Today is the second study in I John. John is writing to combat false teachings in the church. These false teachers claimed that Christ only appeared to have a body of flesh but was only a spiritual apparition. This teaching called Docetism (a doctrine of the Gnostics) was in direct contrast to John 1:14 which states the Word (Jesus) became flesh and lived among us. This belief in the total separation of spirit and flesh and lack of consequences led to the people taking ungodly liberties in their behavior.
Verses 3-6 John states the truth that those who follow Christ and have had their lives transformed by Him will keep His commands. This echoes the words of Christ in the Gospel of John – “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). We demonstrate our love for God by our obedience to His commands. Our obedience is one proof of our love, but verse 6 moves our demonstration of love for Christ to an even greater level. We’ve heard that imitation is the purest form of flattery. So, we should seek to imitate the Savior. We know we are abiding (ESV) in Him when we “walk in the same way in which he walked.” Going back to verse 5 we see that the love of God is “made complete” or “perfected” in us when we live in accord with God’s commands.
Verses 7-11 John expands on the idea introduced above. He begins by referring to John 13:34-35, where Jesus gives the disciples “a new commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” John is not telling them something they had not heard before. The command to love one another has always been a part of God’s charge to His people (Lev 19:18, Proverbs 17:17, Zech. 7:9). When we walk as Jesus walked, we will also demonstrate love for one another as he did. John (vv. 8-11) again makes use of the total contrast between dark and light. In verse 8 he writes the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. This phrase refers to the gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world (John 8:12).
There are those who choose to walk in darkness rather than light. In this context this love of darkness results in bearing hatred or ill will toward fellow Christians. Our failure to demonstrate love for one another will cast doubt on our love for Christ. John offers several consequences of walking in darkness: stumbling (v.10), lostness (v.11), and blindness (v.11). The writer of our leader guide sums up these verses well: “Love enables us to walk in the light; hatred leaves us in the dark. Sin separates us from both God and one another…Therefore, it is not only the absence of habitual sin that characterizes the life of the believer, it is also the presence of love” (BSFL Sr Adult Leader Guide, 32).
Verses 15-17 Our relationship with God is by marked the ability to leave the things of this world behind. This is not referring to people or the physical world we inhabit, but rather the philosophies that govern the flesh and are in opposition to God. In 2 Corinthians 4:4 Paul writes, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ…” We see that the fruit of this worldly mindset is lust and pride. This lust is a desire for anything other than God’s kingdom. We place our security and worth in the possessions we can accumulate. The desire for earthly pleasures, happiness, security, etc. can take the place of God – or in other words it becomes idolatry. We can become so fixated on worldly things (or our pursuit of these things) that our priority of a relationship with God is pushed aside. Idolatry occurs when something other than God becomes our heart’s desire. Jesus said we are to purpose His kingdom and His righteousness first and foremost (Matthew 6:33). Unfortunately, when we fail to pursue life in Christ, the natural tendency of our flesh is to lead us into ever increasing sin. Paul tells the Galatians to walk in the Spirit or live by the Spirit so that they will not gratify the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
All things other than God’s love are temporary and will pass away. Our relationship with God is reflected in how we treat others and what we invest ourselves in. All these other things may not lead directly to darkness, but they will never lead to the light of eternal life.
Thanks again for reading and I hope to see you Sunday.
Chris Larsen
