KEEPING YOURSELF FROM SATAN

I John 5:18 ... "We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him."

      How does a person come to be "born of God"? This spiritual rebirth is certainly an incomparable state for one to desire since it will not tolerate the presence of sin in one's life and excludes the blighting touch of Satan. The answer to this important question is given in I Pet. 1:23, "You have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God." When the incorruptible seed of God's eternal word is sown in a heart that is receptive and reasonable, it takes root and brings forth that person as a newborn child of God. The implanted word, however, must be obeyed in order for it to regenerate an individual, for I Pet. 1:21b-22a lays the foundation for the above-quoted verse in these words, "Your faith and hope are in God, since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls." The apostle here makes it clear that one's soul is purified, (i.e., cleansed of sin), by means of obedience to the truth that comes to us through the Holy Spirit. The purification of the soul makes it fertile ground from which faith in God and hope for His promises can grow abundantly.

      The nature of this natal experience is outlined by Jesus in His statement in John 3:5, "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." In other words, being "born of God" involves the instrumentality of water, (i.e., baptism as in Mrk. 16:16, Rom. 6:14-17, Rom. 6:4-5). Therefore, anyone who receives in faith the word of truth, the medium through which the Spirit of God operates upon the soul and conscience of man, and responds to it by obedience unto baptism, he is thereby begotten of God (or "born of God).

      As a result, our leading text says that he does not sin. The doctrine based on these words, that a  Christian cannot commit sin, is in total ignorance of the Greek original so translated. The verb is constructed in the present tense, which in Greek emphasizes continuity of action rather than the duration of time. That is, the Scripture is saying that one who is "born of God" will not continue in a sin that he might commit. Every Christian will occasionally commit sin, as I John 1:8 and10 affirms, but rather than accept it, incorporate it into his character, and become its submissive pawn, he will immediately repudiate it and confess it to God with assurance of His promise to forgive it under these conditions, (cf. I John 1:9).

      The struggle against sin never ceases in this life, but those who are "born of God" never permit it to gain a foothold in their redeemed, sanctified lives. The apostle says that they "keep" themselves,* using the verb têreo, which means to "guard" or to "withhold oneself from something." Christians are aware that they are engaged in spiritual warfare and cannot afford to let down their defense. At all times they must be vigilant to detect the action of evil in their proximity, (I Pet. 5:8), and restrain themselves from involvement in anything which can draw them out into a vulnerable position, (I Ths. 5:22). Vigilance and self-restraint will enable Christians to preserve their purity and sanctity unto the glory of God. The apostle then adds that "the evil one does not touch him." The literal meaning is that the devil cannot get a hold on him. Satan cannot stand up against any child of God who has the will to resist him, (Jas. 4:7), because God always grants the victory to His children who keep up the struggle, (I Cor. 15:57). He will never permit Satan to subject them to temptations too severe to be repelled, (I Cor. 10:13), or so powerful as to separate them from His love, (Rom. 8:35-39). It is wonderful to know that as Christians our lives are temples of God's Spirit, (I Cor. 6:19), who therefore dwells within us. And "greater is He who is in you than he (Satan) who is in the world," (I John 4:4). With His aid, we can indeed keep ourselves from sin.

(*Here I differ with the NASB and favor the KJV reading that the pronoun "he" refers to the Christian rather than to Christ. The NASB capitalizes H in "he" when reference is to Christ. I favor that practice as being more reverential. But in the oldest manuscripts, all letters are capitals. I am persuaded that the meaning here is that it is the duty of a Christian to "keep himself" and not rely on Christ to do it for him. Of course, a Christian can only succeed in that because Christ supports him. But the initiative is the Christian's, and then Christ will support him as much as needed.)

KNOWING GOD THROUGH LOVE

I John 4:7b-8 ... "Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love."

      When God created "the heavens and the earth," (Gen. 1:1), He established a law to govern the process of reproduction in every form of life, namely, that whatever lives must reproduce "after their kind," (vs. 1:11, 12, 21, 24, 25). This principle operates in the spiritual world just as in the physical. When He created man, "God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to our likeness' ... (and) God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him," (vs. 26-27). The operation of this fundamental principle occurs whenever God acts to regenerate a human soul, making it to be like His own Spirit. The text above proclaims that "God is love," so that we may know that God is love personified. Or pershaps it may more appropriately be said that love is God as He expresses His character to man. It has long been argued that love cannot be defined. If this means that the fulness of genuine love cannot be reduced to the limitations of human language without loss of meaning, then it cannot be defined. But in words of divine inspiration John declares that love is fully personified in God, and this writer maintains that love is indeed defined in the manifestation of God's character to us. All that He has ever done for man is an expression of His love. Even His judicial acts toward us, which are sometimes painful and very disagreeable, are also acts of love, (Heb. 12:6). And when God in His amazing grace enables a person to be reborn spiritually, He recreates that individual in love like His own.

      Love in its highest and purest form, uncorrupted by self-interest and lust, comes only from God. The love that originates within the human psyche is by nature self-oriented. Although it may appear to benefit others and seem to be gracious, these positive features are really by-products of its fundamental goals. This principle has been recognized by non-religious philosophers who incorporated it into their own moral systems. For example, Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), an English philosopher and founder of utilitarianism, argued that "every man is naturally selfish and hence almost invariably seeks pleasure or the avoidance of pain for himself." Human love rises to its highest, noblest plane when the desires of the individual are cultured and refined. But only from God does man learn that love (called agapê in the New Testament original) which is invariably altruistic.

    The featured text above says that "Everyone who loves is born of God." A person thus born is also said to "know God," which means to experience in his life the power, direction, and sovereignty of God through an understanding of and submission to the truth He has revealed. As one who is "born of God" perceives God's supreme love working in his life, transforming his mind and conduct to the norm of righteousness, (Rom. 12:2), he is coming to "know God" ever more fully.

      We are told in v.12 following the featured text above that "If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us." God loves everyone, (John 3:16), even rebellious sinners, (Rom. 5:8). So when He recreates us in His own likeness, we receive the capacity, inclination, and motivation to transcend the inferiority of human love. And when we exercise our new nature to "love one another," God's Spirit is kindled within to "abide in us," and we come to "know God" in the fullest sense. The ability to know God is realized in the experience of "keep(ing) His commandments," (I John 2:5).  Our featured text is not promoting an alternative approach to the knowledge of God, that is, an approach via love rather than obedience.  Actually, the two approaches are one, being harmonized in Jesus' statement, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments," (John 14:15). Both love and obedience are intensive, yet comprehensive, experiences involving God that lead us further into really "knowing God" as they progress in their action within our lives.

LOVE IN DEED AND TRUTH

I John 3:18 ... "Little children, let us not love with word, or with tongue, but in deed and truth." 

      The apostle, as an elderly leader in the late first century church, often addressed the Christians of the two or even three generations following him as my "little children." Not only does this reflect his relation to them with respect to age and status, but also with respect to love and concern. John says essentially the same thing here about love that James said about faith. The latter wrote, "If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,' and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself," (Jas. 2:15-17). In v.14 he had written, "What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?" In other words, faith that is shown in no other way than verbally is non-productive, questionable, and ultimately invalid. Faith must be applied in tangible, visible acts that produce effective results before its reality is established and its value demonstrated.

      John says the same about love: "But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word, or with tongue, but in deed and truth," (vs. 17-18). When the only evidence of love is the claim in someone's mouth that he loves, not only is the reality of it doubtful, but it is also unfruitful and irrelevant. Love that is authentic will manifest itself openly and decisively, through actions that bless the one toward whom it is directed.

      Christians know that love is the supreme good in their religion, which of all religions known to man is the only one that originated outside of human volition. Love is the emphasis in the first and second commandments of importance in Christianity, obligating us to love God before everyone and every  thing and to love people about us as much as we love ourselves. But all too often our deeds prove our words to be a lie. Love does not undercut, backbite, bitterly accuse, rail, condemn, or speak to others abusively, harshly, and angrily. Love does not ignore those who are hungry, ragged, sick, and lonely. Love does not forsake sinners to the error of their way. And love does not rest on past laurels or seek the course of least involvment in the service of God. Quite to the contrary, love works hard to establish and maintain relations between people that are friendly, peaceful, supportive, and happy. Love is quick and glad to feed the hungry, clothe the ragged, minister to the sick, and cheer the lonely. Love addresses itself to the lost condition of sinners and toils to bring them to salvation in Christ. And love will not boast of past accomplishments, but reserves its energy and drive to bear new burdens in the service of God.

      In Lk. 7:36-50, we are told about a time when Jesus dined in the home of a Pharisee. At one point a deeply penitent woman came up behind Jesus as He reclined at the table. As her tears fell upon His feet, she dried them with her hair. She also annointed them with perfume she had brought. Within himself the Pharisee began to condemn Jesus as a fraud, thinking that if He were a genuine prophet He would know the woman to be a sinner and refuse to let her touch Him. Knowing his thoughts, Jesus told the Pharisee about his failure to be a good host. He had not offered Him the usual courtesies extended to a guest: the welcome kiss, washing the feet, and anointing the head. But the contrite woman had done all these things with pure motives. Then Jesus said, "For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little," (v.47). He recognized the woman's love to be real, because she demonstrated it with her actions. Love that is worthy of the name will always reveal itself in deeds even when no words are spoken. This is the kind of love that the Lord requires of His people, and He will recognize nor reward anything less.