When Prayer Isn't The Answer

"If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin leading to death." - 1 John 5:16-17

Recently, I talked about prayer and the confidence we can have in it. But what about this passage? Why would this sort of passage follow such an inspiring couple of verses?

It's because God has limits. These are not limits of His grace (though we may view it that way), rather limits to His tolerance of our earthly stay.

There are two kinds of sin according to John. Most biblical scholars will agree that John is not referring to two specific sins. As John Piper said in this sermon, John is not referring to murder as the sin which leads to death and a little white lie as the sin which does not. Rather, these two sins refer to how deeply rooted the individual is in that sin.

Here is an example of a sin which does not lead to death.

Your brother or sister in Christ cheats on his or her spouse. This is a massive sin. It's against God's design for marriage. It tears apart the picture of Jesus and His bride. It's just downright terrible. But…let's say the guilty party is extremely sorry. This person isn't sorry he or she was caught. The individual is truly sorry for the sin committed.

Then, they ask you for prayer. You lift them up to the Lord and beg that God would let that individual continue living to worship and serve Him.

After committing this terrible act, the husband or wife then gets on bended knee, admits the sin, begs forgiveness, admits the sin to the spouse, turns away from the sin and does everything in his or her power to rebuild trust in the marriage.

You were able to pray with confidence, because this sin was not going to lead to death, neither physical nor spiritual.

However, let's take the exact same scenario. This time, contrary to the previous example, this believer has a history of being unrepentant. He or she rarely apologizes for wrong-doing. You find out that this affair has been going on for some time. You are not approached by the individual for prayer. In fact, this person goes on with life as normal. Eventually,  a divorce occurs and the individual remarries. This person continues coming to your church, and perhaps is even a member of your prayer group. What are you to do?

As odd as this may sound. Prayer may not be the answer.

This is assuming a couple of things. Let's call this individual a male (so I don't have to keep saying he or she). I'm going to assume this man has been approached about his ongoing sin. Beginning in Matthew 18:15, Jesus gives the example of how to deal with a sinning believer in the church body. 1 Corinthians 5:13 states that if there is a believer in the church who refuses to stop walking in sin, "put away from yourselves the evil person." Paul goes so far as to tell them not to even sit down and have a meal with that person. In Jeremiah 7:16, God tells Jeremiah not to bother praying for the people of Israel because, "I will not hear you."

I will not hear you? I thought God heard all of our prayers?

Not necessarily.

John's entire first epistle has been about the way a believer should live day in and day out. There are warnings signs that show an individual how they may not be a believer if they live a certain way. He offers confidence to the true believer when he or she prays.

To the individual who ignores all of this instruction, there are two warnings.

First, you are not necessarily a believer, and you should examine yourself to see if you are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Secondly, there is a point when God will stop hearing the prayers offered up for you, because you have chosen sin too happily above Him.

It's not a sin to keep praying for a believer who is living in sin, but there is no confidence. After all, it may be in the best interest of both the Gospel and that individual for God to orchestrate a car accident or cancer to take his life.

Think about it. The believer's purpose on this planet is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. The believer living blissfully in sin is not glorifying God. On the contrary, he is daily dishonoring God and is a living detriment to the Christian faith. To pray that God would "bless him" or "give him a good day" or even "give him safety as he travels" may very well not be in anyone's best interest.

So what do you pray?

First of all, always pray as Jesus taught His disciples, "Thy will be done." That is most important.

Secondly, if you are unsure this individual was ever truly saved by the work on the cross, pray for his or her salvation.

Lastly, pray for yourself and those around this individual, that the Lord would lead you and them in how you ought to interact with this person. Perhaps the Lord would have you retell the Gospel to them - to make sure they weren't "saved" into an untrue, prosperity gospel. Perhaps he would have you avoid them, like in 1 Corinthians. Perhaps He would have you give your time and energy elsewhere.

And above  all, examine yourself, to you make sure you are in the faith.

Knowing what to pray

"Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him." - 1 John 5:14-15

Think of the person/people you are the closest to. Think of the individuals who would help you out at the drop of a hat.

If the time is 3 a.m. and you run out of gas in the middle of nowhere, what number do you dial with absolute assurance that he or she will be there as soon as possible?

The "sort of" prayer answerer

I've always been a little confused when it comes to verses in the Bible regarding prayer. We all know that God answers prayer. Here are a few verses that remind us of that.

Mark 11:24

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

John 15:7

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

Matthew 7:7s

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

John 15:16 

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

1 John 3:22 ESV / 64 helpful votes

And whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.

Isaiah 65:24 ESV / 58 helpful votes

Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.

2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV / 46 helpful votes

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Psalm 37:4 ESV / 42 helpful votes

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Matthew 21:22 ESV / 23 helpful votes

And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

1 John 5:14 ESV / 13 helpful votes

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

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The confusing part to me  was that there always seemed to be a hundred different prerequisites to our prayers being heard. If you delight yourself…If you humble yourself…If you keep My commandments…If you abide in Me…If…

I kind of got the feeling that prayer worked like this…

• If you have your life pretty much completely together and only ask for things that you are absolutely 100% sure are in line with God's plan for your life today and you are 100% sure that there is no selfishness in your request and that your request helps the poor, the sinners and your Great Aunt Ruth…then you can be pretty sure that God will answer your prayer…but don't be SURE…because God can do whatever he wants, and sometimes God answers your prayer by saying no.

It was confusing, and my inner prayer monologue was something like this:

"Dear God, Thank you for today. Please give me safety as I travel to work. I mean, wait, only if that's Your will. If you want me to die in a car accident, then I want that. What am I talking about? I don't want to die today…what about my family. James, shut up. You are praying. Right. As I was saying, please help me do my job well. I mean…only if you want me to. If you want me to get fired then, please do that. Thank you for my family. Please be with my wife and son today. Please protect them and let them have a fun time. Bahhhh…..I mean obviously only it that's Your will. Oh wait, I sinned yesterday. Now, I don't even know if You are listening to me. I'm so sorry about that sin. Please help me be more loving of a husband next time and not watch TV instead of doing the dishes like I said I would. Okay, now what…"

How do I reconcile all of these verses? How do I pray without constantly worrying about if I am meeting the strict pre-payer qualifications?

Think back to the person you most depend on. What is the prerequisite to them helping you?

1. You are close friends.
2. Your request does no jeopardize your friendship.

If you and your best friend have a massive argument, and you know it was your fault, you may not have a lot of confidence at calling her at 3 a.m.

If you really want to ask your best friend to take his girlfriend to prom, you'll probably be out of luck.

If you completely ignored every request your mom or dad made last weekend for some "help around the house," they probably won't buy you a new car.

But, when your relationship is as it should be and your request is one that will either keep your friendship that way (or even make it closer), you can expect them to follow through.

That's the way it is with God. He understands you are human, that you make mistakes and that you have human desires. He did, after all, create you that way. He doesn't have angels at the Prayer Center in Heaven sorting through "worldly" prayers.

"Ah, Gabriel, another request for a safe drive home!"

"Hogwash! Doth not James know that the Lord may wisheth Him to crash today!"

"You speak the truth. I believe we shall altogether dispose of this prayer request."

"Truly."

In his commentary on 1 John, Warren Wiersbe said this about prayer.

"What breathing is to a physical man, prayer is to a spiritual man. If we do not pray, we 'faint' (Luke 18:1)."

When you go on a road trip, think of all the requests you make during that trip.

"Hey Sam, can you get the door for me. Hey Jonathan, will you drive. Can you turn on the radio? Can we stop at the next rest area? Can I borrow two dollars?"

That's the relationship we have been granted with God. That's why we are to pray without ceasing. There is a closeness. The reason we need to take care of sin before asking for something is because whatever we are asking for could not even be as close to as important as mending our relationship. The reason we need to ask for things that are in line with God's will is because we know that He knows best.

But I don't have to worry about asking for alertness while driving, because it may in fact be the will of God for me to crash and die, and if He gives me alertness His plans will be thwarted.

Conversation with a friend is not supposed to be burdensome. Neither is prayer.

I believe there are two verses that best teach us how to pray.

The first is 1 Thessalonians 5:17. It simply says, "Pray without ceasing." It is impossible and unbiblical to ignore everything around you and constantly be in deep prayer. Therefore, this must mean a much more laid back, constant recognition of the need for God in everything.

"God, please give me confidence to give this presentation," I pray as I walk into that conference room.

Is that a fleshly prayer? Sure. Can I pray it with confidence? Absolutely. Is it selfish? Not if my confidence lies in God. Does it point to God as the sole resource of my ability to do my job well? Yes!

That two-second prayer just said a lot about my relationship with God.

Here is another example.

"Lord, please give me humility," I pray as my wife nags me yet again for not putting my clothes away. You see, without humility this conversation is going to go very poorly. I couldn’t pray for this situation that morning. I didn't know it was going to happen. I can't ignore the situation and go outside to pray. My wife will think I'm avoiding her.  Because I pray without ceasing, the phone line is always connected with Heaven.

The second passage is Matthew 6:9-13.

"In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."

This is how you pray in the moments that are just you and your Redeemer.

"Father. You are so Holy. You are so different and better than anything this earth could ever offer me. You are the Kind of peace, hope, forgiveness, love, restitution and joy. I want those things in my home. Help me to be a husband who is about the business of those things. Help me instill those qualities in my son. Help me to be a husband who is slow to speak, quick to listen and quick to love.

But I don't just want those things in my home. I want them in my community. Help me to be someone who brings those things into my community, and keep me from distractions that would keep me locked inside my own home. I also pray for my brothers and sisters in the faith who are about the business of these things. Give them confidence and boldness as well.

And I pray for my country. Lord, I don't pray that a Republican would be nominated or that any laws that have been passed would be overturned. That is in Your  hands. I simply pray that I would be a man who would impact my country where I am by being Your hands and feet. Lord, you know it is my desire that my country would turn to you, so I pray that you would give believers everywhere boldness - not to start a spiritual war, but boldness to love those who hate the things we hold dear.

I pray for the men and women who lead our country. I disagree with many things they believe and are trying to pass into law, but I am grateful that you have placed them in a position over me, because You know how quickly I would drive this nation into the ground if I was in charge. I understand that the United States of America is not my eternal home, so for now, I am grateful for the people in charge of me who work to keep this the best temporal country that has ever existed. Please give them wisdom to continue leading me. I also pray for their spiritual state. Some of them sorely need You, not so they can become a Republican, but so they can know the joy of having You as their savior, and so they can be freed from the bondage of their sin. I think specifically of President Obama, his wife and children. I thank you that they neglected a normal life, that they might lead this nation. I thank you for President Obama's diligence these past seven years. I apologize for anything negative I have said of him. I pray that you would not only give him strength to continue leading us, but that he would also continue to be a good father and a loving husband.

Father, praying for my daily bread seems silly right now, because my fridge, freezer and cupboards are stocked. And yet, I know that, like Job, you could take any and all of it away in an instant. And so, I thank you for what you have given me. I pray that you would allow me to keep enough of what I have to make it through today, and that you would direct me as to what I should do with the extra - whether I should save it for tomorrow or give it away today.

I ask you to forgive me for the things I have done wrong since we last spoke. I can think specifically of two things, but I'm sure there are more. Help me to continue growing in faith, hope and love that I might refrain from doing those things which are of no eternal value.

And because you are so free to forgive me, help me to continue forgiving those who wrong me. I am so inclined to disdain them, but You give me strength to see them as You see me.

Keep me from sin today. You have promised that You will not lead me into a temptation from which there is no escape, so I cling to that truth. Make the way of escape so clear to me. Give me the strength to do so. Protect me from the lies of Satan today. Remind me of the things You say in Your Word when I need them. Your Word is truth.

Your kingdom is the only one that matters. Your power is the only power I care about. Your glory is the reason for my existence. Remind me of that today.

I long to see You and to be with you in eternity.

Amen.

Prayer should not be a burden. It should be the means of  lifting the great weight the world places on us each day. It should deliver us from pride and selfishness and give us peace.

A three-second prayer may not seem that spiritual, but when your day is filled with three-second prayers, along with time set aside for longer conversation (such as with morning or evening devotions), suddenly your day becomes saturated in God, and you cannot possibly imagine the eternal significance of that.

Knowing the Good News vs. Understanding the Good News

1 John 5:11-13

We hear the words "Good News" a lot. So much, in fact, that it has come to mean about as much as a frogs left foot.  

There are several reasons why the words have lost their significance in our ears.  

First, it's old hat. There's a lot of things that once meant something so grand that fade away into ordinary.  

Do you remember the first time that special someone said those beautiful words, "I love you."? 

But then, over time, you both said it enough that they merely become three words habitually said before goodbye. And then "I love you," turns into "love you," and that turns into "yup, you too." 

That's what has happened with the words "Good News." 

You see, before my wife told me she loved me for the first time, I spent years of my life waiting to hear someone say that to me. I longed for it. When it happened, it literally changed my life.  

Before the "Good News," all there was, all that existed, the only kind of news there was…was bad news.  

God made law. Mankind broke law. Mankind goes to Hell. 

Now, God promised that good news was coming, but people lived in fear of the bad news for thousands of years, trying so very very hard to be good enough and holy enough for God to overlook the bad news.  

Until one day, the long-awaited good news finally came in Jesus.  

In this series through 1 John, we've read a lot about what a believer should look like, should do - be. But lest we get lost in ourselves, and fall back into self righteousness or worse yet, self loathing, here is a reminder of the Good News.  

"And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God." - 1 John 5:11-13 

The bad news is simple. You and I were born into sin. We were born into hopelessness, helplessness and utter despair. Every ounce of good news we thought existed was a lie by Satan to keep us from the actual good news. Every form of light was simply a different shade of darkness to make us think we'd found light.  

The good news is simpler. Jesus has torn away the veil, the light is pouring in and we, the believers, have seen it and have been saved by it.  

God, the Almighty, Holy Creator who demands death for sin, chose to spare us from our deserved punishment, and laid it upon Christ instead. This is Good News.  

If every member of ISIS laid down their weapons, turned themselves in, and vowed to do everything in their power to undo their wrongs and make the world a better place, we would consider that great news, but that does begin to touch the surface of the kind of Good News that Jesus is to the lost sinner - to you and me.  

And not only are we saved, but we are assured of our salvation. We who have believed in Jesus and His work on the cross and His resurrection can be sure. No matter what bad news we receive in our lives, it cannot touch the Good News we hold. God has accounted a lying, thieving, adulterating wretch like me…righteous - faultless before God.  

I need fear no man. I need not fear my own failures and shortcomings. I need not fear the state of this earth, nor of my country, nor or my freedoms. I have been made free in such a way that can never be undone by man.  

This is indeed Good News.  

Spirit, Blood and Water

1 John 5:6-10

I didn't used to be much one for reading commentaries. "I'm only going to read the Bible," said I. And while that certainly is all you need (God can certainly give even the most uneducated man or woman clarity when reading the inspired Word), sometimes men like Warren Wiersbe and Matthew Henry have some wonderful insights to offer (but never rely on such men above Scripture).

It is in the following verses that I relied on these two men's interpretation of Scripture more than I usually do. There are at least four different ways the following verses have been interpreted, though regardless of how you interpret them, the same main truth shines forth.

Blood and Water

V.6 - "This is He who came by water and blood - Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood."

This verse is the main discrepancy. It has been interpreted as: 1. Jesus' baptism and resurrection (Warren Wiersbe), 2. His incarnation, 3. as the water and blood that flowed from His side on the cross (Matthew Henry) and 4. the baptism of the believer and the Lord's Supper.

Most scholars agree with the first, but I am a big fan of Matthew Henry, so I'm going to talk about both.

In the time of John's writing, men were teaching that Jesus was an ordinary man whom God had placed His Spirit upon the cross. According to Wiersbe (and many others), John's reference to "water" is Jesus' baptism, where God spoke from Heaven declaring that Jesus was His "beloved Son." This is the first proof that Jesus was God's Son, not a normal person on whom God had placed His Spirit.

The blood refers to the death of Jesus, where God again made a statement about His Son, not audibly, but through an unnatural darkness that filled Jerusalem along with an earthquake. God twice made it evident to a crowd that Jesus was the Christ - the Son of God.

According to Henry, the water and blood refer to the water and blood which flowed from Jesus' side when He was stuck with a spear to make sure He was dead. This proves a similar point, because of the Jewish practice of cleansing themselves from sin through water and blood (Leviticus 6).

Either way, both Henry and Wiersbe would agree that the blood and water were a sign that Jesus was God's Son - the final sacrifice for mankind's sin. Both would agree that men and women (believers and unbelievers) witnessed these events, and could not deny what they saw. Even the Roman guard declared, "Truly this was the Son of God (Matthew 27:54)!"

The Spirit bears witness. The Spirit witnessed the death and resurrection of Jesus. He convicts men of sin and convinces them of the resurrection of Jesus.

A quick word about the Spirit bearing witness. Wouldn't it be nice if we heard God's audible voice like the crowd did in Luke 3. But the water and blood and Spirit are the precise reason we do not need an audible voice.

Crowds of people witnessed the physical proof of Jesus' death and resurrection. They witnessed God's voice at Jesus' baptism. They witnessed the fantasy-like changing of the weather upon the death of Jesus and the earthquake that followed. They witnessed the resurrected Jesus. And now, we have not only the testimony of those men and women who died for the faith they were so certain of, we have the Spirit in us confirming this belief.

A threefold cord is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12). Neither is a threefold testimony.

The Spirit

1 John 5:7

 The controversy of this chapter continues in verse 7, where John writes, "For there are three that bear witness in heaven; the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one."

You may look at your Bible and say, "Wait a second. My Bible doesn't say that!" In fact, your verse 7 only says, "For there are three that testify."

That is because certain version like the ESV, NASB and NIV cut a line out of the verse, whereas the NKJV and others leave it in. (Side note: you can find many empty verses in your translation here.) Some of these verses might just have a few words taken out, but some verses (like Mark 7:16 literally aren't in your Bible. More on that another time.)

So what happens in a moment like this, where not only the Bibles vary on wording, but if the verse should be in the Bible at all?

You compare the verse to the rest of the Scriptures. Does it agree? What does it say about God?

The verse says that the Trinity in Heaven bears witness that Jesus is the Savior - who died and rose again. This agrees with Scripture just dandy.

In 1710, Matthew Henry spoke up about this verse in his commentary of the Bible.

He said, "It can scarcely be supposed that, when the apostle is representing the Christian's faith in overcoming the world, and the foundation it relies upon in adhering to Jesus Christ, he should omit the supreme testimony that attended him. …The apostle, having told us that the Spirit that bears witness to Christ is truth, shows us that he is so, by assuring us that he is in heaven. Here is a trinity of heavenly witnesses, such as have testified and vouched to the world the authority of the Lord Jesus in his claims.

Verse 8 discusses the threefold testimony that is on earth: the Spirit, water and blood. These are wonderful things. The blood that was shed for us, the washing away of our sin, and (once again) the Spirit, not only stamping His mark upon our souls, but changing us daily to better resemble Christ.

However, of what value are these without verse 7? If Heaven is not in agreement, what matter is it if earth is? The Three in Heaven must bear witness, or all else is futile.

If the Word brings the argument before the Father, and the Father denies that is exactly what happened, what shall we say? If the Spirit approaches the Father and admits that he was not paying attention, what shall we do?

I don't mean to be irreverent. Certainly this neither how the Three would interact nor even a possible scenario. My point is that they MUST be in agreement…and they are.

The Reflection

Have you ever been to the lake on a gorgeous, sunny windless day? The water sits nearly motionless, perfectly reflecting the sky and trees.

This is how I view the witness of Christ. The blue sky, the light puffy cloud and trees stand or hover above the water and the water perfectly reflects that image, just as the Three in Heaven bear witness, and that witness is reflected on earth.

We were not created as creatures meant to constantly be looking upward. If we had been, God would have designed our necks differently. We were meant to live on this planet and look straight ahead. The testimony of God is here all around you. You need not live in a constant state of looking for God.

We do not need to "invite" God into our worship. Why would He not already be there? The Spirit is HERE, the testimony is HERE.

Don't spend your life looking up and waiting to see Jesus. Spend your life looking straight ahead on earth, waiting for the day when looking straight ahead will mean looking at the face of Jesus.

George Washington and Jesus

5. 9-10

Perhaps in church or at a conference, you have heard the old line, "There is more evidence of Jesus' resurrection than of George Washington crossing the Delaware.

Actually, over 500 individuals saw the resurrected Jesus after his death, many more than witnessed the aforementioned crossing of our first president. So why the fuss over Jesus?

Why do so many people agree that Washington crossed the Delaware? It's the same reason people believe in evolution or that man landed on the moon or that the wind exists. Someone knowledgeable on the subject told them that's what happened, and there seems to be enough evidence to support it - so they believe it.

We are quick to believe the experts (although there has been some shift in this mindset since the boom of social media). So, why do so many not accept the witness of God which is so much greater?

Is it because it is so old? I don't think so. We still teach Einstein's Theory of Relativity, we still hold to Newton's Law of Gravity. So, why do we so quickly dismiss God's Witness of Jesus Christ?

The witness of God, though a thing of the past, is still as sufficient for faith as Newton's Law of Gravity is for stopping an individual from trying to fly off a skyscraper. However, it would not matter if we had seen the baptism or resurrection of Jesus with our own eyes. The timeframe does not matter. We are too blind because of our sin to understand the witness. We are like preschool children. No matter how many times you explain the theory of relativity, they will not understand.

Without a present witness to open our eyes, we will forever be blind to the witness of old. However, when we are indwelt with the Holy Spirit, our eyes are not only opened to understand the old witness, but we daily receive the witness of Jesus' resurrection. We are daily confirmed of our faith, because the One who abides in us is the One who witnessed all things present, past and future.

You need not be intimidated by those who reject your faith and your resurrected king. You need only pity them, for they are blind and lost, with no hope outside the sovereign grace of God.

If you are not convinced of the witness of God, I would beg of you to fall on your knees, and ask for an awakening. We were all once dead in our trespasses and sins. But He has made some of us alive. I pray that you, unbeliever, might be counted among us.

The Love Web

1 John 5:1-5

The first five verses of 1 John 5 can be a little confusing. You can get lost in the "by this" and "for this" and "for whatever" and so on. While at first it make look like John is creating a ladder of "ifs," I believe a better image would be a web. John isn't saying "if this then this" (and least that's not the main point). He is showing how all the things he mentioned are connected, part of one circuit to which the believer should be connected.

 The Love Web

"Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." That much makes sense so far. Jesus died to take away the punishment for our sins. We must put our faith and hope and trust in that. So what's next?

"…and everyone who loves Him who begot (God) also loves him who is begotten of Him (Jesus)." Put simply, one cannot love the man Jesus — the peaceful, miracle-working man of the early A.D. and not love God — the terrible, frightening, powerful I AM (these are two generalizations of the "B.C." God and A.D. Jesus that I hear.)

To love Christ and accept his gift of salvation is to understand the entire Story in its fullness. Our story of salvation (Jew or Gentile) does not begin with the birth of Jesus. It begins with the birth (or creation) of Adam. It's one connected story of how mankind rejected its God, but God never gave up.

As much as I love the New Testament and tend to spend most of my efforts in it, I must never forget the importance of the Old Testament, and the things that I learn about God in it, as well as the things I learn about Christ. To love Jesus is the love the story of God, who He is and what He has done throughout our earth's history.

Now bear with me, because John's wording is about to get goofy in verse two.

"By this (the loving of God and Christ as one) we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments."

 I told you it was goofy. It helps me when I keep another verse in mind. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself." That is basically the gist of what John is saying here.

People have summed up the Christian life in many different ways, but I can't think of a better way than those words of Jesus, and that is what John is saying here. When we love God, we will love fellow believers well. And we will know our love is genuine because of our love for God and His commandments.

Don't let me confuse you any further. This isn't circular reasoning.

1. God loved us. 2. We loved Him. 3. We did something about our love for Him.

It is a progression, but what John is showing us here is how it's all connected.

Like a spider begins a web at a certain point, our faith begins in steps, but when as we mature in our faith, and the web gets closer and closer to completion, you see the oneness of it. Our love for Christ is connected to our love for others. Our love for others is connected to our desire to obey the commandments of God. We obey God's commandments, because we love Him. But connected to our love for Him is a love for others.

Our faith becomes less and less like ladder, taking one step at a time, because "that's what we're supposed to do," and it becomes more like a web — a life of connected love. We love God and others. We even love God's commandments, not out of some sense of guilt or requirement, but because it's who we are. It's what we love. It's a life woven together with love.

Another part of the web of life and love is obeying God's commandments. Why? Because God is a tyrant and is insistent on humans obeying His every whim?

Of course not.

God's commands are for the purpose of bringing humans back to who we were created to be — image bearers. God's commands are not that difficult. His commandments are about love. Love one another. Love your family and don't give up on them. Love your wife and love her relentlessly. Don't mistreat people, even if you don't like them or you think they deserve it.

These are the commands of God. Some call them outrageous rules. I call them guidelines to a beautiful life.

However, the unbelieving world cannot understand this. They cannot comprehend the beauty. And so, God has made us a promise in verse four. "Whatever is born of God overcomes the world."

Therefore, as children of God through faith in the work of Christ Jesus, we need not fear the temptations of this world. We need not bother wondering if our life would be better if we got a divorce, if we sought just a little revenge, if we had the kind of money our friends have.

Note: Overcoming the world does not mean voting in a Republican president, abolishing abortion or banning homosexual marriage.

It simply means living your life with love, and never allowing any persecution to change that.