How to Discern Biblical Christianity: Part 2
The truth of God’s Word shows us the character of God in a very clear way, something we can root our assurance in. Although Christians sometimes struggle with the question of assurance, God has graciously given us tools to discern His character and in return have assurance of our salvation. In part 1, we learned through 1 John that God's character is unchangeable, which gives us confidence in our salvation. I hope to make this point clear as we continue to explore the book of 1 John and use it to understand how to discern biblical Christianity.
Christians love their brother
Christians are known by the fruits of the Spirit. Since the old has passed away and all things have become new, our identity in Christ is noticed through our love for others, especially our family of the faith. Another aspect of the “moral test” of salvation covered in part 1 is how we obey God in loving other people. This is an outward expression of Christlike character in our lives. John puts this another way in his absolute claim, “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness” (1 John 2:9). To “hate” means to pursue with hatred, or to detest. The original language conveys the idea of someone who habitually hates or is marked by a lifestyle of hatred. A hateful person is in complete contradiction to the character of God and is inconsistent with being in the light. Remember, to walk in the light means to have an understanding and pure moral posture towards people.
“A hateful person is in complete contradiction to the character of God and is inconsistent with being in the light.”
Leviticus 19:17 states, “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.” Here it speaks of how differences should be handled. They should be handled openly and frankly so they don’t lead to inward animosity which leads to outward sin. Hating someone always leads to outward expressions of sin. For Christians, we should have a different approach towards people. How we treat our brothers is a direct reflection of our fellowship with God. Jesus says in John 13:35 that “by this shall men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another.” Non-Christians should be able to see the distinctive way Christians handle differences and treat each other, a mark of the Holy Spirit working in their lives.
Christians do not love the world
God is undoubtedly characterized by His love, but there’s a certain type of love that God hates: the love of the world. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15). In order to have a clear understanding of what John is saying in this passage, it’s important to expound on what “the world” means. In John 3:16, we see that God “loves the world”. It’s necessary to ask the question: is there a contradiction here? Are we not to love the world although it says God loves the world? In John 3:16, the term “world” is “kosmos,” meaning what makes up the world and the people in it. In 1 John 2:15, the term “world” is also the Greek word “kosmos” but here it refers to the humanistic system that is at odds with God.
In Ephesians 2:1-2, Paul writes, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.” Here, “the course of this world” again refers to what humanity values apart from God and Christ. Satan is referred to as a prince because he possesses power to manifest evil in the world through influence and commanding demons. He has dominion over the “air,” most likely meaning the atmospheric region, the invisible realm where Satan and his demons have the most influence (Eph 6:12). The world gets its philosophical, theological, and moral views from Satan. Paul follows up in verse 3 of this passage and notes that we all once lived under Satan’s systematic influence (Eph 2:3). This is the world that John is warning us not to love, the world that has been infected by the lies and perversion of Satan. Our views and standards were once imprisoned but have been set free by Christ.
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
John also makes a distinction by saying that “if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father isn’t in him” (1 John 2:15). Christians are marked by their unloving posture towards the world because of their loving posture towards God. People who are devoted to the philosophical wisdom of the world show that they are in rebellion against God. John MacArthur notes that “No middle ground between these two alternatives exists for someone claiming to be born again.” As Christians, we reject the lie that truth is not absolute but subjective; we reject the lie that we should chase after everything that makes us feel good and brings us pleasure; we reject the lie that we’re inherently good people; we reject the lie that the God of the Bible isn’t the one and only God and there are no clear moral standards to live by; we reject the lie of “self love” telling us to put others’ thoughts, feelings and cares behind our own. Scripture makes it clear that Christians reject the world's ungodly standards.
In the Gospel of Luke, we notice that Jesus Himself implies that disciples of Christ behave differently than sinners. For example, Jesus says “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.” (Luke 6:32). As Jesus commands His disciples to love their enemies, He also informs them to not love as sinners love. Jesus is simply distinguishing two different approaches to love. A sinner loves those who love them, and does good to those who do good to them. A Christian not only loves those who love them and does good to those who do good to them, but they also love their enemies and do good to those who hate them. This is one of John’s main points in his first epistle. Since Christians now have the Holy Spirit and all things have become new, a willingness to love the way God loves is present in our hearts.
Christians do not love the things of the world
In 1 John 2:15, John not only commands us not to love the world but not to love the things in the world. The question that immediately comes to mind is, what does John mean by “the things in the world?” He explains this by saying the “lust of the eye, lust of the flesh and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). Our common wants and needs like shelter, food, water, clothes, and a stable carrier, may not in and of themselves be sinful to desire but to consider these things as more important than God, to make them an idol, is what the Bible exhorts us not to do. Also, John speaks of lust. The Greek word for lust is “epithumia,” meaning to have a desire, craving, or longing for that which is forbidden. The idea of lust is to have a greedy, selfish desire for something. To lust after the world is to have this desire for something that is evil and forbidden.
The flesh John refers to is the rebellious self, dominated by sin. The flesh consist of all the sensual pleasures that God in His word tells us to stay away from: adultery, fornication, sodomy, incest, excess of alcohol, greed, rioting, etc. The flesh wars against the Spirit and destroys the soul; it dishonors the body and oftentimes brings about reproach to a person's character. Satan also uses a person's eyesight to entice him/her to wrong desires that lead to death. For example, in Genesis 3:6, Eve is tempted by Satan as she looks at the fruit of the forbidden tree and notices that it was a delight to the eyes, but in reality it led to death. In 2 Samuel 11:2, David saw from the roof a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful, which led David to partake in immorality shortly after seeing her. Lastly, lusting after the pride of life gives the idea of arrogance over one's circumstances. To have an empty assurance and a trust in one’s own resources is the idea of pride. We see this example of arrogance and pride pointed out by Jesus in Matthew 23:5-7 as He curses the scribes and Pharisees. In regards to the phrase "the pride of life," I would like to quote Matthew Henry:
“A vain mind craves after all the grandeur, equipage, and pomp of vain-glorious life; this is ambition, and thirst after honor and applause, this is, in part, the disease of the ear; it must be flattered with admiration and praise. The object of these appetites must be abandoned and renounced.”
I believe, like many others, that the economic trouble and exposure to COVID-19 of this past year exposed the hearts of many Christians to be dependent on the "things of this world" for health, comfort, and security. When we are put in a position where these things can be taken away, the test of whether or not we believe God or trust Him is apparent. In Matthew 6, Jesus instructs His disciples not to worry about the things of this world. The reason we don’t have to worry is because we depend on our Heavenly Father to provide for our needs. Jesus says, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” Then, He uses birds and lilies as examples of why there’s even more of a reason to depend on God and not these common concerns that are typically the source of our anxiety. Birds do not work or store their food in barns, nor do lilies work to produce clothing, but God provides for them both, “Are you not of more value than these?” Jesus asks. Trusting God as our provider means believing He will take care of what we need.
Theologian and Bible teacher RC Sproul says “Faith is not believing in God, it is believing God. It is about believing in every word that comes out of His mouth.” Worrying about temporal things shows a love for them that is sinful in the eyes of God. Again, Jesus in Matthew 6 touches on that reality by stating that “Gentiles seek after all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them all.” Worrying about what we will eat, or drink, or how we will pay our rent, mortgage, and electric bills is a character trait of people who trust the things of this world, not the promises and blessings of God. Christians have no need to worry about the things of this world because they have a Heavenly Father who will provide them with everything they need and has given them their ultimate need: Himself.
“Trusting God as our provider means believing He will take care of what we need.”
John Calvin says that “man's heart is a perpetual factory of idols”. We depend far too much on the “stuff” that God has given us rather than God Himself. Similarly, John ends 1 John chapter 2 by pointing out that the “world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:17). Not only does it go against the character of God to love the things in this world, but Christians also shouldn’t love the world because of its temporal nature. God is an eternal, unchangeable being. His nature is permanent and those that love God and do His will abide in Him forever. In 2 Corinthians 4:18, Paul says, “So fix your eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” And Deuteronomy 8:3 says, “And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live off of bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” Those that desire what pleases the flesh and what’s pleasant to the eye and the pride of life desire a world that will pass away. In order to please an eternal God, Christians must die to the philosophical and theological views of this world. We must turn away from the idols that we’ve accumulated over time and turn to the promises of our Lord, and the newness that God has given us through the power of the Holy Spirit.
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I hope we've discovered so far that the book of 1 John gives clear evidence of what a true follower of Christ looks like. This is the evidence that every professing Christian should have regardless of how sanctified they are. In my final part, I will discuss how Christians can find assurance in their practice of righteousness, their right understanding of Christ, and their identity as overcomers.