1 John 2:3-6: 3And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 6He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
What happens when a Christian sins? Do we lose salvation? Fellowship with God? Or, since we are saved, we can just keep sinning? For the Scriptural answer, we examine:
- Historical Context: 1, 2, and 3 John have from earliest times been attributed to John the apostle, author of the fourth gospel. Written between A.D. 85-95, the book of 1 John is a book of love and joy. It explains the fellowship we have with others and with Jesus Christ. Hence, our verses have a bearing upon our relationship with God and with fellow man: the horizontal and vertical aspects of life. The apostle John is a disciple who knew Christ well. He explains to us that Jesus came here as the Son of God to create a union with us based on His grace, mercy, love, and acceptance; and this relationship is intimate, loving and has application to our lives on a daily basis. So many times people think God is off in some far away place and that He doesn’t really concern Himself with our daily struggles, issues, and concerns. Wrong! This is what John is trying to tell us. God is right there with you in both the simple, mundane parts of our lives and in the complex, soul wrenching parts of our lives. John teaches us that Christ is the believer’s life. We need to apply this truth to our lives, confidently living as Jesus was standing right next to us every second of the day. Put this truth into practice and, day by day, you will be defeating sin, adding holiness to your life and becoming more and more like Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29).
- Grammatical Usage: V. 3: “know” is “ginosko” in the Greek meaning, “to know in the sense of realizing”; “keep” or “Tereo “ means, “to observe carefully”; V. 4: “saith” or “Lego” meaning, “orally or verbally affirms”; “liar” is “Pseustes “ meaning, “one who breaks faith…a false and faithless man”; “truth” or “Aletheia” meaning, “respect for God and the duties of man as a result”; V. 5: “love” is “agape” meaning, “a deep acquaintance…an intimacy”; “perfected” or “Teleioo” meaning, “completed in the sense of realized and accomplished”; V. 6: “abideth” or “Meno” means, “to continue in the ever present”; “walk” or “peripateo” meaning, “making one’s way, regulating one’s life, conducting one’s life, signifying the whole round of activities of the individual life.”
- Literal Application: Now we realize we know Him if we are careful to observe His commandments. He that says he knows Him but does not keep His commandments demonstrates a break of faith proving himself faithless…lacking respect for God as his actions indicate. But the one who keeps His commandments has an intimacy with God, clearly demonstrated in his manner which attests to our relationship with Him. He who knows God, senses Him minute by minute, and consequently regulates and conducts his life in the same manner as Jesus did in His earthly walk.
- Contextual Interpretation: The reason a Christian usually doubts his or her salvation and God’s forgiveness is because 1) he or she is not confessing sin and 2) consequently not seeking to turn away from the sins he or she is committing. In 1 John the Holy Spirit tells us that this will happen, but He also says that Christians will have confidence that they are God’s children when their conduct pleases God. Hence, John instructs us to keep His Word. God gives us several tests that we can use to determine our relationship with God. One of these tests is found in 1 John 2:3, 6, where we are admonished to do what the Scripture tells us to do – this is one mark of a committed Christian. Notice that those who know God obey God. The two occurrences of the word “know” in this verse are the first of 23 times John used this word throughout this epistle. As often in John’s usage, the word “Him” might refer either to God or to Christ. For John, Jesus is so closely linked with the Father that a precise distinction between the Person of the Godhead sometimes seems irrelevant. Fellowship is with both the Father and the Son (1:3). But obedience is the condition for such knowledge (cf. John 14:21-23: 21(A) Whoever has my commandments and(B) keeps them, he it is who loves me. And(C) he who loves me(D) will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and(E) manifest myself to him.” 22(F) Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it(G) that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23Jesus answered him, (H) “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and(I) we will come to him and(J) make our home with him.)
If we say that we are Christians because we know that Jesus is the Son of God but we keep sinning, we have deceived ourselves. After all, the demons believe and tremble (James 2:19)! Therefore, those who deliberately and knowing keep sinning are not really Christians because the mark of a Christian is that he or she “keeps His word.” But what does it mean to “keep”? This unlocks the meaning of our passage. Does this mean that God expects us to obey Him perfectly? If someone commits one sin, then is he or she no longer a Christian? The answer is “no” because the Greek word for “keep” does not have the idea of “perfection” but of “guarding or watching.” It has the idea of a strong commitment to obey. Literally, the reality of one’s conversion is settled by his or her lifestyle. The meaning becomes clear just a few verses later when we read,
“If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.” – 1 John 2:29
“Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as He is righteous. 8Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9No 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.” – 1 John 3:7-9
These verses explain what the Holy Spirit means by “keep His Word.” He is talking about a pattern of life – a pattern of obedience – a pattern of holy living. True Christians have a pattern of life which is marked by a commitment to be holy. John was not afraid to callthe person who claims to be a follower of Christ yet his life proves otherwise a liar. Furthermore, it may be said of the same person that the truth is not in him. The idea is similar to the statements made earlier about false claims (1:6, 8, 10: 6(A) If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and(B) do not practice the truth. 7But(C) if we walk in the light,(D) as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and(E) the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8(F) If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and(G) the truth is not in us. 9(H) If we confess our sins, he is(I) faithful and just to forgive us our sins and(J) to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say we have not sinned,(K) we make him a liar, and(L) his word is not in us.) In such a person the truth is not a dynamic, controlling influence. He is seriously out of touch with spiritual reality.
This is NOT to imply that we are perfect, but mindful of right and wrong and diligently working to properly act and react. The difference between a sinning unbeliever and a sinning believer is that one loves his sin while the other hates it. The believer who stumbles in his walk with the Lord regrets it, confesses it, wishes to never do it again and seeks to appropriate God’s power and grace to avoid it. He doesn’t consider how much he can sin and still be considered a Christian. Rather, he considers how he can avoid even the appearance of sin in the future.
A distinction needs to be made between Paul’s use of the phrase “in Christ” and John’s use of “in Him.” For Paul, the words “in Christ” describe a Christian’s permanent position in God’s Son. With John, the kind of relationship to which he refers when using the phrase “in Him” was one of fellowship and fruitfulness.
- Scriptural Comparison: What does it mean if you have a pattern of ongoing sin in your life and you say, “I am a Christian”? The answer is found in the book of 1 Corinthians which was written to a group of people whom the apostle Paul called “saints” or Christians (1 Cor. 1:2). Yet, they were sinning so much that an entire book was written to rebuke them for their sins. In 1 Corinthians, the apostle warns them to stop following the supposed wisdom of the world (1 Cor. 1), ignoring the teaching of the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2), being competitive in ministry (1 Cor. 3), being arrogant (1 Cor. 4), ignoring Christians who have an ongoing habit of sin (1 Cor. 5), taking one another to court (1 Cor. 6), sinning in marriage (1 Cor. 7), ignoring the spiritual sensitivity of other Christians to sin (1 Cor. 8-10), ignoring the proper conduct of worship and submission (1 Cor. 11), abuses in worship (1 Cor. 12-14), and teaching false doctrine (1 Cor. 15). In 2 Corinthians the apostle Paul continues with another list of sins. These Corinthians had some serious problems. Were they really Christians? Should we be comforted because the apostle called them “saints”? The answer is no, we shouldn’t be comforted but we shouldn’t consider them unsaved either. Why? Listen to Paul at the end of 2 Corinthians,
“Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” – 2 Corinthians 13:5
Paul’s question is usually construed with regard to positional justification (declared saved by God and His Word) as in were they followers of Christ or not? However, neither the text nor the Greek supports this view as it is more likely a question of practical sanctification: did they demonstrate that they were in the faith (cf. 1 Cor. 16:13: 13(A) Be watchful,(B) stand firm in the faith,(C) act like men,(D) be strong.) and that Christ was in them by their obeying His will? To stand the test was to do what was right as put forth in God’s Word. To fail was to prove disobedient and therefore subject to God’s discipline. The words “fail(ed) the test” (2 Cor. 13:5-6) and “failed” (v.7) render the Greek word “adokimoi” or “disapproved”.
The fact is Christians continue to sin after they are saved – we will not be completely free from sin until we die or Jesus comes back. However, becoming a Christian results in a changed life (2 Corinthians 5:17: 17Therefore, if anyone is(A) in Christ, he is(B) a new creation.[a](C) The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.) A person will go from producing the acts of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21: 19Now(A) the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions,(B) divisions, 21envy,[a] drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that(C) those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.) to displaying the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23: 22But(A) the fruit of the Spirit is(B) love, joy, peace, patience,(C) kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23(D) gentleness,(E) self-control;(F) against such things there is no law.), as the indwelling Holy Spirit has more and more control over his life. This change does not happen instantly, but it does happen over time. If a person does not demonstrate a changed life, he/she is likely not a genuine believer. Christians can commit grievous sins. Jesus died for these sins as well. All the more reason not to commit them!
The key to understanding is that true Christians do not continue to practice known sin. They fight to stop and eventually find victory over their sin. The mark of a growing Christian is victory over one sin after another sin. We must remember that after we find victory over one, God then starts dealing with another sin in our lives. Therefore, the apostle was concerned that they might not be real Christians because of the pattern of sin in their life in that they 1) refused to acknowledge 2) consequently refused to confess 3) consequently refused to turn away from 4) consequently jeopardized their relationship with others but more importantly 5) jeopardized their relationship with God.
In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, the Apostle Paul describes the kind of sinful lifestyles believers are saved from (9Or do you not know that the unrighteous[a] will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived:(A) neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,[b] 10nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And(B) such were some of you. But(C) you were washed,(D) you were sanctified,(E) you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.). Verse 11 says, “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Notice the word “were.” Believers used to be like the things listed in verses 9-10, but they are not like that any longer. Can a person who is an adulterer, drunkard, or homosexual, child abuser, etc. be saved? Yes. Is a person who lives a life of continual sin a believer? No. When we become Christians, our lives will change. Anyone who is living a sinful lifestyle and claims to be a Christian is either lying, is self-deceived, or really is a believer who is going to experience God’s discipline and judgment (Hebrews 12:5-11). In fact, Paul charges that we are to have nothing to do with them and why (2 Timothy 3:1-7: 1But understand this, that(A) in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2For people will be(B) lovers of self,(C) lovers of money,(D) proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3(E) heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal,(F) not loving good, 4treacherous, reckless,(G) swollen with conceit,(H) lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having the appearance of godliness, but(I) denying its power.(J) Avoid such people. 6For among them are(K) those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7always learning and never able to(L) arrive at a knowledge of the truth.)
Paul encouraged them to evaluate or test themselves to see if they were real Christians. Some other marks of a Christian are: 1) you can understand the Bible (1 Cor. 2:14; Heb. 5:11-14: 11About this we have much to say, and it is(A) hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again(B) the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need(C) milk, not solid food, 13for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is(D) a child. 14But solid food is for(E) the mature, for those who have their powers(F) of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.); 2) you see the fruit of the Holy Spirit growing in your life (Gal. 5:22-23); and 3) you can sense the Holy Spirit leading you (Rom. 8:14: 14For all who are(A) led by the Spirit of God are(B) sons[a] of God.) These are the major ones. Remember, conviction is of the Holy Spirit – instead of feeling sad and defeated to the point of questioning salvation, rejoice for the Spirit knows you and is working in your life for your good! Conclusion: The Bible does teach by word (Galatians 6:7, 8: 7(A) Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for(B) whatever one sows, that will he also reap.) and example (2 Samuel 11-20) that when a Christian gets involved in sin, he or she may reap temporal, physical, emotional, mental and/or spiritual consequences. Right believing and right living are evidence of a right relationship with Christ.