There is a very comfortable secret contained in this verse. The apostle writes to those who know the Son of God, to interpret to them all that is involved in that knowledge. They may now know their blessedness, which he wishes to tell them, that they have eternal life. Many a dear soul does not know the blessedness in which it stands in the knowledge of Christ. Surely we ought to know that if Christ has done a work for us, it is that He may bless us. “That you may know that you have,” &c.
When the unconverted are spoken to about Christ, it is to work a change in them; but here it is interpreting Christ as eternal life, to those who believe. There is a large generation who, while they believe in Christ, and would, as much as Paul himself, hate every other confidence, yet do not know the blessed place in which they stand. We must linger still a little here; it is unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God.
Have you ever traced the names of God through the volume of Scripture? It is a beautiful study. In the first chapter of Genesis it is simply “God.” In the second, it is not only the naked, abstract name of God, but the “Lord God”—thus putting Him in connection with, and nearness to man. As we go on through the book, we find the title drawing us still nearer. We find the new name “the God of Abraham.” In the Exodus, when Moses says, “When they shall ask me thy name, what shall I say unto them?” the answer is, “I am that I am”—Jehovah Jah; but not only this—not only the title of the self-existent God—but, “Moreover, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; this is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.” And further on again, when Moses pleaded for Israel in the matter of the golden calf, he was hid in the cleft of the rock, and “the Lord passed by it.” This is the name in which the Lord delighted—a name which declared God as suited to lost and ruined creatures.
I shall not linger here to speak of Isaiah’s Immanuel, but pass on to Matthew 1. Here we meet with “Jesus,” the Saviour; and again, at the close of the ministry, where the time is come for the full display of glory, He commands the apostles to baptize “in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.” Name, not names, became though three persons, they are but one God. This is the full disclosure of divine glory. We stand in the faith of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
In the book of the Acts the word “name” is much insisted on; often repeated. It is the “name of the Son of God” as here, His name as He now stands, having accomplished all that a sinner needs; having died and risen again. Be it known unto you that when by faith you adopt this name, you adopt all that the Son of God has done for poor sinners. He has been declared to be “the Son of God with power,” &c., &c., and that name is published now all over the world as the only introduction to the true God. When we turn to Revelation 19 we have Jesus as the Rider on the white horse, coming forth in the last display of glory, surrounded by all dignitaries, clad with all the glories that He has earned for Himself.
Just like many matters in the Scriptures, His name becomes gradually disclosed, as we bring the various parts together. It is just in character with the unity of the whole volume.
And let me say, there is nothing so persuasive of the divine origin of the book as this very fact of its unity, and by the variety of its writers—separated by ages, nay, thousands of years; separated by habits, occupations, and sympathies, yet united to form a work divine in its unity.
The name of Christ unfolds its glories gradually from the bright creation glory of Genesis 1 to the more excellent glory of “King of kings, and Lord of lord.” Yes, God has come into this world to gain honor to Himself forever, and from us! God could let Moses know that He derived more pleasure from the name He got in contact with poor sinners than from His own title of essential glory. His name, Jehovah, He shall be known by, but His name of grace shall be His memorial to all generations. And now we see that it is the expression of the divine goodness to serve others. God prizes such occasions. Would that we could give Him credit for it! He loves to be the God of sinners rather than the God of glory! I have but to trust Him, to know that I have eternal life. Oh! cannot I let myself go and commit myself to Him? Shame, shame, if you do not let yourself go, and slip into His arms!
Verse 14. —There are two thoughts here—it is one thing to be conscious of your personal acceptance, and another to know that your petitions are accepted. You ought to be certain of your own acceptance, you cannot always be certain of the acceptance of your petitions. You do not want assurance (or you should not) of your own acceptance, but you do want to be assured of the acceptance of your petitions, because a condition attaches to them. If I go to a human friend with a request, I must know two things: one is, that he should accept my requirement, the other, that he should accept myself. When I go to God with a request, I should not agitate the question of my own acceptance, yet, I must, of the acceptance of my petitions.
Verse 15. —There are two ways of interpreting this passage in the light of Scripture. It may be spoken of ecclesiastical or of personal (i.e., individual) sin. In 1 Corinthians 11 we have the sin unto death, as an offense in the Church, but there is another sin unto death—it is the sin of Cain. We have it in Acts, “Behold, ye despisers, and wonder and perish.” Adam sinned against law—it was a sin unto death; but Cain sinned against the remedy for sin. This is the thing noticed in Acts. It is not “ye sinners, but ye despisers,” —despisers of God’s remedy. What can God do further, when you have despised the remedy which He has found for sin? This is sin against the Holy Ghost, which cannot be forgiven.
In Hebrews 10 we have it again, “Treading under foot the Son of God, counting the blood of the covenant an unholy thing.” This is not ecclesiastical, but personal. It is not your sin that proves your ruin, but your despising the remedy. Some think this is ecclesiastical; I do not, for I do not see that John enters, in any wise, into Church matters.
Verse 17. —All unrighteousness is sin. This guards your making light of unrighteousness, even when it is not unto death.
A wholesome exhortation, but a grave conclusion!
Verse 18. — Then again we get the undefilableness of the new nature. The wicked one has neither commerce nor conversation with him—he is morally out of his reach. The wicked one can touch you, but not your new nature. It was not so with Christ. He could predicate of His whole nature what you can of your new nature. He could say that Satan had nothing in him; and so it was, from whatsoever point He was tried. Satan sought to engraft evil, a moral taint, but was foiled; there was “nothing” for him in Christ. You cannot, you would not say that of yourself, but you can say it of your new nature.
Here, again, Christ shines out in contrast to us, and we gladly yield the pre-eminence to Him. If you can say that your new nature is beyond the reach of the wicked one, it is because you owe that new nature to Him. You have your old nature from Adam, but your new nature is of and from Christ, and is, like Him, undefilable.
The world, as we have said, is that thing which is nurtured, framed, and educated by the wicked one, and which lies in his bosom. It came into life by his lies, and is supported by them. But we are in God. The truth has separated us from the world, and given us an understanding that we may know Him that is true.
Read v. 20 with the 8th chapter of John’s Gospel, and we see there the wondrous argument that your understanding must be prepared to know Jesus. “Why do ye not understand my speech? Even because ye cannot hear my words.” The Jews were worse than Nicodemus asking “How can a man be born again?” Incompetency is worse than ignorance. This is what the Jews betray—incompetency to understand Jesus. He says to them, “You do not understand my words; my very language is that of a barbarian to you.”
It is not alone that the natural man wants a lesson; he wants faculty also to understand. This is a solemn conclusion to this Epistle, though it magnifies the grace of God. Nothing exhausts love—love never fails. Is anything too hard for the Lord? Is anything too great to expect from Him? If I can say this of His power, why cannot I say it of His love? Can I expect too much of His love? Never! So when He finds me incompetent, darkness around and darkness within, He turns both into light. Otherwise the mission of the Son of God has not been answered. But He hath given us an understanding, and now you are debtors to Him for everything, for the lesson and the understanding. It is just what you would like to be, and that forever, “A debtor to mercy alone.”
In conclusion, I would observe that just as Jesus honored the Father, so the Spirit honors Jesus. When Jesus speaks of the Father, it is to hide Himself behind Him. “That they might know thee, the only true God,” &c., &c. So the Spirit delights to look at the Son, and say, “This is the true God, and eternal life.” It is very beautiful to study the economic places of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The Son honors the Father, and the Holy Ghost honors the Son, and in worship of this name we stand, the name in which we have been baptized.
Verse 21 is often used in a very poor, feeble, moral way, as if it were to warn against going after the world. True, the love of money is idolatry, but that is not touched here. We are told to escape from moral idolatry, but the thought here is higher. Go, fashion to yourself all the attributes of beauty, excellence, and wisdom, and mold them into a deity, adorn it as you please with every grace, it is but a creature of your own imagination. Your idolatry may be more refined and theistic than the worship of Jupiter or Juno, but if it be not the God who has revealed Himself in Christ whom you worship, you are but an idolater after all.
Let us now glance over a few of the leading characteristics of this Epistle, as we have spoken of them.
We have God as light and love in contradistinction to Satan’s lie in Eden. Then we have Christ as the manifestation of truth, that Eternal Life which was with the Father. He came into the world freighted with truth, and went back to Heaven freighted with salvation! Glorious journey that was, and full revelation. The Spirit, too, has here one peculiar defined character, it is “Unction.” Other characters He has elsewhere mentioned, is “Seal,” and “Earnest,” but here He waits on Christ as the Spirit of Truth. The Truth of God was to be manifested, and the Spirit of God waited on the ministry, and made it the happy possession of our souls. Then we have the world formed by the lie of the Serpent, and nourished by its vitalizing, kindling power. We have the new undefilable nature, and we have the new life, neither committed to us, nor maintained, but drawn from an indestructible source.
This brings us to victory. The new life being a divine principle, is of necessity victorious. You are often defeated, faith never is—unbelief is made a fool of, faith never. “This is the victory,” etc.
Lastly, we have tests. “He that doeth not righteousness,” etc., etc. Do you not like these tests? Would you not have the Divine nature produce in you its proper fruits? It must prove itself in you, as in Christ, shining forth in righteousness and love. We have God—Christ—the Spirit—the new nature—the victory of faith—and tests.
It is well to muse a little over these things, this wondrous treasury. You are not with the church, but with God. It is blessed to walk with saints; there are duties we cannot fulfill apart from them, it is precious to be with the people of God, but after all the great thing is to be with Himself: The Lord grant that we may know and prize this company! Amen.