Practical Christianity – Countering the Problem of Division – Application – The division between Christian leaders and ‘outsider’ leaders (I Corinthians 2 v 6 – 8)

Paul then applies the theology to Christian leaders. ‘We are speaking wisdom among the complete and mature, but not the wisdom of this age, nor of the pre-eminent rulers of this age who are being rendered inert and idle. 7 Rather, we are speaking the wisdom of God within a mystery that God predetermined before the ages, having been concealed away, penetrating into our honour and esteem, (I Corinthians 2 v 6, 7). Paul is outlining a stark division or polarisation. But it is not between Christian leaders or between Christians. It is between Christians and ‘outsiders’ or unbelievers, and especially between Christian leaders and leaders within the worldly arrangement. The Apostle John says exactly the same thing in his first letter. The teaching – the theology or doctrine – is that God’s way of summoning Christians and His power in bringing them forth works within a completely different way from how the worldly arrangement operates. Christians are brought forth to exist within a completely different way of being when compared with their previous natural state. They are being summoned to maturity and completion and becoming well-rounded in their perception, thinking and behaviour. It is among the complete and mature, not ‘outsiders’ or unbelievers, that the Apostles, Evangelists, Prophets, faithful Elders and Teachers are speaking the wisdom of God.

But this radical difference between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of the world means that Christian leaders such as the Apostles, Evangelists, Teachers and so on are not charismatic ‘celebrities’ speaking enticing, persuasive words. They are not using worldly principles and methods of education and philosophy. They are not riding the current wave of fashionable trends, or promoting the latest theories and perspectives. Nor are they following the latest line of thinking coming down from emperors, kings or other ruling officials. They are not following and promoting the current ‘State Religion’. Why? Because the present worldly arrangement with its ‘wisdom’, methods, principles and values, together with the arrangement of world leaders, rulers and politicians, is being rendered idle and passing away. In effect, the Millennium Reign is coming in which the Messiah will judge the nations with an iron rod as King of kings.

Instead of worldly ‘wisdom’, Christian leaders like the Apostles and Evangelists are ‘speaking the wisdom of God within a mystery that God predetermined before the ages, having been concealed away, penetrating into our honour and esteem’. The theological knowledge presented by the Apostles and Christian leaders has a number of aspects that place it in contrast to the worldly arrangement and way of doing things. The announcement of the cross of the Messiah is something that –

Has been hidden from all preceding generations,

Now its mystery has been revealed in this present age penetrating towards the honour and esteem of those whom God selects

But the world sees this proclamation as dull, absurd and a cause for stumbling

‘Outsiders’ can understand the words and concepts and they can discuss the cross of the Messiah in a logical fashion. But they do so without persuasion and dismiss or even oppose it in one way or another. It still remains hidden to those who are ‘outsiders’ and remain in ‘darkness’.

Some may think that in talking about ‘mysteries’ and the ‘Breath of God’, Paul is talking about ‘inner spirituality’. But he is presenting the opposite of esoteric teaching, the opposite of accessing ‘inner wisdom’ and experiencing the ‘Isness of Being’. God, in His wisdom, predetermined this arrangement of deliverance away from divine condemnation. He did this before the beginning of the ages of this world. By means of being summoned by God within the Messiah, Christians attain honour and esteem. The Apostles are speaking this wisdom, but it is separate and distinct from the ‘wisdom’ of this present age, (verse 6). It is this wisdom of God and His predetermined plan of deliverance, ‘that none of the primary rulers of this age are coming to know, recognise or perceive. Because if they had perceived and recognised it they would not have crucified the Lord of honour and esteem’, (I Corinthians 2 v 8). It still remains hidden to those who are ‘outsiders’ and who remain in ‘darkness’. The fact that the then-current primary leaders of the world had not and still did not perceive the word of the cross of the Messiah to the point of persuasion and obedience such that they remained in darkness was evidenced by their crucifixion of the Messiah, who God esteemed as the Lord of honour and praiseworthiness. Paul is outlining where the stark division exists. It is not between Christians within the Messiah. It is not between Christian leaders. It is between Christians and ‘outsiders’ or unbelievers.

Practical Christianity – Countering the Problem of Division – Christian leaders and the power of the cross of the Messiah [8] – Personal testimony as evidence supporting this basic theology (I Corinthians 2 v 1 – 5)

In dealing with the practical problem of divisions and splits within the Corinthian Christian assembly, Paul has turned to basic theology to say that God is confounding worldly wisdom when it comes to the word of the cross of the Messiah. Rather than using eloquent influential, charismatic promoters and big campaigns, God is selecting people that ‘outsiders’ see as weak and poor. God is using what seems to be the foolishness of merely stating the word of the cross, often in a faltering or hesitant way, as the means of His power. Paul has pointed to the Corinthian assembly itself as evidence – not many of them are rich, successful social influencers.

Paul continues by pointing to himself as a Christian leader as evidence. ‘I am coming towards you brothers, not coming down from excellence of speech or wisdom, proclaiming to you the evidence of God, 2 because I continued to decide not to be knowing anything among you if not Jesus the Messiah and him having been crucified. 3 I, within weakness, fear and much trembling, became strengthened towards you, 4 my speaking and proclamation not within persuasive, enticing, wise and clever words, but within separation away from it demonstrating and showing the Breath and power 5 so that your persuasion to the point of obedience was not within human wisdom, but within the power of God’ (I Corinthians 2 v 1 – 5). Paul admits that he is not a great orator, not a naturally persuasive speaker, and not skilled in using enticing, clever words. Rather he spoke the word of the cross to them in fear, weakness and trembling. ‘Outsiders’ would not have regarded him as a successful ‘front man’ that they could employ to persuade people. But Paul chose to speak despite his fear, weakness and faltering manner because he decided to be knowledgeable only of Jesus and the cross when he was among them. His fear, weakness and faltering manner may seem to be a recipe for failure, but on the contrary, what he said became strengthened. What he said was not strengthened through worldly skill and wisdom but separated away from it and this demonstrated and showed the Breath and power of God. (Most translations use the word ‘Spirit’ of even ‘Holy Spirit’ here, but the original Greek word – ‘pneuma’ – means ‘breath’. In this case it is capitalised – Pneuma’ – to refer to the ‘Breath of God’). The Corinthian Christians were clearly not persuaded of the word of the cross by Paul’s creative, astute, enticing eloquence or charisma. Rather Paul’s faltering, weak, and by worldly standards ineffective announcement of the word of the cross was made strong by being separated away from worldly eloquence, persuasive speech and wisdom in a demonstration and show of the Breath and the power of God. This has major practical implications with regard to how Christians think about and engage in evangelism, outreach and so on. But Paul is mentioning this basic theology in order to address the division and partisanship within the Corinthian Christian assembly and its leaders.

Practical Christianity – Countering the Problem of Division – Christian leaders and the power of the cross of the Messiah [6] – Summarising the result of this basic theology (I Corinthians 1 v 23b –25)

Faced with the practical problem that the Corinthian Christians were divided and partisan, Paul has called for unity of knowledge and understanding. He has then turned to basic theology that may initially seem to be rather theoretical and abstract. He has stated that:

The Messiah is not divided

Christian leaders have different roles, gifts and abilities

But he has called for them to be properly adjusted within the same understanding and within the same knowledge and opinion

There is division, but it is between ‘outsiders’ and Christians, not between Christian leaders or Christians

‘Outsiders’ are naturally blind to unseen spiritual realities

This blindness leads them to adopt ineffective means if they attempt to try to know God

The power of God is in the word of the cross the Messiah being announced or stated.

For ‘outsiders’ this is dull and absurd foolishness

What is the practical result of announcing or declaring the cross of the Messiah, perhaps even in a faltering, stuttering way? Such an announcement is ‘indeed, a Jewish snare, a rock causing them to trip up and stumble; and to Gentiles, dull, absurd, stupidity. 24 But to those summoned, both Jews and Greeks, [it is] the anointed power of God 25 because the absurd dullness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God stronger than men’, (I Corinthians 1 v 23b – 25). With regard to the way in which Jews had naturally come to think and reason, the announcement of the cross of the Messiah was a snare or trap, a rock on the path that caused them to trip up. For Gentiles and their natural way of thinking, the announcement of the cross seemed to be dull and unworthy of their attention, or to be absurd to the point of stupidity, and they therefore dismissed it.

Yet God summons some to salvation from out of both Jews and Gentiles, and the declaration of the cross of the Messiah proves to be the power of God for them. Those who are summoned by God are not persuaded by clever logic, eloquent speeches, or by any ‘razzmatazz’ surrounding its presentation, but by its declaration – the means that God has chosen in His wisdom. Thus the dullness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God more powerful than men. By the plain, unadorned, sometimes faltering declaration of the cross of the Messiah, those who are summoned are effectively persuaded to the point of obedience and placed as adopted sons in God’s household.

The power of God does not reside in clever, witty presentations, creative attention-grabbing approaches to evangelism, advertising campaigns, popular music and entertainment, or big production values. It does not reside in being able to articulate and debate the profound logic of highly educated philosophers. The power of the word of the cross of the Messiah does not reside in being able to provide supportive evidence from Christian Apologetics, philosophy, psychology or comparisons with other religions. Nor does it reside in demonstrations of extraordinary signs and portents. Miracles, wonders and signs, eloquent speeches, clever propositions, convoluted logic and profound concepts hinder the power of the word of the cross of the Messiah. For example people may be attracted by the ‘razzmatazz’ or the ‘entertainment’ rather than by the word of the cross of the Messiah.

Practical Christianity – Countering the Problem of Division – Christian leaders and the power of the cross of the Messiah [4] – A rhetorical question and logical answer (I Corinthians 1 v 20, 21)

Paul is going back to basic principles relevant to the practical everyday problems of division, sectarianism and partisanship between Christians. He is focussing on Christian leaders and he has called for them to be of one understanding and expressed the unity of the Messiah whom they are serving. Christian leaders have a diversity of roles and gifts, but the Messiah is not divided. Instead of division between Christian leaders and Christians in general, there is a polarising separation or division between Christians and ‘outsiders’. For ‘outsiders’ – even educated scholars – the word of the cross of the Messiah is dull or absurd. So Paul asks a rhetorical question: ‘Where skill and wisdom? Where Scribe? Where the ostentatious debater of this age?’ (I Corinthians 1 v 20). If the power of God is in the word of the cross, then where does this leave philosophers, educators, debaters, opinion-makers, educated critics and scholars who think that this is dull, absurd foolishness? Where does this leave the intricacies of worldly philosophy, or Christian Apologetics, or Psychology, or the thought-through principles, values and approaches presented by other religious teachings? Where are the approaches of objective science?

Paul gives a theological answer to his rhetorical question. ‘Because seeing that within the wisdom of God the world absolutely does not come to know, recognise and perceive God through the art of using wisdom and cultivated skill, God is well-pleased to be continuing to deliver those who are being persuaded through the absurdity and dullness of proclamation’, (I Corinthians 1 v 21). Within His wisdom God has arranged matters in such a way that the world – ‘naturally spiritually blind outsiders’ – absolutely do not come to perceive and know God by means of the skill and learning of their human wisdom. They cannot discover, perceive or know God by engaging in the rigours of logic and reasoning within philosophy, or by material scientific endeavours such as astronomy, chemistry, physics or biology. To tie this in with Paul intimated earlier, ‘outsiders’ do not come to discover and perceive God by means of eloquent, rousing, persuasive speeches, or through cleverly thought-out and sophisticated logical reasoning in academic disputes and debates. Rather, God is pleased to continue delivering those who are being persuaded by means of what worldly ‘wisdom’ considers to be the absurd foolishness and dullness of proclamation. The good news is simply announced, it is merely stated, often in an unsophisticated and faltering way, and by what the worldly arrangement considers to be this unspectacular, ineffective and basic means, namely the plain and simple declaration of the good news of the cross of the Messiah, the power and wisdom of God is revealed. The power of God is in the word of the cross.

Practical Christianity – Countering the Problem of Division – Christian leaders and the power of the cross of the Messiah [3] – Support from what is written (I Corinthians 1 v 19)

Paul is going back to basic principles relevant to the practical everyday problems of division, sectarianism and partisanship between Christians. He is initially focussing on Christian leaders and at the foundation of Christianity by explaining where the power of the word of the cross of the Messiah is situated. It is not situated in clever worldly propositions, eloquent speeches, slick presentations or attractive charismatic leaders. The power of God is situated in the word of the cross of the Messiah itself. ‘Outsiders’ see this word as dull or absurd. But those being delivered by God see it as the power of God. This basic theology reveals the polarising separation or division that exists, not between Christians or Christian leaders, but between Christians and ‘outsiders’. There is a fundamental difference between practical Christian perspectives and approaches to daily life, and the perspectives and approaches to daily life that arise from within human beings within the worldly arrangement.

Paul adds authority and consistency to what he is saying by referring to the Hebrew or Old Testament Scriptures. ‘Because it is written: I will entirely cut off the wisdom and cultivated skill of the wise, I will do away with the joining together of understanding of the intelligent’, (I Corinthians 1 v 19). Paul presents a slightly altered quotation of Isaiah 29 v 14 from the Septuagint. The Hebrew reads, ‘The wisdom of the wise will perish and the understanding of their discerning men will be hidden’. Christian evangelicals, fundamentalists and ‘Bible believing’ Christians are fond of quoting Scripture texts to ‘authenticate’ what they are proposing. The Hebrew Scriptures or Old Testament would not carry as much weight for Gentiles or non-Jews, so Paul only refers to these texts occasionally when speaking or writing to Gentiles.

Paul, in his letter to the Romans, says, 1 v 22, ‘Professing to be wise, they [outsiders] continue to be foolish and insipid’ (Romans1 v 22). Paul is talking about spiritual perception, about knowledge and understanding of what is true to the facts in the unseen realm of the heavens. Those educated and skilled in worldly wisdom who embrace sensuous values drawn from the tangible material world may certainly be very clever indeed. They may be highly educated and skilled in the use of logic and possess a sharp and incisive mind. But when it comes to spiritual perception and persuasion they remain dull, slow and insipid.

This principle of ‘natural spiritual blindness’ is particularly relevant to Jews, who are God’s chosen ethnic people and who as a result had many privileges. But as Ezekiel explains, the people and leaders of Israel had been so rebellious and unfaithful to YHVH and His Covenant that YHVH withdrew Himself and His honour and praiseworthiness away from them. They lost their land, their leaders, their monarchy, priests, temple and so on during the Babylonian Conquest and Captivity. YHVH left Jews to their own way of thinking and empty reasoning when it came to the unseen realm. As a result, amongst other things, Jews failed and still fail to recognise or accept Jesus as God’s anointed Messiah and deliverer. They defend their perspectives with clever propositions and reasoning. There have been and still are many educated and skilled Jewish scholars and philosophers. But this kind of wisdom and cleverness does not lead to a perception and understanding of the unseen realm and spiritual realities. This ‘natural spiritual blindness’ or ‘veiling’ still continues down to this present day for Jews as well as Gentiles. Isaiah tells us that worldly cultivated skill and wisdom will perish, it will be entirely cut off. The educated scholarly logic and reasoning of intelligent worldly philosophers and religious thinkers will be done away with, covered and hidden. Isaiah is almost certainly referring to the advent of the Millennium Reign. The principle, that the power of the cross does not depend upon human eloquence, clever speech and the methods of worldly philosophy continues to hold true in this present age, as Paul is about to explain.

Practical Christianity – Paul’s Authority and readership (I Corinthians 1 v 1, 2)

Beginning at verse 1 of chapter 1 of his letter to the Corinthians, Paul begins by establishing his spiritual authority as an Apostle. He is one who has been delegated and sent out by Jesus to proclaim the gospel to Gentiles. ‘Paul, a summoned Apostle of Jesus the Messiah through the choice of God, and Sosthenes the brother, 2 to the assembly of God that is in Corinth. To those being separated, made different, distinguished and distinct within Jesus the Messiah, summoned and called, different from the world, together with all those calling upon the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah in every place’, (I Corinthians 1 v 1, 2). Paul is not an unbeliever or ‘outsider’. Nor is he merely a moral philosopher like one of the Stoics or Epicurians. He is not looking at the Corinthians from the perspective of another religion and offering criticism or advice for example from a pagan point of view. He is not even an ordinary member of a Christian assembly. Rather he is one summoned and sent out on a mission by Jesus the Messiah – an Apostle who has delegated authority and he is writing to fellow Christians. He is not writing to ‘outsiders’ to advise them on how to live their lives.

I John 5 v 16 – 18 – Christians missing the mark and in error (3) – Excommunication

In the previous post we saw that in Matthew 12 v 31, 32, Jesus indicated that there are degrees of seriousness of missing the mark and error. In terms of being under divine condemnation, all self-forfeiture and loss is serious, but it is logical to say that some errors have more serious consequences than others. God’s judgements are fair and proportionate. There are different degrees of debt incurred by different errors, as well as different degrees of reward leading to different allotments of the divine inheritance. Overseers who rule well are worthy of double honour, and martyrs in particular are singled out as deserving the highest of rewards.

In the light of this, the concept of the ‘seven deadly sins’ was created within the Christian tradition which grades sins such as murder and adultery as being at the more ‘serious’ end of this spectrum, serious enough to incur excommunication. Christians in general, and Overseers in particular, have to make evaluations with regards to grading errors when it comes to disputes occurring within the fellowship and the potential need to invoke excommunication. It is not that Christians are encouraged to walk around being critical of others, or finding fault – the Apostles speak against such an attitude. But because the breath of God enlightens Christians they are therefore considered to be well capable as a fellowship of making such evaluations correctly if necessary.

Roman Catholic theologians understood ‘missing the mark leading towards death’ to refer to the kind or degree of missing the mark that incurred the Christian’s excommunication from the fellowship – thus the concept of the ‘seven deadly sins’. If we look at examples of excommunication in the New Testament we can see that these errors were clearly observed behaviours that were bringing God, the fellowship and the gospel into disrepute amongst ‘outsiders’. Christians were behaving in such a way as to be acting like, or even worse than, ‘outsiders’, opposing God, His Messiah and the gospel. A Christian man in Corinth who was having a sexual relationship with his father’s wife is one example. His behaviour shocked ‘outsiders’. This Christian man was behaving worse than ‘outsiders’, causing God, the gospel and the fellowship to be the subject of negative gossip, criticism, contempt and opposition. Another example concerns two Christians who were in effect blaspheming – openly speaking about God with disdain and disrespect.

Excommunication is a disciplinary practice in which the fellowship removes such a professing Christian from their assembly. Such an individual is no longer identified with them. In effect such an individual is handed over to Satan. The bringing about of the undesirable results of such erroneous behaviour – the individual’s loss of health, loss of friends, loss of possessions, loss of reputation, loss of employment and so on, was seen by the Apostles as being the work of Satan as prosecutor. The Apostle Paul says that such people ‘are receiving back within themselves the absolutely necessary proportionate recompense of their wandering off course’ (Romans 1 v 27). The purpose of excommunication is not punishment, but that ‘they are trained, educated and disciplined not to be’ continuing to engage in such erroneous and ungodly behaviour that is clearly in opposition to God (I Timothy 1 v 20). If the excommunicated individual repents – if they turn around back towards God – then the fellowship is required to welcome them back.

In the light of this last consideration a Christian missing the mark in such a way and to such a degree that leads to their excommunication, is not necessarily a missing the mark leading towards death because in being excommunicated they are not placed into a position of being without any hope of restoration.

I John 5 v 16 – 18 – Christians missing the mark and in error (2) – Slandering the breath of God

John is saying that there is a degree of error and missing the mark that Christians can engage in such that they come to a position where they speak and behave like an ‘outsider’. John says that Christians should not implore God all around such error (verse 16). This kind and degree of error is ‘missing the mark leading towards death’

But when it comes to specifics, differences of opinion arise between Bible Commentators who are by no means unified and settled as to what ‘missing the mark leading towards death’ actually means. A list of their various opinions reveals that in their opinion, ‘missing the mark leading towards death’ is error that is

Slandering the breath of God
More serious error, such as murder
That which is punishable by death under Sinai Covenant Law
Behaviour that requires excommunication
A cause of fatal disease upon the offender
Behaviour that breaks a civil law that demands the death penalty where there is no power given to a Magistrate to pardon the offender

Each of these has been proposed as a definition of ‘error leading to death’. Some of these are quite similar, so we may be justified in reducing them to a smaller, more manageable list such that we say that ‘missing the mark leading towards death’ is

Slandering the breath of God
Behaviour that demands excommunication from the fellowship
Behaviour seriously condemned by Covenant or Civil Law – demanding the death penalty
Behaviour that brings fatal disease upon the offender

Missing the mark against the breath of God or ‘Holy Spirit’ is often a cause of concern for Christians who may ask themselves if they have somehow, inadvertently committed this error and as a result lost their deliverance. Because this is the one self-forfeiture and missing of the mark that Jesus says is unpardonable both in this age and the next (Matthew 12 v 31; Mark 3 v 29). Bible Commentator Matthew Poole says that ‘those who have missed the mark leading towards death have apostatized from their former weak, superficial and inadequate profession of faith. They have not only turned away from their former persuasion of the truth towards erroneous teaching, false understanding and fleshly behaviour, but they obstinately continue in this path, resisting and opposing all methods of recovery such that they are twice dead’.

Missing the mark against the breath of God involves this deliberate, willful and persistent opposition to the breath of God in which a person identifies the breath of God as being Satanic, mischievous and of bad intent. They persist in ascribing the breath of God to the ultimate opposite of God –Satan. This is not someone testing the breaths, speculating and reasoning to come to a conclusion whether the breath that they are experiencing is of God or not. Rather, it is a persistent, willful and deliberate conclusion that the breath of God is satanic. It was precisely within this context that Jesus makes this statement about ‘slandering the breath of God’. The Pharisees had seen Jesus heal a man who held an unclean breath and they then concluded, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons” (Matthew 12 v 24). Jesus responded by correcting their mistaken thinking and he concluded by saying, ‘“I tell you, when it comes to calling something good that really is good, or slowness to identify something that really is bad as being bad, every kind of transgression and sluggishness will be sent away and discharged. However, the men who slander the breath will not be sent away and discharged. 32 Whoever says a word against the Son of Man will be discharged. But whoever continues to speak against the breath that is different and set apart will not be discharged and sent away, neither in this age nor in the age that is about to come”’ (Matthew 12 v 31, 32).

I John 5 v 5 – 13 – Divine testimony concerning Jesus (4) – Christian Assurance

Having looked at the three important elements of testimony and witness to the truth – water/physical birth, life-blood, and the different set apart breath of God, John says, ‘these three are penetrating towards one purpose’ (Verse 8). Each of these aspects of truthful testimony are in agreement, bearing witness towards the same purpose. He tells us the purpose or goal of this testimony a few verses later, ‘this is the testimony: that God has given perpetual life to us, and this is the life within his son’ (Verse 11). But before he states this purpose he has a few more things to say.

‘If we take hold of human testimony, the testimony of God is greater’ (Verse 9a). John says to his Hebrew Christian readers, ‘You may be listening to and be persuaded of human testimony, you may believe reports and anecdotes given by other people, by other Christians. You may be persuaded of our eyewitness reports as Apostles who were there with Jesus, who saw his miracles and heard his teaching. But the testimony of God is greater, bigger, larger and by implication more trustworthy, ‘because this is the testimony of God that He has testified around his Son’ (Verse 9b). These three aspects of truthful testimony and witness – the physical birth of Jesus, his lifeblood, and the testimony of the breath of God – constitute God’s testimony around His Son. They do not constitute mere hearsay, or human opinions or conjectures about Jesus, rather they present the divine witness and testimony concerning God’s Son as His chosen and anointed deliverer.

Then John says, ‘The one persuaded and entrusting penetrating towards the Son of God is holding the testimony within himself’ (Verse 10a). In these days where modern science has considerable influence, we are used to looking ‘out there’ to find solid, replicable material evidence or ‘proof’ that supports the hypothesis, perspective or beliefs that we hold on to. If we believe in a global flood at the time of Noah then we tend to look to archaeological experts to find tangible, material objective evidence to support and confirm this idea and thus give us assurance that our belief is correct and true. This kind of approach pervades the thinking of many people in many areas of life, whether they are Christians or ‘outsiders’. Indeed, such an approach can be and often is a helpful and important approach giving us advances in areas such as health and medicine.

But the ways of God are often separate and distinct from the values and approaches of the orderly arrangement of the world. For Christians, the testimony, the faithful truthful witness regarding Jesus being the Son of God and the Messiah is ultimately held within themselves. It is an inner perception, enlightened insight, illuminated knowledge and understanding within that leads to persuasion deep in their inner core, thanks to the enlightening and empowering work of the breath residing and remaining in their heart as a result of the free gift of God.

In contrast to this, ‘The one not persuaded towards God is making Him a liar, because he has not been persuaded and entrusted the testimony that God has given about His son’ (Verse 10b). John brings us back to the strong polarizing demarcation line between Christians and ‘outsiders’. Given the threefold divine testimony concerning Jesus – his physical birth, sacrificial life-blood and the witness of the breath of truth – if a person still lacks persuasion, refusing to acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God and Messiah, then the verdict and conclusion is that what they are constructing makes God out to be a liar and deceiver. This quality of lying and deceiving is, as we have seen, the character of Satan. It is a position that is highly insulting to God.

I John 5 v 2 – 5 – Love and the culmination of God’s instructions (1)

‘We know and recognise that we are loving the children of God within this: when we are loving God and are constructing the end result of His instructions. 3 Because this is the love of God: that we guard and preserve the goal of His instructions. The end result of His instructions is not heavy and oppressive 4 because everyone who has been brought forth from out of God is carrying off the victory and overcoming the orderly arrangement of the world. This is the means of success that is overcoming the orderly arrangement: our persuasion and entrustment to the point of obedience. 5 Who is it that is carrying off the victory and overcoming the orderly arrangement if not the one who is entrusting that Jesus is the Son of God?’ (I John 5 v 2 – 5).

The end of verse 2 is very often translated into English like this: ‘doing His commandments’. The Greek word translated into English as ‘commandment’ is ‘entole’ which is a combination of words meaning ‘in’, and ‘end’ or ‘consummation’. Thus it means ‘in reaching the end’ or ‘in accomplishing’. It has a wide range of nuances such as ‘in culmination of an order’; ‘in attaining the goal of an injunction’; ‘in reaching the end point of an instruction or precept’. But it is often simply translated into English as ‘commandment’. At times this makes reasonable sense, as when someone inquired of Jesus: ‘“Teacher, which is the greatest command within the Law?”’ (Matthew 22 v 36). Here the reference is clearly to the written precepts – the commandments – of Sinai Covenant Law, but perhaps the better translation might be: ‘“Teacher, which is the greatest in culminating the end result within the Law?”’. This is closer in meaning to the original text. This fuller translation also makes more sense of what John is saying here. In other words this Greek word does not necessarily refer to Sinai Covenant Law.

Gentiles were never placed under the Sinai Covenant and for Jews who became Christians, this Covenant and its integral Laws that were written in stone were being rendered idle as a result of these Jews being placed under the new, superior New Covenant of the blood of the Messiah. As the writer of the letter to the Hebrews and the Apostle Paul teach, Christians are not under the Law but stand under the free gift of God. When Christians turn to Sinai Covenant Law to use the Law as a means of deliverance or of gaining cleanliness and a godly life, they take a step backwards and place themselves in danger of denying their Messiah.

So this verse in John’s letter is not about Christians keeping the commandments of Sinai Covenant Law in the sense of looking to the Commandments as a set of rules or principles to obey in order to obtain deliverance or holiness. Rather, it is about Gentile and Hebrew Christians co-working with God in constructing the end result, the goal, the culmination, of His instructions – His primary instruction from the beginning being to have practical beneficial love towards fellow Christians.

The question that John asks in effect is ‘How do Christians know that they are indeed loving the children of God?’

We know that we are loving the children of God when:

We are loving God and

We are constructing the end result of His instructions