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which is of God and which is revealed by love (the positive aspect). There is a great necessity for the manifestation of love. “Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you” (v. 13). Christ was hated when He was on earth (cf. John 15:17-23). Hatred in an individual is fed by the knowl edge that another is righteous while he himself is evil. Thus it has been from the beginning, when Cain hated his brother. The world hates right eousness because it is offensive to the world’s pride. Hatred brings death (vs.. 14, 15). “Whoso hateth . . . is a murderer.” Love is life-giving, as hate is life taking (vs. 15, 16), And God, because He is love, laid down His life that others might live. The love here indicated is not sen timent or feeling. It is, rather, a right eous principle of life and a mode of living (vs. 17, 18). It really means being "for" a brother; offering pro» vision for his need; wisdom for his folly, gladness for his joy, and sym pathy for his sorrow—loving him "in' •deed and in t r u t h . ” . Without this manifestation of love, the expression, " I love God” is the height of folly. III. T h e y D w e ll in G od (4:15-17) The confession that “Jesus is the Son of God” is considerably more than the repeating of a section of the creed (vs. 15, 16). It means that a trans forming principle has come into, the life, a principle that c h a n g e s the mode of thought and the manner of living. It is knowing and believing “ the love which God hath in our case” (R. V. margin). Herein is love made perfect: not that our love is made perfect, but love is made perfect with us (v. 17, R. V.). Hence we have boldness in the day of judgment, “because as he is” in rela tion to judgment, “so aré we.” . With? out this realization, there would be constant d r e a d and despair in the thought of judgment. But love, being made perfect, casteth out all fear. God sees the perfect One, the Lord Jesus Christ, in each Christian who confesses truly that “Jesus is the Son of God.” Christians are not hoping to be in the world as Christ is; they already are that. They are waiting the day when their likeness to Christ will be fully manifested before the universe. Points and Problems 1. "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not" (1 John 2:1). This Epistle was written in order to -keep the children of God from sinning. God expects those who have been saved by His grace to live in victory over sin. They are born from above, partakers of a new. nature, and therefore ought to live a heavenly life. In 1 John 3:9 we read, “Whosoever is
We will use “FAITH IN CHRIST” for the b a s e of the' tree, and for the boughs we will use “ VIRTUE, KNOWL EDGE , TEMPERANCE, PATIENCE, 'GODLINESS, KINDNESS, and LOVE,” which is another wird for charity. Now we have a tree. We will lift the leaves to see whether there is any fruit. (Take the top of e&ch piece of paper out of the slits.) See, it is full of fruit. (Raise the mounting sheet up, and tilt the top slightly backwards,)-See that you have these virtues, and your life will be fruitful. broken, not because God has left the Christian, but because the Christian has left God. During that interval, the believer does not forfeit his salva tion, but rather his enjoyment of it. “ God is light, and in Him is no dark ness at all” (1 John 1:5). One who is in any darkness cannot, in the very nature of the case, have fellowship with God; and the sinning Christian is in darkness and is unconscious of the presence of God who. is light. The first movement in the restoration is the work of Christ, the Advocate, even before the Christian knows that he is sinning. Restoration to fellowship comes through confession, on the be liever’s part. True confession of sin always embraces the forsaking of sin (cf. Prov. 28:13), and brings the peni tent one into God’s light The necessity of walking in the light is apparent. This daily walk involves obedience, and one’s ability to say, of Christ, “I know him” (vs, 3-6). it is not sufficient to know about Him, as many walking in darkness do, thus revealing themselves actually to be liars. The obedient Christian has the love of God perfected in him. This does not mean that the believer is faultless, but it does mean that his heart is set on doing the will of God. II. T h e y M a n ife st L ove (3:13-18) The previous verses pOint. out that God is righteous, and is without sin (the negative a s p e c t ) ; the present v e r s e s speak of the righteousness
“I don’t see any tree on which to find it.” Let’s plant a tree, and watch it grow. Did you know that Peter tells us how to be fruitful? We read, “Add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to pa tience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kipdness, charity. For if these things * be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful” (2 Pet. 1:5-8).
JUNE 20, 1943 JOHN DESCRIBES TRUE CHRISTIANS 1 J ohn
1 John 2:1 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: 2. And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 And hereby,we do know* that we know him* if we keep his commandments. . 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not In him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected:, hereby know we that we are in him. 6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. 3:13 Marvel not, my brethren,' if the world hate you. 14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love, the breth ren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 15 Whosoever hateth his brother Is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down-our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his .brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth thé love of God In him? 18 My- little children, let us not lovç in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. , 4:15 Whoèoever shall confess that Jesus Is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and belieyed the lové that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth -.in God, and God in him. 17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of Judg ment: because as he is, so are we in this world. LESSON TEXT: 1 John 2:1-6; 3:13-18; 4:15-17. GOLDEN TEXT: “ But if we walk in the light,'as he is in the light, we have fellow ship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (T John 1:7). DEVOTIONAL READING: Psa. 15. I. T h e y W a l k in O bedience (2:1-6) I T IS NOT said that when, but if we sin we have an Advocate with the Father (vs. 1, 2). There is ho real necessity for our sinning, but there is always the possibility of it. The responsibility is placed upon the believer. When the Christian sins, im mediately. his fellowship with. God is Outline and Exposition
BLACKBOARD LESSON
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