Hebrews,
James, Peter, John, Jude
Southern Christian University
Lesson on I John #1
James A. Turner
Read the references, they will help you grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.
We are now ready to begin with the study of the
Epistles of John, I, II, and III John. It will be in order for us to begin with
a brief introduction of these books. The apostle John wrote five of the
twenty-seven books of the New Testament, The Gospel According To John, and I,
II, and III John and The Revelation of John which was given to him by the
Revelation of Jesus Christ while he was exiled on the isle of Patmos for
the word of God.
The fact that John wrote five of the New Testament books is enough to tell us
that he was a great man of God, and a great leader during the personal ministry
of Christ, and also in the church of the first century.
The first chapter of John shows that he was one of
the first two disciples of Jesus. John the Baptist had recognized that his six
months younger cousin was greater than he, but he did not know that he was the
Christ until the Spirit descended on him when he was baptized (Matthew 3:13-17, John 1: 30-34). The next day he saw
Jesus coming to him and John said to his disciples, Behold
the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29). The following day John
was standing with two of his disciples and he said to them, Behold
the Lamb of God with the meaning it is time
for you to follow him and they did. John 1: 40 reads, One
of the two that heard John speak, and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peters
brother. He findeth first his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, we have
found the Messiah (which is, being interpreted, Christ. The other disciple was
John himself. He always speaks of himself in the second person in his gospel
book. Other examples of this are John 18:15, And
Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple
was known unto the high priest, and entered in with Jesus into the court of the
high priest.
Another passage is John 21: 20-24 where he describes
himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved ----- who also leaned
back on his breast at the supper ---- This is the disciple that beareth
witness of these things, and wrote these things:
and we know that his witness is true. These references along with John 19: 26-27 indicate that the
relationship of Jesus with John was a little closer than it was with any of the
other apostles, and when Jesus was on the cross he saith to his mother, Woman
behold, thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And
from that hour the disciple took her unto his own house.
The two brothers Andrew and Peter and James and
John, the sons of Zebedee, were partners in a commercial fishing business when
Jesus called them to fulltime service (Matthew 3: 18-22; Mark 1: 16-20; Luke 5: 8-11). Peter, James, and
John have been referred to as the inter circle disciples because they were
favored by Jesus to be with him on three important occasions when the other
apostles were not with him. They were with him when he raised Jairuss daughter
from the dead (Mark 5:22-24, 5:35-43), and when he was
transfigured (Matthew 17: 1-13), and when he went farther into the
garden of Gethsemane to pray (Matthew 26: 36-49) before he was
betrayed by Judas Iscariot.
In this brief introduction we need also to ask the
question, When were the five books of John written? Some of our brethren have
reasoned that all of the books of the New Testament were written before Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman
Armies in 70 A.D. Some have quoted verse three of Jude where he says, I
was constrained to write unto you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the
faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints, and then they would come
with the conclusion that Jude must have been the last epistle of the New
Testament. We called attention to this
when we studied Jude, but as we discussed then such a conclusion is not
logical. Any time an inspired writer gave instruction that instruction was once
for all delivered. Jesus told Peter that, whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth
shall be bound in heaven; and what
soever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Matthew
16:19), and this was also true of
all of the other writers of the New Testament.
H.C.Thiessen in his Introduction To The New
Testament gives 85-90 A.D. for the Gospel of John and for I, II, and III John
and the Revelation as 95 or 96. The writer of the commentary part on the
Epistles of John in The Pulpit Commentary says, We shall probably not be far
wrong if we suppose that the Gospel and all three Epistles were written between
A.D. 80 and A.D. 95. Brother Guy N. Woods in his Commentary on Peter, John,
and Jude says concerning I John, We think it must have been written about A.D.
90. Adam Clark says concerning the Gospel, But the most probable opinion is
that it was written at Ephesus about the year 86.
B.H.Carroll in volume six of his, An Interpretation Of The English Bible says
concerning I John, Its date is not earlier than A.D. 80, and may possibly be
as late as A. D. 85. He writes from Ephesus ----- the scene of Gnostic
philosophy ----.
The internal evidence of the books of John are very
much in favor of later dates for all of his books. Let us consider some of
these internal evidences. First all three of the synoptic writers give parallel
accounts of the instruction of Jesus about the destruction of Jerusalem, which
occurred in A.D. 70, Matthew chapter twenty-four and Mark thirteen and Luke
twenty-one. If John had written his gospel before A.D. 70, or a short time
after that date, Would he not have mentioned that tragic event for the Jewish
nation? Do you think any writer will write a book about the city of New York
within the next few years, and not make some mention of the tragic event at the
World Trade Towers on September 11, 2001? It was in deed a tragical event, but
it would be small in comparison to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
I remember the late brother B.C.Goodpasture, who was
editor of the Gospel Advocate for many years, say that John wrote a longtime
after the destruction of Jerusalem when Jewish time had been replaced by Roman
time, or the time we have today. I guess he was referring to John 19: 14-16 where it is said that
it was the sixth hour when Pilate delivered him unto them
to be crucified. If this is not the case there is a contradiction by the other three
writers. Mark 15:25 reads, And it was the third
hour, and they crucified him. Matthew, Mark, and Luke
tells us that there was darkness over all the land from the sixth until the
ninth hour and that Jesus yielded up his spirit in the ninth hour
(Matthew 27:45-50; Mark 15:33-37; Luke 23: 44-46). Matthew, Mark, and
Luke were using Jewish time, and the third hour of Mark 15:25 would be 9AM Roman time
and the sixth and ninth hours of Matthew 27:45-50 and Mark 15:33-37 and Luke 23:44-46 would be twelve to
three P.M. Roman time. So the sixth hour of John 19:14-16 would be 6A.M. and
they crucified him at 9AM, and then darkness from 12AM to 3PM when Jesus died,
and thus the harmony of the four accounts.
Another point of internal evidence is that John
wrote I John when he was an old man because he refers to the recipients of the
Epistle as my little children (John 2:1, 2:12, 2:18, 2:28, 3:7, 5:21). In II John, he says, The
elder unto the
elect lady and her children and III John, The elder unto Gaius the beloved, whom I
love in truth. He would not be speaking of himself in the sense of being The
elder of a church because all of the references speak of there being a
plurality of elders (Acts 11:30, 14:23, 15:2, 15:23, 20:17, 20:28-32; Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:5). According to early
Ecclesiastical writers John lived to be very aged; and according to John 21:23, This
saying therefore went forth among the brethren, that that disciple (John) should
die not ----.
Evidently John was commonly referred to as The elder in respect to his old age.
Another point of internal evidence for a late date for I John is that he warns
his brethren about the anti-christ (John 2:18, 2:22, 2:26, 3:7-8, 4: 3-5), and John is the only
writer that uses the word anti-christ, and he gives warning in II John
concerning the anti-christ verses 7-11.
The apostle gives two stated purposes for I
John. I John 1:4 reads, and
these things we write, that our joy may be made full, and 5:13 reads, These
things have I written unto you, that
ye may know that ye have eternal, even unto you that believe on the
name of the Son of God. In addition to these purposes there is much
evidence that he wrote to warn them about the anti-christ (2:18, 2:22, 2:28,4:2-6).
We will let this suffice for an introduction to
these Epistles, and begin with the reading and study of I John.
Consider the prologue or introduction to the gospel
of John and the introduction to I John.
The gospel of John, "In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him
was not any thing made that was made. In
him was life; and the life was the light of men."
And then a statement about the world comprehended it not, and there was
a man sent from God, to be a witness of Christ, of course, that person is John
the Baptist. And verse fourteen, "And
the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld him as the only
begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." Well, why do you think that good long
introduction about the preexistence and the incarnation of Christ? It looks like this teaching was present when
John wrote the gospel book. And the
introduction here is essentially that of the gospel book, except it is in a
brief form. Here he gives three of the
five senses by which the apostles knew that Jesus was in a human body. "That which was from the
beginning, that which we have heard
that which we have seen.
With our eyes, and that which we beheld and our hands handled." The sense of touch is one of the five senses,
and so John is giving three of the five senses by which the apostles knew
absolutely that Jesus was the Christ.
We've heard him, we we've seen him, and we have touched him. "Concerning the
word of life." And, again, in the beginning was the
Word. And the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. "And
the life was manifested." Well, there he is
talking about Christ being born of the virgin, right? The life was
manifested. "And
we have seen and bear witness and declare unto you that the life, the eternal
life, which was with the Father was manifested unto us." Manifested unto us through the person of
Christ, and Hebrews 1:3, that Christ was the
effulgence of his glory and the very image of his substance. So Christ was manifested in the flesh, to manifest
God unto us. Verse three, "That
which we have seen and heard declare we unto you also, that ye also may have
fellowship with us (the same
understanding). Yea and our fellowship
is with the Father, and with his son Jesus Christ. And these things we write that our joy may be
full." With that brief introduction he then deals
with the matter of God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all, and
those that say they have fellowship with him and walk in darkness are liars and
do not live according to the truth.
Some of the Gnostics questioned the deity of Jesus,
and some the humanity of Jesus. They regarded all matter as evil, therefore
were ready to reject the incarnation of Christ. By this time some of them were
probably teaching that a person could do anything with the body, and it still
would not sin before God, that the body is inheritably evil, and it is
impossible to control it. We still have some even today that teach that
doctrine, that just as long as a person is good in heart, pure in mind, that it
does not make any difference what he does with the body.
Verse five, "And this is the
message which we have heard from him, and announce unto you, that God is light,
and in him is no darkness at all." John
mentions light and darkness a number of times in his gospel book and here in I
John. I do not see how anyone could read all the parallel passages from the
gospel of John with those in I John and not recognize that if John is the
author of the gospel book, he would have to be the author of I John. What does it mean by that
God is light and in him is no darkness at all.? What does he mean that God is light? He is the way of truth, purity, holiness, and
there is no bad thing in him, no darkness at all in God. "If we say that we
have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness." To walk in darkness is to walk how? It is to walk according to the ways of the
devil, instead of walking in truth, walking in error, being a liar, and doing
all those things that are wrong, giving way to all the lusts that are mentioned
in 2:15‑16. "If
we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do
not the truth." So John wants these
brethren to understand, and we also need to understand, but these false
brethren were trying to lead them astray and trying to encourage them to give
way to all the lusts of the flesh; but John wanted them to understand that they
were liars, that they did not have fellowship with God. They could not have fellowship with God and
walk in darkness.
Verse seven, "But if we walk in
the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the
blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin."
So just as long as a child of God, hears and follows Christ, (John 10:27‑29), the devil does
not have the power to take him out of Christ's hand, out of God's hand. Just as long as he walks in the light, the
blood of Christ continues to cleanse him. The Bible teaches that a child of God
is not separated from God for any light cause, that the blood of Christ as long
as a child of God is humble, and when he learns that he sins and confesses his
sin, that such a person is never separated from God, that the blood of Christ
continues to cleanse. This passage
surely teaches that when a child of God learns that he has sinned and confesses
his sin, then the blood of Christ cleanses him.
The word cleanseth is that continuous process of cleansing. If we walk in the light as he is in the
light, what two things then? We have
fellowship one with another, and just as surely as every person in the church
is walking according to the light, we are going to have proper fellowship in
the church. "We
have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son
cleanseth us from all sin. If we say
that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Verse eight, "If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us of our sins, and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness." Now,
of course, John is talking about the person who is humble, ready to turn from
his sins. The Bible teaches that if a
man is not ready to turn from his sins, God will not forgive him. Do you remember the passage in Proverbs that
says, he that turneth away his ear from hearing the
law, even his prayer is an abomination unto the Lord? So the man who will not hear and follow the
law of Christ, his prayer will not be answered,
his prayer is an abomination to the Lord (Proverbs 28:9). And then Proverbs 28:13, I guess I better turn to
that one, it says, "He that covereth his transgressions
shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall
obtain mercy." So the man who is just confessing to try to cover up and continue his
wrong doing, the Lord will not forgive him.
But the man that confesses and forsaketh them shall obtain
mercy. Another
passage is Psalms 66:18 where the Psalmist said, If
I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. So when John says if
we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us of our sins and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
He is
surely talking about the right kind of confession.
STUDENT: What is that? BROTHER TURNER: Psalms 66:18, "If
I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." In other words, whether a child of God or an
alien sinner, if a person is such a person that wants to hold on to his wrong
doings, the Lord will not hear such a person as that. But we have the assurance that when we learn
we have sinned that if we confess our sins with that spirit of humility ready
to turn from them that the Lord will hear.
And remember as Paul said in Romans 14:4 concerning the weak
brother, Yea he shall stand for the Lord hath the power to
make him stand.
Verse ten, "If we say that we have
not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." Make God a liar, because God has said over
and over again in the Old Testament scriptures. Some of them are quoted by
Paul, in the third chapter of Romans about there is none
righteous, no not one. There is none that doeth good, no, not so much as one. And then he concludes
after quoting a number of passages from the Old Testament about the matter in
Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and come short of the
glory of God." So the man who says he has
not sinned makes God a liar, because God has said that all men have
sinned.
Chapter Two
"My little children,
these things write I unto you, that ye may not sin." We can also say that one of the purposes is
to encourage them to follow the commands of Christ and not go the way of
sin. And if any man sin, we
have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: And not for ours only, but also for the whole
world." So here John is saying if we sin, we still
have help, we have an advocate is the reading of the King James Version
and the American Standard Version. Some
of the more recent versions have a different reading there. The NIV reads, we
have one who speaks to the Father in our defense, Jesus Christ, the Righteous
One. What does
an advocate do? STUDENT: He argues the case for you. BROTHER TURNER: All right.
So Christ is our advocate in the court of heaven to plead our case
before God. If you are familiar with the
epistle to the Hebrews, you know how the writer introduces the priesthood of
Christ in chapter two and continues to emphasize until he finally details in
chapter seven of the book about the priesthood of Christ. In Hebrews 2:17, he talks about how that
Christ took upon himself the nature of man that he might become a merciful and
faithful high priest in things pertaining to God. In 4:15-16, he says for
we have not a high priest that is not touched with the feelings of our
infirmities, but he was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without
sin. Wherefore let us come boldly to the
throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of
need.
Paul tells us in Romans 8:34 that Christ is at
the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. And so Christ is our
advocate with the Father. He knows if we
are sincere, and he is ready to say to his heavenly Father that this person
belongs to me. "We
have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation for our sins: And not for ours only,
but also for the whole world." John uses
the word propitiation twice here in verse two and also in chapter four
in verse ten. Chapter 4:10, "Herein
is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be a
propitiation for our sins." What does that word
propitiation mean, that Christ is a propitiation not only for our sins but also
for the sins of the whole world? In other words, He is the sacrificial offering for our sins
or the appeasing sacrifice. In Romans 3:25, Paul says that apart
from the law that, Christ is a propitiation for our sins
through faith in his blood. So He is the propitiation
through our believing on Christ and through his atoning blood, we are forgiven
of sin. And that certainly agrees with
Isaiah 53:10‑11. Let me read it
again. If you do not have these two
verses in mind, please get these two verses in mind. "Yet it pleased
Jehovah to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: When thou shalt make his soul an offering
for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure
of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand." Look
at verse eleven, "He shall see of the travail of his soul,
and shall be satisfied: By the knowledge of himself shall my
righteous servant justify many; and he shall bear their iniquities." Sin is contrary to the very nature of God,
and his wrath is revealed from heaven against ungodly sinners, and it took a
perfect sacrifice to satisfy God's requirement as atonement for sin. So you might say that this passage is saying
that God's wrath was appeased by the perfect sacrifice that Christ made, a
person without sin. Remember no man
could have been a proper atonement for all men have sinned and come short of
the glory of God.
In Hebrews 10:4 Paul said, ‑‑
if he is the writer, I believe that he is ‑‑ "It
is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins." Well, back there that was about the only way
that they had of making even temporary atonement was through the offering up of
sacrifices that they were required to offer up for the remission of their sins
back there. So we have an advocate. We have one who appeases God's wrath. He is the propitiation for our sins. Some do not like the idea of God being spoken
of as his wrath being stirred because of sin, but I believe that is what the
Bible teaches, and that it took a perfect sacrifice to satisfy God in respect
to the forgiveness of sin. II
Corinthians 5:21 reads, Him who knew no sin, him he made to be sin
in our behalf, that we might become the righteous of God through him. Verse three, "And
hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments." Here John is saying that you can know that
you are a child of God if you keep the commandments of God. Jesus said this as
recorded in the gospel of John, if you love me you will keep what? You will keep my commandments! To know God as used in the scriptures means
to be in a saved relationship with God.
And hereby we know that we know him, in the sense of being in a saved
relationship with him, one that believes and obeys. It also tells how that you know that you are
in a lost condition. "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not
his commandments, is a liar." Is a liar
going to heaven? Not according to
Revelation 21:8, But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and
abominable, and murders, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and all liars, their part shall be in the
lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death. Of course, a man can repent of lying and not
go to the wrong place because of his lying, but if he ends up at the end of the
way in that category of being a liar, then he will end up in the lake of fire.
"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his
commandments is a liar." John is pretty straightforward,
in substance he is saying, if man claims to be a Christian, but does not keep
the commandments of Christ he is a liar, and he is not a Christian. Well, that is what the Gnostics were
doing. They were claiming to be
Christians when they were not keeping his commandments, and the truth was not
in them.
Verse five, "but whoso
keepeth his word, in him verily hath the love of God been perfected." In other words, he is grown up as a child of
God, he is a mature Christian, he has mature love. A person that keeps the commandments of
Christ, the love of God is perfected. Do
you remember how Peter said, above all things have fervent love among
yourselves, for love covereth a multitude of sins, (I Peter 4:8), and how that Paul said
in the Colossian letter, above all things put on love which is the
bond of perfectness,, Colossians three and I think about verse fourteen. "So hereby we know that
we are in him." In him, in Christ. And remember how Paul gives so much emphasis
to the matter of being in Christ.
Somebody has said, that about sixty times that Paul either talks about in
whom or in
Christ and
other different expressions whereby he is talking about being in Christ, and
here that is the very thing that John is talking about. "Here by we know that we
are in him." Well, if a man is in Christ, he is in a saved
relationship, and if he has become a Christian and walking humbly before the
Lord, he is in Christ.
Verse six, "He that saith he
abideth in him ought himself also to walk, even as he walked." Remember how Peter says he is our example,
and we are to follow him. And so John is
saying, "He that saith he abideth in him," that
he ought to back it up by his living, "ought himself also to walk, even as
he walked.""Beloved, no new commandment write I unto you, but an old
commandment which ye had from the beginning.
The old commandment is that word which ye heard. Again, a new commandment write I unto you,
which thing is true in him and in you: Because the darkness is passing away and the
true light is already shining." The Old
Testament law taught that the Israelites were to love one another and they were
to love thy neighbor as thyself. And
then Jesus added to ‑‑ made that law even stronger by saying
what? John 13:34, "A
new commandment give I unto you, That ye love one another; even as I have loved
you that ye love one another. By this
shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to
another." So real sincere love is the badge of a
Christian. By
this shall all men know that you are my disciples. Since John recorded those
things in his gospel book, that may be what he is referring to here. For those
that were following Christ, they were becoming more and more the light of the
world, because the light of Christ was shining in them. Jesus also said, I
am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness,
but shall have the light of life.
Verse nine, "He that saith
that he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until
now." So here John is saying that a person who
claims to be a Christian yet hates his brother, he is in darkness. And what does it mean to be in darkness?
STUDENT: They were lost. BROTHER TURNER: Yes, it means to be in a lost condition,
going the wrong way. He is in Satan's
kingdom rather than the Lord's kingdom. "He that loveth his brother abideth in
the light, and there is no occasion of stumbling in him." So again, how important it is that we love
our brethren. Please give careful
attention to all of the parallels that John gives. It is very simple language,
but very effective instruction. "He that loveth
his brother abideth in the light, and there is no occasion of stumbling in him.
But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and
knoweth not whither he goeth, because the darkness hath blinded his eyes." Notice the ascending tone of it. "He that hateth his
brother is in darkness." That is the course of
his everyday living, and walketh in darkness.
John uses the word walk a number of times. Paul also uses the word walk referring to the
manner of life, how a person is living.
So a person who hates his brother is in darkness and walketh in
darkness, "And knoweth not whither he goeth." He thinks he is in a saved condition when he
is in a lost condition. "Knoweth
not whither he goeth, because the darkness hath blinded his eyes." Passages like these surely need to be
emphasized in the church today.
Verse twelve, "I write unto you,
my little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's
sake." He is talking about all the brethren, and
then he breaks down to the different age groups. "I write
unto you, fathers, because ye know him who is from the beginning." He is still emphasizing the deity of Christ that he
was in the beginning with God. "I
write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the evil one." Sometimes when young men in the church are
doing a lot of things that are wrong, some person may come forth with the
comment, you know how it is, they are young, and they are going to do some of
those things. But John says concerning
the young men he is writing to, you have overcome the evil one. That does not sound like that they were doing
a lot of things that were wrong, does it, they had overcome the evil one. "I have written unto
you, little children, because ye know the Father."
Now, remember back there, in that time period when they counted the age
groups quite different from what we count today. Paul told Timothy let
no man despise thy youth, when Timothy must have been thirty or forty years
old, so their grouping was a little different from ours. I like their grouping. I am getting to the point, that I like their
grouping more every day. "I have written unto, fathers." And, again, he just repeats. "I have written
unto you, fathers, because ye know him who is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because
ye are strong." That is essentially what he has already said,
you have overcome the evil one. Any
person that has overcome the evil one is a strong man. "I have written unto
you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you." Now, this shows that these young men were
very sincere. They had studied and they
had learned the word of God, and they
were living according to the word of God.
The word of God abideth in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
Verses fifteen and sixteen, "Love
not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the
Father is not in him. For all that is in
the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the vain glory
of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust
thereof: But he that doeth the will of God abideth for
ever." When John here says love not the world, he
does not mean that we are not supposed to love the beautiful things that God
has created, the beautiful flowers and all the beauty of the trees in this
season of the year, and other seasons too for that matter, but he is talking
about a person going the way of Satan, the way of the world. And Satan appeals through three avenues,
through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the vain glory of
life. The devil back there through the
serpent beguiled our mother Eve through these three avenues, right? The serpent was probably eating some of the
forbidden fruit, when he made his appeal to her that you will become wise as
God. She looked on the fruit that it was
good to eat and pleasing to the eyes and was to be desired to make one wise,
and so all three areas were involved in that temptation. Matthew chapter four shows that the devil tempted Jesus, through all three
areas. The devil tried but each time
Jesus said it is written, it is written, it is written. But those are the three areas where the devil
is always trying to make his appeal today: the lust of the flesh,
the lust of the eyes, and the vain glory of life. But John says those things are not of the
Father, but they are of the world. Remember how Paul speaks of the prince of
this world as blinding the eyes of the unbelieving. The prince of this world, of course, is the
devil, and he is always trying to blind the eyes of people so that they cannot
see clearly. But John says the world
passes away. This old world is not going
to be here forever, and as Peter said, it is reserved for fire. "And the world
passeth away, and the lust thereof: But he that doeth the will of God abideth for
ever." This whole world will perish, but a child of
God will not perish. When that time
comes when the heavens and the earth melt with fervent heat, he will be in
heaven with God. "Little
children." And, again, it is
speaking to all of his brethren. "It
is the last hour, as ye have heard that anti‑christ cometh even now have
there risen many anti‑christ." STUDENT: Right here is the passage of small children
again. BROTHER TURNER: No, I
think all the brethren here. "It
is the last hour." In other words, the warning that the anti‑christ
has come. And surely he wants all of his
brethren to understand that the false teachers are here. And our Brother
Coffman, if you have a set of his commentaries ‑‑ And his
commentaries are very good, and I surely recommend them, especially for those
who preach. They are very helpful in
many ways in respect to ‑‑ especially young preachers, but older
ones too for that matter. But if you
have read his commentary on the gospel of John, he went for a later date with
that book, but by the time he wrote I John he had changed his position and
reasoned that the books of John were before 70 A.D. And here he counts this as being the last
hour ‑‑ I think I am giving it right, you may need to check me, ‑‑
that it is about the destruction of Jerusalem.
Well, I believe Jerusalem had been destroyed years
before John wrote these books. I
believe Brother Woods says the Greek word here is hora (phonetic), meaning a
fixed time, a fixed time in the mind of God, and that fixed time is probably
the Christian dispensation. Other
writers have said it is like Paul had talked about the falling away, I Timothy
four, and some of the things that they would teach. They would give way to seducing spirits and
doctrines of demons, having their conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding
to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats which is to be received with
thanksgiving by them that believe and know the truth. Paul also told the Ephesian elders that there
would be a falling away from the faith. He told them to take heed to the flock
over which the Holy Spirit made you overseers to feed the church of God which
he has purchased with his own blood, for I know this, that after my departing
grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock. In other words, false teachers are coming in
at the church of Ephesus. And among your
own selves, among the eldership itself, shall men arise speaking perverse
things and draw away disciples after them.
In II Thessalonians chapter two, Paul in substance said to the
Thessalonians, you don't be troubled at all about the second advent of Christ,
because he is not coming soon. He will
not come until there has been a great falling away and the man of sin is
revealed, one that exalted himself against God (II Thessalonians 2:1-10). Peter also said false teachers are
coming. So these that were anti‑christ,
very definitely opposed to Christ and very much contrary to the way of
Christ. It is surprising to me the
number of commentaries you can pick up where they will reason that the anti‑christ
is coming just before the second advent!
Here John is saying already many anti‑christs are in the
world. "Little
children, it is the last hour: And as ye heard that anti‑christ
cometh, even now have there risen many anti‑christs; whereby we know that
it is the last hour."
Verse nineteen, "They went out
from us, but they were not of us: For if they had been of us, they would have
continued with us. But they went out,
that they might be made manifest that they all are not of us." Now, this is saying they were a part of the
body of Christ that they had been in a saved condition. People cannot leave a place where they have
not been, can they? In other words
before they departed, they had already turned away from the Lord, already in a
lost condition before they removed themselves from the faithful brethren. John says they went out that it might be made
manifest that they all are not of us.
All of those that had gone out were contrary to the way of Christ. "We have anointing
from the Holy One, and we know all things." So John is saying to his brethren, we have an
anointing from the Holy One, and we know all things, or we know what is
right. "I have not
written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and
because no lie is of the truth. Who is
the liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ?" So any person who denied that Jesus is the Christ,
John says is a liar, and in an unsaved condition. And so whether they were denying the divinity of Christ or whether
they were saying that, he has not come in the flesh, however they were denying
the deity and the humanity of Christ, whichever case it would be, they would be
liars. "Who is the liar but he that denieth that
Jesus is the Christ?" Meaning the one that God has
anointed as the Messiah or savior of men.
"This is the anti‑christ, even he that
denieth the Father and the Son." And Jesus
said he that honoreth the Son honoreth the Father, and he that dishonoreth the
Son dishonoreth the Father. I believe
that's about the wording of John 5:23 in the gospel book. And, again, you remember how Jesus said in
that last discourse to his apostles, I am the way, the
truth, and the light. No one cometh unto
the Father except by me. There is no such thing as a
man having a proper relationship with Christ without having a proper
relationship with the Father or vice versa.
Verse twenty-three, "Whosoever
denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: He that confesseth the Son hath the Father
also. And as for you let that abide in
you, which ye have heard from the beginning." So
John is saying hold fast to what you have been taught. Continue to believe like you have always
believed, that "which you heard from the beginning." When they became Christians. Remember how
Jesus said to his apostles, he that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that
rejecteth you rejecteth me, and just as surely as they reject the Son, they
reject the Father, and just as surely as they receive the Son, they receive the
Father. "This
is the promise which he promised us, even the life eternal." Now, we have eternal life primarily in
promise. God has promised us that if we
hear and follow Christ we will have life eternal (John 10:27-29). Verse twenty-six, "These
things have I written unto you concerning them that would lead you
astray." Now, if they were claiming a lot of superior
knowledge and insight, you could imagine how they could make a strong appeal to
some of those that were weak, that we have so much better understanding than
you have. So John says, you have an
anointing, you know what the truth is.
And I have written unto you concerning them that would lead you astray
that you may know they are liars, to know that they are false teachers. "And as for you the
anointing which ye received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any one
teach you: But as the anointing teacheth you concerning
all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, ye abide in
him." So John affirms twice that you have an
anointing, and this anointing has taught you, and this anointing is true, there
is no lie in it. And even as it taught
you, you abide in that truth that it has taught you. Well, what is meant by the
anointing?
And, again, we have two very good brethren that have
written commentaries. And Brother Woods
is just sure in his comments that the anointing that he is talking about is the
miraculous anointing, that this is still during the dispensation when they had
the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, and that a brother in the church had the
gift of knowledge (I Corinthians 12:4-7) whereby he would know
what was right and what was wrong. And
so he is very much of the judgment that it is talking about the miraculous
anointing. Brother Coffman on the other
hand is very much of the judgment that it is just talking about that gift of
the Spirit that every child of God receives.
Acts 2:38‑39, "When they said, Men and
brethren, what shall we do? Peter said,
Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you, and to your
children, and to them that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." So that passage is saying that every one that
obeys Christ is going to receive a gift, that Brother Nichols and others back
there referred to as the ordinary measure of the Spirit, the measure that every
person who obeys the gospel receives.
For the promise is to you and to them that are far off, that is the
Gentile people. Peter on that occasion
did not understand it evidently, because later it took the vision from heaven
to convince him that he was to go to the Gentiles at the house of Cornelius and
teach them. But the Holy Spirit teaches
through him, putting it correctly, them that are far off, even as many as the
Lord our God shall call. God is still
calling men to salvation through the preaching of the gospel (II Thessalonians
2:13-14). So God is still calling and will call until
the Second Advent. And so every person
receives the gift of the Spirit.
Here I am more inclined towards Brother Coffman's
thinking than I am towards Brother Woods thinking. We have been taught by faithful teachers, and
we know what the word of God teaches. We
have received an indwelling of the Spirit, and by that knowledge of indwelling,
we know whether or not we are doing the right thing. In Acts chapter five and verse thirty‑two,
when Peter and the other apostles were before the Sanhedrin Peter said that God
gives the Holy Spirit to those that obey him.
So every child of God in some way receives the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 1:13‑14, Paul said to
the Ephesians that when they believed, they were sealed with the Holy Spirit of
promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance. Sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
whereby he has that assurance that if he follows Christ, he is going to have
life eternal. God has given us that assurance as an earnest of our
inheritance. You buy a piece of property
and you put up earnest money, the earnest money that you put up testifies that
you have good earnest intentions that you intend to come with the rest. And so we have that assurance of what is
coming if we remain faithful to the Lord.
Whichever is the case, you can see from the context
that John is saying, you have been taught right, you know what the truth is,
just hold on to the Lord. Is that not
pretty well the reasoning of the whole passage here? Do not let these false teachers lead you
astray and cause you to loose your salvation in Christ. You have understanding. And notice that he emphasized, I am not
writing to you because you don't know but because you do. Verse twenty‑eight, "And
now, my little children. (his brethren) Abide in him; that, if he shall be
manifested, we may have boldness, and not be ashamed before him at his
coming." Just as surely as we are faithful, we will
not be ashamed when Christ comes, he will be glad to give us that abundant
entrance, as Peter said, into the eternal kingdom. "If ye know that he is
righteous, ye know that every one also that doeth righteousness is begotten of
him." So this is another way that a person can know
whether he is in a saved relationship with the Lord. Christ is righteous, there is no sin in him, him
who knew no sin, him he made to be sin in our behalf, (II Corinthians 5:21). So he is righteous, he always did the right
thing. "And
ye know that he is righteous, ye know that everyone that doeth righteousness is
begotten of him." Psalms 119:72 says, For
all of thy commandments are righteousness. So when a
person does according to the commands of Christ, he is following that course of
righteousness. "Behold,
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called
children of God: And such we are."
Do you see that again, the assurance to the faithful, we are the
children of God. Don't let these false
teachers lead you astray by telling you that you are not going the right way,
that you are not saved. We are the
children of God.
Chapter Three
"Behold, what manner of
love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of
God." Do you remember Paul's words in Romans the
eighth chapter, that we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, so put those two passages
together. I always enjoyed hearing the
late Ernie Ford sing, I Am A Child of The King.
A person cannot be richer than just being a faithful Christian. He is a child of the King, an heir of God and
joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). For this cause the
world knoweth us not, because it knew him not." And Jesus said when they persecute you,
remember they persecuted me before they persecuted you, and so the world did
not know Christ. And Jesus told his
apostles that the world loves its own, but we are not of the world. Remember in that prayer that Jesus prayed
before the cross, John seventeen, "I pray not that
thou wouldest take them out of the world, but that thou would keep them from
the evil one (John 17:15). The latter part of verse one, For
this cause the world knoweth us not because it knew him not. Beloved now are we children of God, and is
not yet made manifest what we shall be.
We know that if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him, for we
shall see him even as he is." He is talking about the
bodies that the children of God will have, that they will be like the glorified
body of Christ. We know that when he
shall be manifested, that would be the second advent, right? "We
shall be like him,; for we shall see him as he is."
Write down beside verse two there Philippians 3:19‑20 where the writer
says, "Our citizenship is from heaven, from whence we
look for a savior, our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall fashion anew the body of our
humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of his glory." So put those two passages together, and they
are to saying that the bodies of the faithful will be like the glorified body
of Christ.
In I Corinthians fifteen, the last eight verses
beginning with verse fifty, "This I say, brethren,
that flesh and blood shall not enter the kingdom of God; behold I tell you a
mystery, we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in
the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: For the trumpet shall sound, and we shall be raised
incorruptible, for this corruption must put on incorruption, and this
mortal must put on immortality. And when
this corruption has put on incorruption, and this mortal have put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is
swallowed up in victory. O death, where
is thy sting? O grave, where is thy
victory? The sting of death is sin; and
the power of sin is the law. But thanks
be to God, who giveth us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye
steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye
know that your labour is not vain with the Lord."
So put these three passages together, and they very clearly teach that
when Christ comes he will bring the spirits of the righteous with him. In I Thessalonians 4:13 beginning, when he comes
he will bring the spirits of the righteous with him, and before the living
righteous are changed, the righteous dead will be raised and transformed into
glorified bodies. And then the living
righteous will be changed and caught up together to meet the Lord in the
air.
So considering the end of the way then, what manner
of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we shall be his children, his
heirs. And when Christ comes that second
time, we will be like him, for we shall see him even as he is. What does a person do that has the hope for
being at peace with Christ when he comes?
And every one that hath this hope set on him purifieth himself, even as
he is pure. The Gnostics, evidently most
of them, were teaching that it does not make any difference what we do with the
body, but you just have a pure heart. If
your thinking is all right, then you are pure before God. But John says, he
that hath this hope set on him of having this eternal life purifieth himself,
even as he is pure.
Christ did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. "Every one that doeth
sin: Doeth lawlessness: Sin is lawlessness." So a person that goes the way of giving way
to all those lusts and passions of the flesh, he is living a life of sin, he is
breaking the law of God. And sin is
lawlessness. "And
we know that he was manifested to take away sins; and in him is no sin." The purpose of Christ coming was to take away
sin. He was the offering for sin, that
in him was no sin. And think how that
agrees with II Corinthians 5:21.
"Whoso abideth in him
sinneth not, whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither knoweth him." Now, these two verses, or the context
beginning here, have given many a lot of difficulty, and some have concluded
that if a person is a Christian, that there is no way that he can be counted as
a sinner. I remember many years ago
hearing Brother Gus Nichols in a debate with the Primitive Baptists at
Tallassee, Alabama, and the Baptist preacher reasoned if I were to commit
murder, God would not count it against me.
The flesh is weak, but I do not
want to be a murderer. Now, it
would be bad to commit murder, and especially a good old Primitive Baptist
preacher, but if I were to commit murder, the Lord would not chalk that up
against me. It would be like convicting
a person that does not want to do wrong.
I do not remember all the details, but he really built up a good case
that the Lord just would not chalk up sin against a child of God. And those people, I guess that would be the
way they would use this passage. "That
whosoever abideth in him sinneth not." Once a child
of God, always a child of God, and regardless of his weaknesses, he is still
pure and holy before the Lord.
Well, if you take that as sinneth not, meaning that
if a child of God does not sin at all, then John would be contradicting himself
from the first chapter, right? Verse 1:8, "If
we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in
us." Verse ten, "If
we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in
us." So he is not talking about a person not ever
doing anything that is wrong and sinful! Some of the newer versions read
according to the real meaning of the passage, and how do they read? STUDENT: From the first chapter? .BROTHER TURNER: From I John 3:6, begin reading. STUDENT: "No one who lives
in him keeps on sinning. No one who
continues to sin has either seen him or knowns him." BROTHER TURNER: Keeps on sinning. In other words, he does not live a life of
sin. What were you reading from? You were reading from the New International,
were you not? STUDENT: Yes, sir. BROTHER TURNER: Let me get the New American Standard. I John 3:6 beginning, "No
one who abides in him sins. No one who
sins has seen him or knows him. Little
children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness is
righteous, just as he is righteous.
The one who practices sin is of the devil, for the devil hath
sinned from the beginning. The Son of
God appeared for this purpose that he might destroy the works of the
devil. No one who is born of God
practices sin, because his seed abides in him. And he cannot sin, because he is born of God."
Practices
sin is very different from a person who through weakness or ignorance
committing sin and then asking the Lord to forgive him and getting up and
trying again. STUDENT: Like
in eight that committeth sin, that is also practices in there. BROTHER TURNER: Seven, eight, and nine, practices
righteousness, that he is righteous, and the one who practices sin is of the
devil. Verse nine, no one who is born of
God practices sin. In other words, John
is saying that the life of a Christian always balances on the side of
righteousness, and an unsaved person, his life balances on the side of
unrighteousness. That is surely the
meaning of the passage. Does anybody in
the class have the New King James Version?
The New King James Version beginning with verse nine, "Whoever
abides in him does not sin; whoever sins has neither seen him nor knows
him." And, again, a life of sin. "Little
children let no one deceive you. He who
practices righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous." So essentially like the New American
Standard.
Verse eight, "He who sins 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. Whoever has been born of God doth not sin;
for his seed remains in him: And he cannot sin, because he has been born
of God." Well, it is a little different. I believe the New American Standard is the
better reading of the ones that we have read.
Anyway, a child of God that is the acid test, you might say, the one who
does righteousness is righteous. And he
that practices sin is of the devil, and he that practices righteousness is of
the Lord. But coming back to verse nine,
"No one who is born of God," reading from the New
American Standard, "Practices sin because his seed abides in
him: And he cannot sin, because he is born of
God." What is the meaning there that his seed
abides in him? What is the seed that
abides in the Christian? STUDENT: The word. BROTHER TURNER: Yes, the word of God. Luke 8:11, "The
seed is the word of God." And James 1:18, "Of
his own will begat he us by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of
firstfruits of his creatures." Romans 1:16, "I
am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to
every one that believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." So the gospel seed abides in his heart, and
it continues to tell him not to go the way of sin. His seed abides in him, and he is not going
to live a life of sin. He is not going
to practice a life of sin, because he is begotten or born of God. And, again, the apostle Peter said in I Peter
3:21, "Having
been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible seed, of the
word of God which liveth and abideth for ever."
So the word of God, the word is the seed of the kingdom, Luke 8:11, and so the word abides
in him and continues to speak to him, and he does not practice a life of
sin. You might want to put down with
that Psalms 119:11. I believe that is the verse
where the Psalmists said, "Thy word have I hid in
my heart that I may not sin against thee." Just as surely as a child of God knows and
has the word of God dwelling in his heart, it is a great source of protection.
Verse ten is the acid test. "By this the
children of God and the children of the devil are obvious." In other words, it is easy to see who is a
child of God and who is not a child of God based on these standards. "Any one who does not
practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother." So the one who does not practice
righteousness, his life is always balancing on the side of unrighteousness,
that person is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. "For this is the message
which ye have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another." And, again, write down John 13:34 by that verse, a
new commandment give I unto you that ye love one another even as I have loved
you. So that real genuine love that we are to have
one for another is the badge of discipleship. "Not as
Cain, who was of the evil one, and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his
brother's were righteous." Now, when you
consider Genesis chapter four, they both offered up a sacrifice, and Cain
offered up of the fruits of the field, and Able offered up an animal sacrifice
with the fat thereof. God had spoken to
those brothers back there and instructed them.
God has never said to man just worship without telling man how to
worship. How would man begin to know how
to worship a holy and just and righteous God?
God has always given instruction, and we know that Able did as he was
instructed. Hebrews 11:4, I think, "By
faith Able offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain." And he received witness from God that he was
righteous, and the writer said, he being dead yet
speaketh. It speaks to us saying that
when we do what God has instructed us to do in the way of worship that we
please God. But Cain, as we have already
talked about, went according to his own will and his own thinking. He offered up the fruits of the field instead
of an animal sacrifice. And we know that
God had to tell him, because the writer says that Able did it by faith. Romans
10:17 says, "Faith
comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
For what reason did Cain slay Able? John says, because his
deeds were evil. Well, what deeds are under consideration?
STUDENT: The sacrifices. BROTHER TURNER: Yes, that would be the sacrifices. And so
when a person does something in worship that is contrary to what God has
instructed, his works are evil. It may
look good to him, and there are literally thousands of people in our society
today that believe that they more or less have the right to choose what they do
in the way of worship, but this passage says that Cain's works were evil and his
brother's righteous. Able did according
as God had instructed, and his deeds were righteous. "Do not marvel, brethren." Do not be surprised, or disappointed. "If the world
hates you. We know that we have passed
out of death unto life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death." I wish you would think about this, and as you
read again notice the different times that John emphasizes how we are to love
our brethren, and how that the person who hates his brother is in a lost condition,
and he that loves his brother is in a saved condition.
Here in verse fourteen, "We
know that we are passed out of death into life, because we love the
brethren." What does that statement
mean, passed out of death into life? He
is writing to his brethren. They are
still living! They are still breathing,
aren't they? But he says, "We
know that we have passed out of death unto life, because we love the
brethren." They have passed out of what kind of death
into life? STUDENT: Out
of sin. BROTHER TURNER: All
right, out of sin, out of spiritual death.
Remember the Bible teaches that sin separates one from God. Ephesians 2:1, "And
you did he make alive when you were dead in your trespasses in sin." So any person going the way of sin,
practicing a life of sin, his sin separates him from God. Isaiah 59:1-2, "Behold,
the Lord's hand is not shortened, that he cannot save; neither his ear heavy,
that he cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between
you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not
hear you." So back there in the days of Isaiah, sin had
separated those Israelites from God. Sin still separates men from God. Those that have not obeyed the gospel are
separated, those accountable beings that have not obeyed the gospel are in sin,
but when they obey the gospel, and then by their obedience to the gospel, they
pass out of spiritual death into spiritual life in Christ John 5:24-25; Ephesians 6:1-6).
John, of course, is talking to those that had obeyed
the gospel, but he is further stressing that you know that you are in a saved
relationship now if you love the brethren.
If you have sincere love for your brethren, you know that you are in a
saved relationship. You have passed out
of spiritual death into spiritual life, but he who does not love, as set forth
in such passages as I Corinthians 13:1‑7, then you abide in
death. Every one who hates his brother is a murderer: And ye know that no murderer hath eternal
life abiding in him." So God under the New
Testament law looks on a man's heart.
Remember how Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, you
have heard it said by them of old time thou shalt not commit adultery, but I
say unto you that he that looketh on a woman to lust after her has committed
adultery already in his heart. STUDENT: Tell
me about this. Here it is talking about
to love the brethren and then just a little bit earlier he was talking about
these false teachers coming ‑‑ And Paul was talking about in other
places over there where they even come from the elders, but here they are
coming from within. And then Peter talks
about false teachers coming from within.
And they are here among you. And
then here he is talking about loving your brother instead of the evil that is
going to be following you if you do not love your brother. How can you love someone like that that is on
the inside and purposely trying to be destructive to the kingdom of God?
BROTHER TURNER: Well, these had left. They had made it manifest that they were not
faithful to the Lord. STUDENT: Yeah, but here it says love them. BROTHER
TURNER: Well, you should love to the
point that if there is any room to try to turn them back to the way of the
Lord, you would do so. You are not to
hate them because they are in a lost condition, you may hate their way, and we
are to hate their wrong doing, but we are not to hate them. But his emphasis has been primarily on loving
your faithful brethren, in most of these passages. When it says that he that loveth his brother abideth
in the light, and there is no occasion of stumbling in him. But notice then the other side, he who hates
his brother is a murderer. God looks on
the heart, and you know that no murderer has eternal life
abiding in him. So the man who hates his
brother, John has said about three times that he is in a lost condition.
Then he tells how that we can really determine
whether or not we have this brotherly love that he has been talking about. Verse sixteen, "He says we
know love by this that he laid down his life for us." He, referring, of course, to Christ. In John 10:11 Jesus said, "I
am the good shepherd: And the good shepherd layeth down his life
for the sheep." And, again, verses seventeen
and eighteen, "My Father loves me, because I lay down my
life for the sheep. No one hath taketh
it from me, I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it up
again." So Jesus, before the cross, said I am going
to die for the sheep, and I am not forced to do it. No one taketh it from me. I have the power to lay it down, and I have
the power to take it up again. And so
from that statement, Jesus did not die until he was ready to be that sin
offering. Verse seventeen, "But
whoever hath this world's good, and beholds his brother in need, and closeth
his heart against him." Or I believe the King
James says, "Shutteth up his bowels of compassion; how
dwelleth the love of God in him?" This one
reads, "How doth the love of God abide in him?" That is a rhetorical question, meaning just
as surely as a brother fits in this category of seeing his brother in Christ in
need, and he closes up his bowels of compassion or his heart against him, and
he does not supply the needs, John is saying the love of God does not dwell in
him. So he goes in some detail of how
that we can determine whether or not we love our brethren. And he is saying in substance, if you are not
ready to help your brother when he's in need and you have the ability to do so,
you don't love your brother. That brings
us down to verse eighteen as the beginning place. I appreciate your good attention in the
class.