484
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
November 1925
Ou tline Studies in the Epistles of John T. O. Horton LESSON THREE Outline of the Epistle: (1) Introduction (1 :1 -4 ). (2) God is Light. Fellowship with God in light (1:5 to 2 :28 ). (3) God is love. The sonship of the believer (2:29 to 3 :24 ). (4) Source of Sonship. Possessed by the Spirit (4:1 to 5:12). (5) Conclusion. The law of love (5:13 -21 ). in John’s day, and against whom he directs many of his arguments, pro fessedly devoted their souls to the pursuit of knowledge, and were, at the same time, guilty of the vilest sins with their bodies, for they said that the flesh was so corrupt that no filth iness of life could affect it, or make it worse. Christians must not only believe the truth, but they must live it (Eph. 5: 8, 9): is the blood applied. It is not the death of Christ which is referred to here, but “the blood of Christ,”— that blood which flowed from His own wounds—-which has a continuous, life- giving efficacy. It keeps us clean, while we are “in the light.” God cannot associate with us in sin ful practices. He can have no part nership with us in sin. That would make Him guilty, unholy. He can love us, pity us, but He cannot have fellowship with us until the sin is con fessed and the cleansing blood applied. (Isa. 1:18 ): “ F o r ye w e r e s o m e t im e d a r k n e s s , b u t n o w a r e y e li gh t in t h e L o r d ; w a lk a s c h i l d r e n o f l i g h t. “ F o r t h e f r u i t o f t h e S p i r i t is i n a l l g o o d n e s s a n d r i g h t e o u s n e s s a n d t r u t h . ”
The Gospel of John and. the Epistles of John were ordained to accompany each other. The Epistles are the prac tical application of the truths set forth in the Gospel. Outline of Chapter I: (1) The Meaning of Life, vs. 1-4. (2 ) The Manifestation of Life, v. 5. (3) The Method of Manifestation^^ Fellowship, vs. 6-10. Having considered the first two di visions of Chapter 1, viz: (1) The Meaning of Life, vs. 1-4, and (2) The Manifestation of Life, v. 5,— we come to the third and last division of the chapter: (3) THE METHOD OF MANIFES TATION—Fellowship, vs. 6-10.
“ C om e n o w , a n d let n s r e a s g e t h e r , s a i t h th e I .o r d ; t h o u g h b e a s s c a r l e t , t h e y s h a l l b e w sn ow ;1 t h o u g h t h e y h e r e d like t h e y s h a l l b e a s w o o l . ” (Heb. 9:13, 14): “ F o r it t h e b l o o d o f b u l l s a n d , a n d t h e a s h e s of a n h e i f e r s p t h e u n e l e a n , s a n c t i f i e t h t o t h e o f t h e f l e s h ; “ H o w m u c h m o r e s h a l l t h e b C h r is t , w h o t h r o u g h t h e e t e r n o f f e r e d h im s e l f w i t h o u t s p o t p u r g e y o u r c o n s c i e n c e f r o m d e t o s e r v e t h e l iv in g G o d ? ” Pretence of Fellowship with God in the inward life, and denial of the fact of the old nature in us, is sin. It is a serious sin, for, to claim free dom from our sinful nature is to make God a liar (v. 10 ). A denial of the fact of sin, and of our need of Christ as Intercessor, is a denial of the Word of God, and a denial of the testimony of those who are compelled to witness against such lives. We should live a holy life, but it is His holiness—His life-—in us. We have no righteousness of our own (Rom. 7 :18 ):, “ F o r I- k n o w t h a t I n m e (t h a t f l e s h ) , d w e l l e t h n o g o o d t h i n g w il l is p r e s e n t w i t h m e ; b u t h o f o r m t h a t w h i c h i s g o o d ' I A n d Judicially we are sanctified. We are “complete in Him.” But, practically, we have the old nature and drag it along like a corpse. Pretence of Entire Sanctification is to make God a liar. God’s dealing with men ever since the fall has been on the basis of their need, as sinners (John 8:31, 32): “ T h e n s a i d J e su s t o t h o s e J e w b e l i e v e d o n h im . If y e c o n t i n u o r d , t h e n a r e y e m y d i s c i p l e s “A n d y e s h a l l k n o w t h e t r u t h , t r u t h s h a l l m a k e y o u f r e e . ” To deny that we are, sinners is the most blasphemous of sins. But, “if we confess our sins” (notice that the word is not “sin” but “sins,”— those acts which are the fruit of our old nature),—“that is, if we make a defi nite confession of definite sins, as did David when he said, “Against thee, thee only,'have I sinned” (Psa. 51 :4 ), then, blessed be His name, “God is faithful and just to forgive us.” He cannot fail, for He is the justi- fler of those who believe (Rom. 3:26). (Next month, “The Mediatorial Work of Christ,” 2:1, 2).
John includes himself when he says,1 “If w e ”:—’that is, “We who are Chris tians.” The word “walk” has refer ence to our daily lives. “Fellowship with God” involves moral likeness to Him. Any preten sion to communion with God must be verified by actual, practical righteous ness in everyday affairs. John is hit ting hard at those who professed a lofty spirituality and yet were mani festing a lie by living in moral dark ness. Their walk witnessed against their words. As the trite saying so aptly expresses it, “What you are speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” To “walk in the light” is to walk a oly walk with Him, in fellowship with Him, in fellowship with His thoughts about sin, about the world and its needs. When we have this fellowship with God, we will have fel lowship with ne another. The less we profess with our lips about our walk with Him, the better; for if we walk with Him, people will see Him in our walk. ' , (John 8 :12 ): .
“ If w e sa y t h a t w e h a v e f e l l o w s h i p w i t h h im , a n d w a lk i n d a r k n e s s , w e l i e , a n d d o n o t t h e t r u t h . •‘H u t i f w e w a lk i n t h é 'ligh t a s h e i s i n t h e li g h t, w e h a v e f e l l o w s h i p o n e w i t h a n o t h e r ; a n d t h e b l o o d o f J e s u s C h r i s t h i s S o n c l e a n s e t h u s f r o m all s i n . “ If w e s a y . t h a t w e h a v e n o s i n , w e d e c e i v e o u r s e l v e s , a n d t h e t r u t h is n o t i n u s . “ If w e c o n f e s s o u r s i n s , h e is fa it h f u l a n d f u s t t o f o r g iv e u s o u r s i n s , a n d t o c l e a n s e u s f r o m al l . u n r i g h t e o u s n e s s . “ I f w e s a y t h a t w e h a v e n o t s i n n e d , w e m a k e h im a l i a r , ^ d h i s w o r d i s n o t i n u s , ”
Here we confront one of the most difficult subjects with which God has to deal in relation to man—-SIN. We who deal with men know this to be true,-—that the hardest thing for a man (whether saint of1sinner) to do is to confess himself a sinner. v These verses throw the., light upon three false positions: V. 6: “If we say that we have fel lowship with Him, and walk in dark ness, we LIE!” (v. | | | “^ ÿ ' I ï r we walk in the light * * * we have fellow ship” (i. e., we have LIGHT) ! ' V. 8 : “If we say we have no sin, we LIE!” (v. 9) [But] “If we confess our sins” we are CLEAN! V. 20: “If we say .we have not sin ned” we SIN GRIEVOUSLY; for we “make Him a liar.” The Purpose of God’s Revelation as light is to prepare us for fellowship, and bring us into fellowship with Him self, so that we may walk as sons of light. There may be and often is professed fellowship, without the possession of life. This is a hollow mockery. The sect of Gnostics, who were prominent
“ T h e n s p a k e J e s u s a g a i n u n t o t h e m , s a y i n g , I a m t h e li ght o f t h e w o r l d ; h e t h a t f o ll o w e t h m e s h a l l n o t T tra lk i n d a r k n e s s , b u t s h a l l h a v e th e ligh t o f l i f e .” (John 11:9, 10): “J e s u s a n s w e r e d , A r e t h e r e n o t t w e l v e h o u r s i n t h e d a y ? I f a n y m a n w a lk i n t h e d a y , h e s t u m b l e t h n o t , b e c a u s e h e s e e t h t h e li ght o f t h i s w o r l d . “ B u t i f a m a n w a lk i n t h e n i g h t , h e s t u m b l e t h , b e c a u s e t h e r e is n o li gh t i n h im .” (Rev. 21:24): “A n d t h e n a t i o n s o f t h e m w h i c h a r e s a v e d s h a l l w a lk i n t h e li ght o f it; a n d t h e k in g s o f t h e e a r t h d o b r i n g t h e i r g l o r y a n d h o n o u r i n t o i t . ” (John 12:35).
In v. 3 our fellowship is spoken of as being “with the Father and with His Son,” and so it is here; but our fellowship must be extended, also, to those who are walking with Him. Fellowship is based on community of interests. Christian fellowship is maintained by the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus. Notice that the present tense is used, “cleanseth,” of, rather, “is cleansing”— a continual process. As often as we confess our sins, so often
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker