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.

  1. If you have a problem with me, come to me (privately).
  2. If I have a problem with you, I’ll come to you (privately).
  3. If someone has a problem with me and comes to you, send them to me. (I’ll do the same for you.)
  4. If someone consistently will not come to me, say, “Let’s go see him together. I am sure he will see us about this.” (I’ll do the same for you.)
  5. Be careful how you interpret me – I would rather do that myself. On matters that are unclear, do not feel pressured to interpret my feelings or thoughts. It is easy to misrepresent intentions.
  6. I will be careful how I interpret you.
  7. If it’s confidential, don’t tell. If you or anyone else comes to me in confidence, I won’t tell, unless (a) the person is going to harm themselves, (b) the person is going to harm someone else, (c) it involves a child who has been physically or sexually abused. I expect the same from you.
  8. I do not read unsigned letters or notes.
  9. I do not manipulate; I will not be manipulated; do not let others manipulate you. Do not let others try and manipulate me through you.
  10. When in doubt, just say it. If I can answer it without misrepresenting something or breaking a confidence, I will.


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.