- I love the definition you give of the first covenant; how God promised to be there God and their only job was to keep His commandments and represent Him to the other nations. Because they could not keep it, there was need for a new covenant.
- Man, the illustration with the number 55 is powerful!!! That is right on doc!! Wow.
— Edited
Praise Jesus!! And that isn’t the best of movies so I tried to be discreet about it but that scene stuck with me.
Dwelling In Christ
Commentary 1 John 2:5
Focus #15 Dwelling in Christ
Keywords: Know, Promises, Conscience, Shadow
But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him
1 John 2:5 KJV
I believe here is an important time to recall a portion of Pastor Rashard Jones’ commentary in 1 John 1:4 about the audience John is writing to. Here it is:
“John’s letter in large part was written as a response to a church that had been heavily infiltrated by A teaching known as Gnosticism. Gnostics were pseudo-Christians who believed that all matter (physical things) were hopelessly evil. And because all matter was evil, they were teaching in the church that Jesus Christ did not come in the flesh and died a perfect man. Basically, they believed that the human body along with all matter was so wicked that not even God could be successful in overcoming it. Gnostics taught that Jesus was sort of a phantom man. They would say something like this: “If you and Jesus were walking on the beach together, only your footprints would show up in the sand.” The thought was; Jesus is spiritual but He did not live in the flesh like us.”
I say this is important to recall because emphasis on the audience this book is directed to need to be put. John was writing to a people who had been claiming they knew God, but did not have the fruit that should follow had that statement been genuine. John writes with these pseudo-Christians in mind. He is saying “well, you say you know God... you say you are intimate with God... why aren’t you bearing the fruit of keeping His law?” “Those who are intimate with God, keep His law; in fact, keeping His law is the evidence that you have an intimate relationship with Him.” Although this is the context of the book, reading that if a person doesn't keep God’s law, then that person does not know God over and over can sort of seem like the Old Testament--where you received from God if you kept His commandments. But again, keeping God’s law is what follows intimacy with Him. Just knowing the Ten Commandments, and then associating them with God’s standard, is all this audience had done. They did not really know God. Even so, we see in Scripture that God has surpassed expectations, in His relationship with His people, and has even put the knowledge of His law on His people’s conscience.
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days. Saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. (34) And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Jeremiah 31:33,34 KJV
The Israelites were the only people who had knowledge of the Ten Commandments. God gave them to Moses to give to His people--the Israelites. The Old Testament (Covenant) was a Covenant between God and His people stating that if they obeyed Him, then He would bless them and they would represent Him to the rest of the world. The Israelites, however, did not keep their side of the Covenant. They were disobedient to the commands of God, and so there was need of a new covenant (Hebrews 8:7). This new Covenant is based upon better promises (Hebrews 8:6); and those promises are written above in Jeremiah 31:33,34. God promised that He will put His Law on the hearts and conscience of every human being.
In the commentary on 1 John 2:3, I refer to the Ten Commandment as God’s love language. I give an illustration of a marriage covenant in my attempt to make the connection to what I mean that much more comprehensible. Look back on that illustration, for this next part, briefly.
There is a movie that stars a con-artist who is also a psychologist. His education in psychology made his manipulation skills more significant. So, towards the end of this movie, the word on the street was that this famous, rich gambler would be in town for the City’s NFL Football game. This con-artist made sure he was there, and, as you can imagine, they were seated in a very expensive skybox. These people had money. After the game had started, this con-artist sneaks his way into the presence of this famous, rich gambler. He started off very subtle. “I bet you 20 bucks they throw a pass on this next possession,” the con-artist said. The gambler accepted, and won. The team ran the ball. “I bet you 100 bucks, on this next possession, they throw an incomplete pass,” the con-artist said. “Ok, bet’s on,” responded the gambler. The con-artist lost again. $120 in the hole. The team caught the ball. “1,000 bucks says that on this next play they run the ball.” No luck. The gambler agreed and won again. The team made a throw for a touchdown. The con-artist is upset at this point, but he is eager to win some money from this gambler, so he places another bet. “100,000 dollars says that the offense will throw an interception on this next play.” The gambler accepts his bet, and, you guessed it, the gambler wins again. The con-artist at this point is furious, but he remains composed. He is $101,120 in debt, but he doesn’t give up. He takes a walk to let himself calm down, and the gambler meanwhile is smiling thinking that he has emptied the pockets of his competitor. The con-artist comes again. “2,000,000 dollars,” he says. “Take these binoculars, and choose any player on or off the field, and I’ll guess the number.” “Are you crazy?” responds the rich gambler. “Those odds are like 100 to 1, I don’t like it.” The gambler denies. This crazy con-artist then says “I’ll make it better for you, I’ll let this woman [who was his girlfriend] guess the number.” The gambler, who is shocked that this man would make such a crazy offer, goes “you are crazy, but I can’t turn down free money.” The gambler takes the binoculars and looks out to the field. After several minutes his eyes lay on a football player. “Okay, I have my player,” the rich gambler says. “Give the binoculars to the woman,” replied the con-artist. The woman is terrified of getting the wrong player being that the odds are in favor of her getting it wrong by so much. She is angry at her boyfriend for making such a ridiculous offer because the money is half hers, too. She makes the attempt, nevertheless. Gazing in the field for a long time, she finally sees someone that she recognized. There was a player who the couple knew, so it made the most sense to pick him. So she did. “Is it number 55?” she questioned. The rich gambler smiles and shakes his head, “No way!” “How did you do that?” They make the exchange, and the con-artist leaves with the $2,000,000 in a suitcase.
What had happened was, once the con-artist knew this famous, rich gambler would be in town he began setting him up for this very moment. He purchased billboards that had the number 55 on them; elevator music that repeatedly said the number 55, people on the streets with signs that had the number 55. The con-artist placed all these things in the gambler’s path on his way to the football stadium, so at the moment of the $2,000,000 bet, he would inevitably choose number 55. That number 55 was on his conscience and he had not known it. And because the woman had known the guy who wore number 55, it was inevitable for her to also choose 55.
God has made a new covenant with His people where He has gone so far as to put His love language on His people’s conscience.
It would be like the woman in the marriage covenant going so far, surpassing the expectations of marriage, to put her love language on the refrigerator door; or on the handle of her husband’s toolbox; even telling the kids to tell their dad her love language, all just to put her love language on her husband’s conscience. He would no longer have to be intimate with her to know this love language of hers, but she would make herself so small to put it in her husband’s conscience without intimacy with her. She has made it easier for her husband to know. Some would say this woman is crazy. Some would say she should just move on because no woman should have to do all of that just to get their husband to know their language of love. And I would say to those people that they are exactly right; she is crazy.
And that makes God that much more crazy. He is crazily in love with His creation, and He will do anything to receive love back from His people.
But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected.
We see that God has made it certain for us to know His law. He has placed it on our inner parts, our hearts and conscience. But those who keep His law in him is the love of God perfected. By nature, we know God’s law. We know: that He is the only God; that we shouldn’t have idols; that using His name in vain is wrong; that we should keep the Sabbath day holy; that disobeying our parents is wrong; that murder, adultery, and theft are very bad things to do; that telling the truth is right; and that coveting is wrong. Before anyone tells us, we know what is wrong, and what is right because God has placed His commands on our hearts. But those who keep, and preserve these conscience warnings, are those who have perfected the love of God.
When we know what to do in a situation, and we do it despite the discomfort, weariness, and embarrassment, that may come, it shows how much we love the person that we’re doing it for. Sacrifice is the greatest token of love. Now that God has placed His law on our heart, we know the right thing to do. If we willingly sacrifice our comfort, reputation and liveliness for God by following His law, it shows how much we truthfully love Him. Keeping God’s words is evidence of His love being perfected in our hearts. Just knowing what your parent(s) expect of you does not express the love you have for them; but keeping what they expect of you close to your heart, and doing it, shows your love for them.
Hereby we know that we are in Him.
Keeping the Laws of God, again, is the expression of the Love we have for Him. Which is the evidence that we are in Him.
In the Old Testament, the priests went in the first tabernacle (Hebrews 9:6), but the high priest went into the second veil alone. In the presence of God, this high priest would offer sacrifices for sin (Hebrews 9:7). Why wasn’t this high priest consumed by the holiness of God? Because the Holy Ghost covered him during this interaction (Hebrews 9:8), which is the shadow of what Christ would do when He would later come. When the high priest went into the second veil, he was seen as holy by God because of the Holy Spirit. Hebrews 10:19 encourages us to have boldness when coming in the presence of God because we are covered by the blood of Christ. “By a new and living way, which He has consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh,” (Hebrews 10:20). Christ is what covers us now; He is that second veil.
Scripture tells us that the Law is a shadow of things to come, where Christ is the body. (Colossians 2:17). I remember running in the halls of my Middle School, and, as I would approach each corner, I would look for a shadow. I knew that because I couldn’t see around the corners, that if I had seen a shadow, then that meant someone was coming. That would let me know to stop or to speed up. So the law was the shadow to let us know Christ was coming around the corner.
So, the high priest offered sacrifices according to the Law, but it was a shadow of what would later come. Jesus Christ. The high priest in the Old Testament was in the Holy Spirit when going behind the veil which is why he was not consumed by God’s holiness. But this was the shadow of us being in Jesus Christ when going behind the real veil--not the one made by hands. The body of Christ is who we are in when we approach the throne of God; therefore, we approach with boldness. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three distinct persons that exist in relationship as one by nature. If we are in Christ, when stepping in the presence of God, we inevitably have an intimate relationship with God because Christ has an intimate relationship with His Father by nature. Out of this relationship, we follow God’s word, just like Christ did. And so following the law is the evidence that we dwell in Christ. In this way, God’s love is perfected in us.
Amen.