How to Test your Faith - (1) The Obedience Test - 1 John 2:3-6 (Sermon 8)

The Great Theme of John's First Epistle is the Believer's Assurance of Salvation:

The Apostle John says:

" I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God

so that you may KNOW that you have Eternal Life " (1 John 5:13).

The most Fundamental Question being addressed throughout this is Epistle is this:

How can you know for certain that your are a Christian?

How can you know that you have true Fellowship with God?

How can you possess a Full Assurance of Salvation?

The Apostle John sums up Christian Assurance in a simple but very powerful manner:

Assurance is simply this: "You know that you have Eternal Life " (1 Jn 5:13).

"You know that you have Fellowship with God … You know God the Father" (1:3; 2:13)

"You know that you live in Christ " (4:13).

"You know that Christ lives in you by the Spirit he gave you " (3:24).

The Puritans used some very Pictorial Language to describe the Doctrine of Assurance:

Stephen Charnock says:

"Assurance is the fruit that grows out of the root of faith. "

Thomas Brooks put it this way:

"Assurance is glory in the bud, it is the suburbs of paradise. "

Throughout this Epistle, John is intent on telling his Readers that they can

possess the Joy of Full Assurance of Faith.

• He says, we can possess Assurance, even in Times of Testing & False Teaching.

John wanted these Believers to experience the Joy which the Apostle Peter describes as:

"An inexpressible & glorious joy (AV a joy unspeakable & full of glory)" (1 Peter 1:8).

John says:

"We write this to make your Joy Complete " (1 John 1:4).

Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said:

"Assurance is NOT essential to salvation, but is essential to the Joy of Salvation. "

The most Fundamental Question to ask ourselves is this -

HOW can we Know that we Possess a Full Assurance of Faith?

The Apostle Paul gave an exhortation to the Corinthian Believers, saying:

" Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.

Do you not realise that Jesus Christ is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test?

And I trust that you will discover that you have not failed the test" (2 Corinthians 13:5-6).

• The Corinthians had been trying to put Paul to the Test.

They questioned his Apostolic Authority.

• Paul is saying to the Corinthians:

"Instead of putting my Apostleship to the Test, you should be concentrating on

Testing the Genuineness of your own Faith in Christ!

If you find that this self-examination confirms the reality of your Faith in Christ,

it will show that I have exercised an Authentic Apostolic Ministry among them."

Likewise, as Believers today, our main priority must be to Test Ourselves.

• We are NOT commanded to Test Other People, but we are Commanded to Test Ourselves.
• Indeed, there is no doubt that it is fare to say that,

if Christians spent as much time testing themselves, as they do testing other people,

they would have a far greater sense of Assurance.

In this First Epistle, the Apostle John tells us HOW we can Test Ourselves.

• We can give ourselves the Obedience Test or the Moral Test (2:3-6).

• We can also give ourselves the Relationship Test or the Social Test of Love (2:7-11).
• Furthermore, we can give ourselves the Doctrinal Test, or the Belief Test (4:2).

• THIS MORNING - We'll only be looking at the First of these Three Tests of Faith.

John's First Test of Faith, the Obedience Test or the Moral Test, is found in 1 John 2:3-6:

" We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says

'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But

if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know

that we are in him; Whoever claims to live (or abide) in him must Walk as Jesus did. "

Note how one of John's favourite words appears throughout this First Test of Faith:

• If you read John's Gospel & Epistles, you will find this word 'to know' again & again.

In fact, you will find this word Thirty Eight times in John's Epistles.

For example:

2:20 "All of you know the truth. "

3:5 "You know that Christ … takes away your sin. "

3:14 "We know that we have passed from death to life. "

4:13 "We know that we live in Christ & he lives in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. "

There are Two Aspects of John's Test of Obedience.

The First Aspect is Obedience to the Commands of God (2:3-5).

The Second Aspect is Obedience to the Example of Christ (2:6).

• John sums up the First Aspect of this First Test of Faith by saying:

" We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. " (1 Jn 2:3).

AV "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments."

John tells us that Christians are people who should 'know' something:

• This is surely the perfect way of describing the Doctrine of Christian Assurance.

"Christians are people who know that they know Christ. "

"Christians are people who know what they know. "

John is speaking to his Readers like a School-teacher might speak about a Bright Pupil:

"That boy knows what he knows. That girl knows what she knows.

• He doesn't mean that the boy knows everything there is to know about every single subject. What he means is this:

"This boy is absolutely certain about the knowledge he possesses.

He has mastered the subject. He knows what he is talking about."

• This is what John is saying:

"We know that we know. We are absolutely certain that we are in Christ. "

Commentators tell us that John uses this word 'to know' in Two Tenses, in ch 2 verse 3:

• John's usage of the perfect tense indicates that he is thinking of a Past Experience

which has Continuing Results. A past action has results that continue into the present.

John is saying:

"Assurance comes through keeping God's Commandments."

John is recalling the words of his Master, the Lord Jesus:

"If you Love me, you will Obey what I Command " (John 14:15).

AV -"If ye love me, KEEP my Commandments. "

• This is the Test that will Prove that you really love me - OBEY or KEEP my Commandments.

Both Jesus & John are answering the same question:

• How can you know that you are a Real Christian?

• The answer both Jesus & John give is this:

We can Know whether or not our Experience is Genuine by applying this Test of Faith;

• The Past Experience of Obedience gives the Continuing Result of Assurance.

George G Findlay says that the word 'Keep or Obey' is in the 'continuous present tense.'

• Hence, 'Keeping or Obeying' refers to the 'Habit & Rule of a Believer's life.'
• Furthermore, it does NOT mean keeping the commandments simply by doing

what they prescribe. Rather, it signifies 'Observant Care',

OR being Careful to Ensure that we are seeking to live a Life of Obedience.

The idea is one of 'Keeping to a Safe Path' in order to Reach a Desired Destination.

This is the idea given in Psalm 119:128:

"I consider your precepts right, I hate every wrong path."

Real Fellowship with God will always include Harmony with God's Law.

• The commandments are an expression of God's Character.

• It is impossible for the man who really knows God - who knows about God's Holiness &

his all-searching presence, to behave as an habitual commandment-breaker.

• When faced with temptation the Believer's attitude must be the same as that of Joseph.

When he was tempted by Potiphar's wife, Joseph said:

What happens when a Believer Falls into Sin?

• You will find that you will become desperately unhappy.

You will find that you begin to lose the Joy of your Salvation.

You will begin to lose your firm conviction that you belong to God.

Your Fellowship with God will be disturbed & hindered.

Surely this is what King David experienced when he committed adultery with Bathsheba, & when he virtually murdered her husband, Uriah:

• When the prophet Nathan exposed David's Sin, he Confessed his Sin & was Forgiven.
• David said to Nathan: "I have sinned against the Lord."

Even though David was Forgiven, for quite some time, he Lost the Joy of his Salvation:

This is why he uttered this Prayer in Psalm 51:10-12:

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, & renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the Joy of your Salvation & grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."

This is the Cry from the Heart of a True Child of God:

• He had known the Joy of Salvation. The Spirit of God was dwelling within him
• He had felt the Joy which arises from experiencing God's Grace, Forgiveness & Salvation.
• But his twofold Sin had resulted in the Loss of the Joy of Assurance.

Therefore, his longing heart cries out to the Lord, saying:

"Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the Joy of your Salvation. "

Assurance is not something we receive through a Gospel of 'easy believism'.

• Assurance doesn't come by simply saying: " I Believe in Jesus. "
• John says that Real & Genuine Assurance comes through a Growing Obedience to God's Commands. Conversely, a Growing Obedience leads to a Growing Assurance of Salvation.

Remember the words of Hymnwriter, John Henry Sammis:

"When we walk with the Lord, In the light of His Word,

What a glory He sheds on our way! While we do his good will,

He abides with us still, And with all who will Trust & Obey.

Trust & Obey! For there's no other way

To be happy in Jesus But to Trust & Obey. "

Sammis is summarising the teaching of Jesus & John.

• Trust ALONE is NOT enough for the Believer to 'be Happy in Jesus'.

Trust alone will NOT bring you to an experience of Fullness of Joy.

• REAL TRUST must always lead the Believer towards OBEDIENCE.
• You can ONLY be 'Happy in Jesus' when you Trust AND Obey.

Notice how the Apostle John is very forthright in his condemnation of those who have a False Claim to Assurance, in the light of this Obedience Test:

• John uses very strong language, in order to emphasise his point:

"The man who says, 'I know him', but does NOT do what he commands is a LIAR,

& the truth is not in him" (2:4).

• John is saying:

"If you habitually & deliberately disobey the commands of God, you are Living a Lie. "

Remember that John was confronted with the Heresy of 'Gnosticism'.

• These people claimed to have a 'Special Gnosis - or Special Knowledge.'
• They claimed to have had some kind of Special Mystical Experience,

when they received a Special Form of Knowledge. They constantly said: " WE know. "

• However, these people thought they could do what they liked in the Flesh,

so long as they possessed this Special Knowledge.

John deals with these False Teachers in a very down to earth manner:

John is saying:

" What you need to do is to Test your Special Knowledge,

by looking at its Practical Outcome.

What you need to do is to ask yourself this fundamental question:

Does your Knowledge of God have any effect on your Christian Conduct?

Does your Fellowship with God result in your Obedience to His Commandments?

John says:

If you can say that you habitually seek & desire to Obey God's Commands,

you have a genuine claim to say that 'You know that you have come to know him. "

On the other hand: If you habitually & deliberately Disobey God's Commands, you have

no right whatsoever to Claim a genuine Knowledge of God, because you are Living a Lie "

What you need to do is to have the Desire to Pray like the Psalmist:

"Direct me in the path of your commands, for there is my delight …

I love your commands more than gold, more that pure gold …

I consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong path …

Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me …

I long for your salvation, O Lord, & your law is my delight" (Ps 119:35, 127, 133, 174).

• This is not the language of someone who believes in Sinless Perfection.

and (as a consequence) delights in seeking to Obey God's Commandments.

C H Spurgeon comments on Psalm 119:35, saying:

"This is the cry of a child that longs to walk, but is too feeble; of a pilgrim who is

exhausted, yet pants to be on the march; of a lame man who pines to be able to run.

It is a blessed thing to delight in holiness, & surely he who gave us this delight will work

in us the yet higher joy of possessing & practising it."

Notice how the Apostle John says that the Christian's Obedience to God's Commands

is firmly related to the Christian's Love for God:

" If anyone Obeys his Word, God's Love is truly made complete in him" (1 John 2:5).

The AV says - The love of God is 'perfected'.

• The Greek word translated as perfected means:

'to complete or carry through completely, to be made mature, to accomplish, to finish.'

• By Obeying God's Word, His Love is 'perfected', or 'made mature', or 'made complete', in us
• John has in mind Our Love for God, rather than God's Love for us.
• Our Love for God is the Love that God has placed in us.

John is saying:

He is also saying:

"The natural & inevitable result of Regeneration, which comes as God manifests

his love for the sinner, is a Disposition of Obedience to the Will of God.

A life characterised by righteous behaviour is the fitting & expected outcome of

the Believer entering into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ."

Remember the Summary of the Law, which God gave to Moses (Deuteronomy 6:4-9):

" Love the Lord your God with all your heart & with all your soul & with all your

strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress

them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home & when you walk along the

road, when you lie down & when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands & bind

them on your foreheads. Write them on the door-frames of your houses & on your gates."

• The Summary of the God's Commands is expressed through

the Measure of Our Love for God.

One writer (P C Craigie) has said:

• The command to Love God is central to the renewal of God's Covenant with his people.

• The Renewal of the Covenant most certainly demanded Obedience from God's People,

However, genuine Obedience is NOT a forced Obedience.

Instead, genuine Obedience, is an Expression of the Love of God's People for their God.

The Twin Objectives of Love & Obedience were to be the

Major Focus of the Lives of God's People.

• The Commandments were to provide the framework, within which

God's People could express their Love for God.

• The Commands of God were to be 'fixed on their hearts.'

rather than a Mechanical or Legalistic Response.

Their Response was to be based upon a Full Understanding of the Law's Implications.

The more we Meditate upon God's Word, the more we will understand his Commands.

• Our Mediation & Understanding of God's Commands will help us to have

a desire for Obeying those Commands.

• Through our Obedience to God's Word, our Love for God will Mature & Develop.

The Apostle John teaches us that the Growth in our Love & Obedience toward God,

will cause us to experience a Growth in Assurance.

We will be able to say to ourselves:

There are two aspects of John's Test of Obedience.

The First Aspect is Obedience to the Commands of God.

The Second Aspect is Obedience to the Example of Christ, or Imitating Christ.

John expands his thoughts on Obedience to God's Commands in verse 6, saying:

"Whoever claims to live in him must Walk as Jesus did. "

AV "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk,

• The AV doesn't actually mention the name of Jesus in this verse -

simply because it doesn't appear in the original Greek text.

Peter Barnes says:

"John is not always very particular with his pronouns. When he refers to 'he' or 'him',

he can often mean the Father or the Son, but in verse 6 he is obviously referring to the

Lord Jesus Christ."

The Apostle John is saying:

"You must Walk in the same way as Jesus did; You must use Christ's Pattern of

Daily Living as an Example to Follow in your own life."

• John had already written his Gospel Account.

He is writing this First Epistle on the basis of his Eyewitness Account of the Life of Christ.

• Therefore, John exhorts believers to 'Imitate Christ'.

He tells us to Read about the Life of Christ & Follow his Example.

Remember that John's Opponents, the Docetists, denied the Full Humanity of Christ.

• They claimed that Jesus was only a Phantom like figure, who wasn't really Human.
• This is why John says in ch 4:2:

• They didn't believe in a Physical Christ, & yet they claimed to 'live in him' (NIV).

One of the evidences that we 'Live or Abide' in Christ is that we 'Walk as he walked':

• To do this we must first believe in the Historical Jesus, who actually lived on this earth.
• To 'walk as Christ walked' means that our Lifestyle will be one which is

habitually & consistently based upon that of the Lord Jesus Christ.

• It is quite obvious that we cannot 'Imitate Christ' in his Deity.

• We cannot forgive sinners like he did (Mark 2:1-12);
• We cannot perform miracles like he did (John ch 11);
• We cannot Judge the world like he did (John 5:28-29).

• Nevertheless, we must Imitate his Goodness, his Meekness, & his Self-sacrifice.

• We can follow the example of the One who " went around doing good " (Acts 10:38).

When Jesus washed his disciples feet, as an Example of Humility, he said (John 13:15):

"Now that I, your Lord & Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one

another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you."

The Apostle Peter says:

"If you suffer for doing good & you endure it, this is commendable before God.

To thus you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example,

that you should follow in his steps " (1Peter 2:20-21).

The Apostle Paul sums up this aspect of the Obedience Test in Philippians ch 2:

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus" (Phil 2:5)

AV - Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

• Paul tells us that we are to Imitate Christ's Humility & Self-sacrifice.

• We must Imitate Christ's Example of Humility through self-sacrifice for others.

• We must be Obedient to the Will of God the Father - even Obedience unto death.

In the context of this Ultimate Example of Humility, Obedience, & Self-sacrifice, Paul says:

" Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit

& purpose. Do nothing our of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider

others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests,

but also to the interests of others " (Philippians 2:2-4).

Without actually writing the words, Paul is asking an important question, namely:

How can we live up to this standard of Humility & Self-sacrifice?

• Then comes the answer:

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus" (Phil 2:5)

AV - Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

The Apostle John is saying:

"The Test of true Religious Experience is this:

SUMMARY:

There are two aspects of John's Test of Obedience.

The First Aspect is Obedience to the Commands of God.

The Second Aspect is Obedience to the Example of Christ, or Imitating Christ

In closing, we must ask ourselves a question:

How does our Christian Experience measure up to this Test of Obedience?

Do we have a genuine desire to habitually live in Obedience to the Commands of God?

Do we have a genuine desire to constantly Follow the Example of Christ?

• If we can answer these questions in the affirmative, then,

we have good grounds for having a Genuine Assurance of Faith.

• However, if we deliberately & persistently disobey Gods Commands, & constantly refuse to follow the example of Christ, we will constantly have doubts about Salvation.