“Strength to Love” (1 John 3:11-18, 23-24)

For Such a Time as This 

Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33, NIV). Based on this truth the apostle John is writing to Christian people in the first century who were having a very difficult time, knowing persecution and suffering and misunderstanding.

Today the Holy Spirit, through John, is speaking to Christians (“us”) in the 21st century who are living a very difficult time, knowing divisions and injustice and brokenness. In my pastoral letter this week I shared reopening can be harder than closing the church because things can get ugly and messy very quickly, throwing stones of accusation to those who have different COVID-19 recovery convictions. We already see these things happening around us. Also, as Christians we are mourning the tragic death of George Floyd, an African American brutally treated by Minneapolis police officers this past week.

In such a time as this, where do we find hope? For such a time as this, John is writing this letter to comfort, to encourage, and to help Christian people in all ages in distress.

God’s Great Plan of Salvation 

Basically, John’s message is something like this: “Don’t get down and discouraged because of what’s happening right in front of you. See things from God’s perspective. You should never lose sight of the great plan of salvation. With that in mind, remember who you are. You are children of God. You are in fellowship with God. You abide in him, and he abides in you.”

From today’s passage I would like to draw your attention to one particular verse, which is verse 24: 

“All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.” 

In this particular verse John proclaims a great truth and doctrine concerning the Holy Spirit. As we study this verse, we ought to discuss the place of the Holy Spirit in the great plan of salvation. God’s salvation story starts way back in the Garden of Eden when man and woman fell and when God spoke and gave a promise. Then, God rescued Noah and his family out of the great flood. Then, God called Abraham and made a covenant with him, saying, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing” (Gen 12:2). Since then, God’s people increased greatly as God had promised. But then, they were oppressed by the Egyptians. Then, God chose Moses, and through him God delivered his people out of Egypt. So they crossed the Red Sea and entered the Promised Land. But there, the Israelites forgot what God had done for them. Instead, they followed detestable customs of the people who had lived in the land before them. So God kept sending his messengers – judges, kings, prophets. But they didn’t listen to them.

But our God is able. He had a plan – perfect plan to save his people. God declared his plan, called a new covenant, through the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel and Joel. Through the mouth of Jeremiah God said to his people,

“I will put my law within you, and I will write it on your hearts; and I will be your God, and you shall be my people” (Jer 31:33).

Again, through the mouth of Ezekiel God declared,

“A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances” (Ezk 36:26-27).

Again, through the mouth of Joel God proclaimed,

“Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions” (Joel 2:28).

Then, how did God fulfill this promise? When the time had full come, God sent his one and only Son Jesus. He lived. He died. He arose from the grave and ascended into Heaven. Then, as God promised, through Christ Jesus he has sent the Holy Spirit. So on the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came down, entered the hearts of God’s people, and began to abide in them. All these events are part of the great plan of salvation, and the sending of the Holy Spirit upon his people, his Church on the Day of Pentecost is the ultimate fulfillment of the promise of God, the climax of God’s salvation story.

What Is a Christian? 

So what is a Christian? A Christian is one who has received the Holy Spirit. That is New Testament definition and terminology. We cannot be a Christian unless we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit – born of the Spirit, born again, God abiding in us. We have received the Holy Spirit, and we are therefore what we are. That is the Christian.

Then, how do we know that we have received the Holy Spirit? One of the surest signs that we have the Spirit is to honor Jesus, love Jesus, glorify Jesus with all our hearts. In John 16:14 Jesus said, “He [the Holy Spirit] will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” Probably many of you know the hymn, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” written by Isaac Watts. Charles Wesley said that he would give up all the hymns he had penned if he could have written this hymn. In this great hymn Isaac Watts invites us to join him at the foot of the cross and witness the pain and shock of Jesus’ death:

“See, from his head, his hands, his feet,sorrow and love flow mingled down.Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,or thorns compose so rich a crown?

If we don’t have the Holy Spirit, when we hear this song or read Calvary Story, it’s just a historical fact or a fairy tale, containing a horrible death. It’s a terribly boring, meaningless, irrelevant story. But, if we have the Holy Spirit, this Calvary Story becomes so real, so meaningful, so personal, so transforming, and we cannot but join Isaac Watts in singing:

“Were the whole realm of nature mine,That were an offering far too small;Love so amazing, so divine,Demands my soul, my life, my all.”

That’s the work of the Holy Spirit. That’s the evidence that we have received the Holy Spirit - glorifying Jesus with all that we are.

Strength to Love 

According to John, by the Spirit that God has given us we have power and strength to love. In the early church there were all kinds of diverse groups of people: Jews and Gentiles, slaves and frees, males and females, pacifists and zealots. Different convictions concerning race, gender, politics, and religion. When John said, “We should love one another” (v. 11), I believe he kept all these people in mind. Jesus laid down his life for us. And now he gives the Holy Spirit to everyone who trusts him. By the Spirit we have strength to love – not only like-minded people, but also those who have different convictions, and those who are difficult people. Not just do we tolerate them, but we ought to love them to the extent of laying down our lives for them” (v. 16).

Once a Korean pastor shared a testimony about a teenager girl in his church. She grew up in a broken family and lived with her aunt. She was a Christian and went to church every Sunday, but her aunt was a Buddhist and didn’t like her to go to church. So they used to fight every Sunday. One Sunday afternoon, after service the girl prayed on the way home, “Father, I don’t want to fight with my aunt, but I can’t. I don’t have strength to love her. Lord, I know your Spirit lives in me. I will let the Holy Spirit within me meet my aunt and love her, instead of me.” Then, as soon as she opened the door, as always her aunt began to yell and swear at her. But strangely enough, she didn’t feel hurt or angry, instead she felt compassion, and her aunt looked lovely, so she hugged her aunt, and cried, and said, “I am sorry. Today you look thin and worn. It’s because of me. You have been working so hard to take care of me.” Both of them wept. On that day her aunt received Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Surely we ourselves do not have strength to love even one person! But the Holy Spirit within us is able. Let the Holy Spirit within you love others!

Shower of Love 

John says, “We must not be like Cain” (v. 12). Cain and Abel were brothers. They both brought sacrifices to God. Cain is not presented as an atheist; he is presented as a worshiper. On the surface, he did everything Abel did. He masqueraded as a true believer. But there was a real test. The real test was his love for the brethren. And here Cain failed.

How do we know that we are children of God? How do we know that we are Christians? The real test is our love for others. And only by the Spirit we have strength to love. So we need the Holy Spirit. We ought to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Martyn Lloyd-Jones describes the filling of the Holy Spirit in this way:[1]

A man and his little child [are] walking down the road and they are walking hand in hand, and the child knows that he is a child of his father, and he knows that his father loves him, and he rejoices in that, and he is happy in it. There is no uncertainty about it at all, but suddenly the father, moved by some impulse, takes hold of the child and picks him up, fondles him in his arms, kisses him, embraces him, showers his love upon him, and then he puts him down again and they go on walking together.

Have you seen something like this? Have you tasted this kind of love? My prayer is that by the Holy Spirit God may take us to Calvary at the foot of the cross and shower his love upon us again and again, so that we can love others. Amen.

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[1] Douglas Banister, The Word and Power Church (p. 49). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

“Born of God” (1 John 3:1-10)

Remember Who You Are

What excites you today? Many of us had a rough week. Thousands had to evacuate after two dams failed in Michigan, leading to a historic flooding. More than 80 were killed in India and Bangladesh as cyclone Amphan made landfall. And plus, we hear news that almost 100,000 died from COVID-19 in the US. As we are all going through this coronavirus pandemic crisis, grieving over the loss of those who died from it, and practicing this long isolating season, some of us find ourselves wake up discouraged and don’t feel like getting out of bed, thinking, “What’s the point of life?”

Christians, in John’s day, were severely ostracized and persecuted. It just became harder and harder for them to be together for worship and fellowship. So some of them began to forget who they were when they couldn’t be together. They developed a kind of spiritual dementia and forgot their true identity. They were discouraged and confused. So, in today’s passage John, as a pastor, reminds God’s people who they are, saying, “Beloved, remember who you are. You are children of God now” (v. 2). In the general sense all people are children of God because God created them all. But here John is not talking about the universal fatherhood of God. Here John is saying, “Every time you feel discouraged, remember this: You were not children of God before, but now you are his children in the intimate, spiritual sense. So be ye glad! Be ye encouraged!”

More Than Adoption

Paul proclaims the same spiritual truth by using “adoption metaphor,” saying, “Once you were dead in your sins. You lived in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil. All of us lived according to our own desires and sinful nature. By nature we were children of wrath. But in God’s great mercy we have been saved by grace through faith. We have been adopted into God’s family. And now we call him “Abba, Father!”” (cf. Eph 2:1-9; Rom 8:5) How precious! How glorious! One Christian couple in my previous church fostered over 500 children since 1969. And they have adopted 6 children. Every time I think of the couple and their family, I remember this truth: “We have been adopted into God’s family. We are God’s children now.”

But John goes further by saying, “Yes, we are God’s children by adoption. But it’s more than adoption. We are God’s children by new birth!” What does it mean by that? Suppose you find a child and want to adopt him into your family. You take him, and you love him. You influence him with love and care, but you cannot change his personality and temperament that he has from his biological parents. You just cannot change it. However, when God adopts us into his family, he moves in by his Holy Spirit, gives us a new heart, new affections, new nature, so that we may become his children inside and outside. In verse 9 John puts it in this way: “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God” (ESV). Yes, we have been adopted into God’s family. But there’s more. We have been born of God! We are God’s children by new birth!

By Jesus’s Appearing

But again, John doesn’t not assume that everyone is children of God. He says, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are children of God. Test yourselves.” Then, how do we know that we are children of God? If in doubt, how can we become children of God? According to John, there are two answers – from God’s part and our part. First, we become children of God by Jesus’s appearing (vv. 5, 8b). The Bible doesn’t say that we are ok just as we are. Instead, the Bible does say that when we are born, we have sinful nature, and we are in sin. What is sin? Sin is lawlessness (v. 4b). John Piper describes lawlessness like this:[1]

Lawlessness is living as though your own ideas are superior to God's. Lawlessness says, "God may demand it, but I don't prefer it." Lawlessness says, "God may promise it, but I don't want it." Lawlessness replaces God's law with my contrary desires. I become a law to myself. Lawlessness is rebellion against the right of God to make laws and govern his creatures.

Sin is lawlessness. Little Judy was riding in the car with her father. She decided to stand up in the front seat. Her father commanded her to sit down and put on the seat belt, but she declined. He told her a second time, and again she refused. “If you don’t sit down immediately, I’ll pull over to the side of the road and spank you!” Dad finally said, and at this the little girl obeyed. But in a few minutes she said quietly, “Daddy, I’m still standing up inside.”[2] Lawlessness! Rebellion! Rebellion against God and His righteous law is the essence of sin. But Jesus appeared to take away sins. Jesus appeared to destroy the works of the devil, who is the origin of sin. Jesus came to live and die and rise again, and somehow that did destroy sin. So now sin is conquered, and the works of the devil is destroyed. By his appearing Jesus started the adoption process. By his appearing Jesus opened the door. This is the first step to become God’s children.

By Our New Birth

The second step is our part. We must be born of God, born again, born anew, to become his children. How can we be born of God? 1 John 5:1 answers this question, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God.” When we humbly trust Jesus and believe in him as the Christ, the Son of God, who takes away our sins and destroys the works of the devil, God puts his seed, his nature, his spirit in us. Then, for the first time we hate sin. We don’t love sin any more. We don’t make a practice of sin. We can’t keep on sinning, because we are children of God now, because sinning makes our Father grieve. So we don’t sin. We can’t sin. But instead, for the first time, we take delight in God’s law. “Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all day long” (Ps 119:97). These are the words of God’s children.

We become children of God by new birth. So now we Christians, God’s children, have two natures – the old and the new. One time a Sunday school teacher was explaining the Christian’s two natures to a class of teenagers. “Our old nature came from Adam,” he explained, “and our new nature comes from Christ, who is called ‘the Last Adam.’” Then he continued, “This means there are two ‘Adams’ living in me.” And he asked the class, “What is the practical value of this truth?” The class was silent for a moment, and then a student spoke up. “This idea of the ‘two Adams’ really helps me in fighting temptation,” he said. “When temptation comes knocking at my door, if I send the first Adam to answer, I’ll sin. But if I send the Last Adam, I’ll get victory.”[3] Children of God do not make a practice of sin. Instead, they keep themselves pure, just as their Father is pure (v. 3).

Live Like Children of God!

There is a story I always remember. It’s a story about a man who found a young eagle which had fallen out of his nest. He took it home and put it with his chickens in his barnyard. The young eagle grew up with all the other chickens. Whatever the chickens did, the eagle also did. The eagle thought it was a chicken. One day a naturalist passed by the farm and found the young eagle among the chickens. After the farmer’s permission, the naturalist took the eagle to the roof of the house and urged him, saying, “You are an eagle. Stretch forth your wings and fly.” But the eagle was confused and afraid of his unknown self and world and jumped down for the chicken food. Once more, the naturalist took the eagle out of the barnyard to a high mountain. There he held the eagle high above him and encouraged him again, saying, “You are an eagle. You belong to the sky. Stretch forth your wings and fly.” The eagle looked around, began to tremble. Slowly he stretched his wings, and with a triumphant cry, soared away into the heavens, never to return to the barnyard.[4]

Let us come and hear the God of encouragement who speaks to the heart today: “Remember who you. You are children of God. Live like sons and daughters of God. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Lift up! Look up! Set your hearts on things above. Live for eternity!” May the Lord give us grace to look up and soar like an eagle. May we never return to the barnyard and live like spiritual chickens. Amen.

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[1] John Piper, “The Son of God Appeared to Destroy the Works of the Devil,” (Dec 23, 1984), Desiring God, https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-son-of-god-appeared-to-destroy-the-works-of-the-devil

^[2] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Real (1 John): Turning from Hypocrisy to Truth (pp. 109-110). David C Cook. Kindle Edition.

[3] Ibid., 117-118.

[4] Bill Bright, “A Chicken Or An Eagle?” https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/insights-from-bill-bright/a-chicken-or-an-eagle-jan-13.html

“Keep the Fire Burning” (1 John 2:18-28)

The Last Hour 

We are living in crisis days – in the last hour. The Apostle John, our spiritual father, says, “Children, it is the last hour!” According to the Bible, since the first coming of Jesus Christ (2,000 years ago) “the last hour” has already started. We have always been living in the last hour. But some of you may wonder, “But if it was ‘the last hour’ in John’s day, why has Jesus not yet returned?” Concerning this question, the Scripture gives us the answer: “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:8-9). God works in human time, but he is above time.

Jesus says that there will be signs of the last hour. In Luke 21:10-11 Jesus says, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.” We have seen some of those signs already. And by this we know that we are living in the last hour. Jesus also says that one of the surest signs of the last hour is the rise of false prophets. Jesus says, “Many false prophets will rise and lead many astray, if possible, even God’s chosen ones” (Matt 24:11, 24). Nowadays we are busy with cleaning and disinfecting our homes and our community facilities. But above all else, the most important and urgent thing to do in this last hour is to cleanse, purify, guard our heart and our church from false teaching. The Bible says, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves” (2 Co 13:5a). So it’s important that we know what we believe and why we believe it.

Antichrists 

John says, “Children, it is the last hour!” Then, he continues, “How do we know that we’re in the last hour? The evidence for this is that even now many antichrists have come. And from this we know that it is the last hour” (v. 18). Who are antichrists? The Antichrist refers to the man of lawlessness who will head up the final world rebellion against Christ (2 Th 2:3). John tells us the details in the Book of Revelation. But here in his letter antichrists refer to a broader group, that is, “false teachers.”

In John’s time there was a group of people who denied that Jesus is the Christ. To be more precise, they denied that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, come in the flesh. They said that the eternal Christ had come upon a mere man Jesus at his baptism and had left him on the cross. So that the Christ, the Son of God never died; it was the man Jesus who died – Christ had left him before death. They talked about Jesus, but they denied that Jesus is the Christ. They denied the reality of the Incarnation – God became flesh – central Christian doctrine. We still see these false teachers today, who would say, “We worship one God. We worship the Father. We believe in God the Father, even though we disagree with you about Jesus Christ.” Without a right view of the Son Jesus we cannot have a right view of the Father. John says, “No one who denies the Son has the Father; everyone who confesses the Son has the Father also” (v. 22). So the key question for a Christian is “Who is Jesus Christ to you?” Is Jesus merely “an example,” “a good man,” or “a wonderful teacher”? Or is He the Son of God come in the flesh?

The Word of God 

Then and now, in John’s time and in our time, in this last hour the devil and his false prophets prowl around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). They are out there to “seduce” the faithful. The devil’s purpose is to lead Christians astray by teaching them false doctrines, especially concerning the person of Christ (2 Cor. 11:1–4, 13–15).

So now, John draws attention to the two safeguards which will protect us from being led astray. The first safeguard is the Word of God. He says, “Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you” (v. 24a). Let the Word abide in you richly! Go back to basics, the apostles’ teaching and testimony, the gospel message. Timothy Keller rightly said, “The gospel is not just the ABC of the Christian life, but the A to Z of the Christian life.” Paul warns us in this way, “You must understand this, that in the last days distressing times will come… when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires… They are always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth” (2 Tim 3:1, 7; 4:3). But as for you, Christians, go back to basics! Hold fast to the Word of God. Believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Believe in Jesus as the Son of God. Believe in Jesus who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Believe in Jesus who suffered, crucified, died and was buried. Believe in Jesus who rose again on the third day and ascended into heaven. Believe in Jesus who is seated at the right hand of the Father. Believe in Jesus who will come again to judge the living and the dead. Let the Word abide in you!

In John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress Christian and his travel companion Hopeful entered into the wilderness – dry and rough. Their souls became more and more discouraged. Then they saw the parallel meadow called By-path Meadow. So they crossed over and were walking on the parallel path, they found it much easier on their feet. But then it began to grow dark and rain with thunder and lightning. They got lost. They found a cave shelter and fell asleep there. Then, they were captured by Giant Despair and thrown into the dungeon of Doubting Castle. The giant said to them, “You will never get out alive!” For three days and three nights the giant beat them without mercy. He gave them no food or drink. There seemed no hope of release. They even saw the skulls in the dungeon. After three days, they fell into despair. But on the third night, Christian and Hopeful began to pray. And all of sudden, Christian exclaimed, “I just remembered I have a key called Promise! I believe it will open any lock in Doubting Castle!” And they used the key and were able to safely escape from the castle.[1]

Are you stuck in doubting castle? You have the key Promise. You have the Word. Let the Word abide in you richly. Immerse yourselves in the Word, love the Word, pray the Word, memorize the Word, live in the Word! And the Word will deliver you from Giant Despair and guard you from the deceiver and the antichrist.

The Spirit of God 

The second safeguard is the Spirit of God. John says, “As for you, the anointing that you received from him abides in you” (v. 27a). So abide in the Spirit! Be filled with the Spirit! It is the Holy Spirit who enables us to know the truth and understand the Word. It is the Holy Spirit who keeps the Word alive. It is the Holy Spirit who speaks to the heart. Jesus said to his disciples, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” Jesus also said, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you” (John 14:13a, 26).

The Holy Spirit gives Christians spiritual understanding which the natural person doesn’t have. William Wilberforce was an English politician, and he was a leader of anti-slavery movement. He had a conversion experience when he was 26 years old. He was also a close friend of William Pitt who was a youngest Prime Minister, a man of great knowledge and capabilities. One Sunday Pitt and Wilberforce went to church together. That Sunday a pastor preached on “How to be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Wilberforce thought that it was the best sermon that he had ever heard. So after the service, Wilberforce couldn’t wait to share his thoughts about the message. But his friend Pitt started a conversation first. He said to Wilberforce, “Did you understand what the preacher said this morning? I tried hard to pay attention to him, but I couldn’t understand what he was talking about.” Wilberforce was shocked by what his friend said. Then he realized that only those who had received the Holy Spirit would have spiritual understanding.

This morning we sang “Spirit of the Living God.” Indeed, we need humble and open heart before the Spirit. “Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me! Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me! Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me! Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me!” “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” So abide in the Spirit. Be filled with the Spirit. And the Spirit will guide you, teach you, remind you, and protect you from deception.

Keep the Fire Burning 

As I close, let me tell you about the story of a monk. He tried to pray, but he couldn’t concentrate on it. He felt distracted, dull and depressed. So he went to the abbot for advice, asking, “How can I pray without distracting thoughts?” “How can I feel energized and refreshed?” The abbot took him to the kitchen, and he showed a caldron, and he said, “When the caldron is cold, flies swarm. But when the caldron is hot, no fly can cling to it.” After that, the monk went to the prayer room, he lifted his hands and prayed fervently to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

We are living in the last hour. Now is the time to examine ourselves to see whether we are in the faith. Now is the time to ask ourselves, “Who is Jesus Christ to me?” and believe in the Gospel. Now is the time to turn around, humble ourselves, and return to God. Let the Word of God abide in you. Abide in the Spirit of God. Keep the fire burning. Then, when Christ Jesus returns, you will have confidence and not be put to shame before him. Amen.

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[1] John Bunyan, Pilgrim’s Progress (Illustrated): Updated, Modern English. More than 100 Illustrations. (Bunyan Updated Classics) (p. 134). Aneko Press. Kindle Edition.

“Christian Love” (1 John 2:7-11)

Are You a True Christian?

“What does it mean to be a Christian?” “How do you know that you are a true Christian?” That’s the core question that the Apostle John is asking and also answering in his letter. In John’s time there were certain people called Gnostics who laid claim to some special knowledge, some mystical experience. They elevated themselves as “super-spiritual” Christians. For example, they would say, “If you have not had the experience of seeing a ball of fire and feeling that the whole room has been illuminated, you are not true Christians.” But in his letter John is telling us that the way to test ourselves is not to seek for some mystical experience, but to examine our conduct and our lives! John says it is not experience, not feelings, not vision that enables us to say that we are Christians. Singing the right songs, using the right vocabulary, praying the right prayers – these are not the things that John puts first. According to John, the surest sign of the true Christian is our love to God and our love toward other people.

In today’s passage John says, “Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning… Yet I am writing you a new commandment that is true in him and in you…” (vv. 7-8a). So here, what is an old commandment? What is a new commandment? As we answer these two questions, we will learn what it means to be a true Christian. First of all, what is an old commandment? In this context, the old commandment refers to Leviticus 19:18, saying “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Then, what about a new commandment? In fact, it was Jesus who used the term “a new commandment” for the first time in John 13:34, saying, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” Why is this called a new commandment? It is new at least in three ways.

New in Character

First, it is new in character, new in quality. The old commandment says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Here the standard of love is ourselves. We love ourselves, but not always – not always in a balanced and healthy way. For example, we know it’s not good for ourselves to eat too much, or too many sweets, but we eat anyway. In a word, even our love toward ourselves is broken, not perfect. But now, Jesus gives us the new, perfect standard: “Love your neighbor as I have loved you.” So the first mark of the true Christian is to love others with Christ’s love.

It is amazing to think of how Jesus has loved his people. Look at the twelve disciples. How they must have broken Jesus’ heart again and again as they argued over who was the greatest or tried to keep people from seeing their Master. But Christ’s love was deep and broad enough to embrace each one in a personal way. He was patient with Peter’s impulsiveness, Thomas’s unbelief, John and James’ hot temper, and even Judas’s treachery. Consider too Christ’s love for all kinds of people. Jesus understood and loved spiritually hungry Rabbi Nicodemus who came to see him privately at night. Jesus loved and forgave a woman caught in the act of adultery. Jesus even loved and healed Malchus who came to arrest him in the garden.

One of the best places that we can see most clearly what Christ’s love looks like can be found in 1 Corinthians 13: “Christ’s love is patient and kind. Christ’s love does not envy, not boast. Christ’s love is not proud, not rude, not self-seeking, not easily angered. Christ’s love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Christ’s love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Christ’s love never fails!”  Christ has loved each of us with this agape love, and now he commands his disciples to do the same: “Love one another as I have loved you.” True Christians are those who love others as Jesus has loved them.

New in Extent

The second mark of true Christians is to love their enemies as well as their friends. The old commandment says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Who is my neighbor? For Israel in the Old Testament, “my neighbor” was my people, the people of Israel, those who look like me, think like me, talk like me, behave like me. That was their definition of neighbor. But Jesus gives us a new understanding of the old truth. According to Jesus, the “neighbor” we must love is anyone who needs our compassion and help, regardless of race, class, gender, background, and includes our enemy. One day a lawyer asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said, “Love your God and love your neighbor.” Then the man asked, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus told him a story: A man was attacked by robbers on his way to Jericho. He was half dead. And by chance a priest was going down that road. When he saw the man lying there, he passed by. A Levite religious man showed up. He also avoided the injured man. But a certain Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he had compassion on him and helped him. As we know, in Jesus’ time Jews and Samaritans didn’t associate with each other. They were the enemies to each other. But this Samaritan helped and loved the Jewish man anyway. At the end of the story Jesus asked, “What do you think? Which of the three was a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?” According to Jesus, the “neighbor” we must love is everyone, all the people, including our enemy.

Jesus restored the true meaning of the old commandment and extended the definition of “neighbor” in this way: “You have heard the law that says, `Love your neighbor' and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! Bless those who curse you. Do good to those who hate you. In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.” (Matt 5:43-45a NLT). And he showed the perfect example how he loved his enemies on the cross. As they crucified him, mocking him, making fun of him, dividing up his clothes, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Jesus died for his enemies as well as his followers. True Christians are those who love their enemies, forgive those who did harm, and pray for difficult, unloving people.

New in Power

The first mark of the true Christian is loving others with Christ’s love. The second mark is loving the enemies. The third mark is loving others by the power of the Holy Spirit. If we are honest with ourselves, we soon realize that it’s impossible to love others as Jesus has loved us. We realize that it’s impossible to love our enemies. By nature, we are self-centered and hateful. But when we trust Christ, we receive a new life and a new nature. We receive the Spirit of Jesus. The Bibles says, “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us!” (Rom 5:5) So I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And Christ enables me to love my enemy with His love. In Romans 12 the Apostle Paul tells us a new, wonderful life in the Holy Spirit. He says, “[Now by the power of the Holy Spirit] you get to feed your enemies, when they are hungry. You get to give them something to drink, when they are thirsty… [Now you have strength to love by the power of the Holy Spirit]… So do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom 12:20-21, my paraphrase).

Abraham Lincoln is one of those who lived a life of love by the power of the Holy Spirit. When he was campaigning for the presidency, one of his archenemies was a man named Stanton. For some reason Stanton hated Lincoln. He used every ounce of his energy to degrade him in the eyes of the public. But in spite of this Lincoln was elected President of the United States. Then the time came when he had to select his cabinet. At that time one of the most important posts was Secretary of War. Can you imagine whom Lincoln chose to fill this post? Stanton! All his advisers said, “Mr. President, you are making a mistake. Don’t you remember all of the ugly things he said about you? He is your enemy. He will seek to sabotage your program.” Lincoln calmly answered, “Yes, I know Mr. Stanton. I am aware of all the terrible things he has said about me. But after looking over the nation, I find he is the best man for the job.” So Stanton became Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of War. Not many years later Lincoln was assassinated. Many beautiful eulogies were said about him. But the words of Stanton remain among the greatest. Standing near the dead body of the man he once hated, Stanton referred to him as one of the greatest men that ever lived and said “he now belongs to the ages.” Indeed, Lincoln did overcome evil with good. He loved his enemy with Christ’s love. And through the power of the Holy Spirit Lincoln transformed an enemy into a friend.

Choose Love

So how do we know that we are true Christians? According to John, we know by asking these three following questions:  

• Do I love others as Jesus has loved me? [new in character]
• Do I love my enemies as well as my friends? [new in extent]
• Do I love others by the power of the Holy Spirit? [new in power] 

As we are coping with COVID-19 and navigating the recovery and next steps, we experience dissensions and disagreements between friends and family, between political parties, between pastors and leadership teams. Optimistic people call cautious people “soft.” The cautious label the optimists “reckless.” We may read the Bible faithfully and pray fervently, but if we have hatred in our heart, we are actually blinded. We are walking in the darkness. We are on the wrong track. Let us listen to Jesus’ command with new understanding: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35). So sisters and brothers in Christ, let us choose love! Amen.

“Walking in the Light” (1:5-2:2)

Biblical Diagnosis

“What will May bring? Or June? When will things go back to normal?” we ask. Many experts agree that this isn’t about the next couple of weeks. This is about the two years until a vaccine can be produced.

If we ask the same question (“When will things go back to normal?”) to the Apostle John, he would answer differently. According to John, all our abnormal situations today – all our ills and all our unhappiness – are not just from coronavirus. They are ultimately from our broken relationship with God. That’s why we feel restless, hopeless, lifeless, meaningless. In this letter John, knowing that his end is at hand, is now saying his last words to Christian people, “I am going out of the world. I shall not be with you much longer, and the one thing that matters for you is that you should always be walking with God, that you should always be maintaining that fellowship. If that is right, it doesn’t matter very much what will happen to you. A terrible illness, loss of money, the illness of a loved one, or even death.”

God’s Holiness, Our Sinfulness

Having fellowship with God is the one thing that matters. According to John, fellowship is a position in which two people are walking together along the same road – side by side. It’s a journey, a companionship. If we want to enjoy true fellowship, first we must know something about the character of the two persons – our companion and ourselves. For example, a backslidden husband who is walking in spiritual darkness, out of fellowship with God, can never enjoy full fellowship with his Christian wife, who is walking in the light. In a superficial way, the couple can have companionship; but true spiritual fellowship is impossible. The same principle applies to our relationship with God. So here in today’s passage John tells us, “If you want to have fellowship with God, first you should know something about the character of God and something about yourselves.”

So in order to have true fellowship with God, the very first question to ask is: who is God? What is God? What does the Bible tell us about God? We often hear people say, “If God is a God of love, I cannot understand why He should allow this and that. Why does God allow wars, why does God allow coronavirus, why does God…?” We hear people telling us what they think of God. But the truth is that we cannot know God until He reveals Himself through the Bible and through Jesus Christ. By the Holy Spirit the Apostle John declares who God is in verse 5: “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.” There are many attributes of God, but the greatest attribute of God is the holiness of God. Our God is holy. But what does it mean God is holy? The Hebrew word for “holy” literally means “separate,” “set apart,” or “different.” To be holy is to be different in a special way. God is far above any other, and no one can compare to Him. Another way to say it is absolute perfection. In Him there is no sin, no evil, no darkness at all. John Piper says, “When we say that God is holy we mean that… his character is unimpeachable.” God’s holiness shapes all his attributes. His love is a holy love, his mercy is holy mercy, his justice is holy justice, his knowledge is holy knowledge, his spirit is holy spirit, and even his anger is holy anger. That’s who God is. That’s who our Companion is.

Then, John tells us something about ourselves, who we are – our sinfulness. The word “sin” occurs nine times in today’s passage. What is sin? Sin means that we disobey God and His holy law. In fact, sin is anything that separates us from God. At the beginning Adam and Eve enjoyed true fellowship with God. But then, they chose to disobey God and follow after their own ways and their own desires. By this, sin entered. The fellowship with God was broken. In today’s scripture John says three times, “If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie to others (v. 6),” “If we say that we have no sin, we lie to ourselves” (v. 8), “If we say that we have not sinned, we lie to God” (v. 10). In a word, our nature is evil and sinful. The Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jr 17:9) The human heart is desperately wicked. What’s who we are.

Woe to Me!

How can we then have fellowship with God? God is holy; we are sinful. God is light; we are darkness. It’s impossible for us as we are to have true spiritual fellowship with God. The presence of God at once convicts of sin. Everything that is wrong and sinful in us at once brought to the surface before Him. That’s the character of light to reveal the hidden things of darkness. The Bible says, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Heb 4:12-13). One time the Prophet Isaiah saw the living God sitting on a throne, high and lifted up. Above Him stood the seraphim, calling to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.” When he saw this, he cried out at once, “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty” (Isa 6:5). When Simon Peter saw Jesus and what He did, he fell down at once at Jesus’ knees and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8). That’s what happens when we are truly in the presence of God.

The Remedy for Sin: Our Part

So back to our previous question: “How can we, sinful people, have fellowship with holy God?” The answer is twofold – our part and God’s part. From our part, all God asks is that when we have failed, we confess our sins. In verse 9 John says, “If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” When there is so much pretending and hypocrisy in our life, fellowship with God is impossible. We are a phony. So the first step to have fellowship with God is to be honest with ourselves, honest with others, and honest with God. Confessing our sins means naming our specific sins – envy, hatred, lust, deceit, pride, selfishness, anger, or whatever it may be, and being honest with ourselves and with God. Perhaps many of you remember the story of the prodigal son. In the story the younger son asked the father his share of the estate, went to his own way, and wasted everything he had. The fellowship with his father was broken. Now this young man was broken, hungry, naked. But no one gave him anything. No one cared for him. But that brought him to his senses. So he got up and went home to his father, saying, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son” (Luke 15:21). That’s what means to confess our sins. If we say that we have not sinned, if we try to cover our sins, we become a slave of sin. But if we confess our sins, God will forgive us and set us free from sin.

The Remedy for Sin: God’s Part

How about God’s part? What does God do to restore our fellowship with Him? The answer is 1 John 2:1-2. “But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” Our fellowship with God is broken because of sin – both original sin and our own sins. But God sent his Son Jesus to be our Advocate. The word for “advocate” literally means, “one called alongside.” Here God is the Judge, Satan is the accuser, and Jesus is our Advocate. The Bible says that Satan accuses us before our God day and night (cf. Rev 12:10). But we have Jesus Christ our Advocate, who stands at our side and pleads our case. C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia describes this truth in a very powerful way. In the story Edmund became a traitor to Aslan by allying himself with the Witch. But Aslan offered Edmund forgiveness while the Witch accused him. The following is part of the conversation between Aslan and the Witch:

“You have a traitor there, Aslan,” said the Witch.

“Well,” said Aslan, “His offense was not against you.”

“Have you forgotten the Deep Magic?” asked the Witch.

“Let us say I have forgotten it,” answered Aslan gravely. “Tell us of this Deep Magic.”

“Tell you?” said the Witch, her voice growing suddenly shriller. “Tell you what is written on that very Table of Stone which stands beside us? Tell you what is written in letters deep as a spear is long on the fire-stones on the Secret Hill? Tell you what is engraved on the scepter of the Emperor-beyond-the-Sea? You at least know the Magic which the Emperor put into Narnia at the very beginning. You know that every traitor belongs to me as my lawful prey and that for every treachery I have a right to a kill.”

 “And so,” continued the Witch, “that human creature is mine. His life is forfeit to me. His blood is my property.”

“It is very true,” said Aslan, “I do not deny it.”

Next day Aslan gave his life in exchange for Edmund’s. Like Edmund, we were all traitors. We have turned to our own way and followed the course of this world. But while we were still against God, Christ died for us, so that we could turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Christ died for us, so that we could receive forgiveness of sins and have fellowship with God!

Back to God’s New Normal

We hear people say when this pandemic is over, let us not return to the past. Instead, let us return to new normal. But as for Christian people, we don’t need to wait until this pandemic is over. We can return now to God’s new normal, that is, restoring true fellowship with God. “To have fellowship with God,” John plainly says, “negatively, do not sin. And positively, walk in the light.” To walk in the light means to be honest with God, with ourselves, and with others. To walk in the light means to confess our sins. To walk in the light means to look to Jesus, trust in Jesus, and follow Jesus. So let us come to the light. Let us walk in the light. Let us have fellowship with God and with one another. Amen.