Auburn SDA Church
The Commandments
  • The Wonder of It All
  • Fairest Lord Jesus
  • Worthy, Worthy Is the Lamb
  • I Sing the Mighty Power of God

      • 1 John 2.3-5NKJV

      • 1 John 2.6-7NKJV

      • 1 John 2.8-10NKJV

      • 1 John 2.11NKJV

  • In the early 1900s, a small town in America had a law stating that all children must carry a book to school. In a lighthearted twist, students started to carry actual comic books, having fun while still adhering to the 'law.' This led to a culture of shared laughter and discussion about the stories, while instilling the importance of reading. This serves as a reminder that following commandments can lead to unexpected joy and connection, just like carrying God's Word in our hearts instead of viewing it as restrictive.
    1 John 2:3 ESV
    And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
    Key Words
    To Know
    181 / 234 times
    77% - experiential knowledge
    7% - intellectual knowledge
    As SDA Christians,
    we may put
    too much emphasis upon
    intellectual information.
    I shared this verse
    in the previous sermon:
    John 17:3 ESV
    And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
    Eternal life is
    experiential knowledge
    of God.
    It is to experience
    deep relationship
    with Him.
    Back to Key passage:
    1 John 2:3 ESV
    And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
    What is the
    experiential knowledge
    exampled in this verse?
    How can we know
    if we are experiencing
    experiential knowledge
    of our God?
    What is the evidence that
    we are coming to know God?
    Keeping His Commandments!!!

    τηρέω

    To keep...
    A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. τηρέω

    to retain in custody, keep watch over, guard

    This is used in the context
    of guarding a prisoner.
    Could also mean:
    A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. τηρέω

    to cause a state, condition, or activity to continue, keep, hold, reserve, preserve

    What sense
    are we to keep
    the commandments?
    Are we to guard them?
    or
    Are we to preserve them?
    Other lexicons and
    bible dictionaries
    translate the word as:
    “observe.”
    The word observe
    carries both definitions:
    to guard
    to preserve.
    All of these words
    seem to indicate
    serious and solemn
    definitions.
    The commandments are holy.
    And keeping them holy
    is a somewhat solemn matter.
    But there are other definitions
    that seem to present
    a more positive view
    celebrate
    commemorate
    honor
    The Bible supports
    this point of view
    as well:
    Psalm 119:47 ESV
    for I find my delight in your commandments, which I love.
    and
    Psalm 119:69–70 ESV
    The insolent smear me with lies, but with my whole heart I keep your precepts; their heart is unfeeling like fat, but I delight in your law.
    The law is not
    just something to guard
    (although that is true).
    It is also something
    to commemorate
    to celebrate
    and to delight in.
    If we don’t delight
    in the law and commandments,
    we won’t continue
    to keep and guard
    them either.
    We will only
    guard
    preserve
    what we love.
    If you want to
    guard the commandments...
    We must also
    celebrate the law.
    Consider the story of Martin Luther in the 16th century, who challenged the Catholic Church over practices he believed strayed away from Biblical truth. Luther held onto the commandments and teachings of Scripture in a time when corruption was rampant. His commitment to God’s true laws sparked the Protestant Reformation, illustrating how steadfastness to God's commandments can ignite change and lead others to deeper faith. His courage serves as a historical reminder that keeping God’s commandments can lead to transformative movements.
    One more concept
    in found interesting in
    first verse of pericope.
    1 John 2:3 ESV
    And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
    I previously quoted
    John 17:3
    which says:
    John 17:3 ESV
    And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
    Knowing God
    Being Know by God
    is the essence of
    eternal life
    salvation!
    Our passage says:
    1 John 2:3 ESV
    And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
    This verse indicates
    that we can have
    some assurance of
    our salvation.
    How can you
    know that you
    really know God?
    In other words:
    How can you
    be sure that
    you are experiencing
    eternal life
    slavation?
    How can a Christian
    have:

    Assurance of salvation

    SDA’s have been
    frequently accused that
    we don’t offer people
    any assurance of salvation.
    We don’t believe
    in “soul security”
    “once saved, always saved.”
    We repeatedly teach that
    we should
    obey
    keep law
    in addition to belief.
    We are accused of
    not allowing believers
    assurance of salvation.
    This verse acutally teaches
    that we can have some
    type of assurance that
    we are
    knowing God
    eternal life
    right standing
    experiencing salvation.
    How can we know
    if we are
    in a saving relationship
    with our God?
    1 John 2:3 ESV
    And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
    What is the evidence
    of our right standing?
    That we are keeping
    the commandments!
    That next verse
    makes this more plain:
    1 John 2:4 ESV
    Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
    John couldn’t be
    more blunt
    straight foreward
    clear.
    Knowing God
    (eternal life)
    is not just
    believing He exists
    believing He is good
    believing He is your savior
    but...
    Knowing God
    produces fruit
    in our lives.
    Imagine a young boy learning to swim. He hesitates at the edge of the pool, questioning his ability. His father stands in the water, arms open wide, calling him. Finally, the boy jumps in, and the moment he feels his father's grip, all fear melts away. This hypothetical scenario illustrates how we often wrestle with doubt about our salvation, but God is ever-present, inviting us to trust Him, ensuring us that we are safe in His arms.
    Knowing God
    produces fruit
    in our lives.
    The fruit of the Spirit.
    Galatians 5:22–23 ESV
    But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
    Why does it say:
    “against such things there is no law?”
    Because if you are
    experiencing the
    fruit of the Spirit,
    you are keeping the law.
    The are the same law
    expressed in different words.
    10 Commandments
    stated in negative:
    “Thou Shalt Not...”
    The Fruit of the Spirit
    Stated in positive
    “Have these characteristics...”
    The next verse
    of key passage
    put these together.
    1 John 2:5 ESV
    but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
    Notice the passage
    states two experiences
    that are
    different yet synonymous.
    Those who
    Keep God’s Word
    have the
    Love of God.
    The are two things
    but the same experience.
    If you have one
    you have the other.
    If you
    keep God’s Word
    you also..
    Have God’s Love!
    Notice that
    these phrases are
    parallel to
    prior concepts.
    Keeping God’s Word
    = Keeping God’s Commandments
    Having God’s Love
    = Knowing God.
    They are a package deal.
    You get one,
    You get all.
    Let’s now try to
    emphasize one
    more than the other
    they come together.
    Keeping God’s Word
    Keeping God’s Commandments
    Having God’s Love
    Knowing God
    Walking With God
    Walking Like God
    Abiding In God
    Fruit of Spirit
    They are a package deal.
    In the early church, Christians risked everything for their faith, often martyred for their belief that Jesus was their Savior. Imagine a courageous believer standing before a judge, boldly proclaiming, 'I know whom I have believed!' Their assurance of salvation fueled their bravery. This historical context reminds us that true assurance can embolden us—knowing our eternal future rests in Christ gives us the strength to face any trial that life may throw our way.
    Verse 5 repeats
    prior concept:
    1 John 2:5 ESV
    but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
    How can we know
    that we are
    “in Christ?”
    How can we know
    that we are
    truly Christians?
    It is a package deal.
    We are:
    Keeping God’s Word
    Keeping God’s Commandments
    Having God’s Love
    Knowing God
    Walking With God
    Walking Like God
    Abiding In God
    Fruit of Spirit
    I need to address
    one word that I
    glossed over previously:
    1 John 2:5 ESV
    but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
    This is a word
    many Christians fear.
    Can we really be perfect?
    Does perfect really mean...
    well...
    perfect?

    τελειόω

    I looked up the word
    guess what it means?
    PERFECT.
    In fact,
    next verse seems to
    make this plain:
    1 John 2:5–6 ESV
    but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
    If we know God
    we walk
    as he walked.
    I can’t think of
    a better definition
    for “perfect”...
    LIVE LIKE JESUS!
    We must ask...

    Perfection. Is this truly possible?

    Can we really
    Walk as he walked?
    Live like Jesus?
    First,
    let’s be clear
    perfection goes
    with the package.
    Keeping God’s Word
    Keeping God’s Commandments
    Having God’s Love
    Knowing God
    Walking With God
    Walking Like God
    Abiding In God
    Fruit of Spirit
    Perfection
    So...
    can we really
    be perfect?
    In order to
    evaluate this questions
    let’s look at the word
    “liar.”
    1 John 2:4 ESV
    Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
    In previous chapter
    John uses same word.
    1 John 1:6 ESV
    If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
    Again,
    talks about people
    lying to themselves.
    Saying they are believers
    but walking in darkness.
    Notice we can
    Add more to package
    of Christian life:
    Keeping God’s Word
    Keeping God’s Commandments
    Having God’s Love
    Knowing God
    Walking With God
    Walking Like God
    Abiding In God
    Fruit of Spirit
    Perfection
    Fellowship With God
    Walking In Light
    Practicing Truth
    But here is the issue.
    Back to question
    of perfection...
    In verse 8
    uses same concept:
    1 John 1:8 ESV
    If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
    Wait a minutes...
    We must reconcile these verses....
    Look at them again:
    1 John 1:8 ESV
    If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
    If we say,
    we have no sin,
    we are a liar.
    Next verse:
    1 John 2:4 ESV
    Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
    If we say,
    “I know Him,”
    but don’t keep commandments
    we are a liar.
    How can these
    both be true?
    If you deny that
    you have sin
    you are a liar.
    But if you don’t
    keep the commandments
    you are a liar.
    Can you have both?
    Can you keep the commandments
    and have sin?
    Consider the story of Thomas Edison, who famously said, 'I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.' His relentless pursuit of perfection in inventing the lightbulb demonstrates that perfection is not about an end product but rather about the journey and the learning involved in that process. As Christians, we are called to embrace our imperfections while striving for spiritual growth. This realization helps us to accept our failures as part of our path toward becoming more Christ-like.
    One chapter later
    John says:
    1 John 3:4 HCSB
    Everyone who commits sin also breaks the law; sin is the breaking of law.
    If you are committing sin
    you are breaking the law
    that is the definition of sin.
    So how can we
    have sin
    and
    keep the commandments?
    It must be
    what I spoke about
    in the previous sermon
    the trend of the life.
    That’s why some translations
    say this:
    1 John 3:4 ESV
    Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.
    The verb tense is
    present active indicative .
    This expresses
    continuous or habitual action
    in present time,
    where the subject
    performs the action.
    "I am eating."
    Lawlessness is a lifestyle.
    ergo
    Perfection is a lifestyle,
    not a momentary experience.
    Practicing Perfections
    is not a snapshot in time.
    That is true but
    lets look at the tense
    of our perfected verse:
    1 John 2:5 ESV
    but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
    Here the tense is
    perfect passive indicative.
    First lets explain
    passive voice.
    Passive voice means
    the action happened
    to the subject.
    Active Voice:
    The boy hit the ball.
    Subject?
    “The boy”
    Verb:
    “hit”
    Voice:
    “Active”
    The boy
    does the hitting.
    Passive Voice:
    The boy got hit by the ball.
    Subject:
    “The boy”
    Verb:
    “got hit”
    Voice:
    “Passive”
    The subject receives the verb.
    Look at our passage:
    1 John 2:5 ESV
    but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
    Perfection is passive.
    meaning that it is something
    that happens to us.
    Not something that we do.
    Perfection is not
    something that
    we accomplish.
    Perfection just happens
    as we abide in Him
    and keep His word.
    Much like a potter at work, shaping a vessel from clay, God takes our flawed lives and molds them into instruments of His purpose. When the potter throws a pot onto the wheel, there are moments of pushing and pulling, where the clay may feel stretched or even torn. Yet through the process of refining, each imperfection is worked out, leading to a creation that is beautiful and functional. This illustrates that experiencing God's perfection in our lives requires us to endure challenges and be reshaped in His image.
    The mood is Indicative.
    What does that mean?
    Here are 4 Greek Moods:
    indicative - facts
    imperative - commands
    subjunctive - contingent/expected action
    optative - wishes/possibilities
    Indicative: "He is going."
    Imperative: "Go!"
    Subjunctive: "That he may go."
    Optative: "May he go."
    In our verse,
    perfect is indicative:
    a fact!
    1 John 2:5 ESV
    but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
    Being perfected is not
    a wish
    a command
    or a possibility
    it is a fact!
    It is the
    natural result
    of the package deal:
    Keeping God’s Word
    Keeping God’s Commandments
    Having God’s Love
    Knowing God
    Walking With God
    Walking Like God
    Abiding In God
    Fruit of Spirit
    Perfection
    Fellowship With God
    Walking In Light
    Practicing Truth
    Lastly,
    the verb tense is
    perfect tense.
    What is perfect tense?
    Perfect Tense -
    represents a completed action in the past with ongoing results in the present
    It has already
    been done.
    But we are still
    reaping the benefits.
    Take a look at other
    Greek verb tenses.
    Imperfect:
    Ongoing, continuous, or habitual action in the past
    "Last year, I was eating a lot."
    Past tense,
    ongoing.
    Experience of
    the past.
    Aorist:
    Simple, undefined past action
    "I ate"
    Is it still happening?
    Am I still full?
    by it?
    Who knows...
    Pluperfect:
    Completed action with results in the past
    "Last month, I had eaten Mexican food every Tuesday.”
    Perfect:
    Completed action with ongoing results in the present
    "I have eaten a large breakfast."
    It already happened
    but I’m still experiencing
    the results of it.
    In our passage
    the tense is Perfect tense.
    1 John 2:5 ESV
    but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
    We have been perfected
    but we are still
    experiencing the ongoing
    results of being perfected.
    What have we learned
    about perfection
    used in this context?
    Passive Voice
    It happens to us.
    It is not something that
    we work to accomplish.
    Indicative Mood
    Being Perfected is a reality
    it is not
    just wishful thinking
    possibly in only certain circumstances
    it is not a command.
    It is a true experience
    for those who know God.
    Perfect Tense
    It occured
    in the past
    the results are
    an ongoing experience.
    We often hear of the Olympic athlete who trains for years, pursuing the elusive goal of perfection in their sport. Take the case of Michael Phelps, who practiced relentlessly, setting record after record but still faced adversity, setbacks, and moments of defeat. His journey teaches us that perfection is not about never failing but about resilience, pushing through challenges, and learning from mistakes. As Christians, we are called to strive for excellence in our lives, knowing that God’s grace covers our failures as we seek to reflect His glory.

    APPEAL

    Invest in
    the whole package.
    Keeping God’s Word
    Keeping God’s Commandments
    Having God’s Love
    Knowing God
    Walking With God
    Walking Like God
    Abiding In God
    Fruit of Spirit
    Perfection
    Fellowship With God
    Walking In Light
    Practicing Truth
    Experience being perfected!

      • 1 John 2:3NKJV

      • John 17:3NKJV

      • 1 John 2:3NKJV

      • Psalm 119:47NKJV

      • Psalm 119:69–70NKJV

      • 1 John 2:3NKJV

      • John 17:3NKJV

      • 1 John 2:3NKJV

      • 1 John 2:3NKJV

      • 1 John 2:4NKJV

      • Galatians 5:22–23NKJV

      • 1 John 2:5NKJV

      • 1 John 2:5NKJV

      • 1 John 2:5NKJV

      • 1 John 2:5–6NKJV

      • 1 John 2:4NKJV

      • 1 John 1:6NKJV

      • 1 John 1:8NKJV

      • 1 John 1:8NKJV

      • 1 John 2:4NKJV

      • 1 John 3:4NKJV

      • 1 John 3:4NKJV

      • 1 John 2:5NKJV

      • 1 John 2:5NKJV

      • 1 John 2:5NKJV

      • 1 John 2:5NKJV

  • O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go
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  • Risen For Me
  • Shining Brightly
Auburn SDA Church
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