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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.

Commentary 1 John 2:3

Focus #13 Intimacy

Keywords: Law, Know, Content

 And hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments.

1 John 2:3 KJV

The former term ‘know’ connotes awareness obtained through information or observation. The latter term ‘know’, on the other hand, connotes relationship or intimacy.

Here’s a comparison: And hereby we knew that Adam knew Eve, his wife, the second their son Cain began enlarging Eve's stomach. The process of Eve’s pregnancy was legitimate evidence that proved the husband and wife were involved in intimacy. Therefore, we have obtained awareness by observing Eve’s stomach. She is pregnant. That knowledge only means one thing. The couple know each other; they are intimate with each other.

John says “hereby, or, as a result of this utterance (1 John 1:5- 1 John 2:2), we have obtained awareness that we are intimate with God if we keep His commandments.”

John is addressing a very important dilemma in this verse, I believe, that needs to be resolved. He is addressing the whole idea of following the law versus being totally set free from the law; and he does it by not answering it. In my interpretation, John is saying it this way: “No, no, no--forget about following the law for one second; If you are intimate with God, then the fulfillment of the law is merely the corollary.

(Are we content with salvation? becomes the big question.)

John 3:16 shows us the way, and the price it took, to obtain salvation. If we believe in the Son of God, we shall be saved. That’s no question. But now that we have been saved, are we content? Do we seek intimacy with the one who died for us? or is it this standoffish relationship where Jesus is merely a man that paid our price on a cross on a hill they call Calvary? Are we complacent?

We know one thing. God’s Word is clear. Breaking the Laws of God brings death, and keeping them stems life. John is not attacking this theology. But, as we’ll see, he is making a very legitimate point when it comes to how intimacy fulfills the law.

In the book of Exodus, from chapters 21 to 23, God gives Moses laws about servants, murder, livestock, fighting, property, personal action, the Sabbath day, appointed feasts, and more. Later on, In Leviticus 18:5, God tells Moses by keeping His statutes a man shall live. Otherwise, a man shall die.

In Romans 2:13 Paul says a man is justified by obeying the law. Theoretically, what Paul is hinting at is, there are two ways to make it to heaven. One is by keeping His commandments, without fail, everyday of our natural lives. The other way, the Christian way that is, is to repent of our sins and trust in Christ alone (John 10:9). We are a broken creation. It’s impossible to be good enough because our very nature as descendants from Adam are corrupt. Attempting to inherit the kingdom of heaven with a payment of our own good works, is as ridiculous as the effort to kindle a Class-A, survival fire by the rubbing of our palms. Not only is it ridiculously ignorant, but we hurt ourselves in the process of the endeavor. Therefore, although we could theoretically inherit the Lord’s kingdom independent of Him, it’s impossible because mankind is fundamentally ruined.

Ok. So if we are fundamentally ruined, then how can we keep God’s commandments to show we are intimate with him?

Wrong question.

We seek intimacy with God first. When intimacy with God is our seed, following His Law is the fruit that comes forth. We don’t follow the law to show God we are intimate with Him. We are first intimate, so we seek to please Him, and it just so happens to be that pleasing Him aligns with following the Law.

There’s a story (that I made up) of a man and woman who was struggling in their marriage covenant after 15 years. Many times they sat down and had deep discussions about separating and if they should actually go through with the divorce papers. They had an intimacy issue. What was happening was the woman really loved random acts of affection: she liked it when her husband would come up randomly and hug her from behind; she liked when he would kiss her for no reason; or tell her that he loved her unexpectedly; she liked holding hands in public. The Husband never spent intimate time with his wife, so he never initiated these simple, yet meaningful, acts of affection because he just didn’t know. He never took the time to ask and talk with his wife about such things. Eventually, the wife built up enough courage to ask him. “Honey, I’m going to go in the kitchen, when I’m not looking, can you sneak up and hug me? I really love that.” Or “Honey, today can you surprise me with an unexpected kiss, and then tell me that you love me? I really love that.” The husband did carry out her request, but grudgingly. He only did it to stay in his covenant, but truly he couldn’t care less about what she wanted. The humble wife, however, was still pleased because it showed her that he cared just enough.

We see the problem here clear as daylight. The wife should not have to ask her husband to do these types of things for her because he should be intimate with her to know her wants, and make her feel cherished. This is what John is addressing, but with God and his creation.

 And hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments.

1 John 2:3 KJV

In the Old Testament, there were many times where the Israelites followed God’s commandments, but grudgingly, sort of like this husband. They were not intimate with God; therefore, they followed His statutes with sheer fear of losing protection. The thought of what would happen if they didn’t follow his commandments lingered in the back of their minds. They didn’t realize their acts of obedience were acts that God truly adored. Not just the acts of obedience alone, but what they were actually doing--keeping the Ten Commandments. It’s not like God is above us with these arbitrary set rules to follow where He gets excited off the fact that we move at the snap of His fingers. No. He loves deeply, and so His commandments express the way He shows His love, and the way we should show love. They are His love language, similar to the wife’s love language being random acts of affection. If the Israelites had been more intimate with God, then they would have initiated these acts of affection on their own. They would have followed the Ten Commandments to show God they loved him, not out of fear of losing something. Similar to the way this husband would have initiated random hugs and kisses, unexpected bulletins of “I love you,” and other random acts of affection, if he had been intimate with his woman. He wouldn’t do them out of fear of just losing his marriage.

So, John is saying, don’t attempt to fulfil the law--It’s like playing hopscotch at a dead end--eventually, you'll have to turn around. There is no hope for us as a fallen creation. Instead, you should take the Christian route. Trust in Jesus Christ, repent, and turn from your wicked ways to obtain salvation. However, don’t stop there. Salvation doesn't satisfy the new heart of a true convert. Become intimate with God, and, in doing so, you will keep his commandments. Conversation is a part of Intimacy. If we spend more time with God, we will become intimate with Him. As we become more intimate with Him, we figure out His love language. And because we love Him, we seek to communicate that language. We keep His commandments because we know Him, not because they are law.

We won’t bow to another god because we know that He is a Jealous God, and we want to please Him, because we adore Him.

We won’t take His name in vain because we love Him too much to use His name as a curse word.

We will keep the Sabbath day holy because we know that he loves that day. Because we are intimate with Him, He doesn’t have to ask us to keep the Sabbath day holy because we already know. And we keep it because we love Him enough to know that.

We honor our father and mother because we know it ultimately honors Him.

We don’t kill, steal, or commit adultery because God hates murder, theft, and adultery. We know these things through intimacy with God, so we don’t kill, steal or commit adultery because we want to please Him, not because it’s a law.

We don’t lie on our neighbor, because God hates lying--not just because it's a law.

We don’t covet because God hates coveting--not just because it's a law.

We want to please God as believers. We aren’t content with salvation. By knowing what God does and does not like, we act accordingly because we love God. When we look at the law, of course it’s a mirror that reflects our impurities, but it’s not just that. They are God’s love language. We don’t look at them and think they are merely laws to be kept. We look at them as God’s way of communicating His love, and so we want to be in that conversation.

Commentary 1 John 2:1

Focus #11 Divine advocacy

Keywords: Advocate, Yield, Free

To recap 1 John 1: Jesus is eternal; and Jesus is God. God was manifest in the flesh (as Jesus), and was made in the likeness of man for man’s sake. John is writing this epistle to a group of individuals who have come to the knowledge of God, but are beginning to doubt what they know about Him all on the account of discourse with Gnostics on what they teach. That is, you can sin all you want because being Christian doesn’t have an impact on the way one lives; only the continual consumption of gnosis (knowledge) will ticket your way into heaven. That context, we see John establishing truth, and willing to be persecuted for that truth because it is truth indeed. That truth was given to John first-hand by God Himself. That truth came as a message, and that message is this: God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we fellowship with God, then we’ll remain close to the light and thus able to see. Moreover, because He’s the light, and we have no light independently, we need to stay as close to Him as possible in order to course through this life because it’s a dark world. The light is not of ourselves, so we’re destined to fall here and there; but if we confess we have tripped and fell, the Father is faithful and just to forgive us from falling, and clean us up from any bruises and scratches that correspond. In return, we merely get back up, but it’s only logical to get closer to the light (to God), and fellowship more, if we don’t want to keep falling (sinning). But if for some reason we just love falling (sinning), then so be it. Although, we must know, after a while we’ll realize we’re way too bruised to follow along; we aren’t children of God if we do love doing so. If we say there is no need for the light (for God) because we can see just fine, then we’re obviously lying because, again, it’a a dark world. We need fellowship with the Father if we ever plan on being freed from sin! Fellowship. Fellowship....And more fellowship! 

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭2:1‬ ‭KJV

John says his intention for writing these things is so they/we won’t sin, and if they/we do sin, then they/we have an advocate. 

Which is a very interesting way to put it, actually. It’s almost like John is saying this: Don’t sin, and if you do... it’ll be okay. It is as if you’d think he’s going to follow “and if you do” with the punishment for violating what he introduced. Like a dad who says “don’t jump on my furniture, and if you do, then you’re getting a whooping, etc. But no; John follows the if/then statement very particularly: “and if you do, you have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

Advocate means a person who pleads or stands up for someone. Consider a lawyer who pleads on behalf of a convicted criminal, or in a case of bullying, the advocate would be the courageous child who “stood up” for the little guy. Or, a mother!

To expand on mother, let’s say there’s been a birthday celebration for “Little Mike,” and subsequent cleanup there is large amounts of excess candy. Dad says “Little Mike!..you’ve had enough candy for tonight, don’t get any more!... You hear me!?” Little Mike says “Yes, Sir!” And his dad goes “and if you do... you have an advocate, your mother”

Because of the intimacy between Little Mike’s mom and dad, his mom could plead on his behalf and get him out of trouble with his dad if he disobeyed what his dad commanded. She can cleanse the chocolate from around his mouth, as if he never ate it, and say to her beloved husband “Sweetie, Little Mike ate the candy, but he’s extremely sorry; forgive him,” and he’d be forgiven indeed. 

(Little Mike represents you and me; his mom represents God the Son; her words represent the blood of the Lamb; and his dad represents God the Father.)

Little Mike could have been thinking all along that he's definitely getting that candy because he wants it that bad, and his mother is going to cover for him anyway. So, why not? But if Little Mike makes that decision, then we’ll know what kind of relationship him and his father have. On the contrary, we would know that Little Mike and his dad have great fellowship with each other if he’d obey what his father commanded—“don’t eat the candy”—given that he had freedom and ultimate cover even if he pursued his lustful desire.

So, John, throughout chapter one, is emphasizing fellowship with God. Because of that, he says the reason for chapter one is so we will seek fellowship with the Father, which, in turn, will lead us away from sin. And if we do sin, which we will, we have an advocate with the Father, who’s pleading on our behalf, Jesus Christ. If he’d told this message to these on-the-edge-of Gnosticism believing individuals initially, they’d perhaps respond like “we already know this, which is why we sin; we have an advocate.” Maybe not that straightforward, but you get the point of grace abuse. They were teaching that Christianity wasn’t in the business of conversion, but that, instead, you only get to heaven by acquiring information, so habitually-sinning professing-Christians were okay and acceptable.

“The Christian no longer loves sin; it is the object of his sternest horror; he no longer regards it as a mere trifle, plays with it, or talks of it with unconcern. He looks upon it as a deadly serpent, whose very shadow is to be avoided. He would no more venture voluntarily to put its cup to his lip than a man would drink poison who had once almost lost his life through it.” -Charles Spurgeon

Anyone who trivializes sin, and the act of committing it needs to see if they are truly in the faith because there’s a high chance they aren’t. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but grace?” God Forbid, NO! Following these questions in Romans, Paul says “I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity.” Paul is speaking after the manner of men who have yielded themselves servants to unrighteousness! The influence that propels one to ask such a question is merely their yieldance to uncleanness! You don’t ask these questions when you have truly been born again because you hate sin! These questions exemplify love for sin in the guise of rationality.

“For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭6:20‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Therefore, now that you are servants of righteousness, be free from sin!

A Christian is genuinely heart-broken when they fall into sin, like a first break-up—but when the recipient of your love is the one who institutes the separation. But the unrighteous enjoy their transgressions. The children of the serpent sit down and arrange sin, and design a master-plan on how they’re going to perform it. But the good that the Godly man would, he does not and the evil that he would not, that he does.... “A man of God will bounce back up like ground balls, but when the unbeliever trips he lands on his face.” - Jermaine Studwell.

Realizing the difference is vital; this is our eternal life at stake. The Word tells us to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. Do we love sin? When we fall into it, are we sorrowful or content? Do we find ourselves abusing God’s amazing grace? Do we use it to justify our lustful desires? We should know that whomever we serve that is who we are servants to; whether it be sin unto death, or obedience unto righteousness.

Brothers and Sisters, let us continue in prayer for this world, so that the lost sheep can join us in our divine advocacy. Let us share the Good News wherever ears can hear. I know fear can inhibit us from sharing our faith, but we’re called to do so. When fear is our hindrance, let us not pray for more courage, but for more love because “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love,” (1 John‬ ‭4:18‬ ‭KJV‬‬). The kingdom of heaven is at hand, so let us make the name of Jesus Christ known everywhere. Let us get His Word out to our communities. I pray this prayer to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forevermore! 

Amen!

1 John 1:10

If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

When i was growing up there was this show called Drake and Josh on Nickelodeon. Not saying its a wholesome show but stick with me. There was this one scene where Drake said to Josh: “so you callin me a liar?” And Josh said “well I ain’t calling you a truther!” [insert laugh track here]. For a multitude of reasons, this is the case here in verse 10. 

Let’s go ahead and skip to the punchline. Saying you have no sin is simply a lie...What’s worse is that saying you have no sin automatically makes the Holy Spirit, who has a major job of convicting people of sin, a liar (John 16:8). It makes Jesus, who died for sin, a liar (Romans 5:8; 1 John 2:2). Furthermore, it makes the Father, who righteously judges sin, a liar (Psalm 50:6). Now Let that sink in. This claim of sinlessness from any man, outside of Yeshua, and for a period, Adam, is in direct opposition to God’s claim that man is sinful.

To this point, look at how John ends verse 10, he says “and His Word is not in us.” As if John is saying, ain’t no way you read the Word of God, or met the Word of God, or heard the Word of God...cuz if you did there is no way you would have came to this crazy conclusion! Ain’t no way you serving the same Jesus I am, cuz Jesus ain’t bout that dark life!

If we say we have not sinned:

It may be profitable to look at some of the ways that the Devil has deceived mankind into believing we have not sinned.

1.) Satan, who is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4), is here to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). 

he is a perverter of all things good and righteous. 

He is all about being anti-Christ. If God says this, he says the opposite.

God tells us in many scriptures that we are sinners. So what does the

Devil naturally do? What is his natural response to this verdict from The Most High? His response is to lie, its his nature to do so (Revelation 12:9; John 8:44). 

And what is this lie? That we have not sinned. Though this is simple, he is crafty. He masks this lie in many different ways to catch his victims. 

2.). The Role of Ungodly culture

There is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Cultures from the times of Genesis to current day Babylon, i mean America, have been Godless...or shall i say Yahwehless...(i made that up).😉

As Romans 1 tells us, godless nations begin redrawing the line of right and wrong. It starts at denying God. Once The Most High is denied, everything is up in the air. Everything becomes relative, or based on your point of view. They call evil good, and good evil. And thus, as time progresses in these places, the lines that separate right and wrong are redrawn and blurred. 

This doesn’t happen overnight, it takes time. Think about your life and all the things that were deemed taboo or wrong in your youth or young adult life...now think about now? What did they do to change the masses thought process on that particular issue? All it took was for them to slowly redraw the line, over and over and over again.

3.) False Religions and sin

As we know, certain Principalities or Powers or Fallen Angels rule false religions. Outside of religions like Satanism and Wicca, most religions have a serious poker face of righteousness...meaning they look all good and fluffy on the outside, but when you get past the fluff, it starts to get rough, and you find...they ain’t that tough (bars!)

For example, Buddhism seems like a legit way of righteousness, however the way of Buddha does nothing with sin. Sure it says that there is right and wrong (namely because Satan appears as an angel of light), but the way to conquer that evil is through...wait for it....meditation? 🤔🤔🤔 

Like really tho? Sin is bad but I can meditate it away? So a Buddhist or Sikh would say, no i dont have sin because I have done such and such. Satan has deceived these people not to pay attention to the sin that is on their back! They have a burden they cannot carry but they can’t even admit it!

Or how about New Age type religions (which can permeate all types of religions). Some of them straight up preach that there is no sin. You can just imagine their lifestyles, right? They pretend to be all SPIRITUAL but really they are sinners like the rest.

What’s more is that some sects say there IS sin but you have to use it for good. They say to not be ashamed of what  you had to to do. They say those situations where you were in sin or displayed sin made you who you are... as if your sin didn’t put you in that situation in the first place (  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  ). 

Side note, never believe the lie that you must go through tremendous hardship to learn, often times you can simply heed correction and wiser individuals to learn. For example: I did not have to be a thug as a kid, though i grew up in a really rough city in the really rough area. Why? Because I saw my older brother and learned from him...it was that simple for me ( ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )

Second side note: don’t fall for the lie that the consequence of your sin is a Godly hardship, season,  battle or test from God...nah fam, it’s just the consequences to your actions. Now this may seem left field,  but hear me out. A person I am very close to practices new age Philosophies within her unique custom based faith. And in this she has learned to forgive herself of her former sins because she is convinced it made her who she is today, and she is convinced that the sinful things she did or the sinful ways she acted were for a greater good...namely the raising of her children with a crazy husband. This is a lie. Anyone with this mindset believes a lie. She, and those who are like her would be those, like the Gnostics, who would say, i have no sin.

And so, Essentially, False doctrines and false religions teach that sin can be covered, “used” or forgiven with good deeds.

4.)Intellect and Pride

Another crafty lie of Satan is to use pride. How so? He puffs them up! Satan uses an overload of “new” information to make it seem like the ways of the Bible are old fashioned and steeped in ignorance. As if to say “the people of the past only did this or that because they were ignorant, but we are enlightened and have the understanding to know that that was unnecessary. We have scientifically proven that...blah blah blah”  I have met countless individuals like this in College and have seen plenty speak from this perspective online.

This is a classic case of what i call “Historical Snobbery”: the thought process that we, the people of the present, are simply much more intelligent than the people of the past. This mindset neglects to consider that the people of present are simply recipients of countless mistakes, discoveries and collected findings of the people of old. 

An example of this could be a person who is in habitual fornication saying “there’s nothing wrong with casual sex! The people of the past didn’t know that the human body must have sex in order to operate correctly. Also the Bible is outdated and was meant only for the people during that time.” Lies.

With all this being explained there is still one major reason why mankind says “I have no sin”... Mankind simply excuses their sin because they love it. John 3:19 can say it better than anyone can explain: “And this judgement is based on this fat: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.” This is the #1 reason why people sin and excuse their sin and pretend they don't have sin...cuz its their boo.

The craftiness of believing you have not sinned.

With all that being said, do you know how destructive the lie of saying you have no sin is? For one, it keeps us from salvation...like for real, you literally can’t be saved if you believe you can walk in sin. Why?

1. Because Jesus is the way, truth and life, no man comes to the Father but by Him. If you “walk” in the dark, you are not walking with Jesus, PERIOD. So how can you be saved? 
2. Furthermore, as we mentioned before in a previous post, what purpose is there in even following Jesus if you have not sinned? Jesus is for the weak and dirty. If you straight and clean then He didn’t come for you. 
3. You know what else you don’t do if you have not sinned? Confess. In verse 9 the Apostle says “if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”.  How can we be forgiven if we never confess? Why would we confess if we believe we have no sin? Confession is an act of truth and as the scripture points out, saying you have no sin makes you a liar. 

If you are in the habitual cycle of lying to yourself, saying you have not sinned, for whatever reason, you are not in the truth and the effect of that is that you do not walk in the light as He is in the light. If this is the case you certainly do not have the Word of God in you. You do not know His Word or have His Word. His Word is also Yeshua, which again, if you lie in this manner you do not have. It is a fair assessment to say that Salvation starts at and continues in truth. Yes we may err here and there, but, as the youth says, Keepin it a buck is a necessity to meet Christ and walk with Him. Amen. 

6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

Confession

The Gnostics who were preaching from behind the pulpit said they had fellowship with God and that they were Christians, but being a Christian does not have an impact of the way one lives.  The Apostle John is encouraging the believers of this church to apply a principal that says judge a tree by its fruit.  John followed the pattern of Jesus and John the Baptist when they said:

Matthew 3:77But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 9And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 10And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

The religious establishment wanted to escape God's wrath so they came to John to be baptized. They thought that being a Jew alone secured you in the family of God.  Similarly Christians today oftentimes think that they are sealed in heaven by just saying they are Christian.  However, John the Baptist said, "Bring forth fruit along with your confession.   We've all heard the saying, "Talk is inexpensive".  We are not saved by works, but faith that saves works. 

Jesus put it this way: 

Matthew 7: 15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

False prophets were those whom came in saying the right thing and they had the right look, but in actuality, they were wolves in sheep clothing.  

Confession is powerful because it expresses allegiance to who you are coming into covenant with and it declares to others a level of commitment to the covenant.  So, even though confessing Christ is important, good works has an important role in the life of the believer as well.  Good works confirms to the believer who they are in Christ. 

1 John 2:9 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him. Many of people have ended up in paternity court because they said, "That baby doesn't look like me."  They say, "All my other kids look like me and others in my family.  Christ says, "My kids will look like me; not the world and definitely will not look like Satan's their daddy.

1 John 3:9 The Amplified version really drives in home

1 John 3:9 No one born (begotten) of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, for God's nature abides in him [His principle of life, the divine sperm, remains permanently within him]; and he cannot practice sinning because he is born (begotten) of God.

We don't want anyone questioning whether or not  God is our daddy!   We want to look like everyone else in the family.

2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

Fruit production isn't spontaneous or impulsive; it's a long process.   The emphasis in this analogy is the time it takes to produce fruit.  The concern we must have with sin is the time that we spend entangled in it.  If the majority of our time we spend feeding our flesh, then we will produce thorns and thistles, but on the contrary, if we spend ample time feeding the spirit, then we will produce the fruit of the Spirit. 

Fellowship with Him

• Fellowship enhances faith through prayer, meditation, reading, praising, repentance, etc. 
• Note:  Mr. Henry Blackaby says, The most important things that will be said during prayer will come from God.   God knows what we will say before we say it.  We don't know what God will say so we should spend a part of our fellowship time listening for God to speak.  
• 1 Corinthians 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
• Matthew 10:19   But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
• Romans 10:17 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

• Walk in darkness

• Verse 5 John said, the message Jesus gave to the Apostles to give to us is:  He is light and in Him is not darkness.   

• The Gnostics were Bible teachers who lived dark lifestyles.  Dark living for the believer; let alone those who teach the Bible is an oxymoron.  Look at what Jesus promised those who follow Him.   
• John 8:12 Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life."
• There  are two words here  that imply continuous repetition: Follow and walk. If you are not doing the one, you are generally endanger of falling prey to the other one.  Jesus wrote on this as well. 

• Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

• It doesn't say if you know of Christ, you will never walk in darkness.  It doesn't say if you confess Christ, you will never walk in darkness.  No, Jesus said, if you follow me you will never walk in darkness.   He not saying you will never step in darkness.  We are in a sinful bodies; prone to sin.   They're going to be times were we become distracted and find ourselves stepping in darkness, but our goal is to have a routine of following Jesus; not walking in darkness.  

• Illustration:  If you were in a dark place and only one person had a light, if your objective was to walk without stumbling in that dark place, you would try and remain as close to the light barer as possible.    Now, because he's the one with the light, it would be understandable if you were to step in a trap, but logic tells us that we call attention to the light barer to shine light on us to see clearly how to get out of the snare and so that we can reconvene on an unobstructed path.

• Brothers, when we walk in darkness, we are not living out the truth. 

Commentary 1 John 1:9

Focus #9 True Confession

Keyword: Confess

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭1:9‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Early in my conversion, I remember when I was in predicaments to choose either my sin or righteousness, I would always say to myself things like “I mean... I’ll just ask for forgiveness later,” and go on to commit the sin. Now, do you think God forgave me, even if I confessed with a sincere heart, after I played His grace that way? You better believe He did!  But do you think my fellowship with Him was affected from living this kind of lifestyle? You better believe it. In fact, after awhile I just stopped confessing my sin all together—even though He’d forgive me every time!  I began feeling too guilty to go before Him in that kind of manner.  Why, though, if He’d forgive me? In my last commentary, we seen what The Message was, its credibility and sincerity: God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. In this case, God is honest, and in Him is no trickery at all.  So, every time I did this it was drawing me away from Him little by little; me treating God’s grace to contemplate my love for sin made it clear I wasn’t in fellowship with God.  So this is not what this verse is teaching, in fact nothing could be further from the Truth. Contrarily, what it is teaching is this: it’s only possible for us to be forgiven because our debt has been paid for; and He’s faithful and just of a judge to do so, if we confess.

“Confess” generally means: homologeo in Greek: “to say the same thing” and then “agree, admit, acknowledge.”

Needless to say, God already knows we’re at fault; our problem is we also know, but we don’t like to say it plain.  Instead, in the guise of rational people, we say things like “I’m just human,” or “I sin just like everyone else.” Sadly enough, everyone else isn’t the standard.

So, confessing these kind of statements are also not the confession this verse is teaching, in fact nothing could be further from the Truth. Again, confess means “to say the same thing [as God].” God sees us as thieving, blaspheming, fornicating, murdering, adulterers at heart abiding under His wrath. If we don’t say the same thing as God, and confess these faults to him as partakers of them, then we have failed to confess properly.

There’s a story in Luke 18:10-14 (KJV) that follows:

Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”

‭‭

The Publican truly confessed what God knew about him; he said the same thing as God. Therefore, he was forgiven and exalted! This is the confession verse 9 is teaching. 

However, we also know that merely confessing our sins doesn’t make provision for righteousness; only the passionate blood of Jesus Christ does. If confession was the way to go, then none of us would inherit the Kingdom of Heaven because we have all committed sin that we haven’t repented for.  Whether it be a very old sin we’ve committed before we were ever introduced to the idea of repentance, and have forgotten about it, or something so trivial that we don’t find the need to repent for. With this ideology, we would all be guilty of sin and thus deserving of eternal damnation.  So, this is not the ideology this verse is implementing, in fact nothing could be further from the Truth—it would be ludicrous to ascribe to this.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭1:9‬ ‭KJV

So, then, if we go throughout the day, and commit a specific sin, then we’re guilty of that sin? until we confess that sin? and then we’d be righteous because God cleanses us from that sin? but, as soon as we sin again the next day, then we’re guilty again? until we confess that sin to be cleansed once more? and, so, if we sin and die before we get to repent, we’ll be guilty and deserving of Hell?...Nothing could be further from the Truth!

What John is encouraging here is living a repented lifestyle to stay in fellowship with God because without repentance we have no true fellowship with God.  And fellowship is inevitable, so if we’re not fellowshipping with God (or His people, which is ultimately Him), then it’s with someone else; and everything that is not God is evil. And because God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all, fellowshipping with darkness will lead us away from Him, ultimately losing our salvation.  Concisely, John is saying to confess our sins to maintain our salvation. 

So, let us confess our faults to stay in true fellowship with God.  It is for our sakes because He’s the same whether we confess our sins or not; we’re not, however.  It keeps us close to Him, thus usable by Him, and pleased by Him.

Amen.

Supporting Scripture:

Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭51:2‬ ‭KJV

Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭25:18‬ ‭KJV

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭7:14‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Commentary 1 John 1:5

Focus #5 The Message

Keywords: Affirmative, Negative, Light, Darkness

If you’ve ever been in a political, theological, philosophical, or any kind of debate, then you were either on the “Affirmative” (or “Pro”) side of that discussion, or you stood firm on the “Negative,” or “opposed to” side. The “Affirmative” side of discourse is where one takes the position of defending a proposition (idea or theory); they provide statements that support the proposition. Contrarily, the “Negative” side is generally one who’s playing the defense. They listen to the statements given by the Affirmative, and they use reasoning as defense to say why whatever statement is raised, to validate the proposition, isn’t coherent. Let’s take a look at this.

There’s a proposition raised that Gorillas are native to Africa. The Affirmative position, of course, says “Yeah, that’s right! They’re native to Africa—we have proof!” Well, the Negative position is going to raise adamant questions, and are only going to be persuaded to the extent of how well the Affirmative answers those questions. Nonetheless, some of those questions may be: who told you this (or where did you get this information from)? What is that person’s or website’s credibility? And why are you telling us? What are the benefits of this knowledge?

Considering this debate, hypothetically, the Affirmative might start off their argument with one or two invalid points such as “Gorillas are native to Africa because Google says so, and my three year old nephew says so, and th-“ and, as you can imagine, the Negative would cut them off mid-sentence and say something like “wait, but that’s not valid,” and then the Affirmative responds firmly, “let me finish what I was saying.” Out of mere respect the Negative let’s the Affirmative finish, but It’s only natural for the Negative to disregard everything that follows the Affirmative’s first two points because he started off with no solidity. Therefore, anything after the two false, rather unjustified, points is no longer solid information.

That said, if we ever plan on getting a point across, then we must have a valid build up of truth and coherence; everything up to the punchline must be solid and true so when we state our punchline, then it’s very firm and hard to go against.

If the Affirmative in the above debate were to say something like (given the following statements are true) “Researchers conducted a search on the nativity of Gorillas around the world, and found that Gorillas are native to Africa, and this information is important to know so if you go to Africa you are aware that many Gorillas are around you, etc. and in conclusion, Gorillas are native to Africa.” Then the Negative would have a harder time providing an antithesis because the Affirmative provided very solid statements that are in favor of the proposition. One being a discovered fact through research, and, two, it's coming from a sincere heart, so there is nothing for the Affirmative to gain by sharing this information.

The Apostle John, I believe, knew this to be very true. From verses 1-4 John is building up with truth and coherence, so when he gives the people The Message, they can receive it without any form of doubt.  

• 1 John 1:1 (see commentary by Pastor Rashard Jones), John says Jesus is God. He’s declaring the credibility of the person who told him The Message. In other words, you should take heed to The Message; it’s coming from God himself.
• 1 John 1:2 (see commentary by myself), John lets us know how it was even possible for God to tell him The Message—which is through another man's vocal cords, Jesus.
• 1 John 1:3 (see commentary by Jermaine Studwell), John claims he heard/saw Jesus first-hand tell him The Message. He really heard it; the information did not come from someone else. Also, John is willing to be persecuted for standing up for the truth— “credibility through persecution.”
• 1 John 1:4 (see commentary by Pastor Rashard Jones), the benefit of The Message is so the reader’s joy may be full. So, John wants them to know he isn’t benefiting from telling them this information; they are. 

So, similar to any good argument, before John states what The Message (his argument) is, he’s letting the readers know the credibility, sincerity, and benefits of The Message (his argument) first. 

“This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭1:5‬ ‭KJV‬‬

In the first four verses John makes it very clear that The Message is true. There’s credible sources, and the reason for sharing The Message is merely to bring the readers joy. So, he tackles any questions that could have possibly been raised if he would have started the book of first John with (1 John 1:1) “This then is the message which we have heard of him, God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all.”

If that were the case, the Negative position to that proposition (first verse) may have asked questions such as: heard from who? (or where did you get this information from)? What is that person’s credibility? And why are you telling us? What are the benefits of this knowledge?

The Apostle John puts the validity to his proposition out front, first, so common questions as such are put down before ever asked. His valid buildup in the four previous versus made a great punchline—The Message. Therefore, it becomes very challenging, if not foolish, for the Negative to claim anything “opposed to” The Message.

Now, if we consider The Message to be sacred and true, what does it mean? I believe it becomes as simple as defining “Light,” and “Darkness.”

Let’s review Scripture:

Darkness

“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”

‭‭John‬ ‭1:5‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“It is a land as dark as midnight, a land of gloom and confusion, where even the light is dark as midnight.’””

‭‭Job‬ ‭10:22‬ ‭NLT

“But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭2:11‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭5:20‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:12‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Light

“While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.”

‭‭John‬ ‭12:36‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”

‭‭John‬ ‭3:20‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:8‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:16‬ ‭KJV‬‬

For darkness we see words like: confusion, evil, gloom (depression), blindness, and hate—some say wickedness.

For light we see the context expressing words like: righteous, goodness, holiness, etc.. Or, God himself is Light.

If we substitute these words in for The Message, then we have synonymous messages of what God wanted them/us to know here.

(e.g. God is righteous, and in him is no confusion at all.

‭‭1 John‬ ‭1:5‬)

(e.g. God is holy, and in him is no hate at all.

1 John 1:5)

etc. etc.

Amen.

1 John 1:4

4And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

John says, we are writing these things that your joy may be full. What joy is John referring too and why did this letter have to be written in order to obtain this full joy. What was jeopardizing this full joy?

Let me point back to what Kajuan so eloquently stated in verse 2. 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 woh 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 not 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.

Observe a couple of scriptures where John is challenging The Gnostics school of thought and where he literally calls them Antichrist for teaching that Jesus did not come as a real human man.

1 John 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist,

2 John 1:7 7For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist

So refuting these Gnostics who were teaching that Jesus didn’t come as a human (in the flesh) becomes a common theme for John in this letter and 2nd John. John starts attacking this teaching in the first three verses of this chapter. Let’s revisit these verse momentarily.

1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 3That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

Note what John is emphasizing: 1. That which was from the beginning (Dieity), which we heard (audible), which we have seen with our eyes (visual) and our hand have handled (physical). Of the Word of life. He capitalizes “Word” in the middle of this sentence to emphasize Jesus deity again. John says, The man who we handled was the “Word” of life.

God came as physical man!!

In verse 2, John says, the life that was manifested unto us; this life we show unto you!! What type of life? John answers; That eternal life!!!! John says, that eternal life was with the Father and was manifested unto us.

God; who is the possessor of eternal life, shared that eternal life. Eternal life was with the father in heaven But gave eternal life to mortal men who were on the earth.

John confronts these Gnostics immediately as an eyewitness. John says, us Apostles We were the ones who God chose to see, tough, hear and feel eternal life incarnate.

You may be asking: Why does all this matter? Because attacking the humanity of Jesus Christ attacks the atoning work of Jesus Christ.

Listen, without the deity of Jesus, there is no resurrection but without the humanity of Jesus, thee is no atonement! Humanity needed for Jesus to be God and man!

The book of Hebrews speaks to the importance of Jesus being a man.

Hebrews 2:14 Nlt

Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.

Here we see another form of being teachers have errored in prescribing to the life of Christ; angelic being! But the author of Hebrews eloquently states that because it was human beings who needed to be saved, the Son of God had to come as a human being. One because angels can’t die and nor could the Son of Man in his deity state. The only hope of someone dying for humanity is for God to become a man which qualified him to die in order that He might break the power of the devil who had the power of death.

Satan was the progenitor of death. Satan was the one who introduced death to the human race by causing Adam to sin which led to death and perpetual death to everyone descendant who came out of Adams loins. The only hope was for there to be a man to be born who did not come out of Adams loins. So God sent Jesus as a man, born of a virgin woman.

Why were they teaching this? Because Jesus was so righteous as a man and his lifestyle was so noble that it raised the bar on Godliness. If Jesus was a man and he abstained from the indulgence of sin, why couldn’t we? Now, because these men were sinful and didn’t want God to reform them; instead of pursing Christ to be born again, they said, “Jesus is only able to be Holy and righteous because He doesn’t have to deal with the same temptation as real humans”.

They believed that the condition of the human flesh was so evil, it was incapable of living right. So, they basically taught that your lifestyle didn’t matter because we were so evil our behavior couldn’t be reformed. Taught you to believe in Christ for salvation but not to expect to be born again because the flesh is a hopeless cause.

Ironically we live in a time now where one of the biggest challenges we have is to convince non-believers that Jesus was God. Because these people lived during the life of Jesus or immediately proceeding his death and ressurection, many believed that He was a supernatural man so Satan convinced some, he wasn’t really a man. He was sort of a phantom man. They taught; he wasn’t a man, he just appeared to be one.

Note: Satan doesn’t care what false belief system you subscribe to as long as you choose one.