John the apostle had in mind the words of Jesus who instructed, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments,” when he wrote these words: “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. And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, In him verily is the love of perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” I John 2:1-6.
These few words are rich with meaning. This is the same man who with his brother James had years before asked if Jesus did not want them to to call fire down upon a Samaritan village because they had refused hospitality to them. Instead Jesus changed James and John so greatly that he is remembered even today as “the apostle of love.” Keep my commandments, Jesus had said, and John always kept in mind. There are several words that are translated into English as “love”. They are totally different in meaning, and the kind of love so often heard in song lyrics today is not even found in the Bible. This generation, simply does not recognize know that kind of “love,” and that is why I often pray that the Lord will help me to love with the kind of love that Jesus showed to us. John was writing that the church would not be polluted by the world’s concepts. God, Himself, showed that kind of love that He had passed on to His Son, when he “so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” That, of course, is another scripture recorded by the same John the apostle.
Several thoughts stand out in this and other related texts.
• John is writing “that you sin not”. We know that he is not saying that we are instantly completely free of any sin; otherwise, he would not have written the next line. All humanity does sin, and none are perfect apart from Christ Jesus. We are made perfect, not by our own selves, but because he who took the punishment for our sins on the cross now dwells within us.
• That next line reads, “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ” An advocate is one who stands between. Jesus pleads our case with the Father, just as an advocate pleads the case of a thief, before a judge. The big difference is that Jesus has already personally paid the price of our sin, and God is his Father who sent him for that very reason, because he loves us. We just cannot fully understand that kind of love.
• One of the commandments that we are to keep is referred to in Jesus’ great Commission, “go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Matthew 28:19. This is another whole new study.
• Another is recorded by Matthew in that our Lord established a memorial of the price he would pay for us. “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body,’” and he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” This is also a whole study in itself.
• It is a regretful fact that there are many who claim to believe that Jesus is Lord, but who do not keep his commandments. They claim to be Christians, but if they do not keep his commands, “teach all nations,” “baptize” those who believe, and partake of the communion memorial of Christ, anticipating his return for them. Unfortunately the text also adds, “know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” All who know his commandments, also know if they are keeping them or not. If we say, he is my Lord, and do not obey him, our disobedience clearly shows that we do not really believe the Son of God is also our Lord. We are lying to ourselves and to the world about us. What we really believe, is shown in our actions.
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