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1 João 1

Warren Wiersbe · Citado em PreceptAustin

1 João 1:4

Wiersbe adds this comment about joy: The secret of Christian joy is to believe what God says in His Word and act upon it. Faith that isn't based on the Word is not faith at all; it is presumption or superstition. Joy that isn't the result of faith is not joy at all; it is only a "good feeling" that will soon disappear. Faith based on the Word will produce joy that will weather the storms of life. It isn't enough for us to read the Word or receive the Word as others expound it; we must also rejoice in the Word. "I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure" (Ps. 119:162NKJV). In Bible days, people sometimes hid their wealth in jars buried in the ground (Matt. 13:44; Jer. 41:8). If a farmer plowing his field suddenly discovered a jar filled with gold, he would certainly rejoice. There are great treasures buried in God's Word, and you and I must diligently "dig" for them as we read, meditate, and pray; and when we find these treasures, we should rejoice and give thanks. If we read and study the Word of God only from a sense of duty, then its treasures may never be revealed to us. It is the believer who rejoices in the Word, who delights to read and study it day by day, who will find God's hidden treasures. (Ps 112:1, Ps 1:2-note) (Bible Exposition Commentary) "Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full (pleroo). (Jn 16:24+) But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy (Jesus is the Source of Joy - reminiscent of the old acronym = Jesus Others Yourself) made full (pleroo) in themselves. (John 17:13+) Robert Candlish comments: It is surely very wonderful that the occasion on which Jesus manifests so intense an anxiety about his disciples having enough of joy, and of his own joy, should be the eve of his last agony. Is it really with him a time of joy? Are the bloody sweat and the cry as of one forsaken by his God the signs of joy? Is that the joy, his joy, which he prays they may have fulfilled in themselves? At all events, his joy, whatever it may be, must be of such a nature that it can be compatible with experience as dark as that. For his joy must be, like himself, "the same yesterday, today, and for ever." It cannot be fluctuating and intermittent. It cannot be merely one of many emotions, alternating or taking its turn with others, fitfully swaying the mind at intervals, according to the shifting breezes of the outer atmosphere. His joy must partake of his own unchangeableness, as the eternal Son of the Father. It is true that in his human nature and in his earthly history he is subjected to the impulses and influences of this chequered human and earthly scene. He meets with what may move, at one time to tears, at another time to gladness. Nor is he unsusceptible of such impressions. But beneath all these his real joy must be deeper far; a fathomless, infinite ocean, whose calm repose the wildest agitations of the upper sea cannot reach or ruffle. "My joy," he says to the Father, my joy in and with thee, I would have to be theirs, through their fellowship with thee and me. Such, in substance, is the Lord's own desire, as expressed to his disciples and to his Father. And such is his beloved apostle's aim in his teaching—"that your joy may be full." (1 John 1 Commentary) Our joy - The KJV (Textus Receptus) has "your" joy, which is possible. However other more modern Greek manuscripts have "Our" which fits with the context for all of the pronouns in verses 1-4, which are all in the first person plural (go back and circle "we" and "our"). Hiebert favors the latter translation writing "Our joy” may also be understood in an inclusive sense to include both writer and readers. Thus The New English Bible reads, “the joy of us all.” This inclusive meaning seems natural in view of the possessive plural pronoun “our fellowship” in 1Jn 1:3 above. It is an instance of pastor and people rejoicing together in the fellowship of the gospel (cf. John 4:36). (Online An Exposition of 1 John 1:1-4 - excellent) Wuest agrees with Hiebert noting that "The best texts have “our” not “your,” that is, John’s joy and that of the recipients, since both will then enjoy that intimate, intelligent fellowship with the Lord Jesus which only comes when the saint sees Him, hears Him speak, and touches Him, through the medium of the Gospel writers and the Holy Spirit as He ministers what they have written about the Lord in their writings." (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) As a third-century man was anticipating death, he penned these last words to a friend - It’s a bad world, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret. They have found a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasure of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people are the Christians—and I am one of them. JOHN'S DESIRE FOR US… JOY, JOY, JOY DOWN IN OUR HEART! (Play this song sung by kids) Joy (5479)(chara) is a feeling of inner gladness, delight or rejoicing. Joy in the NT is virtually always used to signify a feeling of "happiness" that is based on spiritual realities (and independent of what "happens"). Joy is an inner gladness; a deep seated pleasure. It is a depth of assurance and confidence that ignites a cheerful heart. It is a cheerful heart that leads to cheerful behavior. It is not an experience that comes from favorable circumstances but is God’s gift to believers. Joy is a part of God’s very essence and as discussed below His Spirit manifests this supernatural joy in His children (Galatians 5:22-note, Acts 13:52, 1Th 1:6-note). Joy is the deep-down sense of well-being that abides in the heart of the person who knows all is well between himself and the Lord. There is a chorus from an old spiritual song that is apropos… Happiness happens But joy abides Chara - 59x in 57v in the NAS and translated - greatly(1), joy(54), joyful(1), joyfully(1), joyously(1), rejoicing(1). Note the association of chara and pleroo (joy and filled) -John 3:29, 15:11, 16:24, 17:13, Acts 13:52, Ro 15:13, 2Cor 7:4, Php 2:2, 2Ti 1:4, 1 John 1:4, 2 John 1:12. This repetitive association certainly suggests that God's desire for His children is fullness of joy! John uses chara once in each of his epistles… 1 John 1:4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete. 2 John 1:12 Though I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, so that your joy may be made full. 3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth. Alfred Plummer writes that joy in 1John 1:4 is "that serene happiness, which is the result of conscious union with God and good men, of conscious possession of eternal life…and which raises us above pain and sorrow and remorse. (1 John 1 Commentary) Donald Campbell writes that "Joy (chara) is a deep and abiding inner rejoicing which was promised to those who abide in Christ (Jn 15:11). It does not depend on circumstances because it rests in God’s sovereign control of all things." (See The Bible Knowledge Commentary Acts and Epistles - Page 20) Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote that… in any definition we may give of New Testament joy, is that we do not go to a dictionary; we go to the New Testament instead. This is something quite peculiar which cannot be explained; it is a quality which belongs to the Christian life in its essence, so that in our definition of joy we must be very careful that it conforms to what we see in our Lord. The world has never seen anyone who knew joy as our Lord knew it, and yet He was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” So our definition of joy must somehow correspond to that… Joy is something very deep and profound, something that affects the whole and entire personality. In other words it comes to this - There is only one thing that can give true joy and that is contemplation of the Lord Jesus Christ. He satisfies my mind; He satisfies my emotions; He satisfies my every desire. He and His great salvation include the whole personality and nothing less, and in Him I am complete. Joy, in other words, is the response and the reaction of the soul to a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Life in Christ Studies in 1 John by Martyn Lloyd-Jones) Secular dictionaries define joy as the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or the emotion evoked by the prospect of possessing what one desires. The world's definition of joy is synonymous with the definition of happiness, for both of these "emotions" are dependent on what "happens". Certainly there is a semblance of joy in human life, such as joy when one experiences a victory ("We will sing for joy over your victory, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May the LORD fulfill all your petitions." Psalm 20:5 Spurgeon's comment) or when one reaps a bountiful harvest (see Isaiah 9:3), but more often the Bible speaks of joy in a truly spiritual sense (as described above by Martyn Lloyd-Jones). For example, Nehemiah declared to the down in the mouth (not very filled with joy) Jews that "The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Neh 8:10). Similarly, David pleaded with God to “restore to me the joy of Thy salvation” (Psalm 51:12 Spurgeon's Comment). As an aside, it is not surprising that joy and rejoicing are found most frequently in the Psalms (about 80 references) and the Gospels (about 40 references). Play (and believe the words of) the old song by Twila Paris… THE JOY OF THE LORD Brother and sisters "Rejoice in the Lord and again I will say rejoice!" (Php 4:4+) C. S. Lewis came a bit closer to the Biblical meaning of joy when he called it an “unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction.” That statement is a bit obtuse but Lewis then went on to add that joy "must be sharply distinguished both from happiness and from pleasure". Ultimately Lewis' experienced joy when he discovered that Jesus was the wellspring of all joy. Spiritual Joy then is not only an emotion that comes from favorable circumstances but paradoxically (supernaturally) can occur when circumstances are most difficult as Jesus taught His disciples declaring… Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned to joy. Whenever a woman is in travail she has sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she remembers the anguish no more, for joy that a child has been born into the world. Therefore you too now have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you. (John 16:20, 21, 22+) Believers of course have the Resident Source of joy within for as as Paul teaches "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness (Galatians 5:22+) Compare other passages that associate the Holy Spirit with joy… And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 13:52) Comment: Clearly one of the effects of being filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18+) is joy, a supernatural joy He gives us as we surrender our will to His control. (Paul to the Thessalonian believers who had just come to Christ out of pagan idolatry 1Th 1:9+) You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation (thlipsis) with the joy of the Holy Spirit (1Th 1:6+) Comment: Observe the juxtaposition of "joy" and "tribulation" once again affirming that the believer's joy is supernaturally given by the indwelling Spirit of Christ and thus is independent of the circumstances! Are your circumstances dire? The Bible teaches you can still have the Joy of Jesus! Does this truth not help us understand Nehemiah's well known declaration to those grieving that independent of their grief, "the joy of Jehovah is your strength." (Neh 8:10) God given inner joy is like a shield that deflects disappointments, like a spring deep within our soul, able to quench our thirst regardless of how dire are our circumstances. And in Acts we see a beautiful illustration of joy that abides, vividly contrasting with happiness that depends on what happens… So they (Peter and the apostles who had been imprisoned and flogged - Acts 5:28, 29, 40) went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing (chairo in the present tense = continually rejoicing) that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. (Acts 5:41, 42) Comment: Note that the apostles' joy was independent of their uncomfortable, even painful circumstances but it was intimately linked with their proclamation of Jesus the Messiah (cp John's "these things we write so that our joy may be made complete"). THOUGHT - Have you not had this supernatural joy in those times the Spirit has opened a door for you to proclaim Jesus to some lost soul? And doesn't this make sense… Jesus is the single most important Person in time and eternity and when we have the opportunity to share Him the joy we experience is simply unspeakable! May we pray for and be alert for more and more opportunities from God's Spirit to share His Son with those dead in their trespasses and sins and in desperate need for the Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The Christian life is to be a life of joy. It is founded on faith in Jesus, Whose life on earth began as "good news of great joy for all people" (Luke 2:10) and Whose last prayer was for His followers to have His joy made full in themselves (Jn 17:13). Joy from beginning to end and then without end (See our rejoicing in heaven in Revelation 19:7-note where rejoice is chairo). Augustine - There is a joy which is not given to the ungodly, that of all those who love Thee for Thine own sake, whose joy Thou Thyself art; and this is the happy life, to rejoice in Thee, of Thee. This is it! And there is no other. Laurin has some interesting insights on holy joy "As fellowship is the result of experience so joy is the result of fellowship. It is not said to have its source in riches although riches do afford no small measure of comfort and satisfaction. It is not said to have its source in pleasure although pleasure may bring diversion and recreation. Joy is mentioned in connection with Christ because it has its source in character. Joy is born, not bought. It is the cause of our happiness, not the effect of our pleasure. (As Quoted by Paul Apple in First John - Tests of Eternal Life - A Devotional Commentary) May be made complete (4137) (pleroo) literally means to fill something to the brim (a net = Mt 13:48, a building = Jn 12:3, Acts 2:2, a city = Acts 5:28, figuratively of needs = Phil 4:19) and so to make complete in every particular and cause to abound. The Highest Joy The highest joy that can be known To those who heav’nward wend— It is the Word of Life to own, And God to have as Friend. In some NT contexts the idea of pleroo is not only that one is filled with something but that they are controlled by what fills them. For example, when Paul commands believers to continually "be filled with the Spirit" in Ephesians 5:18-note, his desire for them is that the Holy Spirit would so permeate their being, that He would control their spiritual lives. In a similar manner when one is filled with joy (a fruit of the Spirit - Gal 5:22-note), that joy exerts (or should exert) a controlling influence on our everyday lives. Why so? Because joy is a supernatural attribute, a work of the Spirit indwelling us, and as such is independent of bad circumstances, difficult people, etc, which is in stark contrast to the unsaved world's word "happy" which is a feeling which depends on what "happens." THOUGHT - How is your joy beloved? If your "joy quotient" is low, my prayer for you is "Now may the God of hope fill (pleroo) you with all (not some but "all") joy and peace in believing (Our responsibility - to believe, have faith, trust the non-lying God), that you may abound (overflow the banks of the the river is the picture) in hope by the power (dunamis) of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13+) John uses pleroo in the passive voice (indicating the subject receives the action or effect from an outside source - in context this is what some refer to as the "divine passive" for He is the Source) which points out the fact that as believers we do not fill ourselves with joy by "self effort" (or even "self affirmation") but we permit the Spirit of God to fill us (and control us) with His joy. In short joy is a gift of God! In context John associates this "filling" with what he is writing (especially that finite man can have fellowship with the Infinite God). If follows that if your joy is low, get into the Word (E.g., Meditate on 1Jn 1:3) and allow His Word to get into you. Surrender to what God says in the Word. The Spirit Who transforms us from glory to glory (2Cor 3:18) uses the Word to bring us joy. The perfect tense generally identifies past completed action with present ongoing result. The idea is that their joy is brought to fullness and remains in that state. In this verse the parsing of the verb pleroo is referred to as the periphrastic perfect participial construction, which Wuest paraphrases… having been filled completely full in times past, may persist in that state of fulness through the present time. David said… Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; In Thy presence is fulness (Lxx = pleroo) of joy; In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever. (Psalm 16:11)

1 João 1:5

Wiersbe says that "to emphasize only God is Love and eliminate God is Light is to rob Him of His attributes of righteousness, holiness and justice." (Bible Exposition Commentary) We do well to remember one other description of the nature and essence of God in Hebrews 12:29 - "Our God is a Consuming Fire!" Augustus Strong said it well when he wrote that "Love is central in God, but holiness is central in love." Amen! Light is a subject so profound that it saturates the Scriptures with some 200 appearances from beginning to end, from Genesis (Ge1:3,4) to Revelation (Rev 22:5+)! Clearly light is one of the major Biblical physical and metaphorical motifs and thus the following discussion on "light" is only a summary. (Pastor Ray

1 João 1:5

Wiersbe: The Lord was everything he needed just as He is everything we need today. He is our light, so we need not fear because of darkness; He is our strength (or stronghold; see Ps 18:2; 31:3–2), so we need not fear because of our weakness; and He is our salvation, so the victory is sure. This is the first time in Scripture that light is used as a metaphor for God (see John 1:4, 9; 8:12; 1John 1:5; Rev 21:23), although in many texts He is associated with the light (Ps 4:6; 18:28; 43:3; 84:11; Isa. 10:17; 60:1, 20; Mic. 7:8). (Bible Exposition Commentary) The African Bible Commentary: Light illuminates our way and repels the darkness, thus revealing hidden enemies. J

1 João 1:6-7

Wiersbe comments that … Light produces life and growth and beauty, but sin is darkness; and darkness and light cannot exist in the same place. If we are walking in the light, the darkness has to go. If we are holding to sin, then the light goes. There is no middle ground, no vague “gray” area, where sin is concerned… One of the first symptoms of walking in darkness is a loss of blessing from the Bible. You cannot read the Word profitably while you are walking in the dark. But a dishonest person loses something else: he loses his fellowship with God and with God’s people (1 John 1:6–7). As a result, prayer becomes an empty form to him. Worship is dull routine. He becomes critical of other Christians and starts staying away from church: “What communion hath light with darkness?” (2Cor 6:14)… One problem with dishonesty is that just keeping a record of our lies and pretenses is a full-time job! Abraham Lincoln used to say that if a man is going to be a liar, he had better have a good memory! When a person uses up all his energy in pretending, he has nothing left for living; and life becomes shallow and tasteless. A person who pretends not only robs himself of reality, but he keeps himself from growing: his true self is smothered under the false self. (Wiersbe, W: Bible Exposition Commentary - Old Testament. Victor) We lie and do not practice the truth - The Pulpit Commentary has "we are false both in word and deed." As noted elsewhere both verbs (lie and practice) are in the present tense which can be paraphrased… "We habitually lie and continually do not practice the truth." It seems inconceivable to me that some commentators consider this individual to be a genuine Christian and explain that he or she is simply not in fellowship with God. Sure, all genuine believers lie occasionally, BUT genuine Christians do not lie as their general lifestyle. All Christians fail to practice the truth, BUT genuine Christians do not fail to practice the truth as their habitual practice! THE TRUTH ABOUT LYING It also seems that John considers the habitual practice of lying a very serious matter which should cause the practitioner to do some deep soul searching including meditating on John's passages that describe the eternal destiny of habitual liars. In the near context in chapter 2 John makes another strong statement writing that… The one who says, "I have come to know (ginosko in the perfect tense = They claim to have come to know Jesus at some point in time in the past and they still know Him) Him," and does not keep (present tense - as their general practice - not perfection but general direction) His commandments, is (present tense) a liar (peustes), and the truth is (present tense) not (the Greek indicates absolute negation) in him (1Jn 2:4) Question: Beloved, does this sound like the description of a believer who is simply not experiencing fellowship with Jesus? Or is this the description of someone who claims to know Jesus but does not really know Him? Sure they may know about Jesus (that would apply to most people in America), but they don't really know Him intimately. They know about Jesus like someone knows about Abraham Lincoln but does not really know him by personal acquaintance. And beloved, one's soul will not be saved by just knowing about Christ. The only saving knowledge is to know Him by trusting in Him as Lord and Savior (Ro 10:9, 10-note, compare the dreadful fate of those who think they know Him in Mt 7:21-note, Mt 7:22, 23-note. Note that Jesus also uses the same verb [ginosko] that this individual does in 1Jn 2:4 for "know" - know by experience! Can you imagine the horror of those who claimed to "know" Jesus in their life, only to hear His solemn words "I never [ever] knew [ginosko] you depart from me, you who practice [present tense = habitually practice] lawlessness.") Notice once again that John associates what this person says with what he actually does. John seems intent on getting across the point that you can say you are a Christian "until you're blue in the face" (to use an old expression which emphasizes one's persistence in making this claim), but unless there is evidence in your life by what you do or how you behave (in this case keep the the Lord's commandments - not perfection, but direction!), then John says you are a liar! That is strong language. If John walked up to someone and told them they were a liar, that would (or at least should) be cause for serious concern, especially in light of what John teaches about all liars who practice lying in the Revelation of Jesus Christ (see below). Later in chapter 2 John asks… Who is the liar but the one who denies (present tense) that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah)? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. (1John 2:22) Comment: Anyone who denies that Jesus is the promised Messiah is an antichrist, one who opposes Christ! In chapter 4 John again addresses the issue of lying stating plainly that… If someone says, "I love (present tense - continually love) God," and hates (present tense - continually hates) his brother, he is (present tense) a liar; for the one who does not love (present tense) his brother whom he has seen, cannot (absolutely cannot) love God Whom he has not seen. (1John 4:20) Comment: Once again note John's pattern of comparing what one says with what one does as their general practice, their general lifestyle. Read that verse again -- does that sound like a believer? The Apostle John links lying and practicing twice in the Revelation in his description of the moral characteristics of those who will not be allowed into heaven! Perhaps this John wanted to make sure the readers of his epistle were not deceived by their lifestyle of lying and not practicing the truth (1Jn 1:6b)! (John speaking of heaven) and nothing unclean and no one who practices (poieo in the present tense) abomination and lying (pseudos = noun), shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Rev 21:27) (John repeats practicing lying!) Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves (present tense) and practices (poieo in the present tense) lying (pseudos = noun). (Rev 22:15) John also mentions lying again in Revelation 21 linking it with the liar's eternal destiny… But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars (pseudes = adjective)( their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Rev 21:8) In summary, these passages from the pen of John strongly support the premise that lying is a very serious issue, one that clearly can impact one's eternal destiny. Thus when John says that when we walk in the darkness continually we are in effect practicing lying, that should be a cause of serious concern. In my opinion, that hardly sounds like the description of a genuine believer! Sure all believers are guilty from time to time of "little white lies" (a misnomer, because all sin is an abomination to "God [Who] is light"). But genuine believers do not continually lie as their lifestyle. THE TRUTH ABOUT NOT PRACTICING THE TRUTH Do not practice the truth - "Not" is the Greek word "ou" which signifies absolute negation. John is saying that when one walks habitually in darkness, they absolutely do not practice the truth. There is no middle ground. You either do or you don't practice the truth. Don't be deceived! Sure, all believers have times when they do not do the truth, but that is not their habitual practice or lifestyle. Believers are new creatures in Christ (2Cor 5:17), and have been transferred out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light and now have a new desires and a new power to carry out those desires. Believers don't practice the truth about them perfectly, but they do practice them as the general direction of their life (toward heaven, not hell!) As I like to say, we are speaking of direction, not perfection. If someone's life is continually in the darkness, then can they possibly claim to have fellowship with "God (Who) is light" (1Jn 1:5)? Such a claim is preposterous, and anyone who believes that they can live like the devil and be assured of living eternally with Jesus is simply deceiving themselves. They have bought into the lie that John is addressing in this epistle, the lie that says you can live anyway you want to live and still think you are an authentic, born again, regenerate person, who has Christ in them, who has His Holy Spirit indwelling them, and yet who continually lives an unholy life. John wants to counter this dangerous deception, which is why he is writing these statements about those who say one thing and do another (1John 5:13). Using a basic rule of good hermeneutics that Scripture is the best commentary on Scripture, it is notable that the only other use of the phrase "practice truth" is by the apostle John in his Gospel in a passage which is clearly in the context of salvation (See Jesus' teaching on belief and salvation in John 3:16, 17, 18, 19). John records the words of our Lord Jesus Christ… For everyone who does (prasso in present tense = continually practices) evil hates (present tense) the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices (poieo in present tense = continually does) the truth comes (present tense) to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God. (John 3:20-21) Comment: One who habitually (the text does not say "perfectly") or generally practices the truth is regenerate (born again), their deeds clearly manifesting (revealing for all to see) what they are in their heart. First John 1:6 states that a person who habitually walks in darkness also does not practice truth as their lifestyle. Comparing this person with John's definition of a believer using almost identical wording, it is very reasonable to interpret those who "do not practice the truth" as unregenerate individuals. Harris agrees commenting: The phrase practicing the truth means living out the truth in a lifestyle obedient to God. The most important parallel is John 3:20, 21, where we are told “Everyone who does [= practices] evil hates the light and does not come to the light…but the one who practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be plainly evident that his deeds have been done in God.” The problem with the opponents lies not with their boast that they have fellowship with God, but with their contradictory behavior—they continue walking in the darkness. Practice (4160) (poieo) means to do or to accomplish and is in the present tense in this passage, indicating that this failure to practice truth is one's lifestyle or continual practice. In other words, John is describing a person who is "living a lie" (a hypocrite) which is another way of saying this person is not a genuine believer. As Wiersbe says this person "is playing a role and acting a part, but is not living a genuine life. He is insincere." In short, John is saying it does not matter what you say you believe, but what you show you believe by what you do, by how you live. If you say you believe and your live matches your lips then that is clearly a strong indication that your belief is genuine. John desires that his readers have assurance of their salvation (1John 5:13). On the other hand he wants to make sure that anyone who calls themselves a Christian and lives like the devil (a liar from the beginning) is not deceived into thinking they are just out of fellowship. John clearly believers habitual liars are not just out of fellowship, but out of the presence of the God of light for all eternity! Serious consequences call for strong language, and John is up to the task. Brooke says it this way “Speaking” the truth is only one part of “doing” the truth, and not the most important. To “do the truth” is to give expression to the highest of which he is capable in every sphere of his being. It relates to action, and conduct and feeling, as well as to word and thought. (A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Johannine Epistles) The truth (ten aletheian) - The definitive article identifies this as not just truth in general but in context is "the specific truth" about how a believer should walk. Truth is like a beacon of light which shines on our lies and exposes the darkness of our souls. Truth (225)(aletheia from a = indicates following word has the opposite meaning ~ without + lanthano = to be hidden or concealed, to escape notice, cp our English "latent" from Latin = to lie hidden) has the literal sense of that which contains nothing hidden, that which is not concealed. Aletheia is that which that is seen or expressed as it really is. The basic understanding of aletheia is that it is the manifestation of a hidden reality. For example, when you are a witness in a trial, the court attendant says "Raise your right hand. Do you swear that you will tell the truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?" And you say, "I do" and you sit down. The question the court attendant is asking is "Are you willing to come into this courtroom and manifest something that is hidden to us that only you know so that you will bear evidence to that?" Therefore when you speak the truth, you are manifesting a "hidden reality". Does that make sense? A parallel example in Scripture is the case of the woman in the crowd who had touched Jesus (Read context = Mk 5:24-25, 26-27, 28-29, 30, 31-32), but when she became "aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him, and told Him the whole truth " (Mk 5:33) and nothing but the truth. She did not lie. She spoke no falsehoods. Truth then is the correspondence between a reality and a declaration which professes to set forth or describe the reality. To say it another way, words spoken or written are true when they correspond with objective reality. Persons and things are true when they correspond with their profession (which we describe with words like integrity, sincerity, non-hypocritical, etc). In other words, "what you see is what you get". Peter

1 João 1:7

Wiersbe - WALK ON - Every form of life has its enemies. Insects have to watch out for hungry birds, and birds must keep an eye on hungry cats and dogs. Even human beings have to dodge automobiles and fight off germs. The life that is real also has an enemy, and we read about it in this section. This enemy is sin. John illustrates his theme by using the contrast between light and darkness: God is light; sin is darkness. The New Testament calls the Christian life a "walk." This walk begins with a step of faith when we trust Christ as our Savior. But salvation is not the end—it's only the beginning—of spiritual life. "Walking" involves progress, and Christians are supposed to advance in the spiritual life. Just as a child must learn to walk and must overcome many difficulties in doing so, a Christian must learn to "walk in the light." And the fundamental difficulty involved here is this matter of sin. (See Bible Commentary - Page 1140) Writing to the saints in Ephesus Paul tells them to not be partakers with the sons of disobedience (Eph 5:6, 7+) explaining… for you were formerly darkness (the essence of darkness), but now you are light (the essence of light) in the Lord; walk (present imperative = command calling for this to be the believer's lifestyle) as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth) (Eph 5:8see in depth discussion of this great passage, Eph 5:9+) Comment: Believers are light, partakers of the divine nature (2Peter 1:4+). This is an incomprehensible (to me) passage. God is light and Paul says we are light. But we are not light by ourselves as God is light, but light only because of our covenant union with Christ the Light of the world. Christ the hope of glory (Col 1:27+) now indwells us (the Spirit of Christ, Ro 8:9+). We are new creatures in Christ. Something of His light in a way I cannot (nor dare not try to) explain is in us! That is the truth of the Scriptures. In light of that amazing truth, Paul issues a command to put this truth in practice and walk as children of light. When we walk as children of light (in the enabling power of the indwelling Spirit of Christ), we are surely walking in the light! In the Light - "Ensphered" by light (see locative of sphere). John is saying if we live in the "atmosphere" of light. Recall that God Himself is light! Marvin

1 João 1:8

Wiersbe - 1 John 1:8 SELF-DECEIT A dishonest person loses his fellowship with God and with God's people. As a result, prayer becomes an empty form to him. Worship is a dull routine. He becomes critical of other Christians and starts staying away from church. A group of church members were discussing their new pastor. "For some reason," said one man, "I really don't feel at ease with him. I believe he's a good man, all right—but something seems to stand between us." Another member replied, "Yes, I think I know what you mean. I used to have that same problem with him, but now I don't have it anymore. The pastor and I have great fellowship." "What did he do to make things better?" "He didn't do anything," said the friend. "I did the changing." "You did the changing?" "Yes, I decided to be open and honest about things, the way our pastor is. You see, there isn't one stain of hypocrisy in his life, and there was so much pretending in my life that we just didn't make it together. He and I both knew I was a phony. Since I've started to live an honest Christian life, everything is better." Applying God's Truth: 1. Most people never verbally claim to be "without sin," so how can you tell when someone is being dishonest with himself or herself? 2. When your own praying becomes empty and worship becomes dull, what do you do to get back "on track"? 3. When fellow Christians criticize you, do you consider they may be going through a personal spiritual problem and "cut them some slack"? What are some recent examples of conflict where this might have been the case? (See Be Real (1 John): Turning from Hypocrisy to Truth - Page 39) C H Spurgeon -Honest dealing with God (Full sermon Honest Dealing with God) ‘If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.’ 1 John 1:8–10 Our tendency to be false is illustrated in 1 John 1, where we find three grades of it. There is first the man who lies: ‘If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth’. We say and do that which is untrue, if, while abiding under the influence of sin and falsehood, we claim to have fellowship with God. If this tendency is left unchecked, you will find the man growing worse and doing according to the eighth verse, where it is written, ‘we deceive ourselves’. Here the utterer of the falsehood has come to believe his own lie; he has blinded his understanding and befooled his conscience till he has become his own dupe. Falsehood has saturated his nature, so that he puts ‘darkness for light, and light for darkness’. This is at once his sin and his punishment; he closed his eyes so long that at length he has become stone blind. He will soon reach the complete development of his sin, which is described in the tenth verse, when the man, who first lied, and then deceived himself, becomes so audacious in his falseness as to blaspheme the Most Holy by making him a liar. It is impossible to say where sin will end; the beginning of it is as a little water in which a bird may wash and scatter half the pool in drops, but in its progress sin, like the brook, swells into a torrent deep and broad. We must judge ourselves very severely, lest our natural tendency to falseness should lead us to false assertion as to ourselves, and then urge us on till we delude ourselves into the foolish belief that we are what we proudly represent ourselves to be, and dare in the desperation of our pride to think God himself untrue. ‘Just and holy is Thy name, I am all unrighteousness, False and full of sin I am; Thou art full of truth and grace.’ -- Charles Wesley The Truth About Sin A man rebuked me for admitting that I still sin and often need forgiveness. He quoted 1John 3:6 and 1John 3:9 and said that a Christian does not sin, implying that I was not a Christian. I assured him that I don’t want to sin, but that I can’t say I’m Christlike in everything I think, say, and do. I suggested that the verses in 1 John 3 refer to a sinful lifestyle, and I pointed him to other verses in 1 John which teach that Christians still need forgiveness (1Jn 1:8-10, 1Jn 2:1). Becoming like Christ is a lifelong process. Only in heaven will we be without sin. I believe that’s why John warned us to beware of three lies about sin: First, saying “we have fellowship with [Christ]” while we “walk in darkness” (1 Jn. 1:6). Second, saying “we have no sin” (v.8). And third, saying “we have not sinned” (1Jn 1:10). Following each lie he gave us the truth. First, if we walk in the light, Jesus’ blood cleanses us from all sin (1Jn 1:7). Second, if we confess our sins, He forgives and cleanses us (1Jn 1:9). And third, if we sin, Jesus speaks in our defense before the Father (1Jn 2:1). Please help me, Lord, in all I do To act and think with motives true; And by Your love reveal to me Those sins that only You can see. —DJD Christians are not sinless, but they should sin less. The Biggest Lie A minister was walking down a street when he noticed a group of boys standing around a dog. Concerned for the dog’s safety, he walked over and asked what they were doing. A boy replied, “This is an old stray, and all of us want it. We decided that whoever told the biggest lie would get it.” “You boys shouldn’t have a contest telling lies,” said the minister. “Don’t you know that lying is a sin? Why, when I was your age I never told a lie!” There was silence for about a minute. Then, just as the minister thought he had gotten through to them, one boy gave a deep sigh and said, “All right, he wins. Give him the dog.” We smile, but the fact is, we’ve all told some whoppers. Oh, we tolerate some lies, calling them exaggerations—like when we add a few inches to the big fish we caught. We aren’t that tolerant, however, when lied to and cheated in a business deal or when an untruth threatens our reputation. Yet, anyone who says he’s without sin is telling the biggest lie of all. Deceit lies hidden in our hearts— We all have told a lie; Yet Jesus can forgive and cleanse— That's why He came to die. —D. De Haan A lie may cover your tracks, but it cannot hide the truth. The Tyranny of the Perfect If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:8 Today's Scripture & Insight : 1 John 1:5–2:2 Dr. Brian Goldman obsessively tried to be perfect in treating his patients. But on a nationally broadcast show he admitted to mistakes he had made. He revealed that he had treated a woman in the emergency room and then made the decision to discharge her. Later that day a nurse asked him, “Do you remember that patient you sent home? Well, she’s back.” The patient had been readmitted to the hospital and then died. This devastated him. He tried even harder to be perfect, only to learn the obvious: Perfection is impossible. As Christians, we may harbor unrealistic expectations of perfection for ourselves. But even if we can somehow manage the appearance of a flawless life, our thoughts and motives are never completely pure. John the disciple wrote, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). The remedy is not to hide our sins and to strive harder, but to step into the light of God’s truth and confess them. “If we walk in the light,” said John, “as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (v. 7). In medicine, Dr. Goldman proposes the idea of a “redefined physician” who—in a culture where we are hesitant to admit our errors—no longer toils under the tyranny of perfection. Such a physician openly shares mistakes and supports colleagues who do the same, with a goal of reducing mistakes. Father, it’s so difficult for us to share our faults with each other, but You call us to wholeness as Your people. Empower us by Your Spirit to live courageously in love and honesty. Honesty with God about our sin brings forgiveness. Fox Trouble If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. — 1 John 1:8 Today's Scripture : 1 John 1:5-10 The British are having trouble with foxes. According to The Wall Street Journal, the sly little fellows have moved into London and are making a general nuisance of themselves. They knock over rubbish cans, swipe shoes left out to dry, destroy gardens, and leave a foul odor. With the city borders being pushed farther into the countryside, the little troublemakers are adapting rather than moving—and many Londoners are frustrated and upset. When you stop to think about it, little “foxes” can become great aggravations for followers of Christ who are trying to honor Him. What we may consider “little” or “harmless” sins can be our downfall. “Stretching the truth,” for example, is actually lying. And gossip is nothing less than character assassination. The trouble is that those little sins will inevitably grow larger. Before we know it, we’ll need to do some serious repenting and confessing. Today pull up the little weeds, The sinful thoughts subdue, Or they will take the reins themselves And someday master you. —Anon. The most deadly sins do not leap upon us, they creep up on us. I'd Rather Die Than Lie Children who are taught to tell the truth are blessed. One grateful adult said, “Today, as a result of my upbringing, I’d rather die than lie.” Being honest with others is vital, but another aspect is equally important—being honest with ourselves. Most of us easily see the faults of others but fiercely resist admitting the truth about ourselves. Pastor and author Bob Smith lists some of our self-deceptions: “Others have prejudices, but we have convictions. Others are conceited, but in me it’s self-respect. When you spend time on your personal appearance, it’s vanity; in me, it’s just making the most of my God-given assets. In you, it’s touchiness; but in me, it’s sensitivity. In you, it’s worry; in me, concern.” The apostle John teaches that if we say one thing but practice another, we are lying (v.6), deceiving ourselves (1Jn 1:8), and even making God a liar (1Jn 1:10). Having diagnosed our dishonesty as sin, John gave the prescription in 1Jn 1:9—confession, or calling it what it is. All falsehood we would cast aside, From You, O Lord, we cannot hide; Lord, by Your Spirit grant that we In word and deed may honest be. —DJD Truth is so precious that some people use it sparingly.