Walk This Way

Line By Line - I John 2:1

Post 231

 

“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:” I John 2:1.

John is now telling us plainly why he is writing “these things” to us; So that we do not sin.

But only a few verses back in 1:4 he said; “And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.” So is the Holy Ghost through John just artistically using convenient words to mean a general point or are we able to distinguish a segregation between subtopics in his letter? Note a clue to the answer; that in the first section John claims “we” write these things, but in the second section he states “I” write these things. I suggest that what was written from 1:1-3 is a comprehension of Jesus Christ that will indeed make our joy full if we grasp and believe what he actually said. While what he wrote next in 1:5-10 is a comprehension of the message that that very same Jesus gave them to share, and the purpose is so that if we comprehended that message, we would not sin.

“This then” means; Because of who Jesus is, with the intent to give access to full joy; this is that message; Don’t sin.

But at the period in the middle of this first verse of Chapter 2, we find a very substantial cleft between perceptions of what we are now reading. No amount of discussion or arguing is going to change a seated perception, so how this letter of I John is interpreted hinges fully on the perception of the reader; Experience creates and strengthens perception.

Now when you’re on the right path this is a very useful thing; “Practice makes perfect” is the phrase often used to encourage diligence to some skill not yet perfected and so quite difficult. After a substantial amount of experience through practice, your perception is that the thing you once though was difficult is not actually hard at all. But do you remember back at the beginning; crying after a very hard effort of failure; “Its impossible!” At the time, even the best coach found it hard to convince you otherwise and motivate you to keep trying. You had to break a wrong perception that was created by immature but very real experience.

Most American Christians today openly declare in the confidence of experience that it is impossible not to sin. They can and will support this perception by scripture itself such as; I John 1:8 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” and I John 1:10 “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” which are of course unarguably true.

But by the power of perception built on experience, these people see only what they are prepared to see and so they see a single topic “Sin” and apply it generically across the board. These people will actually run over the first sentence in our topic verse (2:1) to get to the second sentence and interpret it to say; “And when we sin, we’re still ok with God.” But this is not the meaning of this sentence nor is it in context with this letter of John, or the entire Spirit and instruction of scripture (Hebrews 10:26-27, Numbers 15:30,

Romans 8:8-14, etc.).

But other American Christians today will camp on the first sentence never making it to the second, and herald with great forceful zeal; “That’s right, You’re going straight to hell if you step out of line even once!” and they back up that view with other verses such as I John 1:5b “…that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” and I John 2:8a “He that committeth sin is of the devil…”

Most of this kind also have a strong perception but not actually based on experience. Rather this perception is based on an intellectual confidence that scripture is actually true even if we can’t apply it correctly. Such were the Jews that Paul references in Romans 10:2, the result is that these always go about creating extreme rules of religion in an effort to create a righteousness they can follow since they don’t actually know God’s righteousness. But which of these two are more wrong? Sadducee or Pharisee? Democrat or Republican? Liberal or Conservative? It seems they are both wrong, camping on partial truth.

Both these perspectives and types are flawed and missing the mark. John is not actually giving a lecture on theology or doctrine so we can get a degree in education; he plainly said these things are written so that our Joy can be full and so that we do not sin. What an interesting pair, like Grace and Law. It is not a contest between them but a proper combination of them both to an end far beyond what they individually seem to be.

It is a natural trend to see and focus on the familiar, but that is something we should be keenly aware of. If sentence #1 of our topic verse is agreeable with you, then you need to be seeking God regarding all he means in sentence #2. If sentence #2 rings true in your heart, then you need to be seeking God regarding all he means in sentence #1. The scripture is amazingly written for every mindset, not this portion for them and that portion for those, but the whole thing is one fantastic message that needs to be perceived fully by both parties, in order to understand it.

But let me toss in a thought for our time: There is scripture that shows the conversion of some Pharisees, but not a single verse showing the salvation of a Sadducee. Likewise, it is not now the habit of society to be over excessive with following God’s law; rather today we are a people that typically take Jesus and his grace for granted. Our faith has little importance to us because it has cost us little (Luke 7:41-43). This is the danger we face here in the church age (often wrongly called the age of grace),

“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip… How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation…?”

Hebrews 2:1-3 (see also 3:6-12).

“Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it”

Hebrews 4:1 (see also Mark 7:6, etc. etc.).

Hebrews is a great book to get your faith sorted out; turning obedience into love and love into desire; “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God… but we must labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief (of the preceding verses)” Hebrews 4:9-11.

So we see that the success is based upon correct faith and correct faith is that which motivates you to act appropriately;

“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith” Hebrews 11:7.

Did Noah rest in his faith of God? Well, yes. But that did not keep him from ACTING in fear through faith that resulted in a very real and tangible boat. If his faith had no action he would have drowned with the wicked. And by his action he contrasted their lack of action which is the boat-less condemnation mentioned.

What action of faith are you implementing through proper faith of God beyond simply resting comfortably without fear? (Genesis 20:11, 42:18, Exodus 9:30, 18:21, etc.),

"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" James 1:22 (Hebrews 5:9-14 +).

“Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of (dead) faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we will do, if God permit” Hebrews 6:1-3.

“So what is there in the faith beyond these things? Doesn’t that pretty much sum up all the faith?”

The previous verses of Hebrews that I indicated before the (+), tell us that what comes after these things is really hard to explain to those still struggling with these things. This is why he ended with “and this we will do, if God permit”. Don’t get me wrong and don’t misread Paul’s meaning; we are not recommending that you abandon these things, but to build on them as a foundation by taking the next step. Don’t keep taking Salvation 101 over and over again year after year; rather take other advanced classes in the faith represented as meat (I Corinthians 3:2).

But for most, they don’t even know there are other such “things that accompany salvation” (Hebrews 6:9). These things are so hard to describe they are only hinted at in verses like Hebrews 6:5 as “the powers of the world to come” accessed through tasting the good word of God as partakers of the Holy Ghost.

* * *

“Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum…” Hebrews 8:1a.

Great! Here comes the conclusion of all that the apostles have been expounding on;

“…We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens…” Hebrews 8:1b.

“OKaaayy.”

“… For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my law into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for (because) all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more” Hebrews 8:10-12.

Yes, this is speaking specifically about the Hebrew people and nation, and it will actually be fulfilled “after those days” (v.8,10), but don’t miss the promise that couches this specific; “how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

So we see here that the blood purges our guilty conscience from our dead works, but what about the dead works themselves? Does God just pretend they don’t exist? Does this promise actually state that God will simply ignore our unrighteousness, sins and iniquities from now on? NO!

The description here is speaking of past conduct. God’s mercy (through Christ’s sacrificial blood) has “left the past in the past” and cleared the way forward through forgiveness because of Jesus sacrificial blood offering, but don’t for a second assume this is a free ride to continue in wickedness without consequences. And now we are back to the lack of repentance from Simon;

“Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God” Acts 8:21. “or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forebearance and longsuffereing; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” Romans 2:4

And to those defending rather than repenting of their iniquity;

“But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;” Romans 2:5,

When does this treasuring up pay off? (more on this in later posts).

“Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;” Romans 2:9.

These passages are not talking to the unbelievers but to the Simons! The warnings of scripture against disobedience is prolific, it can only be missed if you simply don’t want to see it or don’t bother reading it at all.

But what about the popular argument of the Christian Council at Jerusalem (Acts 15), that at the salvation of the Gentiles there were only four rules of conduct laid out to them?

“Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: but that we write unto them, that they

1)   abstain from pollutions of idols,

2)   and from fornication,

3)   and from things strangled,

4)   and from blood” Acts 15:19-20.

That sure seems like a short list. So how then can I suggest non-Jewish believers are accountable for their sins and iniquities? (I mean beyond the plethora of other verses that say so). Because if we would just read one more verse instead of stopping short on a single verse theology, we would find that indeed the Gentile Christians were also to learn the Mosaic Law.

“Say what?” You ask.

Yep, read it for yourself;

…“For (because) Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day”

Acts 15:21.

The argument against laying on them more rules than these four is because they already had available the instruction of Moses every Sabbath. These four specific rules were because in their Pagan culture these were the common practice that kicked hard against the laws of Moses and needed to be specifically addressed in support of Moses. God promised to give the Gentile believers spiritual interpretation of Moses so they did not need to be given the weight of rules as did the Jews who are still blinded (Deuteronomy 30:10, Luke 10:26-28, II Corinthians 3:3,6, I Peter 1:22, 3:21, etc. etc. etc.). And now we begin to understand what Jesus meant when he said;

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” Matthew 5:17.

What is contained in the books of Moses is for another post, but now as we work our way through I John, we may have a new perspective on just what he is actually saying and what Jesus expects from us as Gentile Christians (Matthew 7:21).

So is this Christianity a religion of works? Contrary to common Christian perspective, it is. But the Christian religion is a faith based on salvation which is not of works (Ephesians 2:9). God Grants you the free gift of a new eternal life while you are still a sinner; This is the Christian faith *2. Now what are you going to do with it is the question of the Christian religion *2.

…“And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation (*1) for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world”

I John 2:1 (see also John 3:16).

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*1 Propitiation 2434 hilasmos; atonement, i.e. (concrete) an expiator. Atonement: 1. Reconciliation. 2. Satisfactory reparation for an offense or injury.

Expiate: to seek to appease, purify with sacred rites, To make complete satisfaction for; atone for; to expiate sin.

*2 Religion vs. Faith are not semantics but specifically different

(addressed as we go).

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