1 st john 2:3-11. the two trials of our faith: the trial of our light the trial of our love

1st John 2:3-11

The Two Trials of our Faith:

The Trial of our Light

The Trial of our Love

“And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” – 1st John 2:3-4 (KJV)

“The Trial of Light… Divine light and knowledge are the beauty and improvement of the mind; it becomes the disciples of the Mediator to be persons of wisdom and understanding. Young Christians are apt to magnify their new light and applaud their own knowledge, especially if they have been suddenly or in a short time communicated; and old ones are apt to suspect the sufficiency and fulness of their knowledge…” – Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible

“And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel.

And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.”

– Ezra 3:10-11 (KJV)

“But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:

So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.”

- Ezra 3:12-13 (KJV)

Context:

1) Zerubbabel’s Temple versus Solomon’s Temple 2) Pre-Slavery Elders versus Captivity Born Youth 3) The Ark of the Covenant was missing.

“…because it wanted (or lacked) the ark of the covenant, the heavenly fire, the mercy-seat, the heavenly manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, the Divine shechinah, the spirit of prophecy, and most probably the Urim and Thummim.” - Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible

“And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.” - 1st John 2:3 (KJV)

“The first, the grand evidence - that without which all others would be vain - he says is, that we keep his commandments.” – Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

“(2) He returns to the testimony of our union with God, that is, to sanctification, declaring what it is to walk in the light, that is, to keep God's commandments. By this it follows that holiness does not consist in those things which men have devised, neither in a vain profession of the gospel.

(d) This must be understood of such a knowledge as has faith with it, and not of a common knowledge.

(e) For the tree is known by the fruit.”

– Geneva Bible (verse 3 commentary)

Note: Mature fruit (measurable standard)

“And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.” - 1st John 2:3 (KJV)

“…not the commandments of men, for the keeping of them arises from ignorance of God, and is a proof of it; nor the commandments of the ceremonial law, which are abolished…but either those of the moral law…is an evidence of the true knowledge of him and of his will or else those commandments, which are more especially the commandments of Christ Jesus; such as the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's supper, which are peculiar to the Gospel dispensation.” – John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible

The Moral Law - Principally found in The Ten Commandments

*Three divisionsa) God (1-4)b) Family (5)c) Man/Community (6-10)

The Moral Law

“…the standard of moral measurement in deciding what right or wrong, good or evil, was fixed in the unwavering and impeccably holy character of Yahweh, Israel’s God. His nature, attributes, character, and qualities provided the measuring stick for all ethical decision.” - Walter Kaiser, Jr., Toward an Old Testament Theology

“And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?” - Mark 12:28 (KJV)

“And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” - Mark 12:29-31 (KJV)

“And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.” – Mark 12:32-34 (KJV)

Compare:

“And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.” - 1st John 2:3 (KJV)

“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” – 1st John 2:4 (KJV)

“Is a liar - Makes a false profession; professes to have that which he really has not. Such a profession is a falsehood, because there can be no true religion where one does not obey the law of God.” – Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

“He that saith, I know him - This is a severe blow against those false teachers, and against all pretenders to religious knowledge, who live under the power of their sins; and against all Antinomians, and false boasters in the righteousness of Christ as a covering for their personal unholiness. They are all liars, and no truth of God is in them.” - Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible

Antinomianism - Term originated with Martin Luther (Reformer) - “Anti” = against - “Nomo” = law - Doctrine of Johann Agricola, objected to use of the law (10 Commandment/Moral Law) in regards to instruction of believers and the call to sinners unto repentance.

*Preaching of the Gospel sufficient

“liar”

pseustes

1) a liar2) one who breaks faith3) a false and faithless man

- Thayer’s Greek Definitions

“But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” – 1st John 2:5-6 (KJV)

“hereby — in our progressing towards this ideal of perfected love and obedience. There is a gradation:

2:3, “know Him”2:5, “we are in Him”2:6, “abideth in Him”;

respectively, knowledge, fellowship, abiding constancy. [Bengel].” - Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary

“The Trial of Love…To keep the word of God, or of Christ, is sacredly to attend thereto in all the conduct and motion of life; in him that does so is the love of God perfected…Now light is to kindle love; and love must and will keep the word of God…” – Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible

Principal: The level (and depth) of one’s Love, will be equal to the level (and depth) of the Word.

“To keep the word of God, or of Christ, is sacredly to attend thereto in all the conduct and motion of life; in him that does so is the love of God perfected. Possibly, some may here understand God's love to us; and doubtless his love to us cannot be perfected (or obtain its perfect design and fruit) without our practical observance of his word.” – Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible

“We are chosen, to be holy and blameless before him in love; we are redeemed, to be a peculiar people, zealous of good works; we are pardoned and justified, that we may be partakers of larger measures of the divine Spirit for sanctification; we are sanctified, that we may walk in ways of holiness and obedience...” – Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible

“Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment [Moral Law] is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.” - 1st John 7-8 (KJV)

- Refers to Moral Law & Jesus’ Consolidation of Commandments

“Old Commandment” (The Moral Law) - Three divisions:

a) God (1-4)b) Family (5)c) Man/Community (6-10)

“New Commandment” (Jesus’ Commandments)

- Love the Lord - Love Your Neighbor

Characteristics:- Each Set Alludes to Other

- Reliant on Love- Demonstrates Level of

Word

“Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.” - 1st John 2:8 (KJV)

“Which thing is true in him - In the Lord Jesus. That is, which commandment or law of love was illustrated in him, or was manifested by him in his contact with his disciples. That which was most prominent in him was this very love which he enjoined on all his followers.

And in you - Among you. That is, you have manifested it in your contact with each other. It is not new in the sense that you have never heard of it, and have never evinced it, but in the sense only that he called it new.” – Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

“Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.” - 1st John 2:8 (KJV)

“The darkness is past - The total thick darkness of the heathen world, and the comparative darkness of the Mosaic dispensation, are now passing away; and the pure and superior light of Christianity is now diffusing its beams everywhere. He does not say that the darkness was all gone by, but παραγεται (darkness), it is passing away; he does not say that the fullness of the light had appeared, but ηδη φαινει (light), it is now shining and will shine more and more to the perfect day; for the darkness passes away in proportion as the light shines and increases.” – Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible

“He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.” – 1st John 2:9-10 (KJV)

*Profession alone is void.

“…is in darkness even until now.”

Allusion to Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-36)

1) Victim: Stripped, Wounded, Half-Dead 2) Priest: Saw him and passed to other side 3) Levite: Saw him and passed to other side 4) Samaritan:

“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him.” – Luke 10:33 (KJV)

“…had [past tense] compassion on him.”

Actions: - Went to Victim - bound up wounds - Pouring oil (Holy Spirit) and wine (Blood) - Put victim on his own “beast” - Brought him to inn (place of sanctuary) - Took care of him (at sanctuary) - Left victim under care

Note: Loving people is not a philosophy or a mission statement, it is an investment.

Why did the Samaritan do this?

“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him.” – Luke 10:33 (KJV)

- Saw himself in the victim (related to condition)

“There, but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford.” – John Bradford, English Reformer

“He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.” - 1st John 2:10 (KJV)

“The word here used, means anything against which one strikes or stumbles; and then a stumbling-block, an impediment, or anything which occasions a fall. Then it is used in a moral or spiritual sense, as denoting that which is the occasion of falling into sin.” – Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

“Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.” – Romans 14:13 (KJV)

- Our lack of love (not just hatred) develops into a stumbling block.

- This lack of love disables our ability to mediate before God, not just for that person, but in general.

“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.” - 1st John 2:11 (KJV)

“Like one in the dark. He wanders about not knowing what direction he shall take, or where the course which he is on will lead. The general meaning is, that he is ignorant of the whole nature of religion; or, in other words, love to the brethren is a central virtue in religion, and when a man has not that, his mind is entirely clouded on the whole subject, and he shows that he knows nothing of its nature. There is no virtue that is designed to be made more prominent in Christianity; and there is none that will throw its influence farther over a man’s life.” – Albert Barnes’s Notes on the Bible

“…either Satan, the god of this world, who blinds the minds of them that believe not, and who is darkness itself, and the cause of darkness in himself and in others,…or that natural darkness which sin has brought upon the understanding, and has blinded the eyes of it, called the blindness of the heart, so that a man under the power of it is ignorant of himself, and knows not that he is blind and miserable; is a stranger to the way of peace, and life by Christ, and knows not what he is about, and where he is, or whither he is going, and what his end will be.” – John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible

“He is still in his heathen or unconverted state; and walketh in darkness, his conduct being a proof of that state; and knoweth not whither he goeth - having no proper knowledge of God or eternal things; and cannot tell whether he is going to heaven or hell, because that darkness has blinded his eyes - darkened his whole soul, mind, and heart.” – Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible