I JOHN: A STUDY
IN SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT
XVIII. Discerning Contrasting
Associations For Stability
(1 John 5:18-21)
I.
Introduction
A.
1 John
was written to counter heretical views (B. K. C., N. T., p. 881), so the
epistle provides discernment.
B.
In the
epistle’s epilogue of 1 John 5:18-21 in the King James Version, John wrote the
word “we” six times and began verses 18, 19, and 20 with “we know (absolutely)”
(oidamen, Ibid., p. 903), reflecting what the apostles
knew, and that John expected his readers also to know by way of summary in heeding
this epistle.
C.
1 John
5:18-21 thus provides stabilizing information about contrasting associations
for life in a spiritually dark world that is full of instability, so we view 1
John 5:18-21 for that stabilization for application and edification:
II.
Discerning Contrasting
Associations For Stability, 1 John 5:18-21.
A.
We
believers should know absolutely (oidamen) that our new nature is impervious to sin
and to Satan, v. 18:
1.
John
stated that we should know absolutely that anyone born of God “is a person
whose true, inward nature is inherently sinless, 1 John 5:18a; Ibid.
2.
That new
nature “keeps himself” (terei
auton, U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 825; Ibid.), so “(t)he believer’s
new man (or “new self”; Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10) is fundamentally impervious to
sin,” Ibid.; 1 John 5:18b.
3.
If that
new nature is fundamentally impervious to sin, it is also impervious to “the
evil one” (ho poneros, Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.), that is, to
Satan, v. 18c. A believer thus cannot be
demon possessed! He may be influenced by
Satan to think and to act in sinful ways if he functions by his sin nature (cf.
Matthew 16:21-23), but Satan cannot touch his new man, which is sealed by the
Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30).
B.
We
believers should know absolutely (oidamen) that the whole world is under Satan’s
control, 1 John 5:19:
1.
The verb
“lieth” (KJV) renders the Greek verb keitai, 3rd
per. sing. act. ind. of keimai,
“lie, recline” (The Analyt.
Grk. Lex. (Zon.), 1972, p. 227; Arndt & Gingrich, A Grk.-Eng. Lex.
of the N. T., 1967, p. 427-428), and it “reclines” in to ponero, the dative case of “the evil one.” (Ibid., U.
B. S. Grk. N. T.) The verb keimai can also mean “depends upon” (Moulton &
Milligan, The Vocab. of the Grk. N. T., 1972, p. 339)
2.
Thus,
John wrote that the whole “world lies in (the power of) the evil one,” Ibid.,
Arndt & Gingrich.
C.
Therefore,
if the whole world lies in Satan’s power, but Satan cannot even touch the
believer’s new man, there of necessity must be a complete lack of fellowship
between the world and Satan and a believer’s new man!
D.
We
believers should know absolutely (oidamen) the true God, that he is in Christ, the
true God’s Son Who came from God, Whom to know is eternal life, 1 John 5:20:
1.
John
added that the believer should absolutely know that the Son of God has indeed
come in the Person of Jesus Christ, 1 John 5:20a.
2.
The
believer has also been given the understanding to know the true God and His
Son, Jesus Christ, Whom to know is eternal life, 1 John 5:20b.
E.
Accordingly,
armed with such absolute knowledge, we believers are duty bound to keep ourselves
from idols, from substituting anything for God, be it in the world or in the heavens,
be it seen or unseen, 1 John 5:21:
1.
If a
believer knows absolutely that his new man in Christ is impervious to sin and
to Satan so that Satan cannot even touch it, what also keeps a believer from
being demon possessed, if a believer knows absolutely that the entire world is
under Satan’s control so that there is an inherent disconnect between the world
and the believer’s new man, if the believer knows absolutely that he is knows
the true God’s Son Jesus Christ, Who is God, and that He has come and given us
an understanding that we might know the true God and His Son, Jesus Christ, Who
is also eternal life, then there is no logical need for the believer ever to
have to replace this God whom He knows absolutely with an idol, any substitute
for the true God.
2.
Accordingly,
John applied all of these realizations we believers absolutely possess by calling
his readers to keep themselves from idols, that is, to avoid anything in the
created universe, be it seen or unseen in the spiritual realm, that replaces
the true God we know absolutely in Christ!
Lesson: We
know absolutely that our new nature is impervious to sin and to Satan’s even
touching it so that we cannot also be demon possessed, we know absolutely that the
entire world is under Satan’s control so that there is a sharp incompatibility
between the new man and the world, and we know absolutely that Jesus Christ is
the true God’s Son Who has come and given us the knowledge of the true
God. Thus, there is no need for us to
have idols.
Application:
With what we know absolutely of God, Christ, the new man, the world, and Satan,
may we avoid idols.