1 John 5:6-21
What must the world be in the sight of God! Jesus, born of Mary, was the display of His love for it, and in it. He sent His Son into it to be its Savior—trusted it, so to speak, with One so precious to Him, His delight, His well-beloved; and the world crucified Him! So powerful was serpent subtlety then over the wisdom of the princes of the world. Now, God displays His love to those who believe, by drawing and redeeming them out of it to His Son in heaven; and the world lies in the power of the deceiver, still boasting of its wisdom! We think of Noah and still more of Enoch. They were not of the world in their day. They were of God, and yet how few! The skill of men had advanced the world, and the arts flourished in the family of Cain. All seemed so well (Luke 17:26, 27). And all seems well now to millions; and the flock of God that will receive the kingdom, how little it is (Luke 12:32)! Do we belong to it? If there be a thought delightful to those who do, it is, that they are of God. His almighty grace has triumphed over all the blinding powers of darkness, and all the want of heart and power in them, and, however they may differ in attainments, they are confident that “He who hath begun a good work in them will perform (perfect) it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6), “God is faithful” (see 1 Cor. 1:9; 10:13; 2 Thess. 3:3; 2 Tim. 2:13).
As the Epistle opens, so it appropriately closes. At the beginning John wrote, “truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.” This, doubtless, is the apostolic “we”; but all who believed are addressed, in order that they may have their part in this eternal blessedness (1 John 1:3, 4). Now in a few words—the fullness of their meaning being truly inexhaustible—he expresses what every believer should for himself consciously know of God, and what His infinite grace has accomplished, “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 (“He,” or the “same”) is the true God, and eternal life” (ver. 20).
The mercy bestowed upon us reveals our need. This is strikingly exhibited here. Sin has not affected our bodies only, the evil has reached, and is deeply seated in, the understanding. It is darkened (Eph. 4:18), and, naturally, “there is none that understandeth: there is none that seeketh after God.” “The world by wisdom knew not God;” and no greater proof of this can there be than its ignorance of Christ. “O righteous Father, the world hath not known Thee;” for had they known Him, they would have known His Father also (Rom. 3:11; 1 Cor. 1:21; John 17:25; 8:19). Men are not innocent, they are not pure in heart; therefore their understanding is incapable of holding a true balance. Alienated from God and enemies in their mind by wicked works, how can they know Him?
But the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding that we may know Him that is true, and thus deliver us from the intricate system of deceit which in one way or another has caused all our race to wander from Him. Eve's innocent mind was deceived by the serpent, the devil who deceiveth the whole world (Rev. 12:9), and blinds in Christendom the minds of them which believe not the gospel (2 Cor. 4:4). Sin, too, is deceitful, lusts are deceitful, riches are deceitful, the heart is deceitful. There are those who handle the word of God deceitfully, and false teachers by good words and fair speeches deceive the simple. Innocence was no safeguard; the ablest intellects have not escaped; minds stored with knowledge have proved no protection. The abounding privileges of Nicodemus and pre-eminence in the outward service of God availed him nothing. His questions show what the natural understanding makes of divine truth (John 3). He must be born again, must have a new nature and thus a new understanding; and the Son of God was come to give it him.
But thus to know God, to have spiritual understanding to see that in Him, Jesus Christ, dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 2:9); and not to have faith in our place in Him (ver. 10) will rob us of that full joy which God would have abound in our hearts. “We are in Him that is true, (even) in His Son Jesus Christ.” He would have His joy made ours, and this could not be if we were separated from Him for a moment. His joy is our present portion, and His glory will be ours soon: “we are complete in Him.”
But the warning of ver. 21 is needed, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” It is a warning against seeking satisfaction elsewhere than in Christ. “He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:37).
In N.T. language much more is meant by “idol” than the image of a god. “A covetous man is an idolater” (Eph. 5:5). “Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matt. 6:24).
An esteemed brother has written— “The true God being now revealed, let no thought of Him, no reasoning about Him, no conclusions of our own wisdom and theology arise independently in the heart. All this will but end in idolatry—refined, it may be, speculative and philosophic; but still idolatry.” W. B.