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.

The Emotional Samaritan

1 John 4:20-21 

Matthew Henry wrote this in his commentary of 1 John 4.  

"We cannot but love so good a God, who loved us when we were both unloving and unlovely. The divine love stamped love upon our souls." 

We were once incapable of true love, but God stamped love upon our souls. 

As we close chapter 4, with only one chapter left to cover, I have seen two main themes pop up time and time again.  

1. Striving to attain the perfection God commands from us. "Be perfect, as I am perfect." 
2. Examining ourselves to see whether we be an individual striving for such perfection, or if we are content with our current lot. It certainly is a good quality to be content, except when the Creator desires to give you more.  

Many would say that if you could sum up the Bible with one word — or at least one concept — it would be love. I would most likely have to agree, although there are certainly a plethora of contending words and concepts ("glory" coming in a close second). 

Here in verses 20-21, we  find the concept of love, a striving to show perfect love and an examining of whether or not we have attained it.  

Let me stress once again before we go on, that love is not something that need be forced. Those who have been truly saved have had perfect love stamped upon their souls. True, for the new believer, it may sometimes take patient learning to use this love which we have, but Christ in us makes that simpler.  

Vs. 20 — "If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?" 

I love the brutal honesty of John. There have been many times, and some of  them recently in which I desired to write such strong words to someone, though my wonderful, loving wife usually stops me.  

But John says it how it is. If you come across an individual in life or in your family or in your church that says he or she loves God, but they are known (at least by you) for how terribly they love and how easily they hate fellow Christians…they are a liar. No matter what they say, and no matter what their spiritual conversations or spiritual readings or whatever else…they do not actually love God.  

How could they? 

The invisible God is most known for a single thing — His love towards those who deserve damnation.  You see it in all 66 books of Scripture. That's who He is. If you are not drawn to His most notable characteristic, how can you possibly love Him? You cannot not.  

If my wife had been famous for being a pyromaniac, I would have never have fallen in love with her. I have no desire to burn down buildings. Even if she had pointed out all the benefits of the hobby, I would not have been swayed. To love her, and to follow her wherever she went would have meant be a pyromaniac myself.  

(Not a great example. I haven't had my coffee yet, but I think you get the point.) 

We fall in love with people, because of their character. There is something about them that we need, that we want to share in. Sometimes you can't quite put your finger on it.  Early love is hard to define, but there is something about that person that is contagious and you want to catch forever.  

That thing with God is love. And to those He calls, He gives His love freely. This love is not to simply be accepted. It's meant to spread on like a virus, and we must share it. How could we not? We ought to be so full of love, it ought to be so coursing through our veins, it ought to drive us, it ought to be at the center of our every thought. It ought to glow in the dark and even in the light.  

And it ought to be extended ESPECIALLY to fellow believers.  

If you do not love the unbeliever who persecutes you, you are disobeying Christ's command.  But if you do not love the fellow believer, you are hating the spirit of God Himself, and certainly His love is not in you.  

Vs. 21 — "And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also." 

One last word. We have spoken at length in this series through 1 John about love. It is not a feeling. "Feeling love" does not last long. It ends in divorce. "Action love" lasts forever. When Jesus spoke about loving your neighbor in Luke 10, He told the story of the Good Samaritan. And we all know how that story goes… 

A samaritan was walking down the road, saw a poor beat up man along the side of the road and was suddenly overcome with tears, his heartstrings pulling like gravity.  

"The poor man!" cried the Samaritan. "That poor poor man will never be helped. I feel so terrible for Him." 

However, when the emotional moment had passed, the Samaritan felt better and kept walking.  

The point of that story was that the Good Samaritan had loving feelings towards the man, just like Jesus wants us to have.  

WRONG 

The real story is about what the Samaritan DID for the Jew. And remember, this was during a time when Jews and Samaritans hated each other. Perhaps these two had even crossed paths before, spewing hateful words at each other. When the Samaritan saw that Jew, I doubt he felt love toward him. Perhaps he even smirked ever so slightly.  

But… 

He did something out of love. The greatest commandment is not to feel love towards God and love towards your neighbor. It's to serve God and your neighbor as Christ served us in His life, death and resurrection.  

If you claim to love God, you must also claim that His love is in you. And if His love is in you, you must show it to your brothers and sisters in Christ, no matter how you feel about them.  

"The eye is wont to affect the heart; things unseen less catch the mind, and thereby the heart. The member of Christ has much of God visible in him. How then shall the hater of a visible image of God pretend to love the invisible God himself? We must love God originally and supremely, and others in him. It cannot but be a natural suitable obligation that he who love God should love his brother also." — Matthew Henry