Read: I John 3:11-4:6
Also Read: Genesis 1:1-5; 4:1-16
From the very beginning there has been a struggle between good and evil. In the creation order, there is an intentional distinction made between the light and the darkness. The first two verses of Genesis are describing a world without light. It is not neutral, as we might think. The absence of God is darkness.
God created Adam and Eve in an inhabited world out of a desire to share His nature and Spirit with them. But they listened to the lie of the serpent and ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. As a result, they were thrown out of fellowship with God. But they were promised a redeemer. They looked to their firstborn son, Cain, and hoped that he would save them from the sin that separated them from God. But he murdered his brother Able, revealing that the problem of sin was much greater than they had realized.
The resulting drama of sin twisted everything that was good. Love was corrupted, guilt was overbearing, and lies obscured the truth. As the world descended into chaos, the light of truth became harder to see. When Jesus came into the world, He brought this light back to its full brilliance, and with it, a demonstration of the love of God.
John is building on this point in his letter to the Church in order to show what it means to have fellowship with God by walking in the light and loving others as we have been loved. This is the message from the beginning, it is the commandment for believers, and it is the means by which our relationship with God is restored.
How to Recognize Love
John first gives us a counter example of love by pointing out how Cain murdered his brother. In a continued contrast between light and darkness, good and evil, John points out the differences between love and hate. We might think that these examples are extreme, but there is no middle ground here.
Further trying to distinguish believers from the world, John points out that this is why we cannot be in the world and in Christ. The world rejected Jesus and murdered Him. Therefore, we shouldn’t be seeking the approval of the world.
As a result of sin, love has been twisted to mean less than God intended. Love, itself, had to be redeemed. Jesus is the perfect example of love because He laid down His life for us. We are then called to follow His example and lay down our lives for each other. It is not enough to signal our virtue by sharing our feelings of love. Our love must be acted out by sharing our earthly goods with those in need.
How to Reassure our Hearts
If we are honest with ourselves, we have all harbored hatred in our hearts. This means that we are just as guilty as Cain, the first murderer. God knows our hearts. We cannot hide our sin nature from Him. How then do we have confidence in ourselves that we are truly followers of Christ?
This point leads us back to chapter one which tells us to confess our sins. God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Our salvation is not determined based on our feelings. It is a completed work in Jesus Christ. We are saved by faith and reassured by our obedience to trust in Christ and love one another.
How can you love someone when they have wronged you? When we look to Jesus we are reminded of the gospel which shows us that we were enemies with God when Christ died for us. If God can love us, while we are still sinners, we will be able to love those who have not earned our respect. No one could ever offend you as much as you have offended God.
But the light of the gospel is not just an external evidence of God’s love. He has promised that if we abide in Him, He will abide in us. This is how we know that we are children of God because we have the Spirit of God indwelling us and driving out the darkness.
How to Recognize the Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error
If our hearts condemn us, we can be reassured that God is greater than our hearts. Our salvation is secure in Christ. But what can we do with others who would condemn us? How do we distinguish between truth and error?
First, John says that the Holy Spirit will not communicate anything contrary to the gospel. Anyone who suggests that you have to pay penance for your sin is suggesting that the work of Christ was not completed on the cross and you still have something to add to your own salvation. This is a lie and it denies the perfect work of Christ on the cross.
Furthermore, those who would suggest that we can have the things of this world without the risk of losing the distinct fellowship we have with God are liars. There is no fellowship with light and darkness. Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins. We cannot cling to the cross and hold to our sins.
This is the distinguishing evidence that we are followers of Christ: we believe in Jesus and we love each other. The first opens our eyes to see our need for the light, and the second is the evidence of the light at work, driving out the darkness. That is what it means to keep the commandments of God and to have fellowship with Him.
Adam Miller is the president and host of Songtime Radio and serves as the pastor of South Chatham Community Church. This article is a condensed version of one of his sermons.