1 John 2:1-2
John 1:14-16
Of His grace, we have received blessing upon blessing: the gift of eternal life, daily cleansing, and forgiveness of our sin, the opportunity of constant fellowship. It is the personal touch from Him that is so unique to us, to fit our needs. The gift of His presence! He chose to come to us. We are never an outcast but always invited, Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Across the great expanse of time and space comes the testimony of the eyewitness John; and using the first person plural “we” he identifies himself with the other who had experienced His blessing. 1:16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. The truth is Jesus is full of grace and grace upon grace. His grace is inexhaustible.
Joh 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. The disciples were eyewitnesses to many things: to His miracles, to His death, to His resurrection, to His ascension just to mention a few. But there is one more I want to mention: He revealed the Father to them and to us.
How do you know the Father Loves you? John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
In Jesus’ sermon to Nicodemus, He declared the Love of God for you and the way of salvation, Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
One of the great tragedies of our day is the changing of the Word of God. And if that question were asked, there would be a hearty amen. But the deceitfulness is the substitution of the thoughts and opinions of man as if they are the Word of God. No one would dare say, I am going to change the Bible.
Rightly dividing the Word of Truth is essential to peace, growth, and well-being. Understanding the Grace of God, the Love of God, and the Provision of God gives the desire to walk with the LORD, 1Jn 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. Isa 32:17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.
It is necessary to have the right preaching and teaching and study about Bible doctrine to grow up in Him. Eph_4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
In our study of 1 John we know that John is writing to believers. And this fact is so strongly emphasized in 1 John 2:1. He addresses the ones to whom he is writing as His little children. Nowhere in this epistle does John doubt their genuineness as believers. “….these things write I unto you, that ye sin not….” It is necessary here to go back to 1 John 1:5-10 to pick up on the context. John is emphasizing the need to walk circumspectly in your life. We are not to take a lenient view of sin which could lead to allowing sin to remain unconfessed or to take lightly the confession of sin in V9. Or maybe to justify our sin, because we are born in sin, v 10.
The reality is we can and do sin, “…And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: Why do we have an Advocate if there is no need? The truth is Jesus Christ the Righteous ever lives to make intercession for us. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. The one who has believed in Jesus for salvation has ONE with the Father who intercedes in the time of need. And Jesus is the only one who can for “…He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world”
From the very beginning, there has been only One Way of Salvation. The Old Testament does not present another way – Nor does it present the Law as a means for obtaining Eternal Life.
There is nothing about our life that is apart from the Grace of God. When Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again, He was declaring a truth that has been since the beginning. And something that Nicodemus should have known, John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. and 3:10-11. Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. Nicodemus was saved before the cross – preached too by the same ONE who preached to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and that One is Jesus. Gen 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
Salvation has always been by Grace through Faith. Believers were born again in the O.T. [Regenerated but not indwelt]. Permanent indwelling is unique to the beginning of the Church. The O.T. saints were born again by believing the promise of the Christ, the Son of God that was to come, see Martha’s confession in John 11: 27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. She was saved before the Cross.
The One Who preached to Nicodemus is the same that created the World and met Adam and Eve in the Garden
The One Who said to Nicodemus, “You must be born again is the same Who was in the Garden with Adam and Eve. How do we know that God loves us? It is Jesus who has told us, and He declared the Love of God to all the World in His encounter with Nicodemus, Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” No man hath seen God at any time…” That means all the appearances of God in the O.T were pre-incarnate appearances of Jesus. It was Jesus who met Adam and Eve after they had sinned and they were born again. Gen 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. No doubt He would use that as an object lesson to Adam and Eve that He would one day come as the permanent sacrifice for sin. Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Every OT appearance of God was an appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ. Christ confronted Cain, He met with Abraham in Genesis 18:1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; Gen 18:2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground. And let us not forget Hagar, Met with Moses on Mt. Sinia and there were other appearances. Let me emphasize again every appearance of God in the O.T is a pre-incarante ofChrist. A notable appearance was to Samuel 3:10 And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, [a voice does not stand] Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
How were people saved in the O.T. ? The same as we are today! {[1]Anna and Simeon represent OT saints when they rejoiced to see the baby Jesus in the temple. There can be no doubt that they believed Jesus to be the Messiah, the Son of God. Yet according to John 6:47; 11:25-27; and 20:31] But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name., all who believe that have eternal life. Anna and Simeon and all OT believers believed in the coming Messiah for eternal life and hence they were born again.
Paul used Abraham and David as examples of being saved believing the same message we believe. If Abraham was born again only because he believed God exists, then how could he be a model for how people are born-again today? Gal.3:1-9, i.e.V6-7 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Gal 3:7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
Rom 4:4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. Rom 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Rom 4:6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Rom 4:7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Rom 4:8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
Romans 4:13,16, 19-5:1
The Mosaic law was never a means to obtain eternal life. {[2]John corrects this misperception in all his references to the Law in the book (see esp. 7:19). People obtained eternal life in the OT the same way people do in the NT era]: by grace through faith” Joh 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 5:40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
46-47; For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad Gen 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. Gal 3:13-14. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
They looked ahead to the coming Messiah and believed in Him for eternal life. There was grace and truth during the time of Moses. But Jesus fully embodied grace and truth and brought the fulness of His Grace to us all, And of his fulness have we all received, and grace for grace. Hebrews 10:9, says, “…He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.” He took away everything that first separated us from Him: sin and its penalty, the curse of the law, and the fear of death and then gave us Grace in the Person of Christ. Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
They looked ahead and believed that Jesus the Son of God would come and believed that promise. I am asking you to look back to the Cross and believe that He did come? I am giving two promises for your faith: Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. 1Jn 5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
I ask that you have faith in Christ: I do not know where you are in your place with Christ, relationship, or fellowship. But regardless these two verses call you to faith in Christ, 1Jn 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
To the believer, He calls you back to fellowship as your Advocate He promises forgiveness through confession of your sin, for He is the propitiation for your sins. And to the unsaved, He says, “I am the Propitiation” for you and your sins will you not believe I am Saviour enough for your sins?
2Ti_1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.,
Not to believe is not to be persuaded, Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. --- That word believeth in last part of v36 and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. Means literally, refusing to be persuaded (by the Lord) See G543 (apeítheia).
“Belief is persuasion:” If you are persuaded that something is true, you believe it. Meaning you have confidence in whom you have believed, Paul said, “…for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him
Are you persuaded that Jesus is able to keep that which He promised, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” John 6:47
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