Bible Commentaries
1 John

CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH

A Commentary On

THE BOOK OF FIRST JOHN

By WAYNE L. FUSSELL

Publisher Charles Allen Bailey

Editor

Executive Editor - Joe L. Norton, Ph.D.
Associate Editor - Steven R. Bowen

Copyright © 1993
Contending for the Faith Publications
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All scripture quotations,
unless otherwise indicated, are taken from
The King James Version, KJV

Preface

"Earnestly contend for the faith" (Judges 1:3) is a charge given to New Testament Christians that should never be forgotten. In maintaining this important precept in our lives we will continue to grow spiritually and be of greater service to the Master. This volume, the third in the commentary series Contending for the Faith, provides help as we develop the Christian characteristics that we need.

The authors of this commentary are gospel preachers who have devoted their lives in spreading the cause of Christ in America as well as in other countries. The work contains some technical information but is practical and easy to understand. Bible students with no knowledge of Greek will find it easy to comprehend.

The writers have provided a great service to the family of God. This important project, which is a labor of love, requires self discipline and concentrated time and effort. It is with a high respect that I recommend unto you the men who have provided for us the fruits of their studies. Their good work is appreciated and will provide wonderful material for Bible students for generations to come.

The books included in this volume were discussed at the annual Comprehensive New Testament Study at the Irving Church of Christ, 108 West Grauwyler Road, Irving, Texas 75061. Each verse was presented publicly in the presence of many gospel preachers and discussed openly in an effort to arrive at the truth.

Brother Joe Norton has done a great service in editing the material for this volume. He has spent hundreds of hours editing in order to provide the most positive benefit to all who choose to use this tool in their studies. Brother Steve Bowen has provided valuable assistance in the editing process. The work he contributes is always of the highest quality. Sister Martha Morris has also been very helpful in proofing the manuscript. We appreciate her promptness and continued support in this endeavor. Brother Gene Edmiston’s computer skills were invaluable in formatting each page in preparation for printing. His skills are unsurpassed, and his willingness to donate his time will always be appreciated. The team effort of these Christians who donated their valuable time to produce a product to benefit everyone is to be admired.

As publisher of these commentaries, it is my sincere desire to provide material to those of "like precious faith" (2 Peter 1:1) that will assist us in our spiritual growth. I encourage all to spend quality time with the scriptures for therein lies the truth from God’s throne (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:3; John 8:32). I hope and pray that whoever chooses to utilize this commentary will find it helpful in their study of the word of God. The more we study God’s word, the better our abilities in "Contending for the Faith."

Allen Bailey

Present-Day Application

Minute-By-Minute Forgiveness (1 John 1:7)

Several passages in John’s epistle indicate that he wrote to give assurance to God’s people concerning their relationship to the Heavenly Father. He emphasizes that one can enjoy an unbroken fellowship with God. John warns that God will not tolerate the practice of habitual sin in the life of a Christian. He says that we cannot "walk," or live, in the darkness of sin and expect continued fellowship with the One Who "is light" (1:5-6) But what about the occasionally sins we inadvertently commit? What about the sins that even John affirms will creep into our lives in spite of our faithfulness? Do they break our fellowship with God and, however temporarily, put us outside of His wondrous grace? Are we in grace and out of grace constantly because of our daily weaknesses? If so, where is the fullness of joy John promises? (1:4) Where is the assurance for our hearts? (3:19)

A friend of mine very aptly said, "We are so anxious to disprove the ’once in grace, always in grace’ doctrine that we propound a ’once in grace, always out of grace’ alternative." Sin is an ever present reality in the lives of even the strongest Christians. John went to great length to prove that fact in 1 John 1:8-10; 1 John 2:2. The person who claims sinlessness deceives himself, lies, and makes God a liar. John advises us to simply own up to our weaknesses and sins when we become aware of them and ask God for forgiveness. God is faithful to forgive and to cleanse. What about the time between the sin and the confession of sin? Is one out of fellowship with the Lord? No, John promises that the relationship remains unbroken because of the constant cleansing of the precious blood of Christ. "If we walk in the light as He is in the light" (the constant practice of holy living as the habitual order of life), "the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (the cleansing is as constant as the walking) (1:7). This constant cleansing makes possible a constant fellowship with the Lord. How glad I am that my relationship with God does not demand perfection! If it does, no one could have any assurance in his relationship with God.

God makes it possible for the Christian to grow and mature in his Christian life without the constant dread of his weaknesses alienating him from the aid and comfort of his Father. In learning to walk every child stumbles. Does the parent stand above the child demanding perfection and refusing acknowledgement until the child can walk without falling? No, the parent is ever ready to pick the child up when he falls. Does the child want to fall? Certainly not. He would prefer to walk upright and perfect the first time, but fall he will. The child of God in learning the heavenly walk does not want to fall either, but in learning he will stumble and fall from time to time. The gracious Father above does not cut him off from His grace each time he stumbles, but extends his hand of help and forgiveness. With this assurance, the Christian can learn to walk the walk and talk the talk as he steadily grows stronger every day.

John’s words concerning the constant cleansing of the blood of Christ in 1 John 1:7 go hand in hand with his admonition to "assure our hearts" (or consciences) in 3:19-21. John says that even when our conscience condemns us "God is greater than" our conscience. No sincere Christian is ever satisfied with his progress in holy living. We all ask, "Am I as good or as loving or as faithful as I should be?" And the answer from a sincere conscience comes back, "No, a thousand times, no!" But should we beat ourselves to death and constantly engage in a harangue on our shortcomings, or should we allow God’s promise of constant cleansing assure our hearts and then continue on the upward climb to where we want to be? Let us be assured that God accepts us as we are where we are. He is not so much concerned about where we are in the Christian climb as He is with where we intend to be.

Even John’s comments about the sin "unto" death indicate that God gives everyone time to repent before He breaks off His fellowship (see the commentary on 5:16-17). "Unto" means toward. The sin unto death is the sin that tends toward spiritual separation from God. The moment one sins is not the moment he is cut off from fellowship with God or that he becomes spiritually death. As Lenski says, "What God does when he gives life for these sinners is to strengthen their damaged, declining spiritual life, which they have not as yet lost" (535). The fellowship is unbroken until we prove we are unrepentant.

The above thought about the sin unto death reminds me the practice in the insurance industry to give a "grace period" to their insureds. The premium may come due on the first of the month, but the company allows the insured thirty days "grace" in which to pay the premium. During that month the insurance is still in force, and should the insured one die, his beneficiary will receive the promised amount. In a similar way, the Christian should pay his dues of repentance, confession, and prayer when he sins, but God in His mercy because of the shed blood of Jesus allows him time and opportunity to repent. For this reason the Christian is not fearful between the "morning and evening prayers" that his status before God is in jeopardy. Brethren, let us "assure our hearts" and rejoice in the joy that is unspeakable and full of glory as we consider the possibility of an unbroken communion with our Lord.

The Importance of Context

Several times during my study of this epistle I have seen the importance of studying the passage above and below the one I am concentrating on to determine the meaning of the given passage. It is very apparent to this writer that the "unction from the holy one" is explained well when one considers only the context in which it is found. (Consult the findings in the commentary.)

Those who understand the "antichrist" to be some future superhuman being who will appear on the scene to lead the people astray should study the context in which the antichrist is discussed. John is the only writer who reveals anything about the antichrist, so we should consult his writings to ascertain to whom or what he refers. We show in the commentary that John says that the antichrist is already present in the persons of "many antichrists" (2:18) who deny that "Jesus is the Christ" (2:22). John plainly states, "He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son" (2:22). So much false teaching about a coming antichrist could be avoided today if people would just study the context.

Another misunderstanding which is perpetrated through a failure to consider the immediate context is revealed in man’s explanation of the "sin unto death" (5:16-17). Men read about the sin unto death and immediately run to other sections of God’s word to explain it. For this reason they mistakenly refer it to the willful sin of Hebrews 10 or the unpardonable sin of Matthew 12. If they would just stay "hitched" for a while and look at what John has to say, these false interpretations could be avoided. (See the explanation in the commentary.)

Through the years it has been the experience of this writer that most of the difficult questions which concern Bible interpreters can be understood through a careful study of the immediate context. There is nothing wrong with consulting the broader context of God’s word on any subject; it is in fact fitting and proper. The problem comes when we read a statement and straightway jump to other portions of the Bible to find the interpretation. First, study the context; then move to other sections for further study and understanding. Some subjects that this writer has found to be explained in the immediate context are: "That which is perfect" (1 Corinthians 13:8-13), the unpardonable sin (Matthew 12:22-32), the willful sin (Hebrews 10:26), apostasy (Hebrews 6:1-6), the antichrist (1 John 2), the sin unto death (1 John 5), and others. The moral: stay with the context.

Victory Through the Indwelling Deity (1 John 4:4)

There is no reason for the Christian to live a life of defeat. Defeat was not a part of the early Christian’s vocabulary. In 1 John 4:4, John gives the reason for the victory that these early Christians had over the false teachers who comprised "the antichrist." John affirmed that they overcame them "because greater is He Who is in you than he who is in the world." Who was "in" these Christians? The latter part of chapter three indicates that God dwelt in those who obeyed His word. John is not alone in ascribing the reason for the Christian’s victory to God. Paul gave credit to God for all of his triumphs. "Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ..." (2 Corinthians 2:14). (See also 1 Corinthians 15:57.) Paul also triumphantly stated, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13).

The victory principle propounded by John is found throughout the word of God. No wonder he says that he is writing these things in this epistle "that your joy may be full" (1:4). Christians are not to go through life with lowered heads in abject defeat, but with heads held high by continuous victory. We are assured by John that this victory begins in faith and continues in faith. "This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (5:4). Through simple trusting and obedient faith the Christian is assured that the battle is his both in the here and hereafter.

Everyone wishes to be a "winner." John says, "You are winners through the aid and strength of the indwelling deity." Christians can be winning individuals and churches can be winning collectives if they will yield to and depend upon the One within. Luke says that after the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, "Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied" (Acts 9:31). Please take notice that edification and multiplication took place in the Lord’s churches when they were walking, or living, in the fear of God and in the comfort, or help, of the Holy Spirit Who indwelled them (Galatians 4:6; Romans 8:9). If we depend upon our own strength, we will fail; if we depend on His strength, we will triumph.

God’s Personality (4:8)

A grand and majestic statement is made by John in 1 John 4:8. John proclaims that "God is love." Vincent makes an interesting comment on this verse: "Spirit and light are expressions of God’s essential nature. Love is the expression of His personality corresponding to His nature" (357). Certain traits remind us of certain individuals, both ancient and modern. When we think of patience, we think of Job; when we think of meekness, we think of Moses; when we think of faith, we think of Abraham; when we think of commitment, we think of Paul. And on it goes as we think about Biblical characters or of individuals we know in daily life. These characteristics naturally suggest the individuals named because their personalities exhibit these traits. Beloved, when you think of love, of whom do you immediately think? The only answer is, God. It was God Who "so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son." It was God Who loved you and me so much that He was willing to give the greatest gift He had. It is God Who daily supplies our needs. Why? Because "God is love." It is love that most adequately describes the personality of the Heavenly Father, and so, John is not satisfied with saying, "God loves," or "God possesses love;" he nobly says, "God is love." God is the very epitome of love. All that love is in its highest form can be ascribed to the One we call "Our Father." How glad I am that God is love. Without His love I would be lost, yea, lost indeed! Without His love, Jesus would not have come to save me from my sins. Without His love, I would have no hope of everlasting life. Thanks be unto Him and for Him Who is the very personification of love.

To Love Not Is to Hate (1 John 4:20)

We sometimes say, "I don’t hate him; I just don’t like him." Somehow we think we are justified in making such a statement, but think seriously about John’s declarations on this matter. "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" (4:20) In the first phrase, John uses the word "hateth;" in the second phrase, in equivalent language, he uses "loveth not." He equates hating one’s brother with loving him not. This should give us pause when we make such statements as the one above: "I don’t hate him; I just don’t like him."

If we refuse to show love toward our brother and seek his highest good, we hate him. If we refuse to love him in "word and deed," we hate him. If we fail set a value on him and respond in kind to that value, we hate him. In the eyes of the Lord, loving not and hating are the same. John goes on to sober us more by saying that if we hate our brother (or love him not), we are murderers without the hope of eternal life.

If one really loves his brother he will do him good. He will not refuse to speak to him, nor will he speak evil of his brother or try to ruin his reputation with others. If you really love a brother or sister, you will not engage in all of the hurtful acts so characteristic of some Christians today who claim to love their brethren. They prove by their actions that they really hate them.

This matter of love is an either-or situation. Either you love your brother or you hate him. There is no middle ground in love, according to John. And claimed love is no love. We must not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. Actions, which speak much louder than words, prove whether you practice love or hate.

One brother says, "Love is critical." Yes, it is. Its presence will make life full and fruitful. Its absence gives evidence that hate lives in the heart that should be filled with love. Without this love, Paul says "we are nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). My famous uncle, Fred Kirbo, used to ask his audience if they had ever seen a "gnat’s bristle." A gnat is so small you can hardly see him, so a gnat’s bristle must be almost invisible. My uncle would say, "If you do not love your fellow man, you are smaller than a gnat’s bristle!" Yes, you are nothing!

John leaves us with a choice. It is either love or hate. Which will it be? Will we actively prove our love for others or will we withhold love which is in word and deed? If I don’t like him, I hate him!

Selective Obedience (1 John 5:1)

Jesus said that His disciples were to teach people "to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:20). In spite of this mandate from the Lord, many want to select only certain portions of God’s word to obey. They practice the "pick and choose" method in establishing a standard of obedience to the will of the Lord. They are willing to serve God, but they want to serve Him according to their own standards. Sometimes the writings of John are used, or misused, to promote this method of selective obedience.

Many will say today that all that is necessary to salvation is simple faith in God and in His Son. By simple faith I mean a mere assent unto the fact that God is, and that Jesus is His Son. "Only believe," they say, and you will be saved. To bolster this idea, 1 John 5:1 is quoted: "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God..." No one would deny that this is a scriptural quotation to be believed and accepted. This is a Bible truth, but Bible truths must not isolated from other relevant truths. To do so is to fail to "rightly divide the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).

The same writer, John, also says, "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin" (3:9); and "...everyone that doeth righteousness is born of him (God)" (2:29); and "...everyone that loveth is born of God" (4:7). From these statements of the inspired apostle we see that belief alone is not the total evidence that one is a child of God. Putting it all together, John says that the child of God is one who believes in Jesus as the Son of God, refrains from the practice of sin, lives a righteous life, and practices the love of God toward all men.

Beloved, in your response to God’s will, be sure that you live by "every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). To be selective in your response is to act from self-will rather than God’s will. It reflects the attitude of one who sets aside God’s standard for a self-contrived standard. Our confident relationship with God depends on our willingness to "keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight" (4:22).

Extremes (1 John 5:3)

One of man’s great problems is the tendency to go from one extreme to the other. We tend to swing like pendulums from the position of the libertine to that of the radical, from the loose to the rigid, from the left to the right. In our opposition to one extreme we often swing to the opposite extreme. Many years ago, an old preacher told a number of young preachers in a study, "Usually between two extremes lies the truth." This axiom has proved itself right in most cases through the years.

Two extremes loom before us in the religious world today. Some want Christianity to be just a ritualistic keeping of God’s commandments, a legalistic religion of rigid law-keeping. Others, swinging to the opposite extreme, promote a religion which requires only love for one another. One says, "Just keep the commandments." The other says, "Just show love." In the view of this writer, and evidently in the view of the writer John, somewhere between these two extremes lies the truth. John shows in his epistle that it is not love only or obedience only; it is obedient love. Love and obedience go together "like a horse and carriage." Paul declares that the faith that saves is one that "works through love" (Galatians 5:6). John declares in words easy to be understood, "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous" (5:3). John gives due emphasis to both love and obedience. It is love which must motivate our obedience; it is obedience which must show our love.

Ask, According to His Will (1 John 5:14)

Like any parent who loves his children, our Heavenly Father always wants what is best for his children. Like children who petition their parents for childish wants, we also want what we want when we want it, and we ask God to supply it. God, Who knows our needs better than we know how to ask, and Who knows that some of our wants might be detrimental to our spiritual welfare, sometimes has to give the answer which little children and childish Christians do not like to hear. He has to say, "no." It has been the experience of this scribe that, while the reason is not apparent at the time, on the down the road of life it becomes obvious that God always answers in our own best interest.

In view of the possibility that God might say no to our prayers, how should we pray for anything? John advises the confident Christian to always "ask anything according to His will." It is the decided conviction of this writer that John is advising us to always include the proviso, "Thy will be done," in all our prayers. When we do so we put our lives in the hands of the One Who does all things well. When we begin to pray thus we will find the answers to our prayers coming in ways we never thought possible or practical.

So, ask. Ask for "whatsoever" (5:14). But ask "according to His will." Ask according to what God wants for us. You will find that life will function much more smoothly and properly when you put your life in His hands and submit your will to His.

A Sin Unto Death (1 John 5:16-17)

There are those who put considerable weight on the article "a" in the statement by John that "there is a sin unto death." They conclude that there is a singular sin of which John speaks, and then they begin to search for the likely sin of which he writes. One such author comes to mind who affirms that the specific sin is the sin of unforgiveness. He points out that Jesus said, "But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matthew 6:15). It is certainly a fact that an unforgiving heart meets an unforgiving God, but this is not necessarily the only sin unto death.

It became suddenly apparent to me in my studies of 1 John 5 one day that John not only said that there is a sin unto death, he said "there is a sin not unto death" (verse 17). If there is only one specific sin which is unto death, it would logically follow that there is only one specific sin which is not unto death. With this knowledge in mind, we would go on another search for that specific sin which is not unto death. Something must be wrong with this interpretation, is there not?

While presenting this material to an audience at Irving, Texas, a young scholar very astutely pointed out that the article "a" is not in the Greek text. This leaves us with: "There is sin unto death" and "there is sin not unto death." What sin? Any sin, every sin, all sin, for any sin held dear and unrepented of will end in death. John has no specific sin under consideration. As we said in the commentary, any sin can tend toward one’s spiritual death or separation from the fellowship of God. It all depends on the attitude of the one sinning. Any sin of which one is aware that he will not repent of, confess, and ask forgiveness for can end in death. If it is persisted in until physical death overtakes us, it will result in eternal death, or hell.

Can You Prove You Are a Christian?

A little comic strip which has appeared in several religious journals has this caption: "If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" We laugh at this question, but it is a very serious one. John addresses this question several times in his epistle by suggesting various proofs of sonship and salvation.

John declares that "everyone that doeth righteousness is born of him (God)" (2:29). One cannot claim to be a Christian who refuses to do what is right. Paul condemned those who refused God’s system of righteousness and went about establishing their own (Romans 10:1-3). The Psalmist said that the righteous person is the one who obeys the commandments of the Lord (Psalms 119:172). In chapter 3, verse 22, John says that God answers our prayers "because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight." Obedience to God and proving that one is truly a child of God goes further than just obeying certain well-spelled out commandments of God. John makes a distinction between keeping God’s commandments and doing that which is pleasing in His sight. How do you account for it? It seems to this writer that there are some things that are not just spelled out in so many words that are "pleasing" to God. For instance, we can prove fairly conclusively that one must not forsake the assembly of the church when it comes together to observe the Lord’s Supper. (Compare Acts 20:7; Hebrews 10:25; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2.) But what about other services which are set by the church? Someone says, "I do not have to attend those services because they are not commanded." It might be true that they are not specifically commanded, but is it "pleasing in His sight" to do so? There is but one answer, a resounding "Yes". The Christian is one who is totally committed to pleasing God in every way he can. So, can you prove you are a Christian? Are you doing what is right and well-pleasing to God?

John further states that "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin" (3:9), that is, as a habitual practice. If you see an individual getting after sin with all of his being, you can be assured that he is not a Christian. One cannot walk with God and walk in sin at the same time. A Christian is one who abstains from every "appearance of evil."

"Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God..." (5:1) As was noted in the commentary, this is far more than a simple acceptance of the credibility of divine testimony or even a mouthing of the truth that Jesus is the Christ. It is the commitment of oneself to this elevated truth which manifests itself in appropriate actions. There are those today who would affirm that one is saved for eternity purely on a mental or verbal faith, John and the rest of the New Testament writers to the contrary notwithstanding. Faith without appropriate proof in action is dead and ineffective in proving one to the be God’s child. (Consider James 2:14-26 and Galatians 5:6.)

The ultimate proof of one’s Christianity is suggested in the following affirmation: "...everyone that loveth is born of God" (4:7). This seemed to be John’s chief theme. Over and over he declares the necessity of love in the Christian’s life. As the old preacher was nearing the end of his earthly pilgrimage he had to be carried to the assemblies of the church on a stretcher, we are told by ancient writers. (This historic fact stands as an indictment of those who claim to be Christians and offer flimsy excuses for missing the assembly.) As John was carried past his beloved brethren and sisters in Christ, he is reported to have said repeatedly, "Little children, let us love one another." In the opinion of this writer, this could well be the title of the great apostle’s last sermon. Jesus says, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35). Can you prove you are a Christian? Do you love your neighbor, your brother in Christ, and your enemies? An affirmative answer to the latter questions is necessary in order to answer "Yes" to first.

Yes, one can prove that he is a Christian, according to John. He is a Christian if he practices righteousness, abstains from sin, puts his trust in Jesus, and loves as Jesus loved.