07 June 2023
John carries on in Chapter 4 of his first letter, sharing how to discern spirits. It's actually pretty simple: We know what Jesus taught. If they profess something else, it's not Jesus; it's some kind of Antichrist. His law is that we submit to His Lordship and love as He loved. It should be obvious who is a child of God.
John goes on at length about this, trying to come at it from every angle possible so you'll understand: A primary mark of following Christ is following Him to the Cross and sacrificing your flesh for your brothers and sisters. That's Christ's Law; it's His moral character and His will for us.
In Chapter 5, if you claim to love the Father, you should not struggle to love His children. Of course, His love is wrapped up in the things He commanded. Following Christ means obeying Him.
This puts you in the position of assurance when you pray. You get the impression here that prayer is mostly a conversation with a real Person, trying to learn what is important to Him, and committing yourself to whatever that is. Sure, there are things that we dare not pray for, because it's just too obvious that it violates what Jesus taught.
He leaves us wondering what he means by a "sin unto death". Given the wider context of the chapter, talking about "life" and the manifestation of Christ in how we act, I've always believed it meant promoting moral and spiritual death -- i.e., words and conduct that are directly contrary to what Christ teaches. It means walking as if you never tasted the Presence of the Spirit. This isn't the same as slipping up, or stumbling outside the Covenant boundaries. It's something more determined, something that is tantamount to purposefully walking outside the camp of faith and surrendering to Satan.
Since John doesn't define that, you should realize there is no concrete definition, but it's something you should recognize by your convictions. Your convictions are His personal will for you, the result of His divine Presence in your soul. Either way, given that John is so consistently mystical, it should be obvious you can't force a literal reading here.
As for what appears to be a flat assertion that those born of God do not sin, keep in mind John's style and purpose. He's trying to give us Hebrew thoughts in a very simplistic Greek grammar. He is not offering a definition of Christians. The emphasis is on what God does, not what we do. Jesus is the Firstborn of God; the rest of us born by the Spirit into His household are protected by the Son's authority. John has just warned that we can step outside the umbrella of His power, because His power for us resides within the Covenant boundaries. Inside the boundaries, Satan cannot touch us.
Meanwhile, this fallen world belongs to Satan. (Where have you heard that before?) We know that the Messiah has come, the Son of God, the Heir to Heaven's Throne. His Presence born in our spirits helps us to grasp the nature of His glory and our mission under His authority. Just keep your eyes on Jesus and stay away from pagan devotions.
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