Bible Commentaries
1 John 2

Verses 1-2

THE GROUND FOR FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD

1 John 2:1. My little children, I am writing these things to you, that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

1 John 2:2. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

A problem has been raised in the previous chap­ter. If we say we have fellowship with Him and we walk in darkness, then we are lying (1 John 1:6). If we say that we have no sin, then we are deceiving ourselves and not telling the truth (1 John 1:8). If we say that we have not sinned, we make God a liar (1 John 1:10).

Since sin is universal, it would seem that it must be inevitable that we sin; and so we try to excuse ourselves. Even we who are Christians may say that we can’t help it when we sin because every­body sins.

John certainly does not excuse sin. Sin is a terrible thing! It was sin that caused the Saviour to go to the cross to die for men. It was sin that took men away from God. It was sin that brought a bar­rier between God and man. Christ came to give his life for us that He might remove that barrier.

It is now possible for us to come into the very presence of God through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, who died to put away our sins.

When we once understand the greatness of Christ’s sacrifice for us, the fullness of His pardon, and the excellence of all that He has made possible for us, then we will see the awfulness of sin and we will not want to continue in sin.

1 John 2:1. My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sini .

Sinning is inconsistent in one who is walking in the light.

In this chapter John is pleading for moral fit­ness, for day by day walking with God. May I re­mind you that he is not dealing with judicial fit­ness, which was forever settled at the cross. Our position before God cannot be changed. He is deal­ing here with the matter of fellowship with God.

Again, I repeat it, because I want it clearly in your minds. We have bodies that have desires and lusts that are contrary to the character and will of God. Even though we yearn for the things of God, we do things that we should not do. Paul says,

“For I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.” (Romans 7:15).

So we have a real problem with these bodies that are not yet glorified.

God has made the provision for our restoration into fellowship with Him, and this was stated in chapter one in verses nine and ten. If we confess, He forgives and cleanses. The ground for this fellowship is the work of Christ.

May I remind you that our Lord’s work for us is threefold. He has finished one work at the cross and in resurrection when He put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. He has made possible the re­demption of men because He satisfied the very character of God and reconciled men to God. He has made it possible for God to declare righteous every sinner who believes in Jesus Christ. On the cross He said, “It is finished.” This work has been completed.

In the future, our Lord will do another work. He will return to the earth to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. He will first judge the nations and Israel. Then He will set up His glorious king­dom and reign for a thousand years on earth. All nations will be under his banner and the knowl­edge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. The nations shall learn war no more, and He will arbitrate between the nations (Isaiah 11:1-16).

In the present, the Lord Jesus has a ministry at the right hand of God. The entire Book of Hebrews deals with our Saviour on the throne of grace as our High Priest. He is our Representative, our In­tercessor, our Forerunner, our Refuge, our Hope— all that we need.

This is stated in Hebrews where God is set forth in His governmental dealings with His people.

In the Epistle of John, we learn that He prays for us in our frailty. This is another aspect of Christ’s present ministry—the advocacy of Christ in mak­ing provision for His people when they sin. One of the results of His advocacy for us when we sin is that the fellowship in the family is restored.

1 John 2:1. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Notice, it doesn’t say that if any man repent, he has an Advocate; nor if any man promises to be good, he has an Advocate. If any man sin, he has an Advocate. He is not talking to the unsaved. The unsaved man needs the work of the cross. He needs a Saviour. This is speaking to the Christian who has received eternal life as a gift and now wants to walk in fellowship with God. The believer who sins is the one who needs an Advocate.

We do not read in Scripture that we have an Ad­vocate with God, nor do we read that we have a High Priest in the Father. In the Book of Hebrews, God is set forth in His governmental dealing with His people, and Christ is revealed in His present ministry before God as our High Priest. We need a High Priest because we are here in frailty and weakness.

In the Epistle of John, we are taught that the Father and those who believe in His Son are in a family relationship, and fellowship is a family mat­ter.

We have an Advocate with the Father! He effec­tively pleads our cause before the Father. He does this pleading on the ground that He has already and still continues to satisfy perfectly the demands of divine holiness. He is the abiding propitiation.

Now we come to the question: When does He start to plead our cause?

When we sin?

Before we sin?

After we confess?

When is He our Advocate?

My friend, He is always our Advocate. He is con­tinually pleading our cause. Let me illustrate this with our Lord’s advocacy for Peter.

In Luke 22:1-71, the Lord said,

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permis­sion to sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail” (Luke 22:31-32).

Notice that Jesus did not pray that he would not sin or that he would not deny Him. He had al­ready talked to the Father and had pleaded his cause so that his faith would not fail. Peter did not know himself, and he replied, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death” (Luke 22:33). Peter is saying, “You can surely count on me. I know the rest of them here may fail you, but you can count on me. I’ll die for You.” And Peter meant every word of it.

When we think of Peter sinning, we think of his denying his Lord with oaths and curses. We must remember that it didn’t start there. It started with self-confidence. Peter had confidence in the flesh.

In the Garden of Gethsemane our Lord had asked Peter, James, and John to watch with Him; but when He came back to them, He found Peter sleeping (Matthew 26:36-46).

It is always easier to sleep than it is to pray. When the crowd came to take the Lord captive in the garden, Peter took out his sword and cut off a fellow’s ear. The Lord had just demonstrated His power by declaring who He is, and they had all fallen backwards to the ground. That was a mani­festation of the power of God. But then Peter took out his sword and manifested the flesh (John 18:1-11).

After the soldiers had taken Jesus, Peter fol­lowed afar off. In the palace of the high priest he sat down with the enemies of Christ and warmed himself at their fire. Then he denied his Lord three times (John 18:12-27); Luke 22:54-62).

If we note the steps in Peter’s downfall, we find that he was boastful. He slept when he should have been praying. He acted in the energy of the flesh when he cut off the ear of Malchus. He fol­lowed afar off. He sat down with the enemies of Christ. He denied the Saviour, adding his oaths and curses.

Then the Lord turned and looked on Peter, and Peter went out and wept bitterly. He did not lose his love for the Saviour. He did not lose his faith in the Saviour.

Peter failed miserably, but his faith did not fail. Peter’s faith did not fail because of the advocacy of Christ, our Lord. He had pleaded Peter’s cause, that his faith fail not; and, if you tell me that Peter lost his faith, then I must tell you that the prayers of Christ were not efficacious. They were not enough. No, you must confess with me that if Je­sus Christ is God’s Son, the righteous One, then His prayer must avail for His people. In fact, I am convinced that if it were not for His prayers for the people of God, not one could stand. Not for a mo­ment! He effectively pleads our cause. He never tires of pleading our cause.

Do you realize that we have two Advocates? We have Jesus Christ in heaven as our Advocate, pleading our cause before the Father so that our fellowship might be restored and that we might be filled with joy and with blessing (1 John 2:1-2). Also, the Spirit of God is an Advocate, dwelling in us, pleading His cause in us (Romans 8:26-27).

How wonderful it is that God has supplied three deterrents to sin. He has given us His Word.

1) Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee (Psalms 119:11).

2)You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you (John 15:3).

3)And He has given us His Holy Spirit, indwelling us to lead and guide and direct us in our living (John 16:13).

He longs to have us know and obey His Word and to have us submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit. He has given us an Advocate, the Lord Je­sus Christ.

Notice that our Advocate with the Father is “Je­sus Christ, the righteous.” He is the sinless One. Here He is not called Jesus Christ, the merciful One or the loving One or the compassionate One or the tender One. No, the issue here is sin— sin as opposed to righteousness. When you and I sin, we have a righteous God involved. How then, can a righteous God forgive us our sin? Here is the an­swer.

1 John 2:1. We have an advocate with the Father, JESUS CHRIST THE RIGHTEOUS:

1 John 2:2. and HE is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Did you ever fall in love with Christ? If you love the Saviour, do you know that you stand be­fore God in all the righteousness of Christ? God never sees us apart from His Son. He always sees us clothed in the garments of His righteousness. What a peace that brings us. What a Saviour!

1 John 2:2. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

The Greek word for “propitiation” is the same word used for “mercy-seat.” It signifies that which Christ has become for the sinner. On the cross He met the demands of God’s holiness and righteous­ness. He is what the mercy-seat was in the Old Testament, namely, the place of meeting between God and men. John is telling us in these verses that Christ is our Advocate, not only because He is the righteous One, but also because He is the abiding propitiation for our sin.

Being justified as a gift by His grace through the re­demption which is in Christ Jesus;

Whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His right­eousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;

For the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:24-26).

When Christ died on the cross, He vindicated the righteous character of God; He perfectly satis­fied all the divine character. In other words, the eternal God in all His holiness and justice and righteousness was perfectly and completely satis­fied with what Jesus Christ, His Son, accomplished on the cross. This is God’s side of Calvary. Our side is to be redeemed and reconciled.

The important issue is that God is satisfied with the work of His Son. It is not our value of the blood of Christ that saves us and cleanses us. It is the great value that God has put upon the blood of His Son. God is satisfied! Christ is the propitiation for our sins. This is ever the basis of our Lord’s advocacy. He pleads our cause on the ground that He has already satisfied the divine character of God for us.

1 John 2:2. He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

There is sufficient value in the work of Christ, who satisfied the character of God, for the whole world to be saved if they would but come to Him. A complete work was accomplished at the cross. Di­vine righteousness was perfectly and fully satisfied once for all. This is the statement in Romans. Here, in the Epistle of John, the emphasis is the abiding propitiation. As the righteous One, He pleads and He is ever efficacious because He is the One who has removed the righteous judgment of God against men. His sacrifice is inexhaustible and eternally valid.

Propitiation is not something we must feel or experience; it is a fact to be accepted. Relationship is established with the eternal, righteous God the moment we receive the Saviour. This salvation is declared in the Gospel of John and explained in the Book of Romans. Here, in the Epistle of John, he is talking about our fellowship. We are respon­sible for our sin, but He is the One who has made provision for us to be cleansed.

After we have accepted the Saviour, our relation­ship with God never changes. We become the chil­dren of God for all eternity. Our standing before God never changes. We stand before Him as His redeemed children, clothed in all the righteous­ness of Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21).

However, our fellowship with Him does change. We may be in fellowship with God today and may fail Him tomorrow. In His wonderful grace He has made provision for this failure. Christ is our Advocate with the Father. He pleads our cause on the ground of His all-sufficient sacri­fice for our sin (1 John 4:9-10).

God has so graciously and wondrously mani­fested His love for us.

Do you realize that we have been redeemed, not primarily that we might change the world, but that we might walk in fellowship with God? This is the great longing of His heart.

Abraham walked with God as a friend. He is called the “friend of God” in 2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23.

What did he do for the world? He pleaded with God for men (Genesis 18:23-33 and Genesis 20:17-18).

Just so, when we walk with God, we have weap­ons so powerful that the armies of the earth can­not withstand them. We have the Word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17).

We have the privilege of praying “at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18).

Fellowshiping with God is simply walking with Him whatever and wherever our jobs may be. It is magnifying Him in all that we do.

Won’t you rejoice today that God is completely satisfied with the work of His son?

Won’t you revel in the love of the Saviour and enjoy His fellowship?

Verses 3-5

THE EVIDENCE OF FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD

There is a question that needs to be answered. How can I know when I am in fellowship with this God who is light, who is absolute in holiness, in whom is no darkness at all? Feelings and ecstatic experiences are transient and unreliable. We must turn to the Word of God to find the answer. We find that there are three things that characterize the life of a Christian when he is really walking in fellowship with God.

1. The first evidence is obedience to His Word.

1 John 2:3. And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.

1 John 2:4. The one who says, “Ι have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

1 John 2:5. But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him.

Here we have a statement of experiential knowledge. That is to say, our experience in fel­lowship with God is tested. If our relationship to God is a real relationship and if it is a personal fel­lowship with God who is light, then it will be mani­fested by obedience to His Word. In fact, perfect obedience is the evidence of a perfect love for him.

He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. . . . If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him (John 14:21; John 14:23).

Our perfect example in this is the Lord Jesus Christ.

But that the world may know that I love the Fa­ther, and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do (John 14:31).

For I do always do the things that are pleasing to Him (John 8:29).

My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work (John 4:34).

This was the great desire of the heart of Christ.

We must admit that even though we want to obey the Word of God, we fail so often. God knows, and we all recognize, that we are living in bodies that are frail and that fail God. Sin comes to us through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. We see things, we hear things, we do things, we desire things that break our fellowship with God. Words pop out of our mouth without any thinking, and we are amazed at what we said. We are amazed at some of the things we do because we do not want to do them.

The unsaved man, the one who is not a Chris­tian, does not feel that way. The man of the world does what he wants to do. He has no desire for the Word of God. He has no desire to obey the Word of God. We who are Christians have a yearning for the fellowship of God. We want to serve the Lord. We want to do the Lord’s will. We want to be found obedient to Him. That very thing, my friend, is one of the evidences that we belong to Him.

1 John 2:5. But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him.

When we accept the Saviour, there is planted in our hearts a great desire for God, for His fellow­ship, for His Word. Even though we are weak and often fail, yet there is in our hearts the great desire to do the will of God.

His delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night (Psalms 1:2).

If obedience to the Word of God is not the desire of your heart, then, my friend, I would like to ask you a question. Have you really accepted Christ as your personal Saviour? Have you come into right relationship with Him?

Obedience to His Word is the measure of our love for Christ and is also the evidence of our fel­lowship and union with Him. This is experiential knowledge, something we know. It is not a theory, nor a doctrine, nor some theology which men may teach; but it is a reality in our own life. God has provided the possibility of personal, intimate fel­lowship with Himself. This is why He sent His Son. He redeemed man, and He removed the barrier be­tween man and God so that man could have a re­lationship with God and also have intimate fellowship with Him. It is possible for a Christian on earth to walk in fellowship with God day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment. In fact, the whole Gospel of Luke tells us how Jesus as a man walked in continual moment-by-moment fellow­ship with His Father. This fellowship can also be ours. What is the evidence of such fellowship? Obedience to His Word!

Is this what you want to do?

Verses 6-8

2. The second evidence of fellowship with God
is submission to His will.

1 John 2:6. The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

1 John 2:7. Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard.

1 John 2:8. On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is pass­ing away, and the true light is already shining.

Allow me to paraphrase verse 6: “He who con­fesses or says that he is in fellowship with God ought to walk even as Christ walked.” Lest some­one should misunderstand what John is writing, let me state that he does not say that if we are abiding in Him, we will do the same things that He did. He does not say that. He does say that we will walk as He walked.

The “old commandment” in verse seven is found in John 13:1-38 where Jesus says,

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disci­ples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35).

This was a “new commandment” which He gave them while He walked among them, but now it has become the “old commandment.” Then what is the “new commandment” which John mentions in verse six? It is absolute submission to the will of the Father. If I say that I am in fellowship with God, then I will walk even as He walked. And how did He walk? That which characterized the life of Jesus as He walked a Man among men was His absolute submission to the will of His Father.

This submission to the Father’s will was prophe­sied in the Psalms.

Sacrifice and meal offering Thou hast not desired; My ears hast thou opened: burnt-offering and sin-offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart (Psalms 40:6-8).b

This is repeated in Hebrews 10:5-10 where twice we read, “Behold, I have come to do thy will, O God.”

You cannot find a time in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ when He was not in absolute sub­mission to His Father.

When our Lord became 12 years of age, Joseph and Mary took Him to Jerusalem into the temple before God so that He might take His place as a son under the law. This was their custom as the law demanded. After this, Jesus was personally responsible to God for His own life. As Joseph and Mary were returning to Nazareth, they missed Je­sus and returned to Jerusalem to find Him. They found Him in the midst of the doctors, confound­ing those doctors in the temple. When they told Jesus they had been looking all over for Him, He answered, “How is it that ye sought me; did you not know that I must be about my Father’s busi­ness?” (Luke 2:49). As a son under the law, He was responsible to be obedient and submissive to His Father’s will.

Notice these words of our Lord:

My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work (John 4:34).

For I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own
will, but the will of Him that sent Me (John 6:38).

And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone; for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him (John 8:29).

Nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt (Mat­thew 26:39).

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God, and was going back to God . . . (John 13:3).

The Father had utter confidence in the Son, trusting that He would go through and do the work that He was supposed to do.

I glorified Thee on the earth, I have accomplished the work which Thou hast given Me to do (John 17:4).

It is finished (John 19:30).

He had completed everything that was in the Fa­ther’s will and purpose for Him to do. That which characterized the life of our Saviour was complete submission to the will of His Father.

When we walk in fellowship with God, there will be in us that same submission to the will of our Father. Again I ask, how can we know the will of our Father, how can we be obedient to His Word, unless we stay in the Word of God? How can we know the purpose of God for our lives unless we live in the Word of God where it is re­vealed to us?

We do not know the will of God by some experi­ence. We find the will of God, we find the purpose of God for our lives, we find the desire of God for us in the Word of God. We must go to the Word of God!

The more we read it, the more we hide the Word in our minds and in our hearts, the greater will be our desire to be obedient to His Word and to be submissive to His will. When this is true, He will have more delight in us; and we will have more fulness of joy in Him.

Profession carries with it an obligation. Divine fellowship results in a corresponding action. We will walk as He walked. And when we walk as He walked, we will love as He loved. Isn’t that going too far? What did He say?

That you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one an­other (John 13:34-35).

We are to forgive as He has forgiven. But He for­gave everything! That’s right. And we are to forgive everything.

And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you (Ephesians 4:32).

Bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you (Colossians 3:13).

We are to serve as He served.

As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify My­self, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth (John 17:18-19).

Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you (John 20:21).

Here is a life to be lived. We are not under the law of the Ten Commandments nor are we under the Sermon on the Mount. We are on a higher plane. The Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount are law. The Sermon on the Mount sets forth the spirit of the law. Hating a brother without a cause is equal to murder. Lusting after a woman is adultery in the heart. This is the spirit of the law.

We have a higher walk. We are to walk as He walked, love as He loved, forgive as He has for­given, serve as He served. This is a supernatural life. It can be lived only by Christ living in us. If we say that we are abiding in Him, that we are walking in fellowship with Him, then we will walk as He walked in obedience and in submission to the will of the Father.

After His resurrection, Jesus sent forth His dis­ciples to bear testimony to the world, to reveal something of the character and heart and love and grace and tenderness and compassion of God. How else can the world know Him unless we walk as He walked, love as He loved, forgive as He has forgiven, and serve as He served?

If we desire to have Christ live this supernatu­ral life through us, then there is one more wonder­ful thing which we must do. We are to pray as He prayed.

Will you please open your Bible to John 16:1-33 and read the entire passage from verse 23 to verse 28. We will note that Jesus said to His disciples,

In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from the Father (John 16:26-27).

He is saying, “I am giving you the same rights that I have. Just as I come into the presence of My Father and make My needs known, so can you be­cause you love Me.” What a blessed privilege!

To walk as He walked is something we cannot accomplish in our own strength. It is supernatu­ral. It is impossible for a man to imitate Christ. This is the very reason He has given us the Word of God and He has given us the Spirit of God who indwells us. It is impossible for the man of the world to live the Christian life. And it is impossible for us, apart from Him.

The only way this life is possible is by yielding our lives to God so that He might live His life through us.

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me (Galatians 2:20).

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you (Romans 8:11).

So it is possible for us to live the life that He wants us to live. When we walk in fellowship with God, there will be that evidence.

Not by some crisis experience! Not by miracles! Not by spiritual gifts!

Spiritual gifts are not a sign of spirituality. A person can have all the gifts of the Spirit and still be carnal. One needs only to read the Book of Co­rinthians to find this. In chapter 14 we read that they had all the gifts of the Spirit, yet in 1 Corin­thians 3:1-4 Paul says four times, “You are car­nal.” Just because one has had some great experi­ence does not mean that person is spiritual. Spiri­tuality is evident by obedience to the Word of God and submission to the will of God.

Verses 9-11

3. The third evidence of fellowship with

God is love for the brethren.

1 John 2:9. The one who says he is in the light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now.

1 John 2:10. The one who loves his brother abides in the light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

1 John 2:11. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going be­cause the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Walking in love for the brethren is an indication that we are walking in fellowship with the living God. In Colossians 1:13 we read that God has “de­livered us from the domain of darkness, and trans­ferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.”

If I am walking in that light, if I really know the Lord, then it will be manifested by love for the brethren. This love for God’s people is not some­thing that we can produce, but it is made possible and made known by our union with Him “because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us”(Romans 5:5).

In other words, divine love is in the heart of every Christian. As we yield ourselves to Him, there will be evidence of that love one for another.

Allow me to show a contrast here. You will no­tice there are three things said about the believer. He walks in the light as He is in the light (1 John 1:7). He is in the light (1 John 2:9) and he abides in the light (1 John 2:10). Love is the evidence of where he lives.

There are also three things stated about the un­believer and darkness. The unbeliever is in dark­ness, he walks in darkness, and darkness has blinded his eyes (1 John 2:11) .

Our love for our brother, in spite of his faults, manifests that we are in the light and not in the dark. It is easy to love those who love us. Unfortu­nately, when another Christian fails, our problem is that we sit as judges and critics, and then we are not very lovable. We ought to love the brother, in spite of his failure, and seek to help him be­cause we love him.

Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of gen­tleness; each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted (Galatians 6:1).

A fellow Christian may be in trouble, in fail­ure, out of fellowship with God. He may be bitter or just plain “ornery.” How are we going to bring him out of it if we do not love him? This does not mean that we condone sin. It does mean that we should manifest love. When we seek to restore such an one, it should not be with a censorious and critical spirit, but rather in love.

One of the tragedies of the present time is that so many churches (I say this very sadly) have been split and shattered because of lack of love one for another. One who boasts about being evangelical, about loving the Saviour, about loving truth and sound doctrine, is very inconsistent if he hates his brother.

The inevitable mark of walking in fellowship with God who is light is love for the brethren.

By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35).

Is it not wonderful that the Lord’s love for us never changes? Our frailty and failure never affect His love for us. God grant that we shall manifest the same spirit to those who belong to the Saviour. May obedience to His Word, submission to His will, and love for the brethren characterize our lives.

Verse 12

THE PLACE OF THE FELLOWSHIP

1 John 2:12. I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.

We find that the place of the fellowship is in the family. In this verse, the Greek word for children is “teknia” which means the “born ones” and in­cludes of the whole family of God.

The only way we can be in the family of God is by the new birth (John 1:12-13; 1 Peter 1:23). To those who are in the family, John says, “I write unto you, teknia (born ones), because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.”

Forgiveness is for the whole family! We are speaking here of something that is true for every believer. This complete, perfect, and permanent pardon for every believer is based on the grace of God.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE (Ephesians 1:7).

And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiv­ing each other, just as God in Christ (FOR CHRIST’S SAKE—KJV) also has forgiven you (Ephesians 4:32).

I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you FOR HIS NAME’S SAKE (1 John 2:12).

How wonderful it is to have this blessed assur­ance, to know that the moment we come to the Saviour we have forgiveness of sins and we receive a pardon that is eternal. We are accepted in the Beloved. We are members of the family of God.

John goes on to speak of three kinds of people in the family of God. There are the fathers, the young men, and the babies. They have all been born into the family, but they are not all at the same stage of maturity. They have not all attained the same spiritual growth. He has something to say to each of them. He speaks first to the fathers.

1 John 2:13-14

1. The declaration to the fathers.

1 John 2:13. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning.

And then John repeats it.

1 John 2:14. I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning.

He is not talking here about a person who has led someone else to Christ. Paul did use the word “father” with that meaning when he wrote to the Corinthian church that they had many teachers but one father (1 Corinthians 4:15). In a sense, we become spiritual fathers to people when we lead them to the Saviour and build them up in Christ.

But that is not the meaning here. He is talking about spiritual growth. They are fathers in the faith and they are mature spiritually.

You will notice that there is no word of exhorta­tion concerning walk or doctrine given to the fa­thers. He simply says, “I write unto you fathers, because you have known Him.”

This is experiential knowledge. They are fathers because of their experience in Christ. These are the ones who know intimately the Incarnate Word of God. They have gone through the tests and tri­als and afflictions of life, and yet, in spite of it all, they are fully satisfied with Christ. The world has no more pull on them. The flesh is kept in subjec­tion.

They know how to walk before God. If they fail, they know what to do. They confess their sin to God, are forgiven and cleansed, and go on in per­fect fellowship with Him. This is the mature, the truly spiritual Christian.

If the apostle had no admonition to the fa­thers, neither do I. If you believe that you are a fa­ther, that you are mature in faith and in spiritual life, that you know sound doctrine, that you know where you stand, then you can say with Paul:

I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day (2 Timothy 1:12).

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).

The great yearning of the heart of God is that His people may be absolutely, perfectly satisfied with the Saviour. It is possible for a Christian to so walk with God, to be so in love with the Saviour, to so know the Word of God, that the one desire of his heart is to please Him.

The circumstances, trials, afflictions, troubles, disappointments, and sorrows of life do not dis­turb the deep-seated peace of the mature Chris­tian because he knows the Lord is with him. He knows that the Lord will never leave him, that He knows all the circumstances, and that He is the God over all circumstances. He is perfectly satis­fied to trust Him for every moment of every day, to know His way, and to walk in it.

His great joy is to live in fellowship with his Lord. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews teaches us that God has given us faith, not to transform the world, but to walk with Him.

Are you a mature Christian? Do you know what it means to walk with God? This is our desire for each one of you.

Verses 13-17

2. The address to the young men.

1 John 2:13. I am writing to you, young men, because you have over­come the evil one. . . .

1 John 2:14.I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

1 John 2:15. Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If any­one loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

1 John 2:16. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

1 John 2:17. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.

The young men are the believers in conflict. Three things are said about them. They are strong. That is, they have spiritual power and courage of faith and purpose. They have conviction and are not tossed about by every wind of doctrine. They have a real purpose in life.

The reason they are strong is because the Word of God is abiding in them. It is their daily food.

The third statement John makes concerning them is that they have overcome the wicked one.

There is no possibility of victory over the enemy apart from the Word of God. We, too, can be strong when we use the only aggressive weapon that God has given us—the Word of God abiding in us.

In Matthew 4:1-25 and Luke 4:1-44 we find the story of our Saviour in the wilderness, being led there of the Spirit to be tempted of the devil. Satan ap­proached Him with testing concerning the grace of God, the Word of God, and the Person of God.

You will remember that the Lord answered, “It is written!” “It is written!” “It is written!” If we are to have victory over the enemy, we must be able to say, “It is written!”

My Christian friend, may I say very solemnly that it is not possible to live the Christian life without a knowledge of the Word of God. We must spend time in His Word to know the Saviour whom we trust, the One who is our Lord and who gives us the victory.

In verses 15-17, we find that the young men have another enemy—the world! John gives a strong exhortation concerning this. Let us read those verses again:

1 John 2:15. Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If any one loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

1 John 2:16. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

1 John 2:17. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.

What is meant here by the world? It is a sys­tem, an economic, social, political, religious sys­tem. It started with Cain who went out from the presence of the Lord and built a city (Genesis 4:1-26). His purpose was to make the earth a beautiful place to live in—without God. This is still true to­day. Let us always remember that the world is our enemy. There is a tremendous barrier between God the Father and the world.

The world appeals to us through three avenues: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. This is always true.

In Genesis, chapter three, we find that Satan tempted Adam and Eve these three ways. He ques­tioned the love of God by implying that God was withholding something good from them in forbid­ding them to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He caused them to doubt the Word of God when he told them they would not die. Then he attacked the Person of God by saying they would be like gods, knowing good and evil.

He tempted them in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate (Genesis 3:6).

Her pride was manifest because she desired to be as God. She rebelled against the law and char­acter of God. She was disobedient to the word of God. In deliberately disobeying, she sinned and became alienated from God.

Satan used the same approaches when he tempted our Lord in the wilderness.

He will approach you in the same way. He has not changed his methods of seeking to win men away from devotion to the Saviour and from a walk in the purpose and will of Christ. He wants to de­feat the purpose of God in your life. He comes in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

The worst of the three is pride. Pride was the cause of Satan’s downfall. Pride is the root sin. The thing that oftentimes keeps us from doing that which God wants us to do is pride. But let us re­member that, apart from what we have in Christ, we having nothing of which we can be proud.

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh (Romans 7:18).

If we have any gifts or talents, let us thank God for them. He is the Giver. We are the recipients.

So we see that we have three implacable ene­mies: the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Sometimes we think that our lives should be easy after we have committed ourselves to the Lord. Then we find that we have more tests and trials than before we became Christians. That is to be expected!

Before we became Christians, we did not have any opposition from the world, the flesh, and the devil because we lived without any responsibility to God.

Now that we are Christians, our lives have been changed. We are in His family. We are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. We want to do His will. Our citi­zenship is in heaven from whence we look for our Saviour. We are occupied with Him. Our responsi­bility is to love Him and serve Him and tell others about Him. We can expect to be attacked by the enemy who is always in opposition to God and to those who desire to live for Him.

Every believer is engaged in a warfare. Paul writes of this in Ephesians 6:10-18. Our fight is against Satan and all his cohorts, all the rulers of the darkness of this world. He speaks not only of our enemy, but also of the provision we have against him. He exhorts us to put on the whole armour of God.

Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteous­ness,

and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming mis­siles of the evil one.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert . . . (Ephe­sians 6:14-18).

May I suggest a study that reveals the exactness and perfection of Scripture concerning our ene­mies and the provision made for us.

It is the Father who is in opposition to the world (1 John 2:15). In the seventeenth chapter of the Gospel of John, our Saviour is talking to the Fa­ther concerning His own and He mentions the “world” 19 times. Then He prays,

I do not ask Thee to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world (John 17:15-16).

It is the Spirit who is in opposition to the flesh (Galatians 5:16; Galatians 5:25; Romans 8:12-13).

It is Christ who is in opposition to Satan or anti­christ (1 John 3:8; Hebrews 2:14-15; 1 John 4:2-3).

Every provision has been made for us. We know that the whole world system of which we have been speaking is under the judgment of God. We who are in the family of God have been delivered, not only from judgment, but also from the power of Satan and from the present evil world (Galatians 1:3-4; Galatians 6:14).

It is wonderful to know that between the be­liever and the world stands the cross of Christ. Because this is true, we have a special responsibil­ity:

1 John 2:15 Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. . . .

1 John 2:17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.

The world and its lust I do not endure. Let me emphasize again that the world is under the judg­ment of God, and Christians have been delivered from the world.

Why should we waste our time on passing, tran­sient things when we can know the joys and bless­ings of fellowship with the One who is eternal? How many Christians are frittering away their time with things that perish with the using, when they could be occupied with eternal glories!

My friend, when our hearts are occupied with Him, we can know the peace of God, the rest of heart that is found only in Him. We can experience His joy in the midst of suffering, His comfort in sorrow.

It is an amazing thing that the eternal, omnipo­tent God has made provision for us to walk with Him. Let us not let anything rob us of this inti­macy and fellowship.

There can be only one supreme object of moral devotion. It will be either the world or the Father.

Where is the devotion of your heart? He loves you and has a special plan and purpose for you.

May your heart be set upon Him so that He can lead you and bless you and use you.

Verses 18-19

3. The instruction to the little children.

The apostle now writes to the last group in the family of God, the little children. The Greek word here is “paidia” which means “the inexperienced ones” or, let me use the term, the little babes.

1 John 2:13. I have written to you, children, because you know the Fa­ther.

1 John 2:18. Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that an­tichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour.

1 John 2:19. They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us.

While the enemy of the young men is the world, the enemy of the babes in Christ is the false teacher. In the early church the false teachers manifested themselves by denying the incarnate Word of God. In chapter 4, verses 2 and 3, we read that the spirit of antichrist is the denial of the per­son of our Saviour. This is stated here in chapter 2, verses 21-26, in more detail. These seducers do not teach that Jesus is the Christ nor that this Je­sus of Nazareth is God manifest in the flesh.

The deity of Jesus was the issue when our Lord stood before the high priest in Matthew 26:1-75.

The high priest said to our Lord,

I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.

Jesus said to him, You have said it yourself, neverthe­less I tell you, hereafter you shall see the Son of man sit­ting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven (Matthew 26:63-64).

The high priest had put our Lord under oath and when he did that, our Lord said in effect, “That is true. I am the Christ, the Son of God. Not only that, but I am the One who is going to fulfill Daniel chapter seven, for the Messiah is going to come in the clouds of heaven.”

You will remember that our Lord spoke of this to his disciples in Matthew 16:27-28; Matthew 24:30; Matthew 25:31-46.

The spirit of antichrist denies all that Jesus Christ claimed to be and to do. This is the issue brought to us in the second and third Epistles of John. The ones they were to exclude from the fel­lowship were those who denied the Incarnate Word of God. It was evident who they were, and it was manifest that they did not belong in the church of Jesus Christ.

In the twentieth century church, those who be­lieve that Jesus Christ is the incarnate Word of God are sometimes asked to leave. My, what a contrast to the first century church! We see it clearly set before us here.

When a person or a church denies that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, that person or church has the spirit of antichrist, and we are told to have nothing to do with them. I am not trying to be hard or severe. I am telling you what the Word of God has to say.

The babes in Christ are warned to beware of these false teachers. We know that the various cults today, with their false doctrines, seek out in­experienced Christians. They work on those who are untaught and who know little of the Word of God. They may come to your door with a Bible un­der their arm, but the purpose is to detract from the glorious person of Christ, the Incarnate Word of God. They deny the physical resurrection of Christ, who died to put away our sin and was raised again from the dead by the glory of the Father.

We find the same thing on the mission field. The cults do not go to the unsaved, the pagans, and idolaters. They go to those who are babes in Christ, who know the Saviour but are untaught, and try to lead them astray.

The important advice to the babes in Christ is to feed on the Word of God. One does not feed a baby T-bone steak, but milk. This is stated in He­brews 5:12-14. Babies need milk to grow.

“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2).

Babes in Christ, you cannot stand for God in this world unless you are nourished by the Word of God.

You may say, “Mr. Mitchell, you always come back to that.”

That’s right! I do, because you cannot grow apart from the Word of God. You cannot overcome the en­emy apart from the Word of god. You cannot walk be­fore God in fellowship with Him apart from His Word.

Let us be like the psalmist. “His delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night” (Psalms 1:2).

Let us heed the exhortation of the apostle, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16).

Remember that God is the faithful One. Jesus assures us that the Spirit of God will use His Word in our lives.

“The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).

“Now ye are clean through the word which I have spo­ken unto you” (John 15:3).

So you see that the babes in Christ do not need admonition on how to walk as much as warning concerning false teachers.

They are in the family.

They have forgiveness.

They know the Father.

The exhortation to them is to be occupied with the Incarnate Word of God. The reason is that we are in the last times and there are many antichris­tian forces in the world.

In verses 22 and 23, John tells us that the one who loves the Saviour will acknowledge both the father and the Son.

Be careful about someone who comes to you with new truth. The Word of God was given to us and completed in the first century. The Son of God has been revealed. The revelation of God in His purposes and plans has been fully given.

If you are a babe in Christ, seek daily to know what God has revealed in His Word. May I encour­age you to read it even though there is much you may not understand. Read it and read it and re­read it, and the Lord will reveal Himself to you.

Verse 20

The apostle continues by giving encouragement to these babes in Christ, the little children of the family of God. The first of these encouragements is the Holy Spirit who is indwelling them.

1 John 2:20. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.

1 John 2:27. And as for you, the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.

John does not mean here that we are not to have teachers, for God has given gifted men to teach the Word of God (Ephesians 4:11-13). We can know these men from the false teachers be­cause they make Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word of God, the center of attraction. He does mean that because the Spirit of God, who is the author of Scripture, indwells every believer, He will lead and guide into all truth and keep us from that which is false (John 16:13).

He also enables us to compare spiritual things with spiritual (1 Corinthians 2:13). We are not to believe everything we hear, but we are to prove all things, and we must prove them by the Word of God.

Verses 21-26

The second encouragement is that we have the Word of God by which to prove all things.

1 John 2:21. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth.

1 John 2:22. Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.

1 John 2:23. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.

1 John 2:24. As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father

1 John 2:25. And this is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.

1 John 2:26. These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you.

One is ever amazed at how little God’s people know of the Word of God, of the purpose of God for their lives and for the church. There are compara­tively few who lovingly and diligently study the Scriptures. The result is that many, although they have been saved for 30 or 40 or 50 years, are still babes in Christ.

Babyhood is wonderful in only one place and that is in babies. Everyone of us who belongs to the family of God has the indwelling Spirit to teach us how to know the Word of God and how to walk before Him in the path that He has for us.

You will remember Paul’s admonition to Timothy: “Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:14-15).

This is God’s weapon for us. The Word of God is unchanging. It is forever settled in heaven (Psalms 119:89). It will keep us steady in times of trial and testing as we contend with opposition, false doctrine, and the pull of the world. Stay in the Word. Meditate upon these things. Give yourself wholly to them.

Verse 27

The apostle continues by giving encouragement to these babes in Christ, the little children of the family of God. The first of these encouragements is the Holy Spirit who is indwelling them.

1 John 2:20. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.

1 John 2:27. And as for you, the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.

Verse 28

The third encouragement is the promise of His coming. Actually, this encouragement is not for the babes only but for the whole family of God, be­cause the Greek word used here is the same one which was in verse 12, “teknia,” which means the “born ones.”

1 John 2:28. And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He ap­pears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at his coming.

Abiding in Him should be the normal Christian ex­perience. In 1 John 3:24, we find that to abide in Him is to obey Him. Perhaps you thought that abiding in Christ means having fellowship with God. That is true. But it is when we obey the Word of God that we are in fellowship with Him. Our sins have been forgiven, the Spirit of God indwells us, we have His Word, we are partners with Him, we are one with Him.

Then let us obey His Word and fully enjoy fel­lowship with Him. John tells us here that we should stay in fellowship with Him, so that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.

We could look at this verse in several ways.

Was John, as an apostle of Christ, going to be ashamed of his children who were not walking with God? This could be the meaning, and I could appreciate that point of view.

A pastor comes before God in behalf of some of those whom he has led to the Saviour and then finds that they are not walking orderly and are not bring­ing honor to the Lord. The world has come into their lives; the flesh with its weakness has taken over.

If the Lord should come, the pastor would won­der, “Where have I failed these dear people? In in­struction? In encouragement?”

So it could be that John is saying that if the Lord should come and you are not walking in fel­lowship with Him, then we Apostles, we who have given you the revelation of our wonderful Saviour, would be ashamed.

However, I am inclined to believe it is a personal matter. The whole family of God, individually and collectively, will have confidence and will come into His presence with a boldness of speech and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. I have thought a good deal about this. Is it possible that there are going to be some who are going to be taken up to be with the Lord who are going to be ashamed when they stand in His presence?

My friend, if the Lord Jesus should come for His own today, and He may, would you be ashamed of what you are doing?

Would you be ashamed of some of the things you have said?

Would you be ashamed of some of the plans you are making? This verse is very practical and heart searching. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4).

I wonder if this will be because some Christians will be ashamed before Him at His coming. The translation of the church is on the ground of grace. But the question here is:

Will we be found abiding in fellowship with Him?

God is faithful to everyone who has put his trust in Him. He is faithful to the strong and the weak ones, to the mature in Christ and the babes in Christ. He gives us divine life when we accept Him. Then He makes provision for us to experience and enjoy that divine life and to live in continual fel­lowship with Him.

The Spirit of God comes to indwell us and to plead our cause before Christ. He has given us the Word of God in our hands to read so that we might be cleansed through the Word and receive light from it. Christ, the Lord of Glory, pleads our cause before the Father. What a provision God has made for us!

This 28^th verse is a great encouragement to all of us. The same thought is in Hebrews 10:37: “He that shall come will come, and will not tarry.” It is an amazing thing that when we stand before God, we will stand before Him in all the beauty and righteousness of Christ. In view of this, we are en­couraged to abide in Him, to walk in fellowship with Him, to obey Him, so that we shall not be ashamed before Him at His coming.

Yesterday, you may have had a wonderful ex­perience with the Lord. That is marvelous. But that is past, my friend. What about today?

The great yearning of the heart of God is for your fellowship today, wherever you are.

And now, little children, abide in Him!

Verse 29

FELLOWSHIP

WITH GOD

WHO IS RIGHTEOUS

1 John 2:29. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.

We have come to the second great division of the Epistle and we learn that God is righteous. He is righteous in every thing He does, which means that He always does the right thing.

We find some people sitting in judgment on God, asking why He permits certain things to happen in the earth. They mention war, bloodshed, and sor­row and ask why God does not step into the scene.

My friend, may I say to you, do not sit in judg­ment on God! Dare we infer that we are more righteous than God? Dare we infer that we are more loving or more merciful than God?

God is not dealing with nations today. God is dealing with men and women everywhere, wher­ever He finds them. If God were dealing with na­tions today, the wrath of God would be upon them for their sins, their corruption, and their opposi­tion to Him. God is righteous, and everything He does is right.

I may not understand all that He does. That does not alter the fact. Abraham, as he pleaded for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, could say,

“Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25).

Here, then, is the revelation that God is right­eous. The requirement for fellowship with a right­eous God, of course, is righteousness.

A believer may be discouraged to find that after a profession of faith he still sins. We discussed this at the end of the first chapter and the beginning of the second chapter. God has made provi­sion for cleansing and forgiving the sins of His people.

Yet it is true that a practical righteousness certainly must be consistent in one who is in fel­lowship with a righteous God. If we claim to be in fellowship with a God who is righteous, then our lives will be righteous. At least there will be evi­dence of practical righteousness which will be consistent with the God whom we love and serve and with whom we walk.

This is not to be confused with imputed right­eousness, which means to

“be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith” (Philippians 3:9).b

“But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us . . . righteousness” (1 Corinthians 1:30).

“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth” (Romans 10:4).b

“For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Romans 1:16-17 states that the gospel is the revelation of the righteousness of God. Romans 3:21-31, that basic passage on justification by faith, declares that God may be just (righteous) and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus.

When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He made it possible for God to seek unrighteous, sinful peo­ple and pronounce them righteous.

Remember that sin pays wages, and God exe­cutes the penalty. How can we be freed?

How can God be freed so that He can pronounce proven sinners to be righteous?

When Christ died on the cross, He satisfied the righteous character of God and freed God to be able to pronounce righteous those sinners who believe on His Son. This is an imputed righteousness.

Since we are in Christ Jesus, we are made the righteousness of God in Him. Such a position in Christ will also be evident in our walk. If we claim to be the children of a righteous God, then our lives ought to manifest something of that right­eousness. The righteousness which we have in Christ is a divine righteousness and is able to stand the test of the holy, righteous character of God.

An unsaved person, one who is born and shapen in iniquity, cannot manifest righteousness. But the person who accepts the Saviour becomes a new man or a new woman in Christ and stands before God in all the righteousness of Christ, being accepted in the beloved (2 Corinthians 5:17 and Ephesians 1:6).

This is what will be manifested as we walk in fellowship with God. Our lives will be changed. It is true that while we are still in our bodies we will have frailty and weakness and failure at times. This does not alter the fact that we stand before God in all the righteousness of Christ and that practical righteousness is the norm for one who is in fellowship with a righteous God.

Let us be very clear about this. Imputed right­eousness, that is, our standing before God, is based on our relationship with God.

When we manifest practical righteousness, we are proving the source of a new life. We are then revealing the fact that we belong to God. People may notice and say that we are different. Of course, we are different! “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We have the opportunity to be a channel for God to display His righteousness before men. The danger is that we throw up our hands and say, “Well, I guess this is not for me. I fail so often.” So the Apostle goes on with: