First John 5:1-3 Our Relationship To God Part 1

Today we're going on, to the best of my ability, this is lesson number 33, I believe, in the study of 1st John, 2nd and 3rd John, actually. And today we're dealing with our relationship to God, part one, verses one through three. of Chapter 5. Is this being heard well in the room? Yeah, it sounds good, Roy. It's good. I'm using a microphone off of the camera sitting in front of me. That's why I asked. Let me take a look at the overview of 1 John. It has five chapters and I've given you this before, but sometimes it's good to back away a moment and then zero in.

In the beginning of the four verses there's a preface. In chapter 1 verse 5 through 229 we have God is light so his children ought to walk in the light. In chapter 3 verse 1 through 512 that's a huge section, God is love so his children ought to walk in love. And finally we have the conclusion in chapter 5 verses 13 through 21. Now that comes off of Jester McCulley's audio messages and I've given you the URL there on the screen. Let's look at the text.

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Whoever loves the father loves the child born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. Well, there's an awful lot in these three verses, but we'll try to take it carefully.

First, I'd like to zero in on the first half of verse one. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. The very first word is significant. It's pas and it means whoever. Notice that it is not in the neuter. It's nominative. It's personal. This is talking about a specific person. And well, I shouldn't say specific in general, but it's persons that are in view. Not the nature of the persons that is in view.

And it's the new and kind us that actually is being talked about. The one here who is believing is a participle modifying the whoever. So the us that is in view are the us's who are believing, and what are we believing? The focus of our believing is that Jesus is existing in reality, the Christ, the promised one by God. I don't know how the Holy Spirit could say it any more specific than that. Whoever, specifically, the one who is believing that Jesus is really the promised one. That's something isn't it? How careful God is when he gives us his words.

Out from is a little preposition that means an origin. It's like out from one into another. And in this case the focus is on a family. And that family is the God family. Notice that the verb that is associated with this is perfect passage so that the one who is believing that Jesus is the promised one out from God himself has been born. How specific our relationship with God is then. He is the borner and we are the born ones.

I love it. I translated this literally so that we could get the sense in English of the word order. Whoever the one who is believing that Jesus is being the Christ out from the God has been born. Take a look at the second half of verse one. Whoever loves the father loves the child born of him.

Their dual conjunction there, and, ties this together. Again, we have whoever, us, personal, not neuter. It is not the new nature. This is the new and kind us. The one who has been born by God. The one who is loving, this participle now generated here, modifies the whoever in a little different way. Now we're not believing, we are loving the one who begat.

And I want you to notice up above there that in the New American Standard translation, they substituted for the one who begat father but they put a little footnote next to it that says literally one who begets interesting isn't it? the explanation given by the translators here is not the original though the emphasis in the original is the begetting and the begotten and I think that's significant is loving is the main verb here and the is loving is tied with this little conjunction chi normally means and but here it has a significance of also he's doing something more because it's tied together with the first half of this verse isn't it there's a little bit more here the one who has been begotten and again the translators here changed this. They put in the child rather than the one who has been begotten. They put a footnote in just like before saying literally it is or begotten.

Here again we have that same preposition ek out of significant origin as to family from him, taken here as the genitive of source. Remember genitive can have either source or destination in you. And this is significant because it's used with the preposition that has a out of, of origin. And that's why we take it as being from source.

That's a lot of technical, but let me give you the literal. And whosoever the one who is loving, the one who begat, is loving also the one who has been begotten out from him I want you to notice something here that is very significant in both cases the loving and the believing are the indicative mood of reality that's a big word but what it means is from God's perspective these two words are real. This is true. This is not imaginary or potential. This is what God sees as being real.

Now we get to verse 2. By this we know that we love the children of God. I believe the Holy Spirit anticipated the ones reading the preceding verse would wonder, well how do we know that we love the children of God? and that's answered in this verse. It begins with a little preposition, N, which means by, in this case, by means of this. And that this refers to the second half of the verse, which is in the next slide. I'll get to that in a minute. By this we are going to know something. We are knowing.

Did I lose you there, Roger, or something? No, no, no. We just noticed that it looks like Bob Eccles on Zoom. I didn't mean to stop you. That's okay. I do see him here listed. Yeah. Hello from the rural Italy. We're with the Hemingways, the Doyles, and the White. So let me not interrupt. I joined a little bit late, just got back to the house. And please go ahead. I'm looking forward to hearing the lesson. Okay.

Well, we're in verse two there, and we're dealing with the word there, gnosco, which is the idea of coming to know. It is by this that we are coming to know. that we are loving the children of God. Remember, from God's perspective, the ones that are being born by Him automatically are loving the children of God. Well, how are we knowing? How are we coming to know that we are loving the children of God? And that's the question that is being answered by this verse. By this we are knowing that we are loving the children of God.

In the second half, when we love God and observe his commandments in the New American Standard, in the Greek has when, there's a little conjunction that is a subordinate explaining something usually with the potential mood that follows it to indicate something that's going on at the same time as the main cause or the main thought. The God we are loving. Notice that we know that we're loving each other the way God looks at us as new creations. When we are loving Subjective mood now means it's the mood of potential.

This is something that may or may not be true. But this is how we know the vote of the children of God is true for us. When we're loving, then who are we loving? And what are we doing? Those are the two aspects. It is who, the God, and the what are we doing we are keeping the commandments from him. Isn't that something?

God gives us a blueprint in words of assurance that we are loving one another when we are focused on him and loving him because only our new and kind person that we are being mourned by him in our relationship with him Can we have truly this kind of love of one another?

I find that's really significant, and both of these are in the subjective mood, the mood of pretension, which may or may not be true, depending on our condition, right? God's position is fixed. Our condition is not. Let me get the literal rendering of the second half there.

This is how we are coming to know that we are loving the children of God when the God that we are loving and the commandments from him we are keeping. That word keeping is significant. We'll be dwelling on that in just a moment. Looking at this a little bit differently What I've done is subordinated the first part of the last part of the verse there, that we just looked at, and I'm highlighting that word, keeping.

The pareo is the original. It's the mood of potential, subjunctive mood, the idea of guarding, keeping secure, preserving his work in and through us. That is what is actually behind the meaning of that word in Greek. In the Alexandrian or North African texts of scripture, they have the word poiomen here, which comes from poio.

We are working against the meaning of that word. It's still the mood of potential, the idea that here is in focus, however, by using that word is, we are producing obedience rather than God's nature simply being obedient. What is his nature? That's a significant difference. Let's see if I can get this, there we go. Oyeko has the idea of our work that produces Chiretto, however, has the idea of our guiding or preserving and both can be taken metaphorical as obey, but the important difference is the source of the action here. One is us and one is God.

Yeah, Roy, is Tyrell, is that behind the New American Standard? I'm a little confused what, which one is The Alexandrian is Pueo, and then Tereo is a New American Standard original text? New American Standard, generally speaking, uses a Byzantine text as a background, which would be Tereo. Okay, all right. So this may be a logical question for us, so is it Pueo, work we do, or Tereo?

Right? I mean, that's... Yeah, absolutely. I think you have an interesting, you know, I guess I would, from what we understand, Toretto seems to fit a lot better with what, you know... Toretto agrees with verse 16 and 17 that it is God's work with us and in us as his instruments of love. I spend an awful lot of time looking at verses 16 and 17 of the preceding chapter.

Don't have time to go into it today, but I anticipate doing so later. Okay. Maybe other lessons, but the literal translation then, if we take a look at this, by this we are knowing that we are loving the children of God. When the God we are loving and the commandments from Him that we are keeping or guarding. I wish I had more time to go into that, but maybe we will. I don't know. I wanted to share it. That's good. Very good. Anyway, for this is the love of God. This is verse 3 now. That we keep His commandments.

Taking a look at that. this refers forward in this case to the love here the word for is like in a post-positive position which means in our translations we even though in greek it's a second word in the text we use it in the first word because it makes sense to us in the greek mind however the this is important and comes first is being again is present active indicative mood of reality again so we've gone back what we're talking about here looking forward now this is reality the love of the gods and it is of source it is out from him that this love and this is taken as a genitive of source because it is God's love coming to His goal that is being focused here on. It is God love coming to His goal with us that results in Him loving through us. It's not just through us of course, it's in us and through us that His perfect expression of love of who He is is going to be revealed. That's reality. That's the emphasis of these three verses. Our relationship with God is that He is going to express His love through us.

That the commandments from Him we are keeping or guarding. Again, this is one of those times when is not easy to catch the actual sense of it because we always want to jump on board and say we're doing this. However, look, Te Areo is used both in the North African and the Byzantine texts here. They didn't change it. Interesting, isn't it? For this is being the love of the God that the commandments from Him we are keeping. That's the first half of verse 3. And I'm thinking that sometimes the Holy Spirit in thinking of us has in mind that we're going to take something wrong.

So what's He do? He adds a little explanation more in the second half. And His commandments are not burdensome. What? You mean that we've got to do something? That sounds like work, doesn't it? God says, no. They are not burdensome. The commandments from Him, Genebibus source again here, they come from Him. Well, what are those commandments? And so that we can be specific as to the commandments from God I've given you a summary statement here of the two verses from the Gospel of John, John 6 29 and John 13 34 that are a summation of what did Jesus say are his commands his commands are to believe on him that would be Jesus God's son whom he that would be the father has sent And to love one another, and it uses one another of the same kind, God's family.

As I, speaking of himself, the son, have loved you. I want to point something out. Jesus was looking around at the people who were following him. And his heart was burdened for them. And he gives them, what must we do to do the works of God, was their question. This answer, this is the work of God, that you believe on him whom he has sent, and you love one another as I have loved you. That is the manifestation of his love in us, his children. What a relationship we have with him.

Notice burdensome, not, or being is the second half of the verse. Again, this is the indicative mood of reality. This is real, this is not subjunctive, this is not the potential. His commands really are not a burden. Where do we get that? And then Matthew wrote about it, under the direction of the Spirit, when he said, Take my yoke upon you, learn of me, quoting our Lord and Savior. I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest for your souls. My yoke is easy, my burden is light. Matthew 11, 29 through 30. I love that particular section of Scripture. the Holy Spirit's breathing through him, we learn that our Lord turned his ministry, being focused on just the Jews, to say, come unto me all who are hungry and thirsty.

Learn of me. He has included us now in his outreach of ministry. Second half of the verses are translated into commandments from him, burdensome, no, not our being. So here's our three verses. Here's my literal rendering of them. And Wiest has given us an expanded translation that reads like this.

Everyone who believes that Jesus is a Christ out from God has been born. As a result is his child. Everyone who loves the one who begat, loves the one who has been begotten out from him. In this we know experientially that we are habitually loving the born ones from God. Whenever God we are habitually loving, And His commandments are habitually guarding and observing with solicitous care. This is the love of God, namely that we are habitually and with solicitous care, guarding and observing His commands. And His commands are not burdensome.

I think he's beautifully rendered that from the standpoint of a expansion. of the meaning of the original text. I'm going to give a bit of an overview just to stir up our minds by way of remembrance now. Peter used to use that. John wrote five of the books of the New Testament Scriptures. He wrote the Gospel of John. He wrote 1st and 2nd and 3rd John, which we're reading through now. And he also wrote the revelation of Jesus Christ. However, he didn't write them in the same way. The Holy Spirit breathed through him, God's mind, in a progression way. He wrote the gospel about Christ revealing his glory to us.

He spoke of salvation, our part, to be believed. In his letters that we're studying right now, 1st and 2nd and 3rd John, he wrote about Christ sharing his glory with us. This is the being set apart into the harmony and joy of God. That is our present ministry of God to and through us, being set apart in this harmony of joy. Revelation is about God's glory being recognized and honored. And in that, John is breathed through to share his glory and be praising him, focusing that that is our future. Isn't that wonderful?

Past, present, and future. John presents Christ as God's way of entering into his new family. That is the gospel of John. First John presents God's children as his new family in harmony and joy. Revelation presents Christ's absolute glory recognized and honored.

Notice that in parallel to these three areas, Paul's writing does exactly the same thing. It presents Christ's new creation identified as his body positionally complete and conditionally growing into his likeness. One of the things that would imbue in us a confidence in God being able to communicate to us Isn't this overview very revealing of the infinite power of God to reveal what he once revealed that is real. The magnitude of it is just staggering to me.

I'd like to give now some observations of first John, the first four chapters. 1 John and actually all of 1 John presents God's children as his new family in a harmony of joy. Chapter 2 of 1 John presents the truth that God is life. Chapter 3 opens up that God is love. And it's in both cases, light and love, that God exists in reality. In chapter four, we open up with the spirit of truth versus the spirit of error.

What does that mean? That there are things to be believed are true, that there are things that are not to be believed by truth. Now many followers of those who teach this book as being a book of tests for a person coming to know that they are saved or lost are confused. I think they're confused along with their teachers because they've not assured that this book is for believers and it's to give us assurance that it is God who saves us and holds us and cleans every one of us in his new of kind family the church age believer check out what I'm saying don't disbelieve me because I'm saying it it is your responsibility before God do not take favorite personal assumptions when you read this book?

Or take God's reality for what it really is? What does he say? I think one person, I've mentioned this before, that really sums this up, back in March I mentioned Dennis Rockster's book, How to Interpret 1 John, which is online at Amazon, clearly explains God's message of 1 John. from the text and context of scripture alone he deals with many of the passages that have caused people to be confused and take it wrong giving a very good view of the mind of God I believe here's some detailed observations now of chapter 5 verses 1 through 3 Scepter 5 opens with an intimate relationship that we have with God.

Can't be more intimate than having Him as our Father, Cano. Being His child. Born by Him. Yes, we believe. Yes, we responded to His love. We did that. Is there merit in that? No. There is merit in Him. because he's the one that births us into his family.

Anyone believing that Jesus is God's promised Messiah, who has paid the penalty for his sins, is born by God into God's church age family. As born from God once, when we love God, we will love all of God's family. Now that's not a point of debate, that is a fact. When we love God as God's born was, it will be a manifestation of His love that we experience for all of God's family. We experience love for all of God's family when we openly believe on Him that His work on the cross for us and let him love all of his family through us. I want to emphasize all of his family which would include us. God is love.

This is a little bit hard to grasp, isn't it? As we are changed to be like him, We are loved in our new but kind state now, too. His commands are to believe on Him, Jesus God's Son, whom He the Father has sent, and to love one another, God's family, as He or I, God's Son, have loved you. Those are His words, not mine. God's commands, and here I got a little bit maybe carried away, I don't know. God's commands are like divine love songs that we joyfully sing with Him.

We are God's love songs. Isn't that something? Here's a summary of the observations I have out of 5 verses 1 through 3. Giving us first when. Well, the time of this text is right now, isn't it? This is God forming his church at this moment. Where is it happening? Well, the places this text is on Earth. The chaotic, organized, fine man world. Roy, isn't that oxymoron, chaotic, organized? Yes. I'm sorry, go ahead. That's okay, that's okay, but it is humorous, isn't it? Yeah.

But it is in this environment that the who is revealed. It is first of all Jesus Christ, God's Son, who is God's perfect human expression of himself. And the text has each member of his church being God's instruments to show his love. Now what is involved here is God's divine love expressed in and through each member of his church. I want to emphasize something. This is not love from God. This is not love from us. Rather, this is the essence of God, divine love, being expressed through each member of his church. That is the significance.

That is what the Holy Spirit is telling us in these three verses. How? By God pouring out his perfect love in and through each member of his church. And finally, why? So that God could give each member of his church the experience of his perfect love, both for him as well as for each other. And so God could show all men his love. by his love being shown right now in his church family of believers. This is God's grace. The manifold expression of himself all based on his work on Calvary for us.

Boy, I tell ya, There's an awful lot in these three verses, isn't there? Yeah, amen. I don't know that I've adequately given a revelation of this text, but I've given you what God has shared with me. It is your responsibility, just like it's mine, to check it out, okay? I'm looking at a screen of people there in the room, It looks like we've got four or five people in the room. Isn't that something? Yeah, Roy, but I'm thousands of miles away. Yeah, I am. I'm enjoying this resting in my bed here. By the way, this is great teaching. This is a wonderful lesson, Roy.

I think the take-home message is the last word of these three verses, actually the last three, and not burdensome. It's so refreshing to know that His love, by faith, is who we are. Ultimately, when we think it's burdensome, we really are responding in a different nature of the wrong one. It's really by faith that His love is expressed in each and every one of us. It's a great lesson. It really was well delivered. Thank you.

Well, I don't have any more, so let's close in prayer, unless you have some questions. I do have, and I don't know if I can show this or not, Let me make an attempt here just to see if I can do it. I'm going to end the slideshow and see if I can bring something into the screen. Can you see this little white square that I'm scrolling? No. Let me stop sharing just a minute and see if I can pick it up right here and share that. Now do you see it? Yes. Okay, good. I finally figured out how to do it then.

This is my looking at verse 17 of chapter 4. The verse begins in this And that this here refers to the previously mentioned essence of God in verse 16. His love expression affecting His divine family, all believers. And being revealed in and with and through us as mentioned in verse 16.

This is not God's love. It is not our love. This is the product, the goal of His perfect love. accomplished by Him doing for us everything that only He alone knows we need for salvation from sin and fellowship with Him. Notice in the very next words here what is not translated many times. There is a definite article with love, the love, specific referring to the previously mentioned of God love come to this goal with us. I don't know if that helps you guys see what I'm seeing here, but maybe if you examine it on your own, this might come out. I just don't see, but this love is perfected with us. It is this the love has come to its goal with us that is actually being said here. Okay, does that help a little?

So would you say that's the essence of God and His love? Right, if we look back at verse 16 In verse 16 it says, and we have come to know, and we have come to believe, the love, article, which the God is having in, and with, and through us. Right. The God love is being, that's what's being talked about. The love that God is, that's His character. Boy, I tell you, it's very specific. And so that when we read verse 16 here, we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love, it's the love here, abides in the God, and the God abides in him. It's his character that we are at home with. Anyway, enough of that. Yeah, that's good. That's a good thought. By the way, there's very few authors that reinforce that. Macaulay does, Walbert does. Okay, that's cool.

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for this time together. I don't know that we've explained it the way you want us to, but I pray that by your Holy Spirit's power, you'll take what you want communicated into each of our hearts. Nurture and grow us, Heavenly Father, as expressions of your love to those around us, as well as to ourselves, that we may know that our relationship with you is totally your work. Thank you for that. Oh, God, I should thank you for that. Watch over Bob and Mike and Courtney and the others on the trip. Keep them safe, we pray. In Christ's name, amen. Amen.