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The Letters of John
BC Weekly Digest Monday, December 14 1998 In this issue: 1 John 5:11,12 1 John 5:11,12 1 John 5:12 1 John 5:13 1 John 5:14,15 1 John 5:11,12 1 John 5:11,12 The question has been asked: What is the meaning of "this life is in His Son" in 1 John 5:11 and "He who has the Son, has life. He who does not have the Son of God, does not have life" in 1 John 5:12)? === "Life is in His Son" "Be not deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning. (James 1:16-17 ASV) Life is a most precious gift from God we all possess. We have been created by God to live; and, as with other creatures of this earth, we are born - we live - then we die. In the beginning God created all things (Genesis 1:1), and gave life to all creatures, including man. But man was special, his life began by the "breath" of God. "These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that Jehovah God made earth and heaven. And no plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for Jehovah God had not caused it to rain upon the earth: and there was not a man to till the ground; but there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Genesis 2:4-7 ASV). God provided everything for man to sustain this new life. God had made man in His image, and gave him life in which there was no death; but that life depended upon his following God's commandments. "And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2: 16,17 ASV) Man disobeyed God and his life was changed because of disobedience. He was under the penalty of death. However, we can see how much God really loved man and provided new life from the dreaded death of sin. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16 ASV). God's plan for man's continued life was in His Son, Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul sheds more light on God's plan for man to live, and explains how God reconciles man's strained relationship through His Son. "We are not again commending ourselves unto you, but speak as giving you occasion of glorying on our behalf, that ye may have wherewith to answer them that glory in appearance, and not in heart. For whether we are beside ourselves, it is unto God; or whether we are of sober mind, it is unto you. For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that one died for all, therefore all died; and he died for all, that they that live should no longer live unto themselves, but unto him who for their sakes died and rose again. Wherefore we henceforth know no man after the flesh: even though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know him so no more. Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new. But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and gave unto us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not reckoning unto them their trespasses, and having committed unto us the word of reconciliation. We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beseech you on behalf of Christ, be ye reconciled to God. Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him" (2 Cor 5:12-21 ASV). Reconciliation is God's way of putting man back into that 'life' relationship, and it is through His Son. Jesus explained this to His disciples after His crucifixion and resurrection. "When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had said this, he showed unto them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord. Jesus therefore said to them again, Peace be unto you: as the Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit: whose soever sins ye forgive, they are forgiven unto them; whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained (John 20:19-23 ASV). Here we have the breath of God through Jesus upon the disciples. It is a complete cycle now, life eternal has been given to man through the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This new life, just as the life of Adam, depends upon our obedience to God's commands. Jesus said: "If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments." (John 14:15 ASV) John talks about this "life" which is so precious and given by Jesus, throughout the book of John. In John Chapter 4 the Centurion's son was given life; in John Chapter 6 manna is the symbol of the life that was not physical, but from above; in John Chapter 11 Lazarus was brought back to life by Jesus. All of these symbolize the precious gift of life from God. "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we observed and our hands handled regarding the Word of Life -- and the life was revealed, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was revealed to us -- what we have seen and heard we also proclaim to you so you may also have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so our joy may be complete. (1 John 1:1-4 OPV) John lists five reasons for writing 1 John: 1 - (1:3) "that you may have fellowship" 2 - (1:4) "that our joy may be complete" 3 - (2:1) "that you may not sin" 4 - (2:26) "about those that would deceive you" 5 - (5:13) "you may know that you have eternal life" Because of the wonderful love of God (John 3:16) we have life eternal, fellowship with each other, with the Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ. Who could ask for anything more? No one! William Booth ------------------------------ 1 John 5:11,12 1 John 5:11,12 The question has been asked: What does "this life is in His Son" mean in 1 John 5:11 and "He who has the Son, has life. He who does not have the Son of God, does not have life" in 1 John 5:12)? === The "life" referred to here is the eternal life of Heaven versus "death" which is condemnation to an eternal existence in a burning hell that is referred to as "the second death" and is noted in Revelation 2:11; 20:6,14; and 21:18. The only escape is through the "great salvation" that comes to us through Jesus Christ: "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let [them] slip. For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard [him]; God also bearing [them] witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?" (Heb 2:1-4 KJV). If we "let them slip," if we drift away from the Word spoken by God, then we can expect His wrath upon us because we will deserve it. "This life is in His Son" and "He who has the Son, has life. He who does not have the Son of God, does not have life". If we neglect this great salvation, we will be lost. It is worth noting here that many modern-day evangelists have "let them slip" and teach less than total compliance with God's will. These are they who are referred to in Matthew 7:21-23: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (KJV) As we have noted before, this personal revelation from Christ states there will be many more who are lost than there will be of those who are saved. The difference is explained in the foregoing verses where religious people, many of whom are sincere but mislead, will be turned away because they did not follow the instructions of God to the letter. They chose to observe their own or someone else's brand of religion wherein they felt that they sometimes knew better than God as to what they ought to be doing. Such inane reasoning is indeed folly and will cause one to lose his own precious soul to an eternal hell. Howard Justice ------------------------------ 1 John 5:12 1 John 5:12 (OPV) 12 He who has the Son, has life. He who does not have the Son of God, does not have life. === Again John expresses a profound idea with simple words. How can we 'have' the Son? Jesus is called 'our' Lord more than seventy times in the New Testament! "But far be it from me to glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world hath been crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Gal 6:14 ASV). But it is not enough just to CALL Him Lord, to 'have' Him as Lord, we must do what He says (Mat 7:21,22; Luke 6:46)! He is also our Savior (2 Peter 1:11). He is our Teacher (Mat 23:10), our Shepherd (John 10:14,16), our Friend (John 15:15), our Brother (Rom 8:29), our High Priest: "Now in the things which we are saying the chief point [is this]: We have such a high priest, who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens" (Heb 8:1 ASV). To 'have' the Son refers to what He means to us personally. We have life if we have Him as our Lord, Savior, Teacher, Shepherd, Friend, Brother and High Priest. Otherwise, we do not have life because life is in the Son. Roy Davison ------------------------------ 1 John 5:13 1 John 5:13 (OPV) 13 I have written these things to you so you may know that you have eternal life -- to the ones who believe in the name of the Son of God. === John has emphasized various things believers may know. They all relate to this grand purpose of the letter, that we may know that we have eternal life. John has explained that the testimony of God is the source of this knowledge. Peter confirms: "For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,' we heard this voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word made more sure. You will do well to pay attention to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" (2 Peter 2:16-21 RSV). The best way to understand what John means, is simply to go back and read the whole letter! As you read, keep the question in mind: "How can I know that I have eternal life?" God has made the message plain in Scripture. Our common salvation is based on the faith once and for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). When we know this message, the gospel (good news) of salvation through Christ, when we know that we believe in Him (John 3:16) and have obeyed the gospel (John 3:36; 2 Thes 1:8; 1 Peter 4:17) by repenting of our sins (Luke 24:45-47; Acts 2:38), confessing His name (Rom 10:8-10) and being baptized into His body, the church (1 Cor 12:13; Gal 3:27; Eph 1:22,23), and when we know that we are continuing steadfast in the Apostle's doctrine, in the fellowship, in the breaking of the bread and in prayer, we also know that we have Christ's promise: "Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Rev 2:10 RSV). Roy Davison ------------------------------ 1 John 5:14,15 1 John 5:14,15 (OPV) 14 And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask something according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us when we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked of Him. === 5:14 "The confidence which we have before Him" This word is variously translated: boldness, openness, frankness, confidence, assurance. Most of us would not feel very confident if we were to appear before a king or head of state. Children, however, approach their parents and grandparents with confidence, even with boldness! Through Jesus Christ, we may appear before our Father, the Lord of heaven and earth, with confidence. We have this confidence IN Christ. This refers to our being in His body, the church (Eph 1:22,23). Paul explains that the mystery brought to light was "that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose which he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confidence of access through our faith in him" (Eph 3:10-12 RSV). We must "hold fast our boldness and the glorying of our hope firm unto the end. " (Heb 3:6 ASV). Christ, as our high priest, enables us to approach the Father: "Having then a great high priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 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 4:14-16 ASV). This privilege of appearing before the Father with boldness through the mediation of Christ is exercised within the fellowship of the church and must be accompanied by faithful, regular attendance: "Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way which he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near" (Heb 10:19-25 RSV). "Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward" (Heb 10:35 RSV). John has used this word several times in his letter. We are to "remain in Him, so when He is revealed we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming" (1 John 2:28 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" (1 John 4:17 OPV). === 5:14 "If we ask something according to His will, He hears us This is a great promise, but one that is misunderstood by many. First, we must keep in mind that this promise only applies to those who are in tune with God through Christ: "Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we are keeping His commandments and doing the things that are pleasing in His sight(1 John 3:21,22 OPV). Second, what we ask must be according to His will. Something we request can be in one of three categories: (1) it can be something God has revealed to be CONTRARY to His will; (2) it can be something about which the will of God is NOT KNOWN; (3) it can be something God has revealed to be ACCORDING TO His will. Obviously, we may not ask for something that has been revealed to be contrary to the will of God. "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may spend [it] in your pleasures" (James 4:3 ASV). We may ask for something about which the will of God is unknown, but then we must qualify our prayer as Jesus did in the garden: "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42 ASV). An interesting point to consider here is that Jesus had already foretold His own death on the cross. At times all of us find ourselves in a similar situation. Like little children, we ask God for things we know or suspect He is not in a position to give. Jesus did not want to die on the cross, but He willed to save mankind. Nor did the Father want Him to suffer, but He willed to give sinners a way of escape. It is not wrong to express our fears and wants to the Father as long as we are submissive to His will. Paul prayed three times that a thorn in the flesh might be removed, but the reply was: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor 12:8 RSV). When we request something which has been revealed to be according to the will of God, we my do so with complete confidence that our prayer will be granted. This includes all the great promises related to salvation and eternal life through Christ. We must keep in mind however, that these promises are conditional. They apply only to those who remain in Christ: "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you" (John 15:7 ASV). "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Luke 11:9 ASV). This is also related to our fellowship with the church: "Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Mat 18:19,20 ASV). "And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask something according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us when we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked of Him" (1 John 5:14,15 OPV). Roy Davison