Abide: Session 3: The Tests of Righteousness and Love

 Test of Righteousness - "Do I keep His commandments?"

1 John 2:3-6.  John is combating the false idea of gnosticism.  He's using the word "know" over and over - "and by this we have assurance (know) that we have come to have a relationship (know) with Him." Whoever says "I have a relationship (or know Him) with Him, by this we have assurance (know). Matthew 7.

Q: where does God's law (commandments) belong in the believers life today? Matthew 5:17.  Well, we will walk through 3 tests of genuine faith.  Commandments are a test of righteousness, or moral behavior.

You want to obey God when you are child of God.  To love God is to love God's law.  The law of God is an expression of the character of God.

Verse 5. Love of God "perfected" - the law is the means whereby we grow in completeness, in holiness.  There are three ways we should think about the use of the law:

1. James 1:22-24 describes the law as a mirror.  We understand our sin in a new way.  We see ourselves measured against what God commands.

2. Also serves as a restraint.  "This is what's acceptable and this is not."  There should be penalties for us when we transgress.  Exodus 20:1-17. The moral law of the OT actually undergirds the law codes of most major societies.  Laws create boundaries of how we should live with one another.

3. It shows us what's pleasing to the Lord - a path (narrow).  God's law shows us how to live His way in His world.

Verse 6. Walk on the path of Jesus.  A long obedience in the same direction; moving towards righteousness.  Personal sin results in collateral damage. Personal obedience results in collateral benefits.

1 John 2:7-11. Introduces a second test where he uses the commandments as a bridge moving from the test of righteousness to the test of love.  "Do I love my brothers?"

Commandments summed up in Matthew 22:37-40.  

Q: How are we to understand the difference between the old commandment and the new? Well, how is it new?

1. It's new in its extent.  It reaches the sinner and the outsider (Acts 1:8).  Also, to the extent it will go - love of brothers.

2. It's a new commandment in the degree which it is realized - God's law will be written on our hearts.

Verse 10. Love "agape".  A love the mind analyzes and the will chooses.  All obligation on God's side.  But us? We need something in return.  Tests: 1) what are we doing? 2) what is your heart like? your will?  Examine our actions, our desires and our beliefs.

Verse 12-14. He's addressing different levels of spiritual maturity.  Encouragement to persevere.

Verse 15-17. He's setting up another contrast: love of the world vs love of the Father.  Contrast is what which is temporary and that which endures.  Similar to Matthew 6:19.  Remember the gnostics believed the created things around them were evil.  They would like this verse, but then...."the desires of the flesh" etc... He's saying "you have a spiritual problem." It's not the stuff.  It's your heart.

Flesh = sensuality.  Eyes = covetousness.  Pride = arrogance.

Sounds like the things the serpent offered to Eve in Genesis 3:1-6:

1. It will make me happy

2. It won't hurt to look

3. It will make me amazing

1 John 2:17a. Sanctification progressively sets us free from the power of sin - laying our desires on the altar.  

1 John 2:17.  Q: 

1. How can I walk as He walked?

2. What brother/sister needs my purposeful, intentional love?

3. How will I trade sensuality for sensibility? Or covetousness for contentment? Or pride for humility?

Next: Session 4 Practice righteousness, pursue love, possess assurance

Abide: Session 2: A Credible Witness

 

Notes from Session 2.

1 John 1:1-2. "From the beginning" - Jen says it refers to from the beginning of your faith. He begins to appeal then from his physical senses that Jesus came and he witnessed it.

Who is "we"? - the apostles.  They "saw".

1. Seen

2. Testify

3. Record of it (to pass on to the next generation)

Their faith is grounded in fact.  Jesus is a real person. Christianity is a historic faith.

From the beginning, John is taking a swipe at gnostic thinking. They believed Jesus did not come in the flesh but was just a spirit that hovered around a body, utilized them and went back up to heaven.  John will affirm that Jesus was fully God and fully man.

Verse 3. "You" is churches around Ephesus.  What is the point he's saying here? This is not special knowledge here. 

Fellowship. In gnosticism, the focus was on an individual not others oriented.  John is establishing the significance of Christian community.

So that. 1) fellowship among believers and 2) Father and Jesus (vertical/horizontal) not just "me and God" but "we and God".  Look at Acts 2:42 - fellowship.  John reminding of fellowship 60 years later now. People in fellowship have:

1. Shared faith

2. Shared expectation

3. Resources

4. Language

5. Responsibility

Verse 5. Light and darkness.

Verse 6-10. We have three denials John gives us:

1. Truth and lies (v.6).  You cannot have fellowship with God and sin habitually.

2. He addressed "licensed" which is grace to cover you and "legalism" which is saying "I'm really good at being good".V.8 - if we say we have ceased sinning, we are liars. 

3. Moral Relativism (delusional) V.10. Romans 3:23. Romans 3:10.  "What I do isn't so bad".  Living their own personal truth.  

He's calling these errors out.

Verse 9. Confessed - a truth-teller (Luke 18:9-14).  What about the word "just"?  How is the justic of God meeted out? On Christ.  God is "just" to look towards us with mercy and grace.  This is what awaits one who is willing to tell the truth.

"Light" - that Christian virtue would grow in us and put to death the darkness. 

1 John 2. Begins to refer to them as "my little children". He's a father figure in the family of God - the church. 

Verse 1-2. You should desire not to sin; but he wants to make something clear here.

Advocate with the Father. Propitiation - appeasement etc. In what sense is Jesus our advocate? He doesn't plead our innocence.  He acknowleges our guilt, and He presents His vicarious sacrifice for the grounds of our acquittal.  This is why God is faithful and just.  Faithful to the work of Jesus on the cross and just to forgive a sin that's already been established as our guilt and the punishment has already been born - our advocate.  His joy as "papa John" would be made complete.

Note: we have not seen but still believe.  How will we show someone that we know Him?

How can I be an advocate? On my knees in prayer. Ask ourselves "who should I intercede for? Maybe a family member who needs light to shine in their darkness.  Needs truth to shine a light on the lie.

Moral relativism? How to advocate for them? To cry out that mercy would triumph over judgment.

John advocated for an early church.  So we should:

1. Act like we know Him

2. Strive to look like Him

3. Advocate on behalf of others.

That Christian virtue would grow in us and put to death the darkness.

Next: Session 3: The Test of Truth

Abide: Session 1 Introduction

These are my notes from Jen Wilkin's study Abide.  This is her introduction to this study.

Who wrote 1, 2, 3 John?

John the apostle.  The son of Zebedee (Luke 5:10).  He was at the transfiguration, the garden, the crucifixtion and an eye witness. Before this, he was a disciple of John the Baptist and a fisherman by trade.  In Acts 12:1-2 it records his brother James as the first martyr put to death by Herod the Tetarch.  John understands that to follow Jesus is costly.  He wrote 5 books of the NT: John, 123 John, Revelation.  He refers to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved.  Sons of thunder: Mark 3:17.  Luke 9.  A leader of the early Jerusalem church and later years lived in the area of Ephesus.  He lives a long life.  He is the last of the apostles.

To whom were they written?

1 John was written to several Gentile churches in the Asia province - within 100 mile of Ephesus where John lived.  A circular letter meant to be read out loud.  More like a sermon.  It's said 2nd John was maybe a cover letter.  This book was also written to all believers everywhere (to us as well).

When were they written?

A.D. 85 and A.D. 90. Death of Christ: A.D. 30 to 33. Destruction of temple in Jerusalem A.D. 70. John exiled around A.D. 100. A.D. 30-60 we begin to have the NT writings.  The gospel expands through the Roman empire at this time.  A.D. 68-100 a push toward doctrinal unification and ecclesial unification: what do we believe? What does it mean to be the church?

In what style were they written?

1 John: pastoral letter exhorts believers to right belief and living.

2 John and 3 John: one is addressed to a light/dark; sin/righteousness; repeated words/ideas.  He will flow from one thought to the next - similar to John.  It's not a linear argument like in the Epistles.  1 John 5:13: tells us he writes so that we may know we have eternal life. Written to give assurance to the early church.

What are the central themes of the letters?

1. The purity of the gospel: what are the things we have to agree on in order to be in fellowship.

2. Assurance of faith.

3. The historicity of Christ - that He was an actual person.

4. What does it mean to live an ethical life.

5. The hallmark of love as the primary manner among believers.  He's going to address a false teaching that was beginning to emerge in the first century and comes into its own around 200 A.D. 

A false teaching know as gnosticism.  A sect that was teaching against or twisting the teachings of Christianity in a particular way. A gathering of belief systems all meshed together. A build-your-own spirituality (like today).  John is going to work to clearly define Christian belief.  

Gnosis - knowing and special knowledge.  John will emphasize what we ALL can know to be true about God.  John = community. Gnosticism = individualism (spirit over matter, anti-institutional, against the Lord's supper and baptism, a disregard for OT).

Corporate belief matters (creeds were good to have which speaks of what we believe).  Brotherhood matters and fellowship matters according to John.

Next: Session 2 "A Credible Witness"