Let’s take a
quick lesson in metallurgy (I know what you’re thinking, but stay with me; this
will make sense in a minute). A noble
metal is defined as one that is resistant to corrosion and oxidation in moist
air. The most well-known noble metals
are probably gold and silver, due to their additional status as precious
metals. Whether in art, coinage, or
jewelry humans have been involved in the acquisition of these lustrous
materials for millennia. History records
people working with silver in Mesopotamia as far back as the 4th
millennium B.C.
The catch
though, is that most of the time the noble metals are not found in a pure
form. They are mixed with other base
metals and must be refined. The refining
process is known as “cupellation”. This
is a method where the metallic substance is heated to a very high
temperature. Once the correct
temperature is achieved, the base metals begin to separate from the noble metals. The reason is because the noble metals, as
mentioned above, do not oxidize, meaning they do not react chemically. So when heat is applied the base metals form
slags or other compounds, leaving the more valuable noble metals separate.
In ancient times
the container used for this chemical process was known as a “cupel”. Hence the term “cupellation”. It was a vessel formed of wood ashes and
finely powdered brick dust. In other
words, it was made of earthen materials.
Well, it just so happens that the Latin word for earthen pot is “testa”. It is the origin of the modern word test.
This is
helpful because the history behind it gives us an extremely accurate
understanding of the definition of test.
We can say that a test is a method whereby a catalytic agent is applied
to a target object for the purpose of identifying (and consequently removing)
impurities as well as refining the quality of the object in question. To take the classic example of an educational
test: the student is the target object and a list of questions on a piece of
paper is the catalytic agent. The
objective is to pinpoint inaccuracies in the thinking patterns of the pupil so
as to eliminate them. And in the end it
is hoped this process will improve the quality of the student’s intellect.
What in the
world does that have to do with 1st John? Well, in the second half of our study of 1st
John 2:1-6 the author gives us a rock solid, proven test to determine the
status of our salvation. He has already
alluded to this test in chapter 1 verse 7: if
we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one
another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. And John has given us the grounds, or
parameters, within which the test is to be administered. Namely, that our confidence is in God
alone. As verse 9 of chapter 1 points
out, He is faithful and righteous. Not only that, but chapter 2 and verse 1 teaches
us that we have the best legal defense in the universe in the person of Jesus
Christ the Righteous. Furthermore, verse
2 makes it clear that He is the atoning sacrifice which expiates, or cleanses
us from sin and causes God to be propitious, or favorable in His regard for
us. All of this has been discussed in
previous weeks.
But now John
both reiterates what he has hinted at and capitalizes on what he has laid the
groundwork for by telling us exactly how to test ourselves so that we can be
confident in our status as adopted children of God. He states the test quite plainly in 1st
John 2:6, as follows: the one who says
he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. This is really quite obvious and clear. But the manner in which John leads up to that
simple formula and the framework he builds around it is fascinating and I
believe will be instructive as well. He
begins in verse 3 with two criteria that must be met prior to beginning the test
if we are to be successful. These pre-requisites
result in both a condition and a consequence.
The effect of all this, in John’s mind, ought to be a successfully aced
test, every time we take it. I will move
through these four components, one at a time, followed by a final word on the
test itself.
Verse 3 of 1st
John chapter 2 states: By this we know
that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The first criterion that a successful
salvation test taker must meet is they must know the God who they claim to have
received salvation from. We looked at
this concept back in the very first essay of this series but it is important
enough that we go over it again here.
The knowledge that John is talking about is probably not the same thing
we associate in our minds with that word.
We in the modern western world tend to think logically and
pragmatically. But the Jewish mind in
John’s day and culture would have tended to think much more in terms of relationships
and principles. This is why the
Hebrew
Scriptures so often paint word pictures with objects rather than
adjectives. In 2nd Samuel
22:2-3 David sings this hymn to God after being delivered from the hand of King
Saul: “The Lord is my rock and my
fortress and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield
and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my savior, You save
me from violence.” David peppers his
song with images that are immediately relatable to a reader in a visual and
tangible manner. By contrast the
tendency of a westerner would be to refer to God as powerful, protective,
secure, and heroic. We mean the same
things but go about expressing them in a completely different way.
This
difference is instructive when it comes to understanding what John has in mind
when he refers to knowing God. John is
not talking about a clinical or sterile understanding. He is not talking about knowing as we might
come to know something at school.
Rather, the idea is to understand, perceive, or become acquainted with
in an intimate manner. As stated in that
previous essay, the word that John uses for this concept, “ginosko”, was also
used by the Jews as an idiom for sexual intercourse between a man and a woman.
An excellent
example of this usage is found in John 6:69.
The twelve apostles are asked by Jesus if they want to leave with the
crowds who were leaving Him because the message He was preaching was too
radical. Peter, acting as spokesman,
responds beginning in verse 68: “Lord,
to whom shall we go? You have words of
eternal life. We have believed and have
come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” The underlined word is the same as what John
is using in 1st John 2:3.
Clearly, Peter and the eleven haven’t just heard through the grapevine
that Jesus is the holy one of God.
Obviously, their conviction is deeper than the surface level response
that most of the crowds had to the miraculous signs and wonders Jesus was
performing. Unmistakably, their
education in this matter extends beyond even hearing Jesus make these claims
first-hand.
No, Peter’s
belief in this passage is one of experience.
He knows that Jesus is the Christ because he has lived through the process
of coming to grips with this amazing truth.
And that process has instilled in him and his brothers a deep and
abiding persuasion of the truth of what he has just stated. This is what it means to know as John intends
for us to understand it.
This experiential
and intimate knowledge is incredibly important to John. The word “ginosko” appears 49 times, the most
of any single book of the New Testament, in the Gospel of John. And coming in third for most usage is 1st
John, at 21 times. Only Luke, with 28,
beats it. To put it another way, John’s
usage of “ginosko” in the relatively few books penned by him accounts for more
than half of the overall occurrences of the word in the entire New Testament.
What this
tells me is that for John, the “disciple whom the Lord loved”, who rested on
His bosom at the last supper, who of all the apostles did not flee in terror
from the crucifixion, and who was the one selected to care for Christ’s mother
after His death this knowing God is of absolutely paramount importance for us
to understand and take part in.
Now here,
for me, is the completely mind blowing part.
John says the manner in which we prove that we have come to know God in
this way is to obey Him and His commands.
That is just completely opposite of the direction my mind would tend to go
in processing the idea of coming to know someone. I would think that if I want to know a person
very well I simply need to spend time with them. I would have to learn their preferences,
their likes and dislikes, and their patterns of behavior. Now to be sure, these factors are a part of
the process. And they come into play in
knowing God as well. But these elements
are not what John chose to focus on.
Much as he will do in verse 6, he strips away all the extraneous details
and leaves us with the over-arching umbrella principle that the proof of our
knowing God is bound up in the consistency of our obedience to Him.
Interestingly,
John doesn’t actually use the word obey in this verse. Instead, he says that we must “keep His
commandments”. This is an important
point to remember. Because the issue is
not offering our obedience to God. The
point is to do as He has said. Obedience
given that is not in accord with the instructions delivered is of no value
whatsoever. Samuel makes this clear in 1st
Samuel 15:22: “Has the Lord as much
delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the
Lord? Behold, to obey is better than
sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” Furthermore, the attitude of our hearts must
be penitent and humble before Him before we attempt to follow His
commands. David speaks of this in Psalm
51:16-17: For You do not delight in
sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt
offering. The sacrifices of God are a
broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
The final
point I want to make on this verse has to do with the word translated
keep. The Greek behind it means “to
attend to carefully” or “to guard”. Our
calling in this situation is not merely to do what God has said. We must view ourselves as protectors of the
sanctity of the Lord’s precepts and instructions. This implies a level of ownership and
participation that goes far beyond just obeying the letter of the law. In Acts chapter 12 Peter has been imprisoned
by King Herod. Verse 5 says: So Peter was kept in prison. You can be sure this was no casual activity
for the guards who were with him. In
fact, after Peter’s supernatural release at God’s hands, Herod had these guards
executed for their failure to keep their prisoner secure. The guards would have been very well aware of
Herod’s reputation and the probable penalty for failure. So they were undoubtedly doing everything
within their power to ensure that the king’s instructions were followed to the
letter. This is the mindset we are to
have when keeping God’s commandments.
So we can
say from all this that the two requirements we must meet before administering
the test of salvation to ourselves is to know God deeply and experientially as
well as humbly and penitently obeying exactly what He has commanded while we go
above and beyond the call of duty to protect those commands. If these factors are present within our
hearts and are evidenced in our lives then we can expect two results: a
condition and a consequence.
The
condition can be seen in verse 4: The
one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is
a liar, and the truth is not in him.
This is of course a parallel of chapter 1, verses 6, 8, and 10 that we
have already discussed. But what I want
to do this time around is look at it in reverse. In other words, it is clear that if we make a
claim of knowing God, yet we do not obey His instructions, we are liars. But what does that imply about the opposite
situation? Put simply, if we claim to
know God and we do keep His commands, then the truth is in us rather than not
in us. Let’s re-phrase the verse to
illustrate this: The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and keeps His commandments,
tells the truth, and lies are not in him.
This is the
condition which results from the meeting of the criteria John gave us. Why do I say it’s a condition? Because of the word John uses to express this
idea; “esti”. This is the Greek verb that
expresses a state of being. It is more
than an action that has been performed.
Actions are the surface level evidences of the condition that exists
within a person. If we say that someone
is intelligent we are communicating that the essence of their mental capacity
is of a high degree. John 1:1 gives us
the sense of this: In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John expresses the state of being of
Christ three different ways, using the word “en”, which is a form of the word
“esti” that he uses in our passage in 1st John.
First he
says that in the beginning was the Word.
The eternality of the Word is tied to and bound up in who He is. Then we read that the Word was with
God. His proximity to God adds an additional
element to the reality of who He is because you cannot be “with” God in the
sense John means unless you are in fact God.
But to ensure there is no confusion or distortion John makes it plain
when he says that the Word was God, or as the Greek literally reads “God
was the Word”. Not only is He
eternally with God, but He literally exists as God Himself. They share the same essence. Or to put in the terms we are discussing,
they share the same state of being.
So, if we
obey God’s commands we exist in the state of being truthful. The truth becomes more than something we
tell. It becomes more than things we
do. It becomes a part of who we
are. In fact, I would go so far as to
say it is a lesser, paler version of the character of Christ Himself. He claimed in John 14:6: “I am the
way, and the truth, and the life.” If
you guessed that this word is yet another form of our same “state of being”
verb you are correct. Jesus literally is
the physical embodiment of truth. And
when we obey Him we are afforded the privilege of emulating that reality, at
least to some degree.
When all of
this comes together in a person, the satisfaction of God’s requirements and the
transformation from a state of untruth into a state of truth, then a wonderful
and mysterious consequence emerges. John
expresses this in verse 5: but whoever
keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. Honestly, this statement is a little
bewildering at first glance. God is
perfect in every way. So how can that
which is perfect be perfected?
Well, if we
once again turn to the Greek behind the English we find the word
“teleioo”. This verb doesn’t really have
quite the connotation we would normally associate with the idea of
perfection. We tend to think of perfect
as being completely free from defects.
But “teleioo” has more of an idea of bringing to completion,
accomplishing an objective, or reaching a goal.
A perfect example of this is found in Luke 2:43: and as they were returning, after spending the full number of
days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem.
But His parents were unaware of it.
The word I have underlined is the same one translated as perfected in 1st
John. So you can see that it is carrying
a very different weight and intention than how we might typically think of
perfect.
At this
point the immediately obvious question now becomes “How is the love of God
brought to fulfillment in those who keep His word?” I think there are at least two ways: it is experienced
and it is evidenced.
The love of
God exists as a component of His personality.
It is not an entity unto itself.
Rather, it is an element of what makes Him God. But love as it exists within God is not a
solitary characteristic. It must have a
target in order to be fully expressed because it is inherently outward in scope. Within the confines of the Godhead we can see
this in the relationship between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. They love each other with a sacrificial
affection that is visibly demonstrable.
The Father sacrifices Himself in humility to elevate the Son to a
position of highest glory and honor (Philippians 2:9-11). The Son sacrifices Himself in humility to
submit His will to the Father’s plan (Philippians 2:5-8) and by leaving the
world so that the Spirit can have free reign to do His work (John 16:7-11). And the Spirit sacrifices Himself in humility
to cast the spotlight on both the Father (John 16:13) and the Son (John 16:14).
Now then,
with that being the shape of the love of God, when it comes to His creations it
must follow the same pattern. Meaning,
it must be present and active in a person’s life in order to be brought to
fulfillment. If God says He loves us but
we can see no presence of that love within us then the love of God is nothing
more than an ephemeral idea floating in rivers of philosophy. And what is the ultimate expression of His
love? I think it is clearly the
redemptive work of Christ that opens the door of salvation to someone who,
prior to that point, was God’s enemy. Scripture
says “Greater love has no one than this,
that one lay down his life for his friends” in John 15:13. So when a human being is regenerated and
brought to faith in Christ, it is the best and clearest example possible that
God loves him or her. The proof of that
salvation is in the doing of God’s commands, as both our passage today and John
15:14 (You are My friends if you do what
I command you) makes clear. To
summarize, God’s love is brought to completion in the heart of a Christian at
salvation and onward through sanctification and finally to glorification. This truth is verified in submissive
obedience to God’s commands. Therefore,
going back to 1st John, whoever guards and protects God’s
instructions is proving to themselves they are redeemed, and that redemption is
the greatest expression of God’s sacrificial love. In this way the love of God is brought to
fulfillment experientially.
But this
completion or fulfillment of the love of God is not only inward, for
verification in the Christian’s own heart.
It is also outward, for verification of God’s goodness to a watching
world. It is essentially free
advertising of divine love for anyone the Christian comes into contact with. John 13:34-35: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I
have loved you, that you also love one another.
By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love
for one another. Love as God defines
it by His own character is so radical, so unusual, and so contrary to typical
human behavior that it is startling to behold.
So Christ’s point to His apostles at the last supper was that when they
love each other as He loved them first it will prove conclusively to anyone
watching that they are followers of Christ.
And in turn it will point to Christ’s own loving character because
Christians are to be essentially copies of Him.
Just as someone watching the Son will in effect see the Father (John
14:9) so someone watching us will in effect see the Son. In this way the love of God is brought to
fulfillment evidentially.
At this
point we are finally ready to take our test.
We have met the requirements of knowing God intimately and demonstrating
that knowledge through obedience. This
has had the effect of causing us to be in a condition of truthfulness. And in that state of being God’s love for us
is brought to fulfillment inwardly in the fact of our salvation and outwardly in
the witness of our love for one another.
The test is
stated in verse 5b-6: By this we know
that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in
the same manner as He walked. Let’s
not beat around the bush here. John’s
point is this. If you want to know if
you are a Christian. If you want to be
convinced that your salvation is genuine.
If you want to be assured of your inheritance in heaven. You need look no further than your own
life. What are the patterns of behavior
you invest yourself in? What are the
passions that excite you? What are the
choices you take? What are the
sacrifices you make? If these elements
of your lifestyle are patterned after Jesus then that is all the evidence you
need of your status as a genuine Christian.
On the other hand, if the behavior that you see in yourself is not
patterned after Jesus then that is all the evidence you need of your status as
a false Christian.
Notice that
I said “patterned after”. Let’s be
honest here. Christ is perfect. He has known on sin other than what was
temporarily placed on His head from the world when He was sacrificed on our
behalf. It is simply not possible for us
to achieve that level of perfection.
John himself has verified that over and over in these opening lines of
his letter. We cannot say we are not
sinful without being liars and being devoid of truth. So the issue is not whether you look exactly
like Christ. What is at stake is whether
you are looking more like Him over the course of time. If you can look behind you in your own
personal history of the course of your Christian life and see sanctifying
progress from where you started to where you are now, then that is a visual
indicator of a genuine abiding in Jesus.
And consequently, you have successfully passed John’s test.
The
interesting thing about this test is that it is essentially an automatic
pass. What I mean by that is if someone
has made it to the test at all they have necessarily already moved successfully
through all the pre-requisite work on the preceding six pages of this
essay. And that process will have
already verified their position as people who are abiding in Christ. So the test itself functions as more of a
benchmark of an already existent status rather than a true pass or fail metric.
And bound up
in all this is the point of my essays for the past two weeks. God is so wonderfully gracious that He
provides us with a concrete assurance of our salvation. He gives us the tools we need to confirm the
truth of His promises to us. There
should be absolutely no reason to doubt our inheritance in heaven. When troubles or afflictions come into our
life they are there for the purpose of confirming our position and conforming
our character. They do not mean that God
has abandoned us or that we have done something wrong, deserving of
punishment. Peter says it this way in 1st
Peter 1:3-7: Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us
to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will
not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of
God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now
for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is
perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and
glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Just as
ancient metallurgists used testa to separate purity from impurity and noble
from base metals. So God uses the
crucible of trials to forge us into imitators of Christ. And it is in this process of terrible pain, confident
hope, and increased faith that our character is built and our redemption is
verified.
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