E-Mail Bible Class
The Letters of John
BC Weekly Digest Monday, May 18 1998 In this issue: 1 John 2:27 1 John 2:27,28 1 John 2:28 1 John 2:29 1 John 2:28,29 1 John 2:29 1 John 2:29 1 John 2:28 1 John 2:27 Anointing and the Consecration of God's priests. Anointing was part of the consecration of the Old Testament priest, admiting him into the service of the Tabernacle. This consecration is the 'shadow' of the 'setting apart' of the child of God today for service in the new sanctuary, - the church. Compare the activities under the law, with the believers path to consecration now under the new covenant. The Old Testament individual came to the altar bringing an animal for sacrifice, putting his hand on the animal's head to acknowledge sin and the need for redemption. He then offered the animal in sacrifice and proceeded to the laver and washed, after which he was clothed in priestly robes sprinkled with blood and was anointed with the sacred anointing oil. Only then could he enter the tabernacle and serve as a priest. Under the new covenant, the penitent believer comes to acknowledge the crucified Savior, God's lamb slain for our sins. Then recognizing the need for cleansing from sin, the penitent is immersed in the waters of baptism and comes forth as one buried and resurrected to a new life - robed in the righteousness of Christ, his conscience sprinkled with His blood and is given the Holy Spirit as promised (Acts 2:38). Thus set apart and anointed, he enters God's new nation as part of His holy priesthood to begin his life of service offering up "spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ"( 1 Peter 2:5-9 ). Readings: Titus 2:11-14; 3:3-7 and Hebrews chapters 8-10. [My understanding of God's consecration of His new priests came from a 1957 lecture in Frankfurt, Germany given by a beloved British brother.] J.Lee Roberts ------------------------------ 1 John 2:27,28 1 John 2:27b,28a (OPV) 27b "Remain in Him." 28a "Remain in Him." === 2:27 "Remain" The word translated "remain" appears twenty-five times in First John: We remain/abide in the Son and in the Father (1 John 2:6,24,27,28; 3:6,24; 4:13,15,16). He remains/abides in us (1 John 3:24,24; 4:12,13,15,16). We remain in love (1 John 4:16). We remain in the light (1 John 2:10). The word of God abides (remains) in us (1 John 2:14). What we have heard from the beginning remains in us (1 John 2:24,24). The anointment remains in us (1 John 2:27). His seed abides (remains) in us (1 John 3:9). He who does the will of God continues (remains) for ever (1 John 2:17). If they had been of us, they would have stayed (remained) with us (1 John 2:19). He who does not love remains in death (1 John 3:14). No murderer has eternal life abiding (remaining) in him (1 John 3:15). How can God's love be abiding (remaining) in someone who closes his heart against a brother in need (1 John 3:17). 2:27 "Remain in Him" Notice that we are commanded to remain in Him. Thus, it must be possible NOT to remain in Him. John explains what it means to remain in Him. "Everyone who remains in Him does not keep on sinning" (1 John 2:6; 3:6). "If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father" (1 John 2:24). "And he who keeps His commandments remains in Him" (1 John 3:24). "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and have believed the love which God has in us. God is love, and he who abides in love, abides in God, and God abides in him" (1 John 4:15,16). Notice the development. We must turn away from sin. We must accept the word of God and it must remain in us, not as abstract knowledge, but as the guiding force in our lives. Obeying the commandments of Christ involves confessing Him as the Son of God and abiding in love. Roy Davison ------------------------------ 1 John 2:28 1 John 2:28 (OPV) 28 And now, little children, remain in Him, so when He is revealed we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. === 2:28 "When He is revealed" ... "at His coming" This refers to the return of Christ. Jesus promised: "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also" (John 14:3 ASV). This promise was repeated by angels when Jesus ascended: "And while they were looking steadfastly into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; who also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye beheld him going into heaven" (Acts 1:10,11 ASV). 2:28 "We may have confidence" We must remain in Christ. Only in Him can we appear before God without fear on the day of judgment "in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him" (Eph 3:12 ASV). By remaining in Him we "hold fast our boldness and the glorying of our hope firm unto the end" (Heb 3:6 ASV). It is only by the redeeming blood of Christ that we can have confidence before God. "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by the way which he dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and [having] a great priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience: and having our body washed with pure water, let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not; for he is faithful that promised" (Heb 10:19-13 ASV). "For we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one that hath been in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin. Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help [us] in time of need" (Heb 4:15,16 ASV). 2:28 "And not be ashamed before Him at His coming" John explains this more fully in the following chapters: "Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God" (1 John 3:21 OPV). "This is how love has been perfected among us, that we may have confidence on the day of judgment, because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love expels fear, because fear has to do with punishment, and he who fears has not been perfected in love" (1 John 4:17,18 OPV). Roy Davison ------------------------------ 1 John 2:29 1 John 2:29 (OPV) 29 Since you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who is practicing righteousness has been born of Him. === 2:29 "He is righteous" One of the designations for Christ is "the Righteous One" (1 John 2:1). Peter told the Jewish leaders: "But ye denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted unto you" (Acts 3:14 ASV). The conclusion of Stephen's last sermon was: "Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? and they killed them that showed before of the coming of the Righteous One; of whom ye have now become betrayers and murderers; ye who received the law as it was ordained by angels, and kept it not" (Acts 7:52,53 ASV). Paul was allowed "to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from his mouth" (Acts 22:14 ASV). That the Messiah would be the Righteous One was also predicted in the Old Testament. "Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby he shall be called: Jehovah our righteousness" (Jer 23:5,6 ASV). "In those days, and at that time, will I cause a Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely; and this is [the name] whereby she shall be called: Jehovah our righteousness" (Jer 33:15,16 ASV). 2:29 "Everyone also who is practicing righteousness has been born of Him" Some have misused this passage to claim that anyone who lives "a good moral life" is a child of God whether he observes the religious instructions in the Scriptures or not. Such an idea is completely foreign to the concept of John. Only if we confess our sins can we be cleansed from unrighteousness, the first prerequisite for practicing righteousness: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9 OPV). This will be discussed more fully in the next chapter: "Anyone who has been born of God does not keep on practicing sin, because His seed abides in him, and he is not able to keep on sinning, because he has been born of God" (1 John 3:9). This seed is the word of God, the truth which must be obeyed: "Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently: having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth" (1 Peter 1:22,23 ASV). Roy Davison ------------------------------ 1 John 2:28,29 1 John 2:28,29 Comments by Howard Justice 2:28 "And now, little children, remain in Him, so when He is revealed we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming" (OPV). Again John addresses them as "little children" and such they were. They had been drawn away from the fold of God by error, but as sheep gone astray, He had rescued them through the efforts of His beloved apostle, John. 2:29 "Since you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who is practicing righteousness has been born of Him" (OPV). Yes, they knew better, having been reminded of their first love. And they also were aware that it was in Him, Jesus Christ, that they were vested in righteousness, yet like children, they had been weak. It is only through Christ that any of us are able to attain righteousness, for He is the source of righteousness. They had been chastened by God's love. "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all [men], and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:" (Heb 12:11-15 KJV). Howard Justice ------------------------------ 1 John 2:29 The question has been asked: In Psalms 119:172, we read: "My tongue shall speak of thy word; for all thy commandments are righteousness." Does this mean that if we follow God's commandments as closely as is humanly possible, then we are rid of unrighteousness and become righteous? The Bible teaches there are two ways to be righteous. The first way is to never commit a sin. The only way to do this is to obey every one of God's righteous commands. This was suggested in the question and seems like the ideal way. The person asking the question used the phrase "as closely as is humanly possible." Herein is the problem. Although there are degrees of sin, it only takes one violation of one of God's commands to condemn a person. Unfortu- nately, no one (except Christ) ever lived without sin. "For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God" (Ro 3:23 ASV). The second way to become righteous is to be forgiven, to become righteous to be justified freely by God's grace through Christ Jesus (Ro 3:24). That too involves obeying commands, such as, "And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on his name" (Ac 22:16 ASV; compare Ac 10:48). This plan works for every accountable person. Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned" (Mk 16:16 ASV). Charles Hess. ------------------------------ 1 John 2:29 The question has been asked: "Can you explain/show Scripture for different `degrees of sin'? It was stated: `Although there are degrees of sin, it only takes one violation of one of God's commands to condemn a person.' I thought all sin was the same." May I say that the question is an excellent one, one that requires a great deal of study? First, the Bible recognizes various levels of character traits. Justice, mercy and love are "weightier matters" than the tithing the seeds of tiny spices (Mt 23:23; Lu 11:42). Commands too are different. They are classified as the greatest (Mt 22:36-38), the second (Mt 22:39) and "these least" (Mt 5:19). The Bible is replete with descriptions of "great sins" (see Ge 20:9; Ex 32:21, 30, 31; 1Sa 2:17; 1Ki 16:25; 2Ki 17:21; 2Ch 28:13; 33:9; Ne 9:18; Jer 7:26; 16:12; Eze 8:6, 13, 15; 16:47; Am 5:12; 1Co 5:1; 2Ti 3:13). Some students postulate that there may be other sins that are not so great. Perhaps one of the plainest statements on degrees of sin was made to Pilate by the Lord Himself, "He that delivered me unto thee hath greater sin" (Joh 19:11; all quotations in this answer are from ASV). As to differences in degrees of guilt, God said to Abraham, "The iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete [or full] (Ge 15:16). Paul said, "But if any provideth not for his own, and specially his own household, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever" (1Ti 5:8; see also 2Ch 28:13; Ezr 9:6; Mt 11:24; 23:14; Mk 12:40; Lu 20:47; Ac 17:30; Ro 3:25; Jas 3:1; 2Pe 2:21). Another perceptive reader observed, "The fact that any sin (even a 'minor' one) separates us from God has, I am afraid, encouraged some to think that extremely serious sins are no worse than lessor ones!" Notice that Job was an upright man but still he realized that he could not claim perfection before God. At the same time, he could not believe that God would deal with him the same as with the unrighteous who lived in utter rebellion against God (but who often prospered materially). Are sins punished differently? Apparently so. Ezekiel lamented, "The punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom" (Lam 4:6). Unless Jesus taught degrees of punishment in Luke 12:47, 48, what was His reason for saying servants who knew or did not know the lord's will would be beaten with many or few stripes? That the apostle John realized there was difference in the handling of sins is evident by his statement, "If any man see his brother sinning a sin not unto death, he shall ask, and God will give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death; not con- cerning this do I say that he should make request" (1Jo 5:16, 17). In summary, the Bible teachers there are degrees of character traits, degrees of sin, degrees of guilt and degrees of punishment. However, in the church age, there is no excuse for unforgiven sin. There is no promise that God will overlook it (see Ac 17:30, 31). Nevertheless, by His grace, He has provided cleansing from all sin in Jesus Christ (compare Ac 2:38; 22:16; 1Jo 1:7). Let us all live as righteously as possible. When we fall, let us quickly repent and beg pardon at God's throne of mercy and grace. Charles Hess ------------------------------ 1 John 2:28 The question has been asked:"what directions do you offer someone who is doubtful? This doubt creates fear." It is difficult to have confidence in someone until you know them well. Many Bible people have progressed from doubting God's promises to the point of authentic trust in Him. Thomas was a doubter until he truly came to know Christ. After His resurrection, Jesus invited Thomas to renounce his doubts:"... do not be faithless, but believe". It was then that Thomas displayed his trust proclaiming: "My Lord and my God" ( John 20:27,28). Peter also showed doubts in Christ's directions - -once when Jesus invited him to walk on the sea- fear took over and Peter began sinking. Jesus saved him and said,'Why do you doubt, why is your faith so small?'( Matthew 14:28-31). Then again Peter certainly doubted Christ's prediction of his denial: 'I'll die with you, but I'll never deny you.'( Matthew 26:35 ). Later Jesus basically asked him but one question: 'Peter, do you now really love me?' (John 21: 15-17). To really KNOW is to love and obey! Doubting is not uncommon and the remedy seems to include a period of 'getting to know Him'- which advances to 'getting to love and obey Him'. Suggestions for developing trust in God: 1) Make the decision to seek and to know God ( Jeremiah 29:13; Matthew 7:7; John 17:3). 2) Study to know and obey His word (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Peter 1:20-25; 1 John 5:1-3). 3) Grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus, through whom we increase our understanding and love ( 2 Peter 1:3-8; 3:18). 4) Develop genuine love, for in loving we become more like Him, we fulfill His will, and being 'perfected' in love, fear is cast out! ( 1 John 4:12-19). In thus loving Him, we can never fear being separated from His love ( Romans 8:39 ). J.Lee Roberts