1 João 5
Warren Wiersbe · Citado em PreceptAustin
1 João 5:3
Wiersbe - 1 John 5:3 - THE SECRET OF JOYFUL OBEDIENCE Everything in creation—except man—obeys the will of God. "Lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds . . . do his bidding" (Ps. 148:8). In the Book of Jonah, you see the winds and waves, and even the fish, obeying God's commands; but the prophet stubbornly wanted his own way. Disobedience to God's will is a tragedy—but so is reluctant, grudging obedience. God does not want us to disobey Him, but neither does He want us to obey out of fear or necessity. What Paul wrote about giving also applies to living: "not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Cor. 9:7). What is the secret of joyful obedience? It is to recognize that obedience is a family matter. We are serving a loving Father and helping our brothers and sisters in Christ. We have been born of God; we love God, and we love God's children. And we demonstrate this love by keeping God's commandments. (See Pause for Power: A 365-Day Journey through the Scriptures - Page 150) Joseph Stowell - TRUE LOVE - GOD IS LOVE. WHOEVER LIVES IN LOVE LIVES IN GOD, AND GOD IN HIM.—1 John 4:16 We love God by giving ourselves willingly to Him, His Word, and His will. “This is love for God: to obey his commands” (1 John 5:3). But loving God is also expressed by extending love toward others. In fact, loving others is the proof of our commitment to Christ ( John 13:34–35). These upward and outward directions of love are brought together in Christ’s command that we are to first love God and then our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:34–40). The opposite of love is not always hate. It is more often self-centeredness rooted in a fear of loss, of being taken advantage of, of being misunderstood, of becoming vulnerable, or of losing control of our own destiny. Fear turns our attention inward. It thrives on self-centeredness—on our concern for our own welfare. When we are fearful, we refuse to surrender to God’s control and are afraid to reach out to others. Yet John reminds us that “perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). Love loves in the face of our fears and expels fear from our hearts. When I trust God to protect and prosper me, I have nothing to fear and am free to love. I am free to yield lovingly to God regardless of my circumstances and to unconditionally love others without seeking to protect my own interests. Paul helps us understand how foreign fear is to authentic faith: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love” (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV). A conscious commitment to true love will dispel fear and help drive out other fear-inspired enemies, such as anger, jealousy, and hatred. A loveless life is often a life that has been victimized by fear. Trust Him to cover your fears and risk an act of love that tells Him how much you love Him. Reach “up” to Him in trust and “out” to others. Start to love today by choosing one concrete way to express your love to God by loving someone you know who is in need Jerry Bridges - CRUISE CONTROL OR RACE CAR? (See Holiness Day by Day: Transformational Thoughts) For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. 1 JOHN 5:3 If we’re to love God with all our heart and soul and mind, and if obedience is a major part of such love, it follows that we’re to obey Him with all our heart, soul, and mind. We’re to put everything we have into obedience to Him. Most of us believers practice what I call a “cruise-control” approach to obedience. We press the pedal of obedience until we’ve brought our behavior up to a certain level or speed, which is most often determined by the behavior standard of other Christians around us. We don’t want to lag behind them, nor are we eager to forge ahead. We want to just comfortably blend in. Once we have arrived at this comfortable level of obedience, we push the cruise-control button in our hearts, ease back, and relax. We don’t have to watch the speed limit signs in God’s Word, and we certainly don’t have to experience the fatigue that comes with striving to obey Him with all our heart, soul, and mind. By contrast consider race-car drivers. They wouldn’t think of using cruise control. They’re not interested in blending in with those around them. They want to win the race. So they’re totally focused on their driving. They try to push their car to the outer limits of its mechanical ability and endurance, and press themselves to the limits of their skill. They’re driving with all their heart, soul, and mind. This is what it means to love and obey God with all our heart, soul, and mind. It means striving for holiness, in the words of Hebrews 12:14. It means making every effort to add to our faith the various facets of Christian character, in the words of 2 Peter 1:5–7. Robert Hawker - And his commandments are not grievous.—1 John 5:3. Is it so, my soul, that the commandments of thy Lord are not grievous unto thee? Surely it is; for though thou carriest about with thee a body of sin and death, which is everlastingly harassing thee, yet thou canst, and dost say, “I delight in the law of God after the inward man;” yea, in the very moment that thine old unrenewed nature, when evil is present with thee, is tempting thee to break through the hedge of divine precepts, in thy regenerated part thou truly lovest and delightest in the holiness of thy Lord’s commandments. And are there not seasons in thine experience, when, in spite of sin, and Satan, and the world, thou canst adopt the language of one of old, and say, “Oh, how I love thy law; it is my meditation all the day!” And is it not joy to thy heart, and a blessed part of thy faith, that the law of thy God was so sure and so strict, that rather than that a jot of it should pass unfulfilled, or the smallest breach of it go unatoned for, Jesus must and did die? And is it not one of the sweetest and most satisfying principles to thee in the gospel, that Jehovah did not, and would not clear the guilty, but by an equivalent; so that, both in obedience and by sacrifice, the law is magnified by thy great Surety, and made honourable? Precious Jesus! It is wholly by thee, and in thee, as my soul finds the commandments of my God to be not grievous. By faith I behold them all fulfilled in thee, as my glorious head; and by virtue of my union with thee, I feel the gracious principle of thy quickening Spirit inclining my soul both to love thy commandments, and most earnestly desiring to fulfil them. “Lord, enable me to run the way of thy commandments, now thou hast set my soul at liberty!” These commandments, he says, are not burdensome. They may seem so to those who have not experienced the new birth. To the Christian, the commandments of Christ provide the pattern of the new life that he desires to follow by the empowering of the Holy Spirit. He recognises in them the Master’s instructions for the very best kind of life. It was John, the apostle of a later day, who wrote, ‘His commandments are not grievous’, 1 John 5:3, and this was certainly true of the commandment given to Adam. How many trees were there in Eden? Scores? Hundreds? Thousands? We are not told, we cannot tell, but we can be sure that there was an ample supply for man’s physical need, and the prohibition pertained to one tree only! Man must obey Him who was greater than he and as an intelligent creature he should have known that boundaries were necessary in the creation. Sadly, he disobeyed. He ate what was forbidden and he forfeited Eden. He died to it. He died spiritually to his Creator too, and began that very day to die physically also. - John Bennett If we love God, we will obey his commandments (1 John 5:3) and thus do what is pleasing to him. We will love God, not the world (1 John 2:15), and we will do all this because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). It is one of the most amazing facts in all Scripture that just as God’s love involves his giving of himself to make us happy, so we can in return give of ourselves and actually bring joy to God’s heart. - Wayne Grudem With this joy set before us the commandments of God will not be burdensome The challenge before us … is not merely to do what God says because he is God, but to desire what God says because he is good. The challenge is not merely to pursue righteousness, but to prefer righteousness. The challenge is to get up in the morning and prayerfully meditate on the Scriptures until we experience joy and peace in believing “the precious and very great promises of God” (Rom. 15:13; 2 Peter 1:4). With this joy set before us the commandments of God will not be burdensome (1 John 5:3) and the compensation of sin will appear too brief and too shallow to lure us. - John
1 João 5:5
Wiersbe - FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES (See Be Real - Page 169) A Civil War veteran used to wander from place to place, begging a bed and bite to eat and always talking about his friend, "Mr. Lincoln." Because of his injuries, he was unable to hold a steady job. But as long as he could keep going, he would chat about his beloved President. "You say you knew Mr. Lincoln," a skeptical bystander retorted one day. "I'm not so sure you did. Prove it!" The old man replied, "Why, sure, I can prove it. In fact, I have a piece of paper here that Mr. Lincoln himself signed and gave to me." From his old wallet, the man took out a much-folded piece of paper and showed it to the man. "I'm not much for reading," he apologized, "but I know that's Mr. Lincoln's signature." "Man, do you know what you have here?" one of the spectators asked. "You have a generous federal pension authorized by President Lincoln. You don't have to walk around like a poor beggar! Mr. Lincoln has made you rich!" To paraphrase what John wrote: "You Christians do not have to walk around defeated, because Jesus Christ has made you victors! He has defeated every enemy and you share His victory. Now, by faith, claim His victory." Adrian Rogers - This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. 1 John 5:4 How do you ever gain victory over the wild array of temptations in your life? When you understand how the devil is working, how the flesh is working, and how the world is working, you begin to see the keys to defeating them. When battling against our external foe—the world—the key word to remember is faith. It is faith that overcomes the world. John continues in 1 John 5:5: “And who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” It is not just faith in a general sense that overcomes the world. Faith that sees Jesus as the Son of God is conquering faith. Andrew
1 João 5:15
Wiersbe - John does not write, “We shall have the requests,” but, “We know that we have the requests” (cf. 1 John 5:15). The verb is present tense. We may not see the answer to a prayer immediately, but we have inner confidence that God has answered. This confidence, or faith, is “the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). It is God witnessing to us that He has heard and answered. What breathing is to a physical man, prayer is to a spiritual man. If we do not pray, we “faint” (Luke 18:1). Prayer is not only the utterance of the lips; it is also the desire of the heart. “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thes. 5:17) does not mean that a Christian is always saying an audible prayer. We are not heard for our much speaking (Matt. 6:7). No, “Pray without ceasing” suggests the attitude of the heart as well as the words of the lips. A Christian who has his heart fixed on Christ and is trying to glorify Him is praying constantly even when he is not conscious of it. (Bible Exposition Commentary ) We may not actually see it for many years, but it’s as good as done. Steven
1 João 5:19
Wiersbe - A Christian faces three enemies, all of which want to lead him into sin: the world, the flesh and the devil. The world “lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19), Satan—the god of this age (2Co 4:3,4, lit.) and the prince of this world (Jn 14:30). He is the spirit who works in the children of disobedience (Eph. 2:2). Satan has many devices for leading a believer into sin. He tells lies, as he did to Eve (Gen. 3; 2 Cor. 11:1–3), and when men believe his lies they turn away from and disobey God’s truth. Or, Satan may inflict physical suffering, as he did with Job and Paul (2Co 12:7–9). In David’s case, Satan used pride as his weapon and urged David to number the people and in this way defy God (1Chr 21:1-30). Satan is like a serpent who deceives (Rev. 12:9) and a lion who devours (1 Peter 5:8–9). He is a formidable enemy. Then there is the problem of the flesh, the old nature with which we were born and which is still with us. True, we have a new nature (the divine seed, 1 John 3:9) within us, but we do not always yield to our new nature. The world is our third enemy (1 John 2:15, 17). It is easy for us to yield to the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life! The atmosphere around us makes it hard for us to keep our minds pure and our hearts true to God. Then how does a believer keep from sinning? 1 John 5:18 gives the answer: Jesus Christ keeps the believer so that the enemy cannot get his hands on him. “He [Christ] who was born of God keeps him [the believer] and the evil one does not touch him” (NASB). The Authorized Version here gives the impression that a believer keeps himself from sin, but this is not what the verse says. Of course, it is true that a Christian must keep himself in the love of God (Jude 21); but it is not true that a Christian must depend on himself to overcome Satan. (See "Paradoxical Principle of 100% Dependent and 100% Responsible") Peter’s experience with Satan helps us to understand this truth. “Simon, Simon,” said Jesus, “behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31–32+). To begin with, Satan cannot touch any believer without God’s permission. Satan wanted to sift all the disciples, and Jesus gave him permission. But Jesus prayed especially for Peter, and His prayer was answered. Peter’s faith did not ultimately fail, even though his courage failed. Peter was restored and became a mighty and effective soul-winner. Whenever Satan attacks us, we can be sure that God gave him permission. And if God gave him permission He will also give us power to overcome, because God will never permit us to be tested above our strength (1 Cor. 10:13). One of the characteristics of “spiritual young men” is their ability to overcome the evil one (1 John 2:13–14). Their secret? “The word of God abides in you” (1 John 2:14). Part of the armor of God is the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17), and this sword overcomes Satan. When a believer sins, he can confess his sin and be forgiven (1 John 1:9). But a believer dare not play with sin, because sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4, where “transgression of the Law” means “lawlessness”). A person who practices sin proves that he belongs to Satan (1 John 3:7–10). Furthermore, God warns that sin can lead to physical death! (Bible Exposition Commentary) Know (1492)(eido in the perfect tense = oida) means speaks not of experiential knowledge, but of absolute, beyond a shadow of a doubt knowledge. It means to know with a settled, absolute, intuitive knowledge. Eido/oida is distinguished from ginosko because ginosko generally refers to knowledge obtained by experience or "experiential knowledge". Eido/oida often refers more to an intuitive knowledge, although this distinction is not always clear cut. Generally speaking, eido/oida is not so much that which is known by experience as an intuitive insight that is drilled into one's heart. Eido/oida is knowledge that is characterized by assurance, something known with certainty. Eido/oida is an intuitive knowledge which in the case of believers can only be given by the Holy Spirit. In sum, for believers eido/oida suggests Spirit given fullness of knowledge, absolute knowledge (that which is without a doubt), rather than a progress in knowledge (cp ginosko). EIDO IN JOHN'S EPISTLES - MOST USES (5) ARE FOUND IN CHAPTER 5 - 1 Jn. 2:11; 1 Jn. 2:20; 1 Jn. 2:21; 1 Jn. 2:29; 1 Jn. 3:2; 1 Jn. 3:5; 1 Jn. 3:14; 1 Jn. 3:15; 1 Jn. 5:13; 1 Jn. 5:15; 1 Jn. 5:18; 1 Jn. 5:19; 1 Jn. 5:20; 3 Jn. 1:12; Of (1537) ex or ek means from, from out of, away from. Friberg - before a vowel ἐξ (ex); preposition with the genitive; (1) spatially, denoting motion away from a place, after verbs of going, sending, escaping, moving from, out of, away from (Mk 7:31); (2) denoting direction from which something comes from, out of (Lk 5:3); (3) denoting origin as to family, race, city from, out of (Lk 2:36); (4) denoting source, cause, motive, reason from, of, by (Mt 5:37; Jn 1:13); (5) denoting the distinguishing mark of a class, group, party from, of (Acts 11:2); (6) used in periphrasis; (a) for the partitive genitive, after words denoting number of (Jn 1:35; 6:60); (b) after an interrogative or indefinite pronoun of (Lk 11:5; Jn 6:64); (c) used with εἶναι belong to, be one of (Mt 26:73); (d) after verbs of filling with (Jn 12:3); (e) denoting price or value for (the amount of) (Mt 20:2); (7) temporally; (a) denoting time from when from, since, for (Jn 9:32); (b) showing sequence of time ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας day after day (2Pe 2:8); ἐκ δευτέρου for the second time, again (Mt 26:42); ἐκ τρίτου for the third time (Mt 26:44); (8) adverb; (a) ἐκ μέτρου by measure, sparingly (Jn 3:34); (b) ἐκ μέρους individually, in particular (1Co 12:27); (c) ἐκ λύπης reluctantly, grudgingly (2Co 9:7); ἐκ συμφώνου mutually, by common consent (1Co 7:5) (Borrow Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament) EK IN JOHN'S LETTERS - 1 Jn. 2:16; 1 Jn. 2:19; 1 Jn. 2:21; 1 Jn. 2:29; 1 Jn. 3:8; 1 Jn. 3:9; 1 Jn. 3:10; 1 Jn. 3:12; 1 Jn. 3:14; 1 Jn. 3:19; 1 Jn. 3:24; 1 Jn. 4:1; 1 Jn. 4:2; 1 Jn. 4:3; 1 Jn. 4:4; 1 Jn. 4:5; 1 Jn. 4:6; 1 Jn. 4:7; 1 Jn. 4:13; 1 Jn. 5:1; 1 Jn. 5:4; 1 Jn. 5:18; 1 Jn. 5:19; 2 Jn. 1:4; 3 Jn. 1:10; 3 Jn. 1:11; World (2889)(kosmos related to the verb kosmeo = to order or adorn) means essentially something that is well-arranged, that which has order or something arranged harmoniously. Kosmos refers to an ordered system or a system where order prevails. In the NT kosmos can have a variety of meanings, but in the present context kosmos defines the world not as a neutral influence but as an "evil force", the inveterate, incorrigible, intractable, intransigent, irrevocable enemy of God and of every believer. Kosmos includes the ungodly (unsaved) multitude, the whole mass of men alienated from God and hostile to Him and His Son Jesus Christ (See also Earth Dwellers, the synonymous term used by John in The Revelation of Jesus Christ). This meaning describes the system of values, priorities, and beliefs that unbelievers hold that excludes God. (E.g., Just mention the name "Jesus" in a positive sense in a secular setting! You can "feel" the hackles rising up on the back of their necks! Compare kosmos with the term Earth Dwellers. David Smith says kosmos is "the sum of all the forces antagonistic to the spiritual life." World refers to the evil, organized system under Satan’s dominion that is opposed to God and His purposes. -- Steven Cole Marvin
1 João 5:21
Wiersbe - Christians live in an atmosphere of reality. Most unsaved people live in an atmosphere of pretense and sham. Christians have been given spiritual discernment to know the true from the false, but the unsaved do not have this understanding. Christians do not simply choose between good and bad; they choose between true and false. An idol represents that which is false and empty; and a person who lives for idols will himself become false and empty. Few people today bow to idols of wood and metal. Nevertheless, other idols capture their attention and affection. Covetousness, for example, is idolatry (Col. 3:5). A man may worship his bankbook or his stock portfolio just as fervently as a so-called heathen worships his ugly idol. “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve” (Matt. 4:10). The thing we serve is the thing we worship! Whatever controls our lives and “calls the signals” is our god. This explains why God warns us against the sin of idolatry. Not only is it a violation of His commandment (Ex. 20:1–6), but it is a subtle way for Satan to take control of us. When “things” take God’s place in our lives, we are guilty of idolatry. This means we are living for the unreal instead of for the real. To a man of the world, the Christian life is unreal and the worldly life is real. This is because a man of the world lives by what he sees and feels (things) and not by what God says in His Word. An idol is a temporal thing, Jesus Christ is eternal God. “For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18, NASB). Like Moses, a Christian endures “as seeing Him who is invisible” (Heb. 11:27). Faith is “the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Noah had never seen a flood, yet by faith he “saw” it coming and did what God told him to do. Abraham “saw” a heavenly city and country by faith, and was willing to forsake his own earthly home to follow God. All of the great heroes of faith named in Hebrews 11 accomplished what they did because they “saw the invisible” by faith. In other words, they were in contact with reality. The world boasts of its enlightenment, but a Christian walks in the real light, because God is light. The world talks about love, but it knows nothing of the real love which a Christian experiences because “God is love.” The world displays its wisdom and learning, but a Christian lives in truth because “the Spirit is truth.” God is light, love, and truth; and these together make a life that is real. “But it makes no difference what a man believes so long as he is sincere!” This popular excuse hardly needs refutation. Does it make any difference what the pharmacist believes, or the surgeon, or the chemist? It makes all the difference in the world! Shed a tear for Jimmy Brown; Poor Jimmy is no more. For what he thought was H2O Was H2SO4!† A Christian has “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thes. 1:9). Idols are dead, but Christ is the living God. Idols are false, but Christ is the true God. This is the secret of the life that is real! So John’s admonition, “Keep yourselves from idols,” can be paraphrased, “Watch out for the imitation and the artificial and be real!” (Bible Exposition Commentary) Little children (5043)(teknon) is a tender word (last used 1Jn 4:4+) conveying the sense of “little born-ones.” Little children - all NT uses are by John - John 13:33; 1Jn 2:1+, 1Jn 2:12+, 1Jn 2:28+; 1Jn 3:7+, 1Jn 3:18+; 1Jn 4:4+; 1Jn 5:21. Along with beloved, (six time) little children is John's preferred term of endearment. "As their spiritual adviser, if not father, it is appropriate for John to employ a term that is evocative of both his leadership role and the divine parentage and resultant sibling ties shared by readers and writer." (Yarbrough) Guard (5442)(phulasso) means to watch, keeping on guard like an armed military sentinel guarding a restricted base ready to repulse any enemy incursion. Elsewhere phulasso is used of guarding truth (eg, 1Ti 5:21, 6:20, 2Ti 1:14+) It describes the shepherds "keeping watch (phulasso) over their flock by night (Lk 2:8), which congers up the image of savage wolves seeking to devour the helpless sheep. John's only other uses of phulasso are in his Gospel - Jn 12:25, John 17:12.