God's Testimony

1 John 5:6 - 12

6 This is the One who came by water and blood - Jesus Christ.

He did not come by water only, but by water and blood.

And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.

7 For there are three that testify * the Spirit, the water and the blood; 

and the three are in agreement.

9 We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater 

because it is the testimony of God,which He has given about His Son.

10 Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. 

Anyone who does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, 

because he has not believed the testimony God has given about His Son.

11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, 

and this life is in His Son.

12 He who has the Son has life; 

he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

*[in Heaven: the Father, the Word 

and the Holy Spirit, and these three are One. 8 And there are

three that testify on Earth:]

May the Lord bless the reading of this blog entry, and may He bless me as I write the blog that focuses on the most challenging piece of Scripture that I have encountered while doing my study on 1 John. Though it has been nearly a year since I started to write this, it has been on my mind consistently, and I have often prayed for wisdom, guidance, and have been reminded of the contents of this passage often when reading Scripture between then and now - it has become a precious piece of Scripture, and I take joy in learning to understand it just a little bit more fully! 

First things first... regarding the 'missing piece' of text (the last part of verse 7, and the first part of verse 8): although I will ponder the content of this portion as well in my blog entry, I want to clarify why this part is not included in my actual Scripture at the top, but IS inserted underneath. To my understanding, this 'added' part was not found in any Greek manuscripts of the earlier centuries, appearing only in Greek manuscripts after around the tenth, or even the fourteenth, century. One commentary I read said that only eight very late Greek manuscripts contain this part, and of these eight, four contain this piece as a variant reading, written in the margin as a later addition to the manuscript. The earlier, older Latin manuscripts also don't have this piece, except for later manuscripts of the Latin Vulgate (not the earlier ones). The commentator (taken from The MacArthur Bible Commentary) suggests that the external manuscript evidence and the internal evidence taken from the somewhat disrupted flow of the writer's thoughts show that most likely, these words were indeed added to the text at a much later date. Many versions of our English Bibles have this portion added right into the Bible text, and many more versions have not placed this in, except as an insert underneath. Some examples of versions that have included this portion into its text are the King James Version, the New King James Version, the Jubilee Bible, the Geneva Bible, and some examples of the versions that contain this portion marked only as an insert at the bottom of the page are the English Standard Version, the New American Standard Bible, the New International Version, and the New Living Translation. All versions/translations I just listed above are ones that I myself personally enjoy reading from, and I'm so often thankful for the broader perspective I'm given when I look at a passage from the perspective of multiple versions. I'm also thankful for the careful work that the scribes and translators throughout the centuries have done to further the preservation of God's Holy Word. The Lord shows us in His Word, both in the Old Testament, and repeated in the New Testament, that "the Word of our God stands forever" (Isaiah 40:8 and 1 Peter 1:25). He has used the hands of people, the parchment and the ink of our world, to make known to mankind through all generations what His message is to us! 

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In the previous section of Scripture, we learned that faith is the victory that overcomes the world, and that faith is properly placed by trusting in Jesus as the Son of God (ch. 5:5). Therefore, an 'overcomer' is a person who believes (has faith) that Jesus is the Son of God. John started this book, or letter, saying that he, as well as others, had seen, heard, and touched this Jesus, who had been with the Father, and had come down to mankind in order to offer eternal life to all who believe. He also starts his Gospel (the book of John) with words that speak of the deity of Jesus Christ, calling Him the Word, and then going on to show that the Word was the One who came from Heaven to Earth to show the way to the Father that would come through Him and the revelation that He gave:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God..."

"The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. 

We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, 

who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

"No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, 

who is at the Father's side, has made Him known."

         John 1:1, 14, 15            

John (and many others) testified to and spoke of, promoted and proclaimed Jesus, who is life eternal:

"The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us."

1 John 1:2                     

Jesus came by water and by blood. When I first read this, I thought of physical birth - a baby coming from his mother's womb - the breaking of the water by which he is surrounded while in the womb, and then also the blood that is part of a natural birth. Jesus was born physically just like all the rest of us. I'm not sure what John was thinking of when he penned these words, but I read a little bit of commentary on this verse, and realized that it is widely understood that the water signifies Jesus' baptism, which marked the beginning of His official ministry. 

When Jesus was baptized, there was a wonderful display of the Trinity marking this significant event (you can read about it in Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21,22, and, I believe, in John 1:32-34). When Jesus came up out of the water after John the Baptist was honoured to baptize Him, Heaven was opened up, and the Spirit descended on the Son in the likeness, or form, of a dove, while the Father's voice was heard saying, "You are My Son, whom I love; with You I am well pleased." (Mark 1:11, Luke 3:22). Here is God's testimony about Jesus being His Son. John the Baptist also bore witness to this event, and it has been recorded in John 1:32-34, where he says:

"I saw the Spirit come down from Heaven as a dove and remain on Him. 

I would not have known Him, except that the One who sent me to baptize with water 

told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain 

is He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' 

I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God." 
               

This is the clear testimony of God, and the clear testimony of a man who was sent by God for the purpose of proclaiming the Messiah, or the Christ.

The blood signifies Jesus' death, which marked the fulfillment of the purpose for which He came to Earth. 

When Jesus died, He cried, "It is finished" (John 19:30), because He had now accomplished exactly that for which He came. His death was a sufficient payment to satisfy God's wrath against sin - a perfect sacrifice had been made in order to redeem fallen mankind, which was God's loving plan from the beginning. Jesus' sinless perfection had made atonement for all sin, and mankind was now offered life and redemption through faith in Him and His blood shed. Romans 3:25a says it so well:

"God presented [Jesus] as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood."

So as I wrap my head around this, the water and the blood kind of act as a beginning and end mark of Jesus' public ministry, and point to the gift that He offered to all mankind in His death. Physically, His human birthing process included water and blood, as mentioned above, and at His death, there was the sudden flow of blood and water that exited His body when His side was pierced (John 19:34). This piercing was yet another fulfillment of prophecy pointing to the Christ (see Zechariah 12:10), and it also marked Jesus as "unquestionably dead" (quoted phrase from The MacArthur Bible Commentary), showing us clearly:

"that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures."

1 Corinthians 15:3b                  

So we see Jesus, the Man Who came and lived and died, and has been talked about ever since. We see people proclaiming Him as God, and we see God Himself testifying to this as well. Why all this 'testifying'?! Well, we all kind of need someone to 'testify' in order for us to come to a point where we want to believe that something is true. Think of it - a person can knock on our door and offer us the best vacuum cleaner ever (or the best set of cookware); or maybe someone calls and tells us we've won a free vacation or a brand new car. It's all fine and good to hear what they are offering, but think of how much better it would be if our neighbour down the street (whom we trust) came and told us that truly, what was being offered was the real deal, and it was as good as the salesman said it was. Think also of the credibility the potential product (or the potential win) would gain in our minds if we saw the president of the company pull up in his car, prove he was who he said he was, and carefully show us that there really was no falsehood to anything that was being said or offered. Think of more and more people coming out and truly showing us that what was offered was legitimate, and wonderfully good. We might hear of the trip our brother or sister and family had taken; we might look through their photos and see the smiles on their faces as they recalled highlights of their time spent on the trip they had won. 

This is exactly what has been happening up to this point in the New Testament, and this is what people are still talking about today. People have been testifying to the truth of who Jesus Christ was and is, and about how faith in Him changes a life. In verse 6 of the text, John says that the Spirit of God - the Spirit of Truth - Himself testifies that Jesus is the 'real deal'. John 14:17 calls the Holy Spirit the "Spirit of Truth". The work of the Spirit is to be our Counselor. His job is to live with us - inside of us! He is God's promise of His continued presence with us. The Holy Spirit is also our Teacher. These are a few parts of His 'job description', found in John 14. If the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth that testifies as to who Jesus is, it is important to note that He testifies that truth right into a believer's heart, as He makes His home with each believer, and guides the believer into all truth (see John 17:13, where Jesus says that that when He, the Holy Spirit comes, this Spirit of Truth will guide them into all truth). Not only do we have externals like the Bible and God and other people testifying to us about the truth of Who Jesus is, but we have the Spirit of God Himself making His home with us, and testifying that truth to us in our own hearts and minds! Verse 10 of the main text says,

"Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart."

(emphasis mine)           

Going back to verses 7 and 8, there are three that testify. This was really important in the Hebrew world, or in the time and the culture that this was written in (but actually, it is still really important to us today - we like to hear something from more than one person; as more people's stories and testimonies about something match, we usually become more convinced of the truth of it). I have been taking notes as I've been reading the Bible, because even when I don't blog for months and months, I always have that next portion of Scripture from 1 John simmering in my mind. I've realized that there's really a lot of places that talk about the testimony of multiple witnesses. I'm not going to use all of the Scriptures I found, but will quickly go over a few, both from the Old and New Testament:
First, back in Numbers and Deuteronomy, when God gave the children of Israel all their laws, we read:

"Anyone who kills a person is to be put to death as a murderer

only on the testimony of witnesses. But no one is to be put to death 
on the testimony of only one witness."

Numbers 35:30              

"On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death,

but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness."

Deuteronomy 17:6         

          

This practice of presenting multiple witnesses was a legal requirement, and needed to be  followed. In 1 Kings 21, King Ahab of Israel wanted ownership of a certain man's vineyard. In being unable to obtain it, he went home "sullen and angry" because he couldn't get what he wanted. His wicked wife, Jezebel, decided to help him. She knew the procedure, and produced two false witnesses to bring false charges against the man owning the vineyard; upon their false testimony, the man was stoned and king Ahab got what he wanted. I was teaching this story as a part of a Sunday school lesson, and the part about the two witnesses jumped out at me. 

In Matthew 18:16, when Jesus gave the biblical procedure for dealing with a brother who sinned against another brother, He used this testimony of multiple witnesses as a step in dealing with someone who refused to listen. He said,

"But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' "

The Jews practiced this testimony of multiple witnesses even in how they dealt with Jesus on the night of His death. Mark 14:55 and 56 say.

"The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus

so that they could put Him to death, but they did not find any.

Many testified falsely against Him, but their statements did not agree."

This was not acceptable according to Law, where "no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness"! As they were intently looking for any kind of evidence against Jesus, so that they would be able to put Him to death, Matthew 26:60 and 61 say,

"...they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. 

Finally two came forward and declared, "This fellow said, 

'I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.' "

(emphasis mine)          

  
Later on, in Acts 6 and 7, in the stoning of Stephen, a man of God, the Jewish people again produced false witnesses (note again, multiple witnesses - more than just one), in order to justify their accusations against him.
*the thing that really gets me is the injustice of these examples! The people obeyed the written letter of the Law by producing multiple witnesses to testify, no matter that they were deceptive in producing false witnesses!! There are SO many Scriptures that talk about the sin of giving false testimony (like commandment # 9, in Exodus 20:16 - "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour", or multiple verses in Proverbs, for example, point this out). It is interesting to me how with the wicked, a lying spirit is overlooked, as long as there is outward adherence to the correct procedure to make something appear acceptable. There is a great lesson/warning just in that thought...! 

Verse 9 of the text in 1 John says, 

"We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater 

because it is the testimony of God, which He has given about His Son."

Reading back in John 8, in verse 13, the Pharisees challenged Jesus' message based on His sole testimony. They wanted to reject His message and everything He was telling them and to reject His teaching, and they thought they might have grounds to reject it based on the fact that He didn't have multiple witnesses coming to support Him and to testify that what He said was true. They said to Him:

"Here You are, appearing as Your own witness; Your testimony is not  valid."

But Jesus knew that He was not alone! In verse 16-18 He said,

"...My decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, Who sent Me.

In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. 

I am One who testifies for Myself; My other witness is the Father, Who sent Me."

Though the Jews, especially the religious Jews who so carefully 'followed' the Scriptures, should have recognized the Father that Jesus spoke of, they were really lost in ignorance, spiritually blinded, and unable and unwilling to accept or even understand Jesus' teaching at all because of that blindness. Though they claimed that God Himself was their only Father (John 8:41), yet, quoting from John 8:42-47, Jesus told them otherwise, and He showed that their spiritual eyes and ears were closed to the truth that He revealed:

"If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came from God... He sent Me."

"Why is My language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say." 

"You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. 

He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, 
for there is no truth in him... he is a liar and the father of lies..." 

"If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe Me?" 

"The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."

The Jews did not recognize the other witnesses that spoke for Him, though they should have, because, as Luke 24:44 points out, the very Scriptures they held to so confidently testify to Jesus being the Son of God:

"He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you. 

Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, 

the Prophets and the Psalms."

(emphasis mine)          

I love verse 7 in the 1 John passage! It says that there are three that testify - the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and that these three are one. Yes! - the Trinity is One! Totally unified, with one unified mission... and from all the studying and writing I've done even just for this blog post, I've seen it! The Father testified (John 8) that Jesus was who He said He was - the Son of God (Luke 22:70). The Word testifies to this, as we can see from the verses quoted just above. The whole Old Testament points to Jesus being the Christ, the Messiah. He fulfilled all the prophecies made that pointed to the Messiah, Redeemer. The Spirit testifies to this truth, and He testifies it right into our very hearts to show us truth! *this is the 'missing piece', but even the 'missing piece', whether it needs to be a part of Scripture or whether it was never meant to be added, is TRUE! This gives me great comfort in accepting a solid Bible version/translation either way - whether they add that piece or not.

Also, the Spirit and the water and the blood (what actually happened) - are in agreement as well. There are multiple witnesses, they are in agreement, and they are the Godhead!, so we can rest peacefully in believing their solid testimony. 

The second part of verse 10 has a warning for those, who, after all this, still do not believe. You know, like the spiritually blinded Jews, whose behaviours and accusing questions pointed at Jesus made it clear that they belonged to another - not God, but the father of lies - the devil. Not believing the testimony of God makes the unbeliever out to be the knowledgeable, enlightened one, and makes Him - God - out to be a liar, but Romans 3:4 says, 

"Let God be true, and every man a liar."

God does not lie. The Bible is clear to show us who lies, and it is not God, for He cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18 says "it is impossible for God to lie"). The only way that a person can refuse to believe God's testimony about His Son, Jesus Christ, is if that person is still blinded to the truth, blinded by the great Deceiver, the devil. 

God's testimony is so simple. So clear:

"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life in in His Son.

He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."

1 John 5:11,12           

I could end it right there, because those last verses have nothing in them that is hard to understand. But there is a great desire in my heart to call out to those who have the Son to REJOICE at the life that they have been GIVEN!! This 'forever' life is a free gift that is simply accepted in faith! If we believe, eternal life is ours for the taking - God offers it to us all through precious Jesus!

There is also a great burden in my heart to call out to those who don't have the Son, because whether they know it or not, they do not have life. My question for these people is, "What's stopping you?" Do you want to die? Don't you want to live forever? Don't you want to experience eternal joys? Don't you want to be free? Jesus said. 

"If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. 

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

John 8:31 and 32           

Jesus is the truth (John 14:6). He will set you free. He will help you overcome the world with all its trials and difficulties. He will lead you down a path that leads to ever-increasing LIFE! Do you want to know the truth?!

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I woke up with a jolt in the middle of the night last week with this verse in my head:

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus..."

Romans 8:1                  

It's a great verse of comfort, but only to those who are in Christ Jesus. That same verse is also a great verse of warning to those who are not in Christ! For such as those, there is condemnation! Unbelievers face God's wrath! They are not safe! Only Jesus saves us!! That is the Truth!! 

These are the thoughts that came to me as that verse played inside my head. It gave me a very prayerful heart for those who yet need to come to faith in Christ. It's so simple. So clear:

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved"

Acts 16:31                   

For those who are not yet believing, there are many people praying for you! I am! And there are others. God is trustworthy, and He will not mislead you - believe His testimony - He wants to give you a good gift - eternal life in His Son! Receive it today!

Faith Is The Victory!

1 John 5:1 - 5

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, 

and everyone who loves the Father loves His child as well.

2 This is how we know that we love the children of God; 

by loving God and carrying out His commands.

3 This is love for God: to obey His commands. 

And His commands are not burdensome,

4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. 

This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

5 Who is it that overcomes the world? 

Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

What does believing DO to us? What does it do FOR us?
Part of the answer is in the first verse above. 

It gives us a NEW BIRTH into GOD'S FAMILY!

Believing that Jesus is the Christ means that we believe He is the Messiah, the Anointed One, the One whom God promised in the Old Testament would come to bring salvation to all people.

Another part of the answer is in the last two verses above.

It helps us to OVERCOME the WORLD!

Believing that Jesus is the Son of God will bring us the ultimate victory over literally EVERYTHING this life throws at us.

In this blog entry, I simply want to write about these two parts of the answer to the question I started with. 

There are many verses even just in this small book of 1 John that show the relationship between God the Father and Jesus His Son. 1 John 2:22 shows that to deny that Jesus is the Christ is to fully deny both His power and the power of God. The basis for our faith is to believe that Jesus is who both Himself and His Father said He was – Jesus, God’s Son – the One who will save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). 

Jesus, while He was on Earth, said that He was the Son of God. God also spoke in a voice from Heaven, testifying that this was indeed true:

And a voice from Heaven said,

"This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased."

                    Matthew 3:17          

Last time, as I ended my studies of chapter 4, I was left with the command, given by God, which said 

"Whoever loves God must also love his brother."

1 John 4:21             

Now, here in verse 1, I see that if I believe in Jesus, I've been born of God. That makes Him my new (and eternal) Father! This is pretty exciting, because being His child comes with some pretty huge blessings, promises and benefits (maybe one day I will have to dedicate a blog – or several – just to outlining as many of those as I can find!). One thing that comes with having God as our Father is that we have brothers and sisters, people who also believe, and so, who are also children of God. To me, this is pretty exciting too, because I think that one of the greatest gifts parents can give their children is siblings! Verse 1 finishes off by saying that if we love the Father, we will also love His child. I had to read and study that for a while to make sure I was understanding who this was referring to correctly. Jesus is His child, but, so are we, as believers, God's children.
My version of the Bible does not capitalize pronouns referring to the Godhead, but I have another version that does. I just wanted to make sure I knew whether this was referring to what we had left off with in chapter 4 - our spiritual brothers and sisters - or to God's begotten child - His Son Jesus. Two other versions put v.1b like this:

"...and everyone who loves the Father

loves whoever has been born of Him."

English Standard Version            

"...and everyone who loves Him who begot

also loves him who is begotten of Him."

New King James Version            

To me, it's clear that we will love Jesus (the only begotten Son of God), as well as all of God's other (adopted) children. Especially the ESV, in saying we would love "whoever has been born of Him", made it clear that he was referring to all other children of God. So the same train of thought that John was on in chapter 4 continues as we head into chapter 5. This is by now a bit of a familiar thought to me, since I have seen it repeated often in this book (see verses in 2:9 - 11, 3:10 - 18, 3:23, 4:7 and 8, 11 and 12, 20 and 21). 

So...the question: As a child of God, do you love all other children of God? Maybe you are having a hard time with it, and you know that honestly, no –you really don't. This is cause for concern, but the good news is that you can read and reread this short book of the Bible and jot down everything you can find about loving others, and present it all to God in prayer. Ask Him to GIVE you that kind of love - for "love comes from God" (ch. 4:7)! He will do it! And this will greatly increase the joy in your life. Maybe, for the first time, you will experience the love of God transforming your life! Also, this love that will grow in you towards God’s people will be evidence to you and to others that you have been born of God, and that you know God – that you bear His Name!
Maybe you do love the children of God, but like all of us, some days and some people are easier (or harder) than others. This is normal, and God will continue His work of sanctification in all of our lives. The Lord knows how we must battle against the sinful tendencies in our lives. That's why He gives us direction and encouragement in His Word. Hebrews 4:15 says,

"For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses..."

The key is to come before Him often, asking Him to help you in this. Hebrews 4:16 says, 

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, 

so that we may receive mercy and find grace

to help us in our time of need."

We are told that when we love God and carry out His commands, we will love all of God's people. One of my favourite ways to work on getting better at carrying out God's commands is to read and reread the letters written to the believers in the New Testament. After the book of Acts, there are 22 books of the Bible that are packed full of information on how to grow in one's walk with the Lord. I love the sections that talk about learning to live "in step" with the Holy Spirit. I'm not going to give any references here, because, honestly, you've got to find these for yourselves, if you are blessed to own a Bible, by just starting to read! The key sometimes is to read slowly, pondering over what you read, thinking about it throughout the day, and taking the Scriptures you read and praying them for yourself and others. For instance, I can read a verse like 1 Peter 4:8 - 

"Above all, love each other deeply..."

and then maybe when I see the word love, I remember what I was reading in 1 Corinthians 13:5, about how:

"love...is not rude, it is not self-seeking,

is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."

I can pray - "Lord, help me to love my spouse like that, my co-workers like that, my children like that." I can ask God to work in me a heart that isn't rude (the fruit of the Spirit called kindness comes to mind), to give me a heart that thinks of others first, and not my own desires. I can ask for self-control when I feel anger rising up, and also patience and rational thought processes. I can ask for a heart of forgiveness like His when I'm tempted to justify my lack of love by listing the offences someone has committed against me.
To me, that's "carrying out His commands". It's taking what His Word says, and applying it to the situation I'm in right now, at this moment!

Loving God = Obeying Him

Carrying Out His Commands = Loving Others 

It all goes hand in hand. It's simple enough for a child to understand. It just takes lifelong commitment, consistency, and perseverance to carry out! It takes getting back up and trying again when I fail! It takes remembering 1 John 2:1 and 2, which say:

"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.

But if anybody does sin, we have One who speaks to the Father

in our defense - Jesus Christ the Righteous One.

He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours

but also for the sins of the whole world."

This next part, chapter 5:3b, might be one of my favourite reminders!

"And His commands are not burdensome,"

At first thought, it might sometimes seem like God's commands are burdensome. For me, every time I try to carry them out in my own strength, by my own sheer will power, they are incredibly difficult, and yes, burdensome. It takes leaving the work of it to Jesus. We just need to be willing, and then when we learn to let the Holy Spirit do the work, all of a sudden all the things that were so hard end up being the very things that actually lift the burden right off of our backs. Learning to love when before there was resentment, bitterness, or disgust is way easier on a person. A person always walks lighter where there is love - a fruit that only the Holy Spirit can grow in us. 

Jesus says in Matthew 11:28 - 30,

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened,

and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me,

for I am gentle and humble in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Those verses tell me so much! I can't do it alone - I need to go to Jesus. I need to lay down all I've been carrying apart from Him, and exchange it for what He will give. I need to be teachable, willing to learn. If He is gentle and humble, I will need to learn those character traits too. Once I've come to Him, once I've gotten to the point where I'm willing to take the yoke He offers, once I've decided I want to learn to be like Him, I'm promised rest. I need to take that rest. I need to seek it! I need to REST in that rest!
He says that His yoke is easy. He says that His burden is light. I imagine a dad helping his little boy carry a heavy load. The load would be really heavy if it was left to the boy to carry alone, but it's not, because he's walking along with his dad, putting his effort into it for sure, but the dad's strong arms are reaching around and carrying the brunt of it. And for the dad, the load is fine. He's perfectly capable of taking the heft of the load and lightening it for his son. That's what Jesus does. He takes the load right off our backs and carries it for us. 
There's a song - "Burdens are lifted at Calvary..." That's where it starts, and when we feel the load getting heavy, burdensome, we need to get back there to spend some time at the foot of the Cross, seeking the rest He offers.
This, to me, is the responsibility that comes with being a child of God. We've been given the blessings, and to make the most of those blessings, we've got to do our part in living in obedience to our Father, responsibly. There's that saying, and I believe it's applicable everywhere:

With privilege comes responsibility

but really, the privilege by far pays for the small part we are to do, which is really just to come to Him! It does take faith to come, but He even helps us with that part, supplying us with the faith it takes to believe so we can, and will, come.

Here's the next part: What our faith does FOR us:

"...for everyone born of God overcomes the world.

This is the victory that has overcome the world,

even our faith."

That's us, as God's children! We are OVERCOMERS!! With God, we can do it! 

All of this takes faith. What makes us overcomers is our faith! Believing that Jesus is the Son of God is what makes us sons of God. That belief, and that standing that we have as sons of the Living God, is what will help us overcome victoriously EVERYTHING that the world can throw at us. That's what we've been promised! I just can't help but think here that the thing everyone really probably wants is to overcome the world. I think of people like Alexander the Great, and many others like him, who dedicated their lives to conquering the world. That's what they wanted... but we've been given the key as to HOW to go about doing it so that it will be a sure victory, and so that it will last forever. We don't have to wonder if, in the end, we will succeed. So many people who have set out to conquer have ended in total defeat. Their hopes and dreams have had to plummet as they saw real life taking over where they just weren't strong enough to do it. But we see that our faith is the victory that HAS (past tense) already overcome. Christ was always the Victor. Satan kind of thought he could win the battle, but Jesus' work on the cross was the final victory. We also already see in the book of Revelation the final end of Satan's defeat. With his defeat, all that this world contains is also eternally defeated. A set of verses that I have been pondering for the last couple of years is Hebrews 12:26 – 28, which say:

“At that time His voice shook the Earth, but now He has promised,

“Once more I will shake not only the Earth but also the heavens.”

The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken

– that is, created things – so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken,

let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably 

with reverence and awe…”

To me, what those verses say is that literally everything we did and worked for that was not a part of the “kingdom of Heaven” will be destroyed (shaken). Those things will not remain. It says that “created things” are the things that can be shaken, but that the kingdom that we are receiving cannot be. Only what we are putting into His kingdom will remain. For some, that will be little, or nothing at all, and for others, that will be lots. I’m reminded of the verses in Matthew 6:19 – 21, which say:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on Earth, 

where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 

But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, 

where moth and rust do not destroy, 

and where thieves do not break in and steal. 

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Jesus is the One who offers complete, sure victory! What we invest into His kingdom, as His children, will stand! Do you have faith to believe? That's all it will take to get started!

Originally, I had planned to include more verses in this blog entry, but I feel that I need to pause for a while to let this simple, yet all important truth sink in. I need to ponder my faith. I feel that I often tend to make it complicated, when it really isn't. I want to drink in Jesus' words from Matthew 11, the ones I mentioned before, and just let Him fill me with peace. I want to rest for awhile from the striving that I so often resort to. I want to learn from Him, and learn to be like Him (don't worry, I won't wait to write again until I have that all figured out perfectly, because then I would have to wait to write again until Heaven!). I just want to let it sit for a bit. Maybe you will want to do the same.

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In closing though, I want to dedicate this entry to an overcomer who is already on the other side. 1 John 5:4 was a cherished verse to my grandma. Even in her dying days, she clung to that verse. Because of her faith, she was "sure of what she hoped for, certain of what she did not see" (Hebrews 11:1), but by now that hope has been realized for her. We are told in 1 Corinthians 13:12 that "now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face." She is seeing like that now already. In her death, she has seen the overcoming victory of her faith in Jesus in all its glory, and she has been brought to her forever life. The promises she clung to and was sure of have been fulfilled – she's been made complete! And one day… so will I! My prayer is that you will to!

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, 

for he who comes to God must believe that He is, 

and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Hebrews 11:6              

FAITH IS THE VICTORY

John H. Yates

Encamped along the hills of light,

Ye Christian soldiers, rise,

And press the battle ere the night

Shall veil the glowing skies.

Against the foe in vales below

Let all our strength be hurled;

Faith is the victory, we know,

That overcomes the world.

Faith is the victory!

Faith is the victory!

Oh, glorious victory,

That overcomes the world.

His banner over us is love,

Our sword the Word of God;

We tread the road the saints above

With shouts of triumph trod.

By faith, they like a whirlwind’s breath,

Swept on o’er every field;

The faith by which they conquered death

Is still our shining shield.

Faith is the victory!

Faith is the victory!

Oh, glorious victory,

That overcomes the world.

On every hand the foe we find

Drawn up in dread array;

Let tents of ease be left behind,

And onward to the fray.

Salvation’s helmet on each head,

With truth all girt about,

The earth shall tremble ’neath our tread,

And echo with our shout.

Faith is the victory!

Faith is the victory!

Oh, glorious victory,

That overcomes the world.

To him that overcomes the foe,

White raiment shall be giv’n;

Before the angels he shall know

His name confessed in heav’n.

Then onward from the hills of light,

Our hearts with love aflame,

We’ll vanquish all the hosts of night,

In Jesus’ conqu’ring name.

Faith is the victory!

Faith is the victory!

Oh, glorious victory,

That overcomes the world.

Because He First Loved Us

1 John 4:13 - 21

¹³ We know that we live in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.

¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son

to be the Saviour of the world.

¹⁵ If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.

¹⁶ And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

¹⁷ In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence

on the day of judgement, because in this world we are like Him.

¹⁸ There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear,

because fear has to do with punishment.

The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

¹⁹ We love because He first loved us.

²⁰ If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar.

For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen,

cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

²¹ And He has given us this command:

Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Do you ever wish that you would know what to do in every situation? Do you wish for wisdom to make the right choices? I do. But then so often I leave it at wishing, and I go on wondering in my own mind, my own strength, just what it is that I should do, which choice I should make. I forget that the King, the God of the whole creation dwells inside me, ready to guide me and help me!

God has given to every believer a gift that is beyond comprehension! He has given us the Holy Spirit to live inside of us! 1 John has been full of passages that tell us this, and again, in the verse I am starting with, I am reminded that I live in Him, He lives in me, and His Spirit is given to me, designating me as a child of God!

"But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth."

chapter 2:20          

"As for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you..."

chapter 2:27         

"And this is how we know that He lives in us:

We know it by the Spirit He gave us."

chapter 3:24         

"... the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."

chapter 4:4           

I try to comprehend it, but I just can't. Why would God look at His creation, seeing our stubborn hearts of rebellion, and decide to give us a part of Himself, so that we would have an easier time of it? Why would a perfect king decide to live inside of a wretched sinner? I won't stay here, at this point in my writing until I understand it, because, to tell you the truth, I don't think that I will ever understand it! But the very knowledge of that - that I won't be able to grasp it - is exactly what makes me so very grateful for it. It humbles me. I feel unworthy, and yet at the same time, so very thankful that all powerful God would give of Himself so fully to me, little old, undeserving me (and to everyone who believes). 

Going on, John reminds his readers that they (I think he means himself, and the other disciples of Jesus) had seen and now testified that the Father sent His Son to be the Saviour of the world. I would have to say that I believe and testify, but they really did see Jesus with their own eyes. In Matthew 16:15, when the disciples were asked by Jesus,

"Who do you say I am?"

Simon Peter answered and said,

"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Matthew 16:16               

The disciples had walked with Jesus, and lived with Him through some absolutely mind-blowingly amazing times at this point. I believe that Peter spoke the words that some of the others were also thinking by this time. They were yet to be tested to an extreme in this belief, because Jesus was going to be murdered at the hands of evil men, and they would not see the miracle that they would hope for from the Son of God in that moment. John (the author of this book), along with his brother James, once suggested to Jesus that they could call fire down on a town because it did not welcome Jesus. They believed that Jesus deserved to be greatly honoured and highly esteemed. Nothing in His death went as the disciples originally thought it should go for the great Deliverer, the Messiah, the Christ. He didn't go about destroying death in the way that they would have thought. Thankfully, because John was receptive and teachable, as the events of the crucifixion and then the resurrection unfolded, and as he witnessed all of this firsthand, he came to a point where he understood. John 20:8 has John standing by Jesus' empty tomb. He follows Peter inside, and it is as he stands in the empty tomb, looking at the burial cloths, the one that had been wrapped around Jesus' head laying by itself, neatly folded, that

"He saw and believed"

We read this passage in John 20, and if we try, we can imagine it, but John was there! This was a real life event in his own personal life that he was recording. He had spent so much time with Jesus that he knew His ways, His behaviours, the little ways that He did things.

There's a little story about the way a cloth lays, from my own real life experience... I often misplace my kitchen towel when I'm busy preparing a meal. It may lay in any old corner on my cupboards while I'm at work, because I use it so often, and just toss it down as I bustle about. But when I'm done my work, I'll eventually hang it back up over my dishwasher or oven handle, signifying that my work for now is done. But there is one certain place, one certain way that it often lays when I come into the kitchen, and if I see it like that, I just KNOW who put the towel there! My one son often washes his hands at the kitchen sink, and on his way out, he will grab the towel to dry his hands and then toss it on the very edge of my island countertop. When I see it there, I always know without a doubt that it was him and only him. It is the farthest that it can be from my meal making workspace, so I know it wasn't me, but it's also the very last place it can be put (and not end up on the floor) as he's on his way out. No one else in our house does this! I know my life, and I know my son, and this is taken right out of my real life memory bank.

When writing the words in chapter 4, verse 14 in this book all those years later, John was remembering a very real time in his own life. He had seen God's Son in action. He knew the touch of the Saviour, the way He did things that only He would do. He knew he had seen God's Son alive after He was crucified. "He saw and BELIEVED"!

There were people at the time who saw what John saw and chose not to believe. There are people today who will read what I read and choose not to believe, but I believe it is because they didn't know Him like John knew Him! I too believe! Maybe I didn't see like John did, but I have heard it and I have read it and I believe! Because I believe it, I acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God, and because of that, I get to literally become a part of who God is! He lives in me, and I in Him. Colossians 3:3 says,

"...your life is now hidden with Christ in God."

I used to joke with my husband, when my love for him was overflowing but we had to separate for a day of work or whatever, that I wished I could just crawl inside of him and be a permanent part of him, getting to go with him wherever he went, and not having to be apart from him at all. That's what love does, I guess :). And although that obviously isn't possible with my husband, I'm reminded of that as I meditate on the words, "God in him, and he in God". What a picture of fellowship, intimacy, closeness, togetherness...

This love that causes God to give Himself to us so fully, that's our sure thing. We can depend on it, because God's Word is true, and if He said it, it will remain true, because God is unchanging and infinite in His love. We can depend on His love. We can rely on His love. But I do notice a condition. Now, there are verses all over in the Bible that clearly show that God loves EVERYONE. But being able to know that love and rely on it is for those who believe. We have to believe in Jesus as God's Son. We have to acknowledge Him. Those that don't are still loved, still invited to come to Him. He longs for every soul:

"God our Saviour...wants all men to be saved

and to come to a knowledge of the truth."

1 Timothy 2:4                   

"He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish,

but everyone to come to repentance."

2 Peter 3:9                       

Once a person comes to the point of coming to repentance, they are saved and will learn to know Truth. Knowing truth is knowing Jesus, for Jesus is "the Truth" (John 14:6). We repent of unbelief, and we acknowledge Jesus as being the Son of God, the Saviour of the world. He is the only Way that we can be saved! Without Him we are in need of being saved. Some people don't realize that they need saving. When the Spirit shows them their need, they are able to choose to believe! This is the condition - the believing. We must believe!

Once we believe, we are secure in God's love. No longer do we need saving; we are saved, by His love and His grace! 

"God Is Love"

Three small words. God is Ight. God is Faithful. God is truth. We see a lot of who God is when we study Scripture. Now we see that God is love. To me, that's different than saying that God has a whole lot of love. He IS love! Without Him, there wouldn't be a capability to love. For anyone!

After this phrase we read that "whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him". This reminds me again of real love versus counterfeit love (see my previous blog titled "Love, Love, Love", as I talk about this there). There is a real love that is lived out in a life that has nothing to do with personal gain, even the small gain of making a person 'feel good' for having given something to another. It is a love of total, humble service for another's good, especially another's eternal good. This is that real love that a believer is given access to when his or her life is "hidden with Christ in God". Verse 17 hints at a mystery that I am still trying to understand. "In this way, love is made complete among us". I've been studying Latin recently, and although I don't have a huge grasp on it, I've learned that the meaning of the word complete can be synonymous to the meaning of the word perfected, or finished. So...wanting to understand this verse more fully, I pulled out the humongous concordance my husband recently bought for his own study, and spent a bit of time making sure I knew how to use it. Then, as I looked up the words 'made complete' in this verse, I was rewarded with the Greek to English translation literally meaning "to perfect, complete, finish; to reach a goal, be fulfilled, completed, made perfect". The same Greek word appears again in verse 18, which in English reads "made perfect".

This is what God does among the body of believers as they give themselves over to Him! He allows us to be a channel of His love, and with His Spirit giving us life, we are able to love with the kind of love that He is. This is profound! Right now, even in this life, we are already being sanctified to become like Him! This wonderful work that is going on is what gives us confidence on that day of judgement when we will stand before Him. We will be reminded that God's life in us, and the way we lived our life in Him, was making us complete. His life was perfecting us (slowly, maybe). It was helping us to reach the goal, which is being like Him! When we stand before Him that day, we will be able to see the fruit of love, and that will be the proof that we truly are His children.

This perfect love, you see, overtakes all of our 'natural man' tendencies. Don't we often tend to fear? Don't we often tend to wonder if we're doing enough, if we're really, for sure-ly saved? There is this natural fear in me of standing before perfect God on Judgement Day, and as I gaze on His perfection, suddenly realizing that I didn't quite 'make it'. That's my natural tendency - to be just a little bit (or a whole lot!!) scared of being punished for my wrongs, which will all be so clear in contrast to His sinlessness. Verse 18 says it: "...because fear has to do with punishment". Why are we scared? Because we actually know now that our wrongs, our sins, need to be punished. Deep down, I wonder, do we all actually know this? I'm convinced that if we say now that we don't, we will be proven wrong when we stand before God on Judgement Day. That day, we will see clearly, even if we refuse to see it now. But the miracle of it all is that, remembering the condition, which is that we have to believe, we can be spared that fear of punishment! If there is still fear, it just shows me that I haven't yet been made perfect in love. I'm still on the journey. When I arrive - when I am made complete - I will realize that God's perfect love makes it possible for me to live without fear. Fear will be driven out by this perfect love.

"For God so LOVED the world that He gave His only begotten Son,

that whoever believes in Him will not perish

but have everlasting life."

John 3:16 (NKJV)                 

Jesus is the answer to our heart's unrest. Our fears, our anxieties, whatever it is that steals our peace - all of that can be erased, "driven out!", when Jesus comes in! If there is a reader out there that has not believed, Oh Lord, that that reader would believe today!

"Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts."

Hebrews 4:7b                 

My heart is deeply aching at this moment, wondering if maybe there is someone who needs to hear this! My prayer is that if that person will ever come across this little, old blog and read these words, that they will lay aside the only hindrance that keeps them from experiencing God's rest - unbelief - and that they will surrender their hearts to a God who loves them perfectly!

_________________________________________________

I want to end with a quick focus on the last few verses of 1 John chapter 4...

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: 

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 5:8                  

Our love for God can only be a response to His love already freely given. We are able to love only because He has already loved us. He loved us first. I used to think that this meant that we loved Him because of His love for us, which is true, but today I felt that this verse was maybe more specifically referring to our treatment of the people around us. Why do we love them? Because He loved us. He planted His love in us, remember?, making love complete among us. I am convicted to look around at the people in my life. These are people I can see, and these are the people I get to practice with. I am told that if I do not love these brothers (which I consider to be the people that make up the body of Christ - other believers), whom I can see, then I cannot love God, whom I have not seen.

We cannot profess to love God if we hold on to a deep bitterness or resentment (hatred) towards someone else. This is, and has been, such a convicting thought! It has literally changed the course of my life in the past, and probably will a hundred times more in the future as well. I confess that I have held hatred in my heart for another. I may not have wanted to call it hatred, for that is such a strong word, but that's what it's been, if I'm honest. But the cold, hard truth is just laid bare before me in this passage. If I hold on to those thoughts and feelings, meanwhile professing to love God, I am a liar! Liars who refuse to repent do not inherit the kingdom of Heaven (there are multiple references in Scripture that show this).

We've been given a command: "Whoever loves God must also love his brother". There's no way around that command that I see, except to surrender it to Christ. He will help us in our struggle. He will trade in the weeds of unrighteousness in our hearts for the fruit of the Spirit - love. He has done this in me many times. Each time it happens, it's as though a heavy weight has been lifted from my soul. It's a miracle - the miracle of the new life that Christ lives in us when we allow Him access. It reminds me of the verse in 1 John 5:3 that says:

"And His commands are not burdensome"

The threads of obedience to God, of loving those around us if we profess to know and love God, are repeated themes in 1 John. That's why this is such a practical (and sometimes painful) book. Love for our brothers is mentioned in chapter 2:9-11, again in chapter 3:10-15, and now again at the end of chapter 4! Obedience is a constant theme, and it is the mark of true faith. It calls for regular confession (ch. 1:9), and makes me see my constant need for Jesus' cleansing blood. It makes me so thankful to know that when I stumble and fall into sin, I can rest in the "atoning sacrifice" of "Jesus Christ, the Righteous One" (ch. 2:1,2). 

In wrapping this up, I want to end with a warning. I have both seen and experienced what hatred can do to a person. Like I mentioned before, I have been guilty of this. I have also witnessed it as an observer, looking at it from the outside. I have seen the way it robs a person of joy. It robs people of all the fruits of the Spirit actually, which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Each one of these wonderful qualities eventually has to flee in the path of hatred. Hatred is a cruel master, and it ends up enslaving you. In the end, no one may suffer the ill effects of hatred as much as does the hater.

My prayer is that those of us who are saying "I love God" will show our depth of love for Him by loving the people He has put in our lives. Some people will be harder to love, but I'm starting to see that I think those are the ones who often need our love so much more (there's this really interesting thing I've found too, and it's that the people that have sometimes been harder to love initially are the ones you end up loving so fiercely with really a very deep and genuine love - right to the very core! I've been rewarded this way from time to time, and am deeply grateful for people in my life where this great and wonderful thing has taken place! How these people have blessed me!). I can say from personal experience that the reward God gives us as we learn to love others is great and oh so freeing! It opens up the gateway for all those fruits of the Spirit to come flowing back into our life. It is a sweet way to live! May God bless all of us in our journey to becoming perfected in love; in becoming more like Him!