1 John Part 4

Obedience vs. Disobedience: What Does it Show and What are the Consequences?

We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. ⁴The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. 1 John 2:3-5a

Obedience shows that we have come to know God, but disobedience shows that you are lying if you claim to know God. Why is this?

I can think of a few reasons why this is true, but I can not claim that this is a comprehensive list. I'm sure there are many benefits of obedience of which I am unaware, and the same goes for consequences of disobedience. If you come to know God's great care and concern for you, you will trust him and consequently obey him. If you come to know God's sovereignty, power, justice, holiness, and hatred of sin, you will avoid disobedience.

Have you been acquainted with the great rewards and deep joy of obedience to God? Then you know him and will obey him all the more. Have you experienced the sting of his judgment or the consequences of stumbling in the darkness? Then you will turn and obey.

God's love made complete

If I obey God's word, his love is made complete in me(v5)? How is God's love incomplete if I am disobedient? Isn't God's love the same always? I believe that this means that God's love will be able to bear fruit in our lives if we are obedient. If we are not obedient, then God's love does not have the opportunity to have the impact that it was intended to have. Therefore it remains incomplete in us.

1 John Part 3

But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ²He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:1b-2

We should strive not to sin, but if we do, we have someone to speak to the Father in our defense. Isn't it great that someone speaks in our defense when in ourselves we are indefensible? And it's not just anyone; I suppose anyone could speak in our defense, but only one is qualified to speak to the Father in our defense. This is the Righteous One, Jesus Christ. He can have that title in capital letters because He is the only one who is righteous. Now it is even more amazing that not only someone speaks in our defense to the Father, but the Righteous One, Jesus Christ, is the one that speaks in our defense.

Verse two says that Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice for our sins. I looked up the word atone and it means to make amends for. Christ's sacrifice makes amends for us and the sins we have committed. The consequence of someone making amends is reconciliation if both parties are willing. And praise God he is willing to reconcile with us!

I also found out that the word atone is actually a contraction of the words at and one. We just don't think of it that way since the word doesn't sound like a combination of those words to us. It is actually the pronunciation of the word one that has changed over the years.

Now I know that the Bible was not originally written in English and it is easy to get carried away with just one word. But the New American Standard version uses the word propitiation in the place of the phrase atoning sacrifice. It seems to mean about the same thing, which we'd hope is the case for two reputable translations. Because of Christ's sacrifice, someone has made amends for us and we are reconciled to God.

I find it so hard to live like I am reconciled to God even when I sin. I struggle so much with fear, wanting to hide from him fearing his anger and disappointment. I am at one with God through Jesus. I just am.

1 John Part 2

And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ... This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. ⁷But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

⁸If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. 1 John 1:3b,5-10

This passage has confused me in the past. It seemed to say that if we walk with God we will not sin, but then later John says that if we are without sin we deceive ourselves. It seemed contradictory. But alas, it is not.

Here is a quick outline of verses 3-7:

1. Our fellowship is with the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ. v3
2. God is light; there is no darkness in him at all. v5
3. If we claim to have fellowship with God (pure light) in whom there is no darkness, yet you walk in darkness, you are a liar because there is no darkness in God. If your fellowship is with darkness, it can not be with God who is pure light. v6
4. If we do walk in the light (God) :, a. We have fellowship with one another, and b. The blood of Christ will purify us from all sin. Christ will remove the guilt resulting from the sins we commit.

Here are the issues that confused me in the past:

1. What does it mean to walk in the darkness vs walking in the light?
2. What does it mean that the blood of Christ will purify us from all sin?

My confusion arose from how I answered these questions. I thought that walking in the light meant being sinless, and walking in the darkness meant committing sins. I was in the light as long as I did not sin, but then would be in the darkness as soon as I sinned. This definition came from outside of this passage, and indeed from outside the Bible from a legalistic sinful mind.

Walking in the light means walking with God, having fellowship with Him. It does not mean that we will never sin once we have chosen Christ. It means that we stay in contact with Him through prayer, reading Scripture, good works, fellowship with other believers, evangelizing, and any other way we may have fellowship with Him. It means that when we do sin, we confess our sins to God and ask forgiveness. And God will be faithful to Christ's sacrifice and forgive us if we have put our faith in him. And Christ's blood will also continue to do the work of purifying us and making us more like Him.

Using this correct definition of fellowship, verses 8-10 do not contradict the previous verses. Realizing that we sin and confessing those sins to God are part of walking in the light and maintaining our fellowship with him. This is how the Word has a place in our lives. Not by claiming to be sinless.

So, God knows you are going to sin even though you have chosen to walk with him. Do not hide from him, but confess your sins without delay so that you can be purified.