Which of the commands of God is too grievous (literally, weighty – 1 John 5:3) to obey? Is there any command that is more than we can bear? He says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Cor. 10:13). If we can bear it, why would we not bear it? Which one of the commands of God can we not obey? Someone argues that we can obey all the commands from time to time, but we will never come to the point where we obey all the commands all of the time. Is it that we can not obey God’s commands or is it that some folks do not want to obey God’s commands? He has not given us impossible commandments. Which thought can we not take captive with his weapons? His weapons are powerful, to the “. . .bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor 10:4,5). If his weapons can take every thought captive, why do we not do it? Which fiery dart can Satan throw that the complete shield of faith can not quench? The shield of faith can make us able to quench all of Satan’s fiery darts. In fact, this is one of the chief commandments. He says: “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” (Eph. 6:16). If we are able (though his weapons) to quench all the fiery darts of Satan, why do we not do it? Is it not lack of faith that causes some to say that we can not obey all of the commands of God? The power is not in us, but “. . . the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God” (2 Cor. 10:3,4). He “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Eph. 3:20). What is left beyond what we can ask or think? Notice the context of that statement. Paul is praying that the brethren will be filled with all the fulness of God – the heart of God or Christ. Our Father is ready to help us in all we ask or think if our purpose is to fulfill his purpose. Through Christ we can obey all of the commands of God. Now we want to consider the “power that worketh in us.”
“WE WILL ALWAYS SIN FROM TIME TO TIME AS LONG AS WE ARE ON EARTH”
Christians are called to battle against Satan and sin. Satan is the captain of the army of spiritual wickedness. We are called to fight him and his angels. The Lord reveals that “. . . we wrestle . . . against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12). Jesus is our captain in this fight (Heb. 2:10). Some so-called soldiers of Christ’s army have the heart of a traitor, who has already made peace with the enemy. Their excuse is that ‘we are human’ and therefore as long as we live we will always sin. For them, Satan is a stronger captain than Jesus Christ as long as we are on earth. Satan wins a simple ‘word battle.’ There is no genuine fight. Their half-hearted ‘battle’ is a mockery of Christ, for they believe that Satan will always win some of the battles. Why wage a war against sin when the battle will be lost anyway? Is this the kind of Captain that Christians have? Is our Captain a sure loser? Why not at least put up some kind of battle? Surely something is wrong with this attitude!
Some interpret 1 John 1:8 to say “we will always sin as long as we are on earth.” The Greek language in this verse is in the indicative present active tense. Thus, to them, 1 John 1:8 says: “If we say that we have no sin (now, present tense), we deceive ourselves.” According to this interpretation, when we come out of the waters of baptism and say that we have no sin (now, indicative present active tense), we deceive ourselves. Who would believe that? According to this argument, when we confess our sins, then God is not faithful and just to forgive us our sins, because we can never say we do not have (now, indicative present active tense) sin, for if we do, we are deceivers. Who will believe that? After rising from the waters of baptism we can say we have (indicative present active tense) no sin. When we confess our sins to our Father and he forgives, we can say we have no sin. Not even the traitors would accept their own argument on these points. The present active tense argument does not teach what they want it to teach.
To fit their doctrine they must restate the scripture to read: If we say (or think) that we will not sin from time to time we deceive ourselves. This would clearly teach their doctrine but that is not what 1 John 1:8 says. He states that “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.” We have already showed that the scriptures teach that there are times when we can say that we have no sin – in the sense of sin on God’s record. God does forgive and it is possible to state that we have no sin (on God’s record) most of the time. Second, the scriptures do not say that we will always be sinning in the sense that there will never be a time on earth that we will not be committing sins. We know that we are not always sinning. Third, to teach their doctrine we would have to change the scripture as stated above. This is simply not what God says. What is the Lord saying when he states that we can not “say that we have no sin?”
The only way this scripture makes sense is in the context of verse 10. God said “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:10). The expressions in verses 8 and 10 are almost synonymous. Some in New Testament times were saying they had not sinned. They were also stating that Jesus did not come in the flesh (1 John 4:3). This was the doctrine of the antichrist, of which there were many in John’s lifetime (1 John 2:18). Today we call them “Docetics,” forerunners to the Gnostics. To them, the flesh was not real. Thus anything done in the flesh was not real. If what was done in the flesh were not real, then their sin was not real, and they claimed to have no sin. If they had no sin, then they did not need a Savior to save them from sin. This is the context of verse 8: if we say we have no sin – that is – if we say that we have not sinned (in our lifetime) we deceive ourselves, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).
The purpose for John writing this book is in direct opposition to their interpretation of 1 John 1: 8. Immediately in 1 John 2:1, he shows us he is not saying that we will always sin from time to time. He said “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not” (1 John 2:1). How could he teach that it is not possible to come to the point where we do not sin, and then immediately state that he is writing so we will not sin? John did not waste his time writing that book. His purpose is possible. It is possible that we will come to the point where we will not sin. Look at Zacharias and Elisabeth who lived under the old law. They grew in heart to the point that when John the Baptist was born, the Lord says: “And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless” (Luke 1:6). If Zacharias and Elisabeth could walk in all the commandments and Old Testament ordinances of the Lord blamelessly, surely God has power to help us to walk in the same steps of faith, under a far better law, with far better promises. We can come to the point where we are “walking in all the (New Testament) commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” Jesus overcame the world (John 16:33) and he can show us how to gain the victory over the same world (1 John 5:4). As these lessons progress we will see God’s plan or pathway to overcome the world.
DOES PERFECT LOVE CAST OUT THE OLD TESTAMENT “Fear of the Lord?”
“The fear of Lord” in the old Testament is in distinct contrast to the trembling fear of the New Testamant, which can be cast out (1 John 4:18). Many have given their own definitions of “the fear of the Lord” in the Old Testament as reverence, etc. Not just anyone can understand the “Fear of the Lord.” Solomon describes how men can understand the Fear of the Lord. After giving several requirements and conditions, he says “Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God” (Pro. 2:5). God gives his own definition of what he means by the “Fear of the Lord”
Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD. What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. (Psa. 34:11-14).
This is the Lord’s own definition of “the fear of the Lord.” He states that this fear includes 1) seeing good, 2) not speaking evil or guile, 3) departing from evil, 4) doing good and 5) seeking and pursuing peace. Many in the New Testament time had the Old Testament fear of the Lord. For example, the churches in Judaea and Galilee and Samaria “. . . were “walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 9:31). Cornelius was described as a “just man, and one that feareth God” (Acts 10:22). Paul addressed his audience saying: “Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience” (Acts 13:16). This fear, “The fear of the Lord,” should never be cast out by perfect love or anything else.
In contrast to the fear in Psalms 34 is the fear that “hath torment” (1 John 4:18). “There is no fear (which has torment) in love, for perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). This fear needs to be cast out. However it can not rightly be cast our prematurely. We are commanded to have fear throughout the time of our exile (1 Pet. 1:17). We must obey the command to fear God until we grow to the perfect love which will cast that fear out (1 John 4:18).
Some see where this pathway is leading and counter by saying, “Though we try to obey all the commands of God, and thus do not need to fear His wrath, the scriptures teach that as long as we are on earth, we will always sin.”
Is this true? Let us pursue this thought.
VI PERFECT LOVE AND JUDGMENT DAY
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17).
Why will having the perfect love cause us to have “boldness in the day of judgment” (1 John 4:17)? If we ever need boldness it will be on Judgment Day. As already noted, we gain that perfect love by obeying all of his commandments (1 John 2:4). It is reasonable that we would have boldness before God if have obeyed all of his commandments. Obeying every command of God, is to please him in everything (John 8:29)! Only when we disobey the commands of God do we need to fear him. This is why the perfect (complete, ‘teleios’) love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18).
Some have no fear to cast out. Why fear, they ask, when we are already saved? For some, faith alone casts out fear. For others, baptism and worshipping faithfully alone casts out all fear. For others, ignorance prevents them from knowing their real situation and thus having natural fear. None of these is said to cast out all fear in scripture. In fact, the scripture commands us to have fear. Read what the Lord commanded one of the most faithful, favored and ‘already saved’ congregations in New Testament times:
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (Phil. 2:12)
Some counter – this is only “reverence fear.” That definition can not be correct. He told the Philippians to fear and tremble. True, Daniel and others in a vision trembled and fainted, but these brethren in Philippi were not seeing a vision. They were commanded to work out their own salvation. Why work out their own salvation if they already have it? They did not have the crown yet. Paul testified to these same Philippians that he did not have the crown yet. They were like Timothy who was told to lay hold on eternal life (1 Tim 6:12). He did not have eternal life or he would not have been commanded to lay hold on it. True Timothy was directed not to fear (1 Tim 1:7) but this referred to the fear of man (1 Cor. 16:10). We are told that “The fear of man bringeth a snare” (Pro. 29:25), but Jesus was very clear that there is a fear we must have. We must fear God:
And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him (Luke 12:4-5).
Fear of being cast into hell is not reverence fear – it is the fear that has terror! We are commanded to “. . . pass the time of your sojourning here in fear” (1 Pet. 1:17). The only thing in the scriptures that will cast out “the fear that has terror,” is the perfect love (1 John 4:18). Herein lies our incentive to run diligently, as if only “one receiveth the prize” (1 Cor. 9:24-26).
SCRIPTURAL LOVE: Comprised of Many Parts
Love is not merely one entity but is made up of many different parts. There are many different kinds of love. Bible love is by no means the same as the world’s love. “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16). God is surely not the same as the world! God’s love is comprised of many different parts. He lists several of these parts in what has been called the ‘love chapter’ (1 Cor. 13).
Love 1) “suffereth long, and 2) is kind; charity 3) envieth not; charity 4) vaunteth not itself, 5) is not puffed up, 6) Doth not behave itself unseemly, 7) seeketh not her own, 8) is not easily provoked, 9) thinketh no evil; 10) Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but 11) rejoiceth in the truth;” (1 Cor. 13:4-8).
Someone may counter that these qualities are mostly negative. Though many of these parts are negative, we can understand that for every negative there is generally a corresponding positive. if love does not vaunt itself, it must be humble. If it does not behave itself ‘unseemly,’ it must behave itself ‘seemly.’ If love does not seek her own, then it must seek other’s good, etc. There are many other parts of God’s love which are not listed in 1 Corinthians 13. Every good part of God is a part of his love and the love of Christ, who is “. . .the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person” (Heb. 1:3). If we grow in Christ’s love we are growing in the love of God.
If our love lacks kindness, longsuffering, humility, or any other part, it is not the complete (perfect) love of Christ. We need to acquire each part to be “in the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” We grow into that complete love by keeping his commandments – which is the third part of the great commission – “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:20). We note what happens when someone has completely fulfilled the third part of the Great Commission. He declares: “But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him” (I John 2:5). Full obedience to the great commission ends in forming the perfect love of God in the disciple’s heart. Willing obedience to even one of the commandments of God, will give us a part of the love of Christ. Willingly obeying all of his commands will surely perfect (complete) all of the parts of Christ’s love in us. This is in line with the definition of love that Jesus gave the apostles just before his crucifixion.
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me. (John 14:21-24)
Loving God with some of our heart, soul and mind, means obeying some of his commandments. Obeying the greatest command to “. . .love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matt. 22:37), is to keep all of his commandments. Obedience to all of the commands will produce the complete love in our hearts (1 John 2:5). This is identical to John’s definition in the last chapter of first John.
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (1 Jn 5:2-3).
Thus, if we obey the first part of the great commission, we will make disciples whose aim and goal is to be like their master by obeying all things whatsoever Christ commands (Matt. 28:19, 20).
MULIEBRAL VIEWPOINT 