How can I know that I know God?
1 John 2:3-17
John wrote this short but emotionally charged
letter toward the end of his life. He was worried. Seriously worried that young
Christians he had been nurturing were becoming influenced by people who were mixing
Christianity with Greek religion. They taught, for example that God was only interested
in the spiritual world. This led some to advocate a world-denying ascetism while
others favoured over-indulgence. You can imagine which was more popular. Scandals
about vicars and prostitutes not only sell newspapers. Offering religion with
mammon, like fish and chips has always found plenty of followers.
These
Gnostics, that was their name, also taught that God could only be known through
their secret knowledge and mystical experiences. John wrote to correct these errors and remind these believers
that Christianity is about knowing God through Jesus Christ, and this is no casual acquaintance. Without Jesus there is no Christianity. The historical, physical,
life, death and resurrection of Jesus is central to
an authentic relationship with God. (1 John
1:1-3).
In the first chapter, which we looked at with Dawn
last week, John insists God can only be known through the
death of Jesus Christ. 1 John
2:2 says, “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but
also for the sins of the whole world.”
Jesus gave his perfect body to save us, dying in our place.
We grow to know God, therefore, not through having some mystical experience, says
John, but by walking with Jesus day by day. In 1 John
1:7, we are promised, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we
have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
We cannot presume to enter God’s presence without the cleansing blood of Jesus. John uses the same continuous present tense in
verse 9 to show that as “we confess our sins he is faithful and just and will
forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This is how we
can know God. On his terms and in his way.
In chapter 2 John develops this idea of ‘walking’ to answer
the question: How can I know that I know God? How can I know that my experience
is authentic and not counterfeit? How can I know that yours is? John answers this question by giving us three simple tests
to apply to ourselves and one another.
1. The Authenticity Test (2:3-6)
Is there integrity in my walk with Jesus?
2.
The Paternity Test (2:7-11)
Is
there love in my heart for God’s family?
3. The Purity Test (2:12-17)
Is
there faithfulness in my behaviour in the world?
Lets examine each briefly.
1.
The Authenticity Test (2:3-6)
Is there integrity in my walk with Jesus?
“We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says,
"I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth
is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete
in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must
walk as Jesus did.” (1 John
2:3-6)
Notice the number of times John says “we know… we know…” How do we know?
Verse 6, “This is how we know…” “Who ever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus walked.”
The most vital evidence of a relationship with Jesus is integrity. Integration between my words and actions. One of the books
I am reading at the moment is by Andy Stanley called “Visioneering.”
Stanley says “Moral authority is the critical, nonnegotiable,
can’t-be-without ingredient of sustained influence… Moral authority is the credibility
you earn by walking your talk. It is the relationship other people see between
what you say and what you do, between what you claim to be and what you are. He
goes on to say, “Nothing compensates for a lack of moral authority: No amount
of communication skills, wealth, accomplishment, education, talent or position
can make up for a lack of moral authority.” He observes, “We will not allow ourselves
to be influenced by those who lack moral authority in our eyes. Inconsistency
between what is said and what is done inflicts a mortal wound on a leader’s influence.
For this reason, moral authority is a fragile thing. It takes a lifetime to earn.
But it can be lost in a moment. And once it is lost, it is almost impossible to
restore.” This is the challenge Tony Blair faces now that we know he shared only some of the intelligence warnings
prior to the war in Iraq.
If Jesus dwells in your heart by his Spirit, then you will stand out. If you live with Jesus, others will notice. If you love Jesus you will do what he says. You will walk your talk. This is not rocket science. But to make it crystal clear, John elaborates on this first test with two more. If we walk with Jesus what else will happen? As we walk with Jesus we will find we are walking alongside his other adopted brothers and sisters also. If we love him, and his love has consumed us, we will love them also. That’s the second test. I’ve called the second,
2. The Paternity Test (2:7-11)
Is
there love in my heart for God’s family?
“Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.” (2:9-11)
Another
book I am reading is by John
Maxwell called “There’s no such thing
as business ethics.” Maxwell offers these ten rules of respect which he recommends leaders promise
to live by and ask their people to do the same. Based on Matthew 18, I invite
you to demonstrate your love for one another by keeping them also.
Lets give it a try. Think how our relationships with one another would be improved
if we loved one another in this way.
1.
The Authenticity Test (2:3-6)
Is there integrity in my walk with Jesus?
2. The Paternity Test (2:7-11)
Is there love in my heart for God’s family?
Thirdly,
3. The Purity Test (2:12-17)
Is there faithfulness in my behaviour in the world?
“Do
not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love
of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful
man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not
from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but
the person who does the will of God lives forever.”
In these verses John defines more clearly what he means by the “world”. He is not thinking about possessions or money. These things are neutral. Instead, he is talking about our personal attitude to them. “the cravings of sinful man” = all that panders to our appetites. “the lust of his eyes” = John lived, as we do, in a society in which debauchery and violence are the norm in gratuitous entertainment.
The advertising industry feeds on our physical, mental and emotional hunger for
fulfilment, security, significance. But they can never satisfy our deepest needs.
If lust speaks of wanting something we don’t have, “the boasting of what he has
and does,” describes the pride and arrogance that often comes with having what
others crave for. All of these are short-lived, John warns, “but the person who does the will of God lives
forever.”
How can I know that I know God?
It
will be evident in three ways: Integrity, love and self control.
Think
of this passage as a mid-life, a mid-career or mid-race performance evaluation.
The Lord gives us the answers along with the questions so we know what he expects.
His return on judgement day should hold no surprises. Jesus wants to ensure we stay on track for that ultimate
performance review when he returns. The questions will be the same.
Is there integrity in my walk with Jesus?
Is there love in my heart for God’s family?
Is there faithfulness in my behaviour in the world?
Lets pray.