BORN TO BE HOLY (2:28-3:9)

PREPARATORY QUESTIONS

• How does this passage make you feel? Joyful? Hopeful? Despairing? Condemned? Or just confused? Why?

• How can we reach a place of confidence and assurance, unashamed in God's Presence, while "it does not yet appear what we shall be"?

• In all honesty, how strong a feature in our own personal faith, is the hope of Christ's return? What might be needed to strengthen it?

• How can John's statements that "If we say we have never sinned we deceive ourselves", and "Whoever has been born of God does not sin", both be true?

PRACTICING RIGHTEOUSNESS

The word ‘righteousness’ has bad press nowadays.  We only use it  when we call someone self-righteous.  And in evangelical circles, the idea that we could practice righteousness, rather than simply receive it by faith, is rarely ever implied let alone taught. Yet Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness”. They are already blessed, and their blessedness is evidenced by their neediness. And they will eventually be satisfied.

In the bible righteousness is used very frequently, and it primarily means a lifestyle of mercy, humility and justice, which accurately reflects the character of God. The corollary of such a way of life, was right standing with God; and the word is often used in this secondary sense.

Hungering and thirsting, to a Middle-Easterner, evokes images of camel caravans: and to a Jew, the Exodus. On such a journey, one hoards the water supplies! And on our journey through life, we must guard whatever practical righteousness we have, making no compromise with sin, and moving patiently through the heat. We dare not count ourselves to have arrived already, and we must not hanker to go back to 'the fleshpots of Egypt'.

Abraham’s faith was counted (imputed) as righteousness, and we therefore tend to think of righteousness as purely the result of justification. But when Paul says he has discarded the righteousness of the Law in favour of the righteousness of faith (Phil 3:4-14), he is not abandoning the moral law but rather seeking righteousness which far exceeds that he had as a Pharisee: the righteousness Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, and exhibited throughout His life. Practical righteousness, inculcated (imparted) by faith in Christ. If he were talking about imputed righteousness, he would not speak of striving for it.

Unbelievers failed to recognise Christ's righteousness, but we know He is righteous. The Holy Spirit has convinced us believers of this, through His resurrection and ascension (Jn 16:10). And when we practice righteousness, we demonstrate a family likeness; proving that we have been born again of Him.

BORN TO BE(COME) HOLY

Presently we are still 'little children', beloved of God but with much further growth yet to come. As we dwell in Him, the family likeness becomes clearer for all to see. And our confidence in approaching Him in prayer, also grows. Eventually, when He comes again, we will be able to stand before Him without fear, in 'perfect love' (4:17).

Meantime, He's not embarassed by our childish failings, or ashamed to call us His children. We may be tempted to deny Him, just as teenagers sometimes are tempted disown their parents: but He is never tempted to deny us! 'He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself'. How amazingly secure we are in His love!

It is striking in Paul's epistles that he usually starts by addressing his readers as 'saints', sanctified ones, people already set apart for God. And this is so even though he later goes on to tell them to stop stealing, taking each other to court, gossipping maliciously etc etc! They are already sanctified in that the Father has set them apart, taken them out of the kingdom of darkness and given them to Christ. But they are not yet 'holy' in its other meaning, of being fully conformed to the image of Christ in practice. Their imputed righteousness is complete, but their imparted righteousness (or holiness) is still very limited. They are like a young royal prince who hasn't yet learnt bladder control!

Others will not recognise the change in us, either initially or at all. After all, the world didn't recognise Christ even though He was its Creator. And at first we ourselves may struggle to recognise the change. We can't yet see what we will eventually become, or even how we need to change right now. We just know that somehow when He returns, we will have been moulded into the likeness of Christ: the Holy Spirit will have formed Christ in us so fully that we shall be like Him.

How much of this change has to have happened in our lifetime, and how much will remain to be done 'in the twinkling of an eye', is at the centre of differing views about sanctification. Evangelicalism tends to focus on our imputed righteousness, combined with some teaching on Christian ethics. But claiming to be holy in this life, is regarded as unrealistic, hypocritical and even heretical. Neverrtheless Peter says, 'As He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy' (1 Pet 1:15). And we know that 'Without holiness, no-one will see the Lord' (Heb 12:14). This latter verse was absolutely central to John Wesley's aim of 'spreading scriptural holiness throughout the land'. And modern-day Free Methodism declareds itself to be 'a holiness movement'.

We know that our bodies will not be raised till Christ returns: we are 'waiting for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time' (1 Pet 1:5). We don't know much about exactly what that will mean, except that our new bodies will be recognisably us, and yet remarkably different - just as Jesus's resurrection body was the same, and yet quite different, from what it had been. We also know that our spirits are already 'one spirit with Christ' - we've already been given zoe life in Christ and in that sense we've already been saved and indeed sanctified. The whole debate about sanctification comes down to what happens in our souls, in our earthly lifetime. All evangelicals believe we have been saved from the penalty of sin; some believe we can live free from the power of sin; but can we be free even from the residual pollution of sin? This is where the rubber hits the road, in the debate over the doctrine of 'Christian perfection'.

SEEING CHRIST AS HE REALLY IS

This process of spiritual formation culminates in us 'seeing Him as He really is'. Presently 'we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I am also known' (1 Cor 13:9-12). Faith will have become sight, hope will have become reality, but love will become fully-flowered and our marriage to the Lamb will be consummated!

'As we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man....For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality' (1 Cor 15:49-53). The ultimate purpose of our salvation is to restore the image of God in us!

Meantime, 'we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image, from one degree of glory to another' (2 Cor 3:18). God, who commanded light to shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ' (2Cor 4:6). Being changed by seeing Him, has already begun! The more we gaze on His glory, the more like Him we become.

There is no such thing as 'progressive revelation' in terms of previously unknown truths about Christ. But there is a process of progressive revelation in our hearts: a progressive knowing, through our fellowship with the Father and the Son, in the Holy of Holies. There is far more about Christ in the scriptures, than is commonly taught. Hebrews chapters six to ten, for example, teach about Christ's heavenly role as the Author and Perfecter of our faith, Guarantor of the New Covenant, our perfect High Priest who functions through the power of His endless life, the Cleanser of our consciences, the Mediator of the New Covenant, the Minister of the heavenly Temple, our Trailblazer etc. If our view of Christ is limited to His ministry as our ransom-sacrifice, we are only seeing one aspect of who He really is!

PREPARING TO MEET CHRIST FACE-TO-FACE

Practicing implies preparing for an event! Everyone who hopes to meet Jesus, ardently desires to purify themselves to be just like Him, ready for that day.

Most of the world dreads the Day of Judgement with an inner sense of foreboding which portends eternal torment (4:18). Some believers struggle with inner despair at their own inability to stay pure. Many Christians, perhaps even a majority, have not yet been 'made perfect in love', and so despite their faith, still feel some apprehension. But those who have given up their own efforts entirely, to 'enter into rest' by faith and rely totally on the love and grace of God, approach death with confidence: knowing that 'the best is yet to come'.

The 'hope of His appearing' is one of the three enduring Christian virtues - faith, hope and love. 'The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works' (Titus 2:11-14). This is the bow anchor of our faith.

For first-century Christians living under the threat of being burnt alive or thrown to the lions, this hope meant the end of their suffering and terror. For us in materialistic Western democracies, the attraction isn't so tangible. But to those enduring the gradual degradation of their powers and dignity which old age can bring, the hope of bodily resurrection is strong.

However the hope John is referring to, is not about us: it is the hope of His appearing; of seeing Him as He really is.

The Bride eyes not her garment, but her dear Bridegroom’s face;

I will not gaze at glory, but on my King of grace;

Not at the crown He giveth, but on His pierced hand:

The Lamb is all the glory of Immanuel’s land.

I see this 'hope of His appearing' most clearly in believers who are focussed on the nation of Israel, but it often seems to have become inextricably conflated with political Zionism and a worship of all things Jewish. And a pre-millenial and pre-tribulationist stance is combined with post-millenial 'dominionism' and 'Christian Nationalism'.  An associated idea is that Judaism is somehow Christianity's older brother, when if we accept John's teaching, its embedded denial that Jesus is the Christ places it firmly in the antiChrist camp.

How can ordinary believers embrace the hope of Christ's return, when they see it associated with unloving sectarianism within the church? And how can we stay crystal clear about the black-and-white nature of salvation, while avoiding hypocrisy and unreality about our own sinfulness?

Jesus taught extensively about being ready for His return. The parable of the talents; the tenant farmers who killed the rent collectors; the King's subjects who didn't want him to reign over them; people too busy with earthly things to attend the royal wedding; the estate manager who neglected his duties; etc etc. His whole focus was on faithful service during His absence, rather than on the future of Israel or the identity of antiChrist. It could be summed up in one sentence: 'Occupy till I come' (Lk 19:13). He doesn't want us frozen into inaction by questions about how or when He will come again (Acts 1:11).

LAWLESSNESS VS, LOVING OBEDIENCE

At heart, all sin springs from rebellion against God’s law: an attitude of lawlessness. The word for sin, hamartia, comes from archery - where it means 'missing the mark'. This is why Paul describes sin as 'falling short of the glory of God'. Failing to reach a target is much easier to accept, than acknowledging that we have deliberately broken the Law. But sin is more than just failing to be what God intended us to be: it always expresses an underlying rejection of God's law, which is simply an expression of His character. In that sense, it can never be entirely unwitting or unintentional.

Our hearts are inherently lawless. In the last days, lawlessness will become accepted as normal amongst many Christians, and because of that their love will grow cold (Matt 24:12). The AntiChrist is referred to as 'the man of lawlessness' (2 Thes 2:3,7). And when Jesus returns to judge, His verdict on religious hypocrites will be, 'Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!' (Matt 7:23).

John contrasts this fallen lawlessness of our hearts, with Christ's life mission and character. 'He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin'. Anyone who has seen Jesus, seen His utter purity and holiness, will abhor sin. 'Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him' (3:5,6). Whereas 'he who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil' (3:8).

There is a powerful reason for hope, in this last sentence. If Christ's mission was to destroy the devil's works in us, however demoralised we may be in our battle against sin, we know that Christ will not leave us in that state. And His power is such that we must believe He can change us: He can destroy the works of the devil. He can give us a new nature.

We have two mutually incompatible natures to choose between. The old, fallen, lawless nature; and the new man, 'created after God in true righteousness and holiness' (Eph 4:24), which John refers to as the 'seed of God'. We have received gene transplant therapy!

Our old nature is inherently lawless and thus sins. Our new nature cannot sin, because it is born of God. 'Abiding in Him' means choosing to live in our new nature, and when we abide in Him, we do not sin. But to do so means choosing: 'knowing that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we might no longer be slaves of sin' and therefore 'reckoning ourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord' (Rom 6:6,11).

The teachers of heresy, have been claiming that one can walk in darkness, yet be in fellowship with the God who is Light. But, says Jesus, 'by their fruits shall you know them'. Anyone who sins habitually, with no sense of the need to repent, no contrition, is of the devil. Whereas anyone who practices righteousness is righteous, just like Christ. 'Don't be deceived. God is not mocked' (Gal 6:7). Sin is lawlessness; love is the fulfilling of the Law.

SANCTIFICATION AND CHRISTIAN PERFECTION

Some years ago a teaching arose that some could reach a state of sinless perfection in this life, and become 'manifest sons of God'. This is obviously not what John is saying, since he included himself when he wrote, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves" (1:8). And 'It doth not yet appear what we shall be'. If we were to take 3:9 at face value, Christians would be sinless from the moment of re-birth, which John has previously ruled out (1:10).

And yet, he talks about facing Christ with full confidence, free from any sense of shame (2:28). He says, "Whoever abides in Him does not sin" (3:6). And later, "Whoever has been born of God does not sin" (3:9). " (4:17,18). What are we to make of this apparent contradiction?

John Stott explains that 'the first way to reconcile John's teaching in chapter one and three is to recognise that in each he is opposing a different error. Gnosticism led its adherents to different conclusions. Some supposed that their possession of gnosis had made them perfect; others maintained that sin did not matter because it could not harm the enlightened. Both positions are morally perverse. The first is blind to sin and denies its existence; the second is indifferent to sin and denies its gravity. To the first John declared the universality of sin, even in the Christian; to deny sin is to be a liar. To the second he declares the incompatibility of sin in the Christian; to commit sin is to be of the devil. It is in order to confound these particular views of his opponents that John states the Christian position in such categorical terms'.

Whilst this is helpful in understanding the theological polemic, it doesn't in my view fully address the issue for believers. Many different explanations have been offered, as to in what sense a Christian cannot sin. These include

(a) it only applies to notorious crimes or 'mortal' sins

(b) it only applies to the Christian's new nature, not the old

(c) John is describing an ideal, not a reality

(d) it only applies to wilful and deliberate sin (e) it refers to habitual and persistent sin.

Structurally, verses one to eleven of 1 John 3 are a 'chiasm': a literary pattern where a series of thoughts build up to a crux, and are then repeated in reverse order. Such patterns always have the key thought at the centre, and in this case it is 'Let no-one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous' (3:7). We see this illustrated in Christ's letter to the church in Thyatira: "I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel to teach & seduce My servants to commit immorality" (Rev 2:20). John's core message is that being born again always reproduces Christ's holiness in us: and anyone who says otherwise (like the heretics) or tries to water this down, is deceiving you.

In his book 'A plain account of Christian perfection', Wesley taught that 'a Christian is so far perfect as not to commit sin' but he limited his concept of sin to 'a voluntary transgression of a known law'. He happily conceded that 'there is no such perfection in this life as excludes involuntary transgressions'. The difficulty with this is the defining of a boundary between voluntary and involuntary, when John has said that sin is by nature lawlessness.

The Greek tenses are significant. When John talks about the possibility of Christians sinning (e.g.2:1) he uses the aorist tense, referring to a specific event. Here he is using the present tense thoughout, which indicates ongoing, habitual, unrepentant sinning.

Paul's metaphor of 'putting off' and 'putting on', with the new nature fully formed and just waiting to be donned, could be read as implying it all comes down to our willed decisions. (To be fair, he does state in Phillipians that 'it is God who works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure'). The problem with this is that every time we make the wrong decision we fall short of the glory of God, and rightly feel ashamed in God's Presence. It can seem to make our sanctification dependent on making the right choice, in which case it is a 'work of the flesh', not by grace through faith.

John's approach, in contrast, emphasises that our new birth has implanted God's seed (His word, 1 Pet 1:23) into us, and that His seed remains within us. It is internal and embedded, not external and optional. He has written His law on our hearts and minds. It is the power of Christ's endless life, the living and abiding Word of God, that steadily ousts our 'old man'. Recognising our helplessness and dependency deepens our love for HIm and our desire to do His will. And so the lawlessness is gradually replaced by loving obedience.

 Later, John writes, "Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgement; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear". The perfection is not that of sinlessness, but of love. This perfection is available in this life, even while our journey into holiness is ongoing, and as yet incomplete. It is the perfection which gives us 'boldness to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus' (Heb 10:19), relying completely on His blood as our atonement, with our hearts sprinkled clean from a guilty conscience, and trusting our living Advocate to bring us into the throne room of God's Presence.

Wow! "See what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God...Beloved, now we are children of God; and though it does not yet appear what we shall be, we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He really is", in all His perfection of beauty, holiness and glory!