word for word his statements to the older men to emphasize their reputation of knowing “Him who is from the beginning,” Jesus, the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8, 21:6, 22:13). This is a compliment for their consistent spiritual living and an encouragement to continue living and believing in Jesus Christ.

 

In verse 13 John addresses the young men because they had overcome the evil one and here John gives the reason they could claim spiritual victory in this battle, because the Word of God lived within them. These young men had dedicated their lives to studying the Old Testament as well as living out what the apostles had written in the letters of the New Testament. They took this instruction and applied it to their hearts and minds while they grew in their love for the Lord. The result was victory in all sorts of struggles, trials and spiritual temptations.

 

We should take a lesson from each of these groups of Christians. We should bury ourselves in the study of Gods Word and seek to not only retain what we have learned, but make sure we apply it to each decision we make and every action we take. As we let the Word of God live within us we will see numerous and consistent victories in our lives. We should also strive to maintain our close relationship with “He who is from the beginning,” Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, so we can grow in this relationship and become spiritually mature in our faith. God will then use us to lead others in their spiritual growth and minister more effectively to not only other Christians but also non-believers.

 

Colossians 3:16 tells us the result of having the Word of Christ dwell within us. It states, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Here we see that as we let the Word dwell in our hearts and minds we will teach and encourage others in godly ways and our worship will be enhanced as well. Having the Word deep within us will establish a deep appreciation for our Heavenly Father and therefore our worship will be more expressive of our thanks to Him as we glorify and praise Him in song and deed. When the Word of God is within us we can judge not only our own thoughts and intentions better we can instruct and guide others as well because we have the wisdom of God in us in the form of Holy Scripture. Hebrews 4:12 speaks of this when it says, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

 

In 1 John 2:15-17 John gives us another test that can assure us that we truly are saved. He states, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” When we sense in ourselves disinterest in the attractions of the world we are growing spiritually in our Christian life. When our love for God and godly pursuits become more important than what the world has to offer we can be assured that we are saved and truly Christian. When we realize that the things of this world will not last and have only temporary pleasure and enjoyment we know we have gained a Christ-like view of the world around us. This does not mean we seek to withdraw from the world altogether or avoid any contact with it in any form or manner for God calls us to be in the world, but not of the world. John 15:19 tells us that the world will hate us because the world loves its own and we are not of the world. John 17:14 says that Jesus did not pray to His Heavenly Father to take us out of the world, but to protect us from the evil one. Jesus says in this passage that just as He is not of this world neither are His followers. James 1:27 tells us to keep ourselves unspotted and unstained from the influences of the world. James 4:4 states that those who are friends with the world are enemies of God.

 

The word for “love” in the verses of 1 John 2:15-17 verse is “agape” so we are not to love the world, the material things it contains, the riches it can offer, the excitement and entertainment it can provide in the same way we love God and people. When we love the world in an “agape” fashion we are making it an idol and loving it more than the Lord. When we love the world with “agape” love we are loving it in a moral, social, deeply committed manner. We are loving the world in a way that is meant to be shown only to God and people. The “world” here represents the cravings of our flesh and sinful bodily passions, the lust of the eyes that tempt us to sin by pleasurable things we see and the evil pride that drives us to boast about what we have and do. The things of the world that are associated with evil and the flesh do not come from God, they come from sin that has tainted and stained all of creation. God does not want us to love the world, He wants us to love Him, but He also does not want us to love the world because it will not last. The world offers instant pleasure not everlasting contentment. The world offers temporary gratification not eternal fulfillment. The world will pass away eventually but our life in Christ and all it brings with it will last forever.

 

In Genesis chapter 3 we see the account of Satan tempting Adam and Eve. Satan, in the form of a serpent, tempted eve with the three temptations of the world. The “cravings of sinful man” or the “lust of the flesh” was Eve’s attraction to the forbidden fruit to fulfill her inward desire for nourishment in an inappropriate way. The “lust of the eyes” or the “fruit that was pleasing to her eyes” was the attractive physical appearance the fruit had to Eve. The “boasting of what one has or does” or the satanic promise of Satan that “they would be like God” was the deceptive evil promise that they would be equal in power, character and knowledge to God if they ate of the fruit.

 

In Matthew chapter 4 we see again the three temptations of the world that Satan used to try and distract and defeat Jesus Christ when He was in the wilderness. Satan tried to use Christ’s weakened and hungry physical state to tempt Him with the “cravings” of His body for food. Satan also tried to use the “splendor of the world” to attract Christ to the “visual pleasures” of the physical world. Finally Satan also tried to discover if there was any “sinful pride” in Jesus by challenging Him to jump from a high promontory point to prove His power over the angels who would rescue Him from the fall.

 

So we see that John was very justified in describing this test for checking to see where a person’s allegiance resided. Christians do not love the world. They reject the cravings for sin within their body, they overrule the temptation to be led astray by the lust of their eyes and they are humble before the Lord, letting the Holy Spirit lead, rather than their boastful selfish flesh which desires glory and attention.

 

In 1 John 2:18 John explains in a general way why there is an issue with the Gnostics and why they are teaching false doctrines. He states, “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.” He explains that those who live in the “last hour” or the “end times” before Christ returns will notice the appearance of many antichrists before the ultimate antichrist comes. “Antichrists” are anyone who denies the deity of Christ, His work of salvation on the cross, the fact that He was both divine and human at the same time or any teachings that He spoke and lived. The Gnostic false teachers would fall into this category. John was probably aware of numerous other “antichrists” as well. Examples are those who believed in Docetism which states that Jesus did not have a real physical body and His physical appearance was an illusion. Cerinthianism taught that Christ had a dual nature and that the “Divine Spirit” of God descended upon Him at His baptism and left Him before the crucifixion. Antinomianism promoted the belief that Christians were not required to obey the law of God because of God’s grace and therefore could sin as much as they wanted. Paul wrote against this false teaching in Romans 6. Today we also know we are in the last hour before Christ’s return because of the hundreds if not thousands of false beliefs that are being taught around us and false religions that have sprung up. The most powerful “antichrist” will appear in the end of the last hour and set himself up as ruler of the earth.

 

In 1 John 2:19 John says, “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” Here John is illustrating what happens when false teachers and antichrists attempt to blend in with true Christians. Eventually they will leave as long as Christians stand up for the truth, live godly lives and confront these “fake” followers of God with their lies and their sin. Evil selfish individuals who believe in ungodly doctrine will eventually move on if confronted, for they desire to be validated in their error and seek to draw people into their false beliefs.

 

In verse 20 of this chapter John adds a very important statement, “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.” This is the mark of a true Christian who has the Holy Spirit living within them. They will be able to discern truth from error, true gospel truth from false worldly deception. Christians young in the faith may have difficulty identifying exact doctrinal errors, but if they are relying upon the Holy Spirit to guide them they will sense something is wrong and avoid worldly teaching or at least seek wise counsel on what to do. More mature Christians who have studied scripture more extensively and have many years of experience of relying upon the Holy Spirit will not only be able to discern truth from error, but will also be able to refute the lies of false teachers and contend for the faith.

 

We have learned that whether we are mature in the faith or have just received Christ as Savior we need to remain faithful to God’s Word and live a life of obedience. We need to love the Lord and not the world. We need to avoid the cravings of our flesh, the lust of our eyes and the pride that so quickly can hinder our life in Christ. We need to be cautious of false teachers and antichrists and rely upon the Holy Spirit who lives within us as Believers. So let us live up to the calling God has placed on our lives and live each and every moment for our mighty God.