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.

GOD'S RESPONSE TO OUR CONFESSION

I John 1:9 ... "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

      When a person obeys the Gospel, his soul is cleansed of the sins of his lifetime, (Acts 2:38; 22:16; I Pet. 3:21). He then walks before God in a new condition of justification, redemption, and righteousness "in His blood through faith," (Rom. 3:24-25). This condition does not, however, render the individual immune to sin. The New Testament contains abundant passages exhorting Christians to be aware of temptation, to resist evil, and to look unto God incessantly for protection, wisdom, and strength against the activities of sin in the world about them. Such Scriptures would be superfluous and meaningless if Jesus' disciples were impervious to sin. Christians, in fact, can and do sometimes fall to temptation and become mired in sin. The New Testament records specific cases when this indeed happened during the period of the early church.

      This initial chapter of the epistle, which is not addressed to the unregenerate but to "children of God," (3:2), emphasizes the failure of Christians to defeat every temptation and remain perfectly free from all sin. The verse preceding 1:9 declares that to deny one's sin indicates that (a) he is self-deceived, (b) devoid of the truth, and (c) is a liar. Verse 10 adds that the person also makes a liar of God. This is very strong and serious language! Remembering that we are God's redeemed people, what must we do about it? Or, is there nothing we can do except admit final defeat and resign our destiny to the wrath of God?

      We need not despair as we confess our sins, because God, who is fully aware of our weak nature, has provided just the help we need. His grace is greater than our sin, (Rom. 5:20b-21), and the blood of His Son is still efficacious to cleanse us of the sins we commit after it initially purges us in baptism from our pre-Christian sins, (I Pet. 3:21). To avail ourselves of the continuing purification of Jesus' blood, however, I John 1:9 requires that we must begin by confessing our sins. Whenever we perceive that we have sinned, we must immediately go to the Lord with our guilt, lay it out openly before Him, and beseech Him to remove it with His forgiveness.

      Although this text does not explicitly mention it, there is no doubt that it assumes the prerequisite of repentance. As mentioned earlier, God's grace negates sin, but only that sin which is abandoned by the one who committed it. We read in Rom. 6:1-2, "Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?"

      Here we discover another area wherein the Gospel deserves the literal meaning of what the word denotes, "GOOD NEWS." God continues to extend His grace to His children, although at times we go astray and corrupt our souls with sin. He does not cast us off into the mass of the lost who are reserved for eternal punishment. To the contrary! He opens for us a way to be acquitted of our sins and restored to spiritual purity. This way incorporates two essential actions which we must perform, repentance and confession. Repentance involves the total abandonment of sinful practices because we understand they are indeed sinful and because we know they offend God. The confession, moreover, must be both comprehensive and specific. Not only must ALL SINS be confessed, but EACH ONE of them must be confessed. One who entreats God to cleanse him must bare his soul naked to reveal in utmost shame every ugly spot of sin. A perfunctory mumbling, "Forgive me of all my sins," is insufficient, and from God's vantage point, probably looks more like presumption than abject contrition. This does not mean, however, that the individual must expose the fact of sin with a full description of its nature to people. Very often our sins are known only to God, and then it is only to God that we need confess them. But if we have sinned before people, we must also confess those sins before them, (Jas. 5:16). The principle is that repentance must be as broad as the knowledge of the sin.

GROW IN GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE

II Pet. 3:18 ... "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

      One of the major characteristics of physical life is growth. Jesus once said it was the purpose of His mission here to confer this gift: "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly," (John 10:10). Physical life is God's gift in various degrees to the vast diversity of creatures which constitute the plant and animal kingdoms. But spiritual life is granted only to humans, and then only when they are "born again" (John 3:3) in the water of baptism, having believed in Jesus as God's Son, repented of their sins, and confessed the name of Christ. As converts to Christ, we are told that "we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life," (Rom. 6:4).

      The first stage of this new spiritual life is infancy, corresponding to the initial stage of physical life. With proper diet and exercise, however, infants gradually grow to physical maturity, and with proper education they will attain to mental maturity. The growth of the soul to spiritual maturity is also of vital importance, and God has put at our disposal all the resources necessary to accomplish it. Referring to these provisions by God, we are told they are given "for the building up of the body of Christ (that is, the church corporately and hence individuals), until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ,"(Eph. 4:12-13).

    The featured text above specifies two of the essential dimensions in which our growth from spiritual infancy in Christ must progress. The first is grace. Well defined as "the unmerited favor of God granted to us through Christ," grace is a fundamental characteristic of life in the Lord. The reception of God's grace imposes upon us the duty to make an appropriate response thereunto. That is, grace must stir us to action. We must never accept it passively and indifferently. Paul once speaks of "nullify(ing) the grace of God," (Gal. 2:21), and that is what the recipient does who is unmotivated to yield his life to its purpose.  The first and then perpetual response of a Christian to grace must be appreciation and thanks-giving, followed by steady growth in such essential virtues as faith, love, humility, reverence, and good stewardship. Another vital response to grace is steadfastness in doing the "good works which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them," (Eph. 2:10). When we are thus engaged in the work of the Lord, we actually become instruments by which He confers grace upon still other souls. When we enlarge these two essential responses to God's grace, we are indeed "grow(ing) in grace as the text urges.

      The second essential dimension of spiritual growth is knowledge. In the initial stage of religious education we learn about Christ, that is, we commit to memory the facts about what He said and did and why. Our growth in knowledge, however, must not stop as we gain mastery in this area, (cf. Heb. 5:11 - 6:3). As it proceeds, it must expand into the more important phase of knowing Christ as a daily companion. This is accomplished by internalizing the meaning and implications of what is learned in the first stage. It is of this second, internal phase of growth "in knowledge" that Rom. 12:2 speaks in these challenging words: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and accept-able and perfect." As one's knowledge about Christ penetrates into his conscience and soul to the extent of knowing Christ as a living Person rather than as a mere biographical character, the person's mind is being renewed, and he is being transformed as a person into "the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ."

RESCUE FROM TEMPTATION

II Pet. 2:9a ... "The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation."

      When a person is tempted by evil, it is very likely that he feels alone and isolated. Help may seem far away. It might indeed appear that he must stand there in his own strength, trusting in his own wisdom and experience, and offering whatever resistance he can manage from within his own resources. This view of temptation is, nevertheless wrong and even dangerous, for the tempter is Satan, who is stronger than men in their own strength. This was emphasized by Martin Luther in the old, but still appropriate hymn, Ein' Feste Burg, as follows:

      "For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe,                                                                                     His craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate,                                                                           On earth is not his equal."

      In reality, however, no Christian must face temptation alone, or feel that help is distant and difficult, or think that he has no choice but to trust in his own resources of wisdom and experience. The text above from Peter offers us great assurance, encouragement, and conviction that God is very close to His children and is instantly ready to offer effective resistance unto their deliverance. But how close is God to a Christian? He answers this question Himself in I Cor. 3:16, "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?"  He adds in I John 4:4, "Greater is He who is in you than he (Satan the tempter) who is in the world."

      Although each person has his own responsibility to resist temptation, and is therefore ultimately accountable for his own success or failure, the Lord is faithful to help him by putting at his disposal everything necessary for him to succeed.

      First, God never allows the tempter to corner the Christian where he has no choice but to commit sin. The Lord always keeps open a route of escape, as I Cor. 10:13 promises: "God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it."

      Second, God limits the power of any temptation within the range of human resistibility, as the words just quoted assure, "who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able."

      Third, God permits no temptation to come upon a Christian which has not already been met and overcome by many other people: "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man," (I Cor. 10:13a). 

      Fourth, God has given us a perfect model in Christ who met and defeated every temptation, thus forever removing some of its power. The inspired writer says of Jesus that He was the "One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin," (Heb 4:15).

      Fifth, God has given us a suit of spiritual armor that is efficacious in resisting temptation. We are urged to "put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil," (Eph. 6:11). This armor consists of a girdle of truth, a breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the gospel of peace, a shield of faith, and a helmet of salvation.

      Sixth, God puts into the hands of His children "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," (Eph. 6:17). With this "armor of God" the Christian can defend his soul against the assaults of evil, and with the "sword of the Spirit" he can counterattack and defeat his foe, routing temptation and sin from the field of his life, at least for a while, (Luk. 4:1-13). The apostle Peter therefore refers to a very great benefit from God when he writes, "The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation." 

        

THE BLESSING OF GRACE AND PEACE

II Pet. 1:2 ... "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."

      This text is one of those verses in the Bible that people usually read over with little attention in their haste to go to something else that seems more interesting and worthy of study. When this statement is thus overlooked, however, a precious and beautiful part of our relationship as Christians with our Lord is missed. These words do not constitute a mere formality in opening this inspired epistle. Much to the contrary, they are actually the expression of a wonderful development in our spiritual lives as we yield them more fully to the molding fingers of our heavenly Father.

      Grace signifies God's favor bestowed upon people who have done nothing to deserve it. Everyone likes to think that he is special and that God therefore values him a little more than others. But God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34); neither is He obligated to anyone. Of His own will, on His own initiative, and at the time of His own choosing, God manifested His amazing grace to man by sending His Son to die for our sins and reconcile us unto Himself. His grace is further revealed by adding to His church those who obey His will, giving us the guidance of His Spirit, and granting to us the power and wisdom to persevere in the way He wishes us to live. As fallen creatures subjected to the excesses of sin, mankind stood in desperate need of God's grace, for there was nothing men could do on their own to escape the tyranny and eventual ruin of sin. But God loved man whom He had created in His own image so much that He freely bestowed His grace, as we are informed in Rom. 5:20, "But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more."

      Peace is a product of God's grace. When God by His grace overpowered the reign of sin in human life, He laid the foundation for peace between Himself and man. The apostle Paul explains: "For He (Jesus) is our peace, who made both groups (Jews and non-Jews) into one ... by abolishing in His flesh the enmity ... so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near, for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father, (Eph. 2:14f). When peace with God is established through the elimination of sin, it can flow through our lives into our relations with other people. One cannot be hostile and adverse to his fellow men and still live on terms of peace with God, (Mat. 5:22-25; Rom. 12:17-21; Jas. 1:19-20). Also, the conviction that one is at peace with God produces a wonderful consolation that brings together the various parts of the human psyche into a peaceful unity. Christians are assured of this inner peace, which is "of God," (i.e., from God, or based on the action of God's grace), in these words of Php. 4:7, "The peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

      Finally, we must notice in our featured text that this most glorious "grace and peace" is "multiplied to (us) in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." This is not the knowledge of the accumulation and retention of masses of facts so that the individual is a walking encyclopedia. It is rather the know-ledge gained in the course of real experience as one struggles with the issues of life in fellowship with Christ and under the guidance of His teaching preserved in the New Testament. It is through this kind of practical knowledge that God multiplies to us His incomparable "grace and peace."