Sermon Tone Analysis

Assurance of fellowship

Doubt causing lack of assurance will steal joy

Janes

Ephesians 4:

Confidence in one’s salvation will bring the joy of the Lord

I. Evident by the willingness to obey

Faithful obedience reveals we know Him

We need not doubt if we desire to obey God’s commands

John’s intention

“Now by this we know that we know Him”

to know (experientially) v. — to know or have knowledge about (someone or something); normally as acquired through observation or the senses.

We know what we know: “Now by this we know that we know Him”

What is the definition of know? to know (experientially) v. — to know or have knowledge about (someone or something); normally as acquired through observation or the senses.

Knowledge and understanding that what is known.

It is gained intellectually and experientially.

It is used 25x in this epistle

The view of gnosticism which wasn’t fully developed and organized until the 2nd century AD was that knowing God was to acquire this higher knowledge of God by some mystical experience.

Intellectualism overruled faith.

Once one gained this secret knowledge it gave them a superior spirituality and holiness in relation to other believers.

They have arrived

What is John trying to teach in this section?

John is refuting the idea that intellectual knowledge alone is evidence one knows God, especially knowledge gained through some mystical experience.

The view of gnosticism which wasn’t fully developed and organized until the 2nd century AD was that knowing God was to acquire this higher knowledge of God by some mystical experience.

Intellectualism overruled faith.

Once one gained this secret knowledge it gave them a superior spirituality and holiness in relation to other believers.

They have arrived

Know something about God

Know the facts of the Bible

“Now by this” John is stating some concrete evidence of being in a genuine relationship with the true God

The claim to be a Christian may be variously stated, in terms of knowing God (4), or living in Christ (6) or being in the light (9), but invariably, if it is an authentic claim, it will show itself in a new life of obeying God (4), imitating Christ (6) and loving our brothers and sisters (9–10).

Without such a moral authentication, the claim is seen to be bogus.

“if we keep His commandments”

“if we keep His commandments”: The evidence is obeying His commands

“If” indicating the possibility we might not obey

“we keep” Each one who claims to know God is accountable and responsible to obey

Obedience is more than outward conformity

“His commandments.”

The commandments of God

Because one has come to know God (an event occurring in the past with continuing effects) through belief in Jesus Christ, whose death was the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world, he now must keep the commandments of God.

We can’t pick and choose the commandments we wish to obey

We cannot continue to disobey if we are genuine believers

“He who says I know Him, and does not keep His commandments,”

John strongly confronts the notion that words alone are enough evidence to prove one’s profession

John reverses to the other side when one does not obey

“is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

John states that contradictory behavior proves one’s profession false

Words are words

John states the word of God has not been truly received

Words must be backed up by behavior and actions

“and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”:

Actions speak louder than words

Not a gentle

“But whoever”: Obedience is a personal choice

“keeps His word”: The complete revealed and recorded will of God

“truly the love of God is perfected (made complete) in him.”:

Our love for God, God’s love for us, or the love of God?

Constant abiding in Christ transforms us into His likeness

“By this we know that we are in Him.”: John wants to make it clear what it looks like to be in Christ

“He who says he abides in Him (Jesus)”: Professing to be in Christ

“ought himself to walk just as he walked.”:

Our daily conduct ought to look like Jesus’

II.

Evident by love for one another

Loving one another is an old commandment

These verses continue you the thought stated in verse 3 of knowing God

Love is an old commandment

Continuing John adds love to the evidences of knowing God

Old in the sense it was something they had already known and had been taught.

It was not a new idea given to be added to the gospel.

It was taught in the OT law and maybe known before the law

Leviticus 19

Genesis 4:

It was taught and demonstrated by Jesus Christ

John 15:12

It was taught by the other apostles

It was taught and demonstrated by Jesus Christ

John 13:

John 15:12

Loving one another is a new commandment

In what seems on the surface like a contradictory statement, John goes on to assert in v. 8 that this command is also new.

How?

The law of love is new in the sense that it is seen in Jesus and established by him through his death and resurrection.

This command is also new in that Jesus by his obedience fulfilled the whole of the law and gave it “a depth of meaning that it had never known before” (John 13:34b, 35).

Finally, this command is new because for those who believe it makes possible a new and eternal life in which they are motivated by the grace of God to fulfill the law of self-sacrificing, Christlike love.

“Again, a new commandment I write to you,”

recently made, fresh, recent, unused, unworn.

1B as respects substance.

1B1 of a new kind, unprecedented, novel, uncommon, unheard of

New in Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon

Recently made

fresh,

unused

unworn

of a new kind

unprecedented

uncommon

unheard of

New in DBL Greek -

New in the sense unknown before,

new, recent in time,