A STUDY OF 1 JOHN (33)

 

Three Things Christians Know

1 John 5:18-20

Victor M. Eskew

 

            John constantly confronts “the know it alls” of his day.  They affirmed that they had superior knowledge while rejecting fundamental truths of the Christian religion.  John did not want his readers to be deceived by these false teachers.  Over and over in his epistle, he proclaimed to his readers that they could and did know many things, important things, things that involved their eternal salvation.  As John nears the conclusion of this brief letter, he reminded these Christians of three things they definitely know.

            First, they knew about THEIR FREEDOM FROM SIN.  “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not” (1 John 5:18).  When a person is born of God, he repents of his old way of life.  Too, the blood of Jesus cleanses him from his previous transgressions.  The child of God is no longer the servant of sin (Rom. 6:17-18).  Now, Christ lives in him (Gal. 2:20).  He serves righteousness and not sin.  His life no longer involves the habitual practice of sin (Rom. 6:6)..  He may sin from time to time, but his life is not characterized by sin.  “He that is begotten of God keepeth himself.”  The Christian sets a guard around his life.  He gives heed to the Word of God.  He does not make provision for the flesh.  He abstains from fleshly lusts.  He follows the example of Christ when tempted.  He tells the evil one:  “Get thee hence Satan.”  The devil knows the faithful child of God is well-fortified with the armor of God (Eph. 6:14-17).  When he feels the resistance of the disciple of Christ come against him, Satan flees from him (James 4:7).  Battle after battle after battle, the “wicked one toucheth him not.”  This victory over sin is one of the blessings enjoyed by the faithful.  The child of God is a saint not a sinner. 

            Second, they knew about THEIR DISTINCTION FROM THE WORLD .  “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness” (1 John 5:19).  As Christians, John’s audience had been called out of the world by the gospel of Christ (2 Thess. 2:14).  They were now “of God.”  They belonged to God.  They wore the name of God.  They had the protection of God.  They had the promises of God.  They were recipients of the hope of God.  The world, on the other hand, was in wickedness.  Satan is “the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4).  His kingdom is filled with darkness.  It is filled with immorality.  It is filled with lawlessness and violence.  The distinction between the two groups, the church and the world, is stark in nature.  Those who are “of God” should rejoice in the fact that they have been taken from the corruption and death that is in the world. God sees the distinction between the two group clearly and distinctly.  One day, there will be clear separation between those who are of God and those in the world.  “Then shall the King shay unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:34).  “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41). 

            Third, they knew about THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SON OF GOD.  “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true; and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ.  This is the true God, and eternal life” (1 John 5:20).  John sets forth five things John’s readers understood about Jesus in this one verse.  First, “And we know the Son of God is come.”  The Gnostics had difficulties accepting this truth.  An all-good Spirit being could not possibly unite with flesh that is all-evil, they said.  John’s readers, however, knew it was a fact.  Eyewitnesses like John himself had testified about the fact that the Son of God is come.  Second, Jesus had given them an understanding.  Part of Jesus’ mission on earth was to teach.  He came to reveal the Father and His will to mankind.  This will was passed on to Jesus’ apostles through the Holy Spirit.  They, in turn, taught it to others.  John’s readers had been the beneficiaries of this divine knowledge.  Third, this knowledge had a purpose.  It enabled human beings to “know him that is true.”  Jesus told His disciples:  “”If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also:  and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him” (John 14:6).  Although, the heavenly Father was not a man, through the perfect man, Jesus, the world could know Him.  John’s readers knew Him well.  In addition to knowing Him who is true, they were also “in him.”  This was the fourth point John made in this verse.  “…and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ.”  To be in Christ is to be in an intimate, saving relationship with him.  This relationship begins when a penitent believer is baptized into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27).  In Christ, the saved receive all spiritual blessings (Eph. 1:3).  One of the most sublime blessings found in Christ is eternal life.  Thus, John’s sixth point noted that blessing.  “This is the true God, and eternal life.”  Most men are aware that life is precious.  Too, most men dread the enemy called death.  For the righteous, death in this world is simply a passage to another world that gives one eternal life.  This is not life for a million or a billion years.  It is life that lasts forever and ever. 

            The Gnostics of John’s day boasted of superior knowledge.  Their boasts did not provide them with true knowledge, however.  True knowledge was found in Jesus Christ.  This knowledge was given to His apostles who spread it throughout the world.  It was a knowledge that revealed the truth about the Christ, that is, God manifested in the flesh.  It was a knowledge that provided man with salvation.  It was a knowledge that taught man how to live in this evil world.  It was a knowledge that would lead dying humanity to a place of eternal life.  John’s readers possessed that knowledge.  John wrote to assure them of that. 

Paul said that he had counted “all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:8).  His prayer for those early Christians was “that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (Col. 1:9).  Dear readers, this divine knowledge is now found in the book we call The New Testament of Jesus Christ.  Let’s give ourselves to it fully.  We can be just like John’s readers.  We can know freedom from sin.  We can know a distinction from the world.  And, we can know about our relationship with the Son of God that leads to eternal life.