1 JOHN
Chpater 2: 29; Chapter 3, Verses 1-10
[1-1-12]
Review:
1 John 2:27-28) [KJV] But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
QUESTION: Is John suggesting that the church doesn’t need teachers?
ANSWER: That can’t be, because John is teaching them throughout this letter.
Ephesians 4:11-12) [GNB] It was he who “gave gifts to people”; he appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, others to be pastors and teachers.
Hebrews 5:12A) [GNB] There has been enough time for you to be teachers—yet you still need someone to teach you the first lessons of God’s message. —-.
QUESTION: If John isn’t telling us that we don’t need teachers, then what is he telling us?
ANSWER: “If you want to know what it’s talking about, then see what it’s talking about. What’s the context? The Gnostics had brought in a new doctrine. It was something that hadn’t been taught by the Lord Jesus, or by any of his apostles. We have the Word of God; we don’t need a new revelation!
NOTE: Any new “truth” that contradicts the first Truth is not of God. Paul’s words were a harsh warning to such men.
Galatians 1:8-9) [GNB] But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel that is different from the one we preached to you, may he be condemned to hell!
9) [GNB] We have said it before, and now I say it again: if anyone preaches to you a gospel that is different from the one you accepted, may he be condemned to hell!
28) [KJV] And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
QUESTION: How do we remain in union with God?
ANSWER: Let the “message you heard from the beginning” guide your heart. That message, as we explained in the discussion of verse 24, is the command to love others the very way God loves us.
On To This Week’s Lesson:
1 John 3:1-10) [KJV] Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
QUESTION: How has God “bestowed” His love “upon us”?
ANSWER: He calls us His children! A perfect, holy God calls us imperfect people who are given to sin His children! WOW!
2) [KJV] Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
QUESTION: What are you and I right now, at this very moment?
ANSWER: We are the very children of God!
QUESTION: What else is amazing about this grace God has “bestowed upon us”?
ANSWER: We can’t even imagine what we are going to be like when we are glorified!
Romans 8:18, 29-30) [KJV] For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
29) [KJV] For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30) [KJV] Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
QUESTION: What will we be like then?
ANSWER: We will be like God! We will not be deity like God is, but we will be like Him in character and in the dimensions in which we will live with Him. Our reality then will be totally different than our reality now! We will be living in glory, and we will be glorified!
3) [KJV] And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
QUESTION: What should this realization do to us concerning our daily walk with God?
ANSWER: The realization that the very purpose of God in sending His Son into the world to die was for the purpose of bringing me, and you, into a reality of being like Him should impact the way we live in the here and now.
“Doeth Righteousness” and “Committeth Sin:
1 John 2:29) [[KJV] If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.
Concerning “every one that doeth righteousness,”
“that doeth <4160> (5723) righteousness” [KJV] (with Strong’s numbers)
<4160> “Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct)” [Strong’s].
(5723) “Tense – Present; Voice – Active; Mood – Participle”
1 John 3:4) [KJV] Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
Concerning “whosoever committeth sin,”
“committeth <4160> (5723) sin” [KJV] (with Strong’s numbers)
<4160> “Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct)” [Strong’s].
(5723) “Tense – Present; Voice – Active; Mood – Participle”
1 John 3:7-8) [KJV] Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness <4160> (5723) is righteous, even as he is righteous.
8) [KJV] He that committeth sin <4160> (5723) is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
QUESTION: What do the above comparisons show us?
ANSWER: Whatever “doeth” means in the area of doing righteousness “committeth” means in the area of committing sin.
QUESTION: Why?
ANSWER: It’s because both words come from the identical Greek word and have the identical tense, voice, and mood of that word.
QUESTION: How does this affect our understanding of these verses?
ANSWER: If “committeth sin” means to commit a single act of sin then “doeth righteousness” means to do a single act of righteousness. If “doeth righteousness” means to do the right thing every single time then “committeth sin” means to sin every single time. Neither works! Consequently we realize that “committeth sin” is referring to the lifestyle of sin, and “doeth righteousness” is referring to the lifestyle of doing what’s right.
The Remainder of Our Study:
5) [KJV] And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
6) [KJV] Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
QUESTION: What do these 2 verses then tell us?
ANSWER: Jesus dealt with our sin nature as well as our acts of sin. Therefore, if we continue to live as though He accomplished nothing it is evident that we don’t really know Him.
9) [KJV] Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
QUESTION: What does this verse then tell us?
ANSWER: We were first born into Adam, a man of sin, and thus we were born sinners. If we have now been born again into Jesus, a man of righteousness, we have been born righteous. Consequently, we can’t live a life where we couldn’t care less what the Scriptures teach. If we are “born of God” we will want to do right!
10) [KJV] In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
QUESTION: How do we tell who the children of God are versus the children of the devil?
ANSWER: God’s children will show the conduct of someone who wants to do what’s right according to the instruction of Scripture; the devil’s children will not show the conduct of someone who is concerned with what the Bible teaches about righteousness.
QUESTION: What is this verse doing?
ANSWER: It’s transitioning us from the thought of doing what’s right verses doing what’s wrong to the thought of what promotes in us the desire to do what’s right now that we’re born again.