Healing Grace

1 John 5:1-15

2012-03-04T12:07:00.001-08:00

God is love. Be born of God. See God for Who He is. Then we shall be like Him. We will love others.

Vs. 1 "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him Who begot (which is God) also loves him who is begotten of Him (we love others).'

Vs. 2 "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments." Again, what are His commandments? 1 John 3:23, that we believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. Our love for others is a response to His love and grace for us. When we see that God is not counting our sins against us, we can do that for others.

Vs. 3 "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments (believe on the name of His Son, or be born of God, and love one another). And His commandments are not burdensome." No, they are not burdensome. They are a natural response to His grace for us.

Vs. 4 "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith." What is in the world that we have overcome? 1 John 2:16...the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. When we are born of God, the Word say that we have already overcome these things. We must learn to walk in love and make this a reality in our lives. The Word says that it is already done when we are born of Him.

Vs. 5 "Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" God has come to live within us when we believe in His Son. We walk in His love, and we will not walk in lust or selfishness.

Vs. 6-8 Read these verses. These verses are referring to the idea discussed in earlier lessons that Jesus had a physical body. John is refuting the Gnostic idea that Jesus appeared only in spirit form, and did not have a physical body. Look at John 3:4-6 Being born of water is referring to the water of the womb. Look at John 19:34 The water and the blood that poured out of His body when the soldier pierced Him with a spear showed that He had a physical body. John 1:32 John the Baptist saw the Spirit of God descend upon Jesus like a dove. I believe this also refers to the miracles that were performed by Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit, proving that He was here in the flesh.

Vs. 9-11 "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in the Son." As we have seen, eternal life begins with believing that Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of our entire lifetime, past, present and even future sins. This is what brings us peace with God. When we receive this life and love from God and share it with others, we are walking in eternal life here on the earth.

Vs. 12 "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." When we are born of God through what the Son did for us, we have the life of God within us.

Vs. 13 "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God (those who are born of God), that you may know that you have eternal life (we are born of God and walking in love), and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God."

Vs. 14-15 "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him." His will is that all people be born of Him through trusting that Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of our entire lifetime. This brings peace. Then we learn to walk in love and offer this grace to others. When we ask for things in line with this, we know that He hears us and gives us the petitions we ask of Him. We may have to stand in faith against our enemy, Satan. But God is not holding anything back from us that is in line with His will.

Keith Oliver

1 John 4:16-21

2012-02-19T12:18:00.000-08:00

God is love. Be born of God. See God for Who He is. We shall then be like Him. We will love others.

1 John 4:16 "And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him." Notice that we can both know and believe the love that God has for us. I believe that this is in inverse order. What happens when we believe the love that God has for us? We are born of God, or born again. What happens when we know the love that God has for us? We love those around us. God is love. When we understand His love for us, we walk in love toward others, and are abiding in Him. He abides in us when we are born of God, or born again.

Vs. 17 "Love has been perfected (brought to completion) among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is (He is love), so are we in this world (we walk in love toward others)." This verse has always been taught that we take on the characteristics or position of God in heaven while we are here on the earth: He is righteous, so we are righteous. He is healed and well, so we are healed. He is prosperous, so we are prosperous. This is all true. But the context of this verse is that God is love, so when we understand His love for us, we will walk in love toward others. Notice the phrase "in this". It refers back to 1 John 4:9-10. "In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." Because of what Jesus did, we have boldness in the day of judgment. When this day arrives, we have nothing to fear. God is satisfied with what Jesus did. That is what propitiation means. The sins of our entire lifetime have been paid for. This is what we are supposed to communicate to others. This circle of love should be perfected or brought to completion in us. God loves us. We receive Him and learn to relax in His love for us. We start communicating that love and grace to others. If we are not walking in love, we either don't understand His love for us, or we have temporarily forgotten who we are.

Vs. 18 "There is no fear (of punishment or judgment) in love; but perfect love (love brought to completion) casts out fear (of punishment or judgment), because fear involves torment (punishment). But he who fears (punishment or judgment) has not been made perfect in love (he or she does not understand the full extent of God's love)." 1 John 4:10 says that Jesus is the propitiation for our sins. Again, propitiation means that God is satisfied with what Jesus did. The penalty is paid for the sins of our entire lifetime, past, present and future. If we believe this, it will cast out all fear of possible judgment or punishment from God. If we still have some fear of punishment, it shows we are not fully trusting in His grace. If we fear, we are still trying to be justified by some mixture of our performance and His grace. How can we communicate the love of God to others if we still fear punishment ourselves? The obvious answer is that we cannot. We can only communicate what we are or what we understand. This explains why we have been predisposed to interpret scripture in a harsh or condemning way. We have been afraid of punishment.

Vs. 19 "We love Him because He first loved us." Our love for Him is a response to the love and grace He has first shown to us. Our faith is a response to His grace.

Vs. 20 "If someone says, "I love God", and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?" John is saying the same here as he did in 1 John 1:6 "If we say that we have fellowship with Him (share in who God is, or say that we represent Him) and walk in darkness (hate or condemn others), we lie and do not practice the truth (which is grace)." If we judge or condemn others for their actions, we don't understand the grace and love that God has shown us. Our love for God is a response to His love and grace for us. If we don't offer this love and grace to others, it reflects the fact that we don't understand His grace for us.

Do you remember John 8, where Jesus does not condemn the woman caught in adultery, but offers her grace and forgiveness? John 8:12 "I am the light of the world (grace). He who follows me (in offering grace, not judging others) shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." So we know that hating our brother, or walking in darkness, is sitting in judgment or condemning others.

Vs. 21 "And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also." This is presented as a commandment, but it is a natural response to understanding His love for us. Notice the word 'must' is in italics; it was added by the translators. It should really read like this: "he who loves God loves his brother also." When we see God's love for us, we will love our brother also. If we don't love our brother, we are not clearly seeing His love for us.

1 John 4:1-15

2012-02-12T11:50:00.000-08:00

God is love. Be born of God. See God for Who He is. Then we shall be like Him. We will love others.

Vs. 1-3 "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world." John is refuting the Gnostic idea that Jesus did not have a fleshly body, but that He only appeared as a spirit, or in spiritual form. If He did not have a fleshly body, He could not bear the punishment for our sins in His body, and we cannot be born of God. John keeps going back to his major theme: be born of God, learn that He is love and that He lives in you, and then love others. All false teaching leads us away from this sure foundation of being born of God by trusting in Jesus, and walking in love toward others. All false teaching comes through people who are being motivated by the spirit of the Antichrist.

Vs. 4 "You are of God (born of God), little children, and have overcome them (antichrist or evil spirits), because He Who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." God has come to live within us when we are born again. He is love. We should be overcoming the lust or selfishness that is in the world through the One Who is love within us.

Vs. 5 "They (false teachers who are motivated by spirit of the antichrist) are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them." What is he referring to as being of the world? 1 John 2:16 "For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world." We are either motivated by love, or by lust and pride, which is basically selfishness.

Vs. 6 "We are of God (born of God). He who knows God (knows that God is love and has learned to walk in love) hears us; he who is not of God (not born of God) does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error." Again, the spirit of error leads people away from being born again and walking in love toward others.

Vs. 7-8 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." He who loves is (1) born of God and (2) knows God. He who does not love (2) does not know God. It does not say that he is not born of God. He just does not know God, that He is love.

Vs. 9-10 "In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live (be born again and learn to love) through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." Notice that God initiated this great plan of love. It is not that we loved God, or draw close to Him through our own efforts. He loved us so much that He sent Jesus to pay the penalty for the sins of our entire lifetime. Propitiation means that God is satisfied with what Jesus did. We merely respond to His love for us.

Vs. 11 "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." When we receive His love for us, we can then love others properly. We offer them grace and forgiveness, because we have received grace and forgiveness from God. We tell them that the sins of their entire lifetime have already been paid for. We can also act in love and not act selfishly in our actions toward others.

Vs. 12 "No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us." If we love one another, we are born of God, and have received His love for us, and His love is flowing through us to others. The circle of love has been brought to completion in us.

Vs. 13 "By this we know that we abide in Him, and He is us, because He has given us of His Spirit." He abides in us when we are born again. We are abiding in Him when we are being led by the Spirit Who teaches us to love.

Vs. 14 "And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world." God is the One who initiated this. He showed His love for us through Jesus paying for our sins. He then shows us how to love.

Vs. 15 "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in Him, and he in God." This is our response of faith to His grace and love for us.

Keith Oliver

In the sight of God and men

2012-02-05T12:26:00.000-08:00

Two passages of scripture that might seem to contradict one another are Colossians 1:21-23 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Let us look at these passages.

Colossians 1:21-23 "And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and UNREPROVABLE (above reproach) in His sight---if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister."
2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for REPROOF, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Colossians says that we are holy, unblameable and unreprovable IN HIS SIGHT. So before God, we are unreprovable. Jesus paid for the sins of our entire lifetime. It is interesting to note that Colossians says that we are unreprovable in His sight if we continue in the faith, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel. We must continue to trust that Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. Moving away from the hope of the gospel means to move back under the Law, or to approach God by our own performance instead of His grace. If we move back under the Law, we will feel condemned. That is the purpose of the Law, to show us that we have a sin problem and need a Savior.

2 Timothy says that the Word is profitable for our reproof or correction. Our good works are done before men. Even though we are declared holy and righteous before God, we must learn to walk in love and good deeds before men. This is where our lives are open for reproof and correction.

Keith Oliver

1 John 3:14-24

2012-02-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

God is love. Be born of God. Receive His love for us. Our love for others is a response to His love for us.

Vs. 14 "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death." No one can see our born again spirit. If we are walking in love, it gives outward proof of the life and love of God within us. If we are not walking in love, we are abiding in death and darkness, even though we are born again. His life and grace is not flowing through us to others. 1 John 2:11.

Vs. 15 "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." Is this saying that if we hate our brother, we are not born again? No. It is saying that God's life, which is love, is not abiding or flowing through us to others. Remember 1 John 2:23-25. We are born of God in verse 23. Then we walk in love toward others in verse 24. When we do these two things, God has promised that His eternal life will be ours, or will be flowing through us to others.

Vs. 16 "By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." Jesus acted unselfishly for us. He demonstrated His love for us with action. We should set aside our selfish desires and demonstrate our love for others also. He laid down His life to give us grace and forgiveness. We offer grace and forgiveness to others.

Vs. 17 "But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?" The obvious answer is that it doesn't. Our love must be demonstrated in action, or it is not really love. When he asks, "does the love of God abide in him?" he is not asking if he is born of God. But he is questioning whether this Christian is motivated by God's love or his own selfish interests.

Vs. 18 "My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and truth." Love must be demonstrated through action, not just words alone.

Vs. 19 "And by this (loving in deed and truth, not just words) we know that we are of the truth (we have received the Word: we are born of God) and shall assure our hearts before Him." If we walk in love, we are giving an outward demonstration of the love of God which came to us when we were born again. Our heart (the spirit and soul together) is in unison. Our conscience is clear when we walk in love.

Vs. 20 "If our heart condemns us (our conscience will condemn us when we do not walk in love), God is greater than our hearts and knows all things." Even when we fail to walk in love and our conscience condemns us, God has already forgiven us for the sins of our entire lifetime.

Vs. 21 "Beloved, if our heart (or conscience in this instance) does not condemn us, we have confidence before God." As we learn to walk in love, our conscience will not condemn us, and we will have confidence before the Lord because His love will be flowing through us to others. This is similar to 1 John 2:28 and 1 John 4:17.

Vs. 22 "And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things which are pleasing in His sight." On the surface, this verse can appear to say that God is responding to us based on our performance. But the only reason God answers prayer is because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross. This verse is talking about our response of faith to His gift of grace. The key word is RECEIVE from Him. When we keep His commandments (Vs. 23 believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another), we are responding in faith to the gift of God's grace through Jesus. We are also allowing that grace to flow to others.
An answer to prayer is receiving part of the grace that He has provided for us.

Vs. 23 "And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment."

Vs. 24 "Now he who keeps His commandments (both believing on Jesus, or being born again, and loving one another) abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us." When we are born again, God comes to live in us, or abide in us, through His Spirit. When we walk in love, we are abiding in Him, or living in love.

Keith Oliver

1 John 3:11-13

2012-01-29T13:28:00.000-08:00

God is love. Be born of God. See Who God is; then we shall be like Him. We shall love others.

1 John 3:11 "For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another." This is a reference to John 13:34, "A new commandment I give to you, that you should love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another." We are only able to love others properly when we have received His love for us. Our love for others is a response to His love for us.

The first and primary way that we love others is to offer grace and forgiveness to them. The second way is to walk unselfishly, not hurting others or ourselves.

1 John 3:2 "Beloved, now we are the children of God (born of God); and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be (until later in 1 John chapter 4), but we know that when He is revealed (as love), we shall be like Him (we will walk in love), for we shall see Him as He is (He is love)." John will now give us a negative example or the antithesis of this principle in the next verse.

1 John 3:12 "not as Cain, who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous." In other words, we should not react the way Cain reacted. Why did he commit the sin of murder? It was because his view of God, or his response to God's love and grace, was wrong and distorted.

Genesis 4:1-8 The story of Cain and Abel. Read.

Vs. 2-5 Cain was a tiller of the ground, and brought an offering of the fruit of the ground. Abel was a keeper of sheep, and brought the firstborn of his flock and offered it to the Lord. It would appear at first glance that they both brought an offering from their own particular area of work or effort. But God told the what kind of offering to bring. Hebrews 11:4 "By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks." Faith comes from hearing and understanding the Word of God. Romans 10:17

So we can see that God, in His grace and love, told them which offering to bring to cover sin: a first born lamb whose blood would be spilled. Cain heard this as well as Abel. Abel responded in faith to God's offer of grace. Cain ignored God's offering of grace, and instead presented an offering to God from his own work or efforts. This came from a motive of pride and independence from God. God spilled the blood of an animal in the garden of Eden and covered Adam and Eve. This pattern was institutionalized in the Law and sacrifices of the Old Testament. The sacrifices represent the work of Jesus on our behalf.

Vs. 5-6 When God did not accept his offering, Cain became angry, and his countenance fell. When we reject God's offer of grace and approach Him by our own works through pride and independence, our view of God or response to God is distorted. We will not be at peace, which only comes from His grace. We then become angry and frustrated. Our view of ourselves then becomes distorted.

Vs. 7 "If you then do well (offer the right offering), will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." This explains 1 John 3:12. Why did Cain commit murder, the outward sin toward another human? It began with his view of God or response to God's grace. When 1 John 3:12 says that his works were evil, it means from a wrong motive, from pride and arrogance or independence from God.

When our view of God is distorted, it distorts our view of ourselves and others. Our actions then become either self-destructive or hurtful to others. When we see how great God's love is for us, and that He has forgiven the sins of our entire lifetime, we are at peace. Then we can properly love ourselves and those around us.

1 John 3:13 "Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you." Cain hated Abel because Abel received God's grace, and was dependent upon Him. Abel was at peace. Cain approached God in pride, through his own works. Because of this, he was not at peace. He blamed Abel and lashed out at Abel in anger and jealousy.

John 8:12 "Then Jesus spoke to them again saying, "I am the light of the world (love, grace). He who follows me (in love, offering grace) shall not walk in darkness (judging and condemning others), but have the light of life."

Read John 3:16-18

John 3:19-21 "And this is the condemnation, that the light (grace, love) has come into the world, and men loved darkness (judging and condemning others) rather than light (grace) because their deeds were evil (motivated from pride or independence from God). For everyone practicing evil (independence from God and His grace) hates the light (His grace and love) and does not come to the light (grace), lest his deeds should be exposed (his pride and independence from God). But he who does the truth (believes the Word) comes to the light (His grace and love), that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God (in union or dependence upon God and His grace)."

Keith Oliver

1 John 3:1-10

2012-01-22T13:08:00.000-08:00

God is love. Be born of God. See God for Who He is; then we shall be like Him. We will love others.

Vs. 1 "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be call children of God (born of God). Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him." The world does not know that God is love.

Vs. 2 "Beloved, now we are the children of God (born of God); and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be (until later in 1 John 4), but we know that when He is revealed (as love), we shall be like Him (we will walk in love), for we shall see Him as He is (He is love)." This is the verse that opened up the idea to me that John is writing a progressive revelation, and somewhat poking fun at the Gnostics, who were looking for secret knowledge to be revealed to them.

Vs. 3 "And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." This has always been taught as a rapture verse, along with the previous verse. But what hope is John talking about? John is talking about knowing that God is love, and that love being expressed through us to others. What does he mean by purify? He is talking about walking in love. That is what being pure means. The opposite of love is selfishness, or walking in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. God is love. His motives are pure. Ours should be too.

Vs. 4 "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness." Sin is not walking in love. Romans 13:8,10 "Owe no one anthing except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law." "Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." This is why John say that sin, or not walking in love, is lawlessness.

Vs. 5 "And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin." Jesus was manifested to pay the penalty for the sins of our entire lifetime, past, present and even future sins. He never sinned, or walked out of love.

Vs. 6 "Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him." We abide in Him in two ways: (1) 1 John 4:15 by being born of God and (2) 1 John 4:12 by loving one another. So if we confess that Jesus is the Son of God and love one another, we will not sin, or walk out of love. The second part of the verse says that whoever sins (doesn't walk in love) has neither seen Him nor known Him (has not seen that God is love). Look at 1 John 3:2 "has not seen" and 1 John 4:7-8 "does not know Him". It is interesting to note that we can abide in God by being born again, but not abide in God by walking out of love, or following our own selfish motives. This will open up some verses to follow. We must abide in Him in both ways to reach full maturity in the Christian walk.

Vs. 7 "Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous." We saw in 1 John 2:29 that he who practices righteousness is born of God. 1 John 5:1 says, "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God....." So practicing righteousness is being born of God, accepting the righteousness that Jesus offers us. We could state this verse like this: He who is born again is righteous, just as He is righteous. When we are born again, we are made the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 We are made as righteous as He is. Why would John say not to be deceived? Because the Gnostics were teaching that Jesus was not the Christ and did not come in the flesh, so He could not be our Savior.

Vs. 8 "He who sins (does not walk in love) is of the devil (being motivated by Satan's intents:selfishness), 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." Jesus destroys the works of the devil on two levels in our lives. When we are born again, God's life comes to live within us. As we begin to walk in love, God's life flows through us to others. Read Matthew 16:21-23 This is where Jesus told Peter, "Get behind me, Satan." Jesus meant that Peter was thinking selfishly, being motivated by Satan's intentions, even though he was a follower of God.

Vs. 9 "Whoever has been born of God (our spirit is born of God) does not sin, for His seed (God's Word) remains in him; and he cannot sin (our spirit cannot sin), because he has been born of God." John is essentially saying what the apostle Paul says. When we accept the Lord, our spirits are created new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 We must then renew our minds to the Word, and begin walking in love toward others. Our salvation must be worked from the inside of us, where God has come to live, to the outside, where people can see our love and good deeds towards them. Philipians 2

Vs. 10 "In this the children of God (love) and the children of the devil (motivated by selfishness) are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother." Notice that (1) whoever does not practice righteousness, or whoever is not born again, is not of God. He also says that (2) he who does not love his brother is not of God. If we don't walk in love, then we don't see who God is, even though we are born again. The apostle Paul would have said that we are carnal. We don't see that Christ is living in us, even though we are born again.

This should not be condemning; this is the pathway to maturity. If we see it as condemning, we may not be completely settled with the idea that the sins of our entire lifetime have been forgiven. As little children spiritually, we see that our sins are forgiven. Our needs are properly taken care of. We are loved and forgiven by God.

Young men or women spiritually are beginning to recognize that God lives within them. Who is God? He is love. As we walk in love, we are letting God live through us and overcoming the wicked one. Who or what is wicked? The selfishness or lust that is in the world, which is motivated by Satan. Walking in love is the pathway to maturity.

Keith Oliver

1 John 2:15-29

2012-01-18T17:15:00.000-08:00

God is love. We are born of God. When we see God for Who He is, that He is love, we will love others. He who does not love does not know God, or does not understand the nature of God, even though he is born again. 1 John 4:7-8

1 John 2:15-17 Read. "If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Notice that John does not say that this person is not born again. He does say that the love of the Father is not in him or flowing through him. If we are focused on the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, we are not focused on the love of God. This is very similar to Galatians 5:19-22 "....envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I told you in time past, that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." The kingdom of God is within us when we are born again. Paul is not saying that you will not go to heaven if you commit works of the flesh. He is saying that we will not inherit or walk in the kingdom of God already within us when we are born again. We will not walk in the fruits of the Spirit if we spend our time practicing the works of the flesh. We must make a choice to walk in love.

Vs. 18-19 Read. These verses are similar to 1 John 4:1-3. The Gnostics taught that physical matter is evil; therefore Jesus would not have come in the flesh, but appeared only in spirit form. If He only appeared in spirit form, He could not bear our punishment in His body.

Vs. 20 "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things." The anointing is the Holy Spirit which we received when we believed on Jesus.

Vs. 21-23 Read. In summary, he who denies that Jesus is the Christ is not born of God. He who acknowledges the Son has the Father also, or is born of God.

Vs. 24 "Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father." He is referring to 1 John 3:11, "This is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another."

Vs. 25 "And this is the promise that He has promised us--eternal life." In verse 23, John tells us to be born of God. In verse 24, he tells us to walk in love toward others. If we do these two things, we are promised that eternal life will be manifested through us. This is the same eternal life referred to in 1 John 1:1-2 which was manifested in the life of Jesus.

Vs. 26 Read. The Gnostics were trying to deceive believers. They denied that Jesus is the Son of God or that He came in the flesh. They also said that sin does not matter. John said that we should walk in love and not hurt others. Sin does matter because it hurts us and those around us. How can eternal life (the love of God) be manifested through us when we spend our time hurting ourselves or others?

Vs. 27 "But the anointing (Holy Spirit) which you have received from Him abides in you (when we are born again), and you do not need that anyone teach you (to walk in love); but as the same anointing (Holy Spirit) teaches you concerning all things (love), and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you (to walk in love), you will abide in Him." Abiding in Him is walking in love according to verse 24. The Holy Spirit teaches us to love. Look at Romans 5:5.

Vs. 28 "And now, little children, abide in Him (walk in love), that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming." This is saying the same thing as 1 John 4:17, "Love has been perfected (brought to completion) among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgement (we won't be afraid of God or punishment); because as He is (He is love), so are we in this world (we walk in love)." We have come to understand the love of God for us, and we can show that love to others.

Vs. 29 "If you know that He is righteousness, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him." Practicing righteousness is trusting Jesus for our righteousness, not trusting in our own works. 1 John 5:1 says "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God...." We see the word "practice" and we misinterpret this verse because of our works oriented mindset. Believing that Jesus is the Christ is practicing righteousness. We are then born of God.

Keith Oliver

1 John 2:1-14

2012-01-18T16:29:00.000-08:00

Remember that John's primary revelation is this: God is love. We are born of God, or born of Love. As we see God for Who He is, we shall be like Him. We shall love others. We can be born of God, but not realize that He is love, and so not walk in love toward others. 1 John 3:2, 1 John 4:7-8

1 John 2:1 "My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." God does not want us to sin. Even though we are forgiven of all sin, past, present and future, sin still has hurtful consequences in our human relationships. We hurt ourselves and others. But God has declared us righteous and holy in His sight.

Vs. 2 Read. Jesus is the propitiation for our sins as Christians, and for the sins of the whole world. Propitiation means that God is satisfied with what Jesus did. The idea that God was an angry, vengeful God who needed to be appeased, and that He did not have any goodwill toward us, is not a Biblical concept. The Bible says God chose us in Him (Jesus) before the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1:4. God is love. Justice had to be satisfied and we had to be redeemed from sin. God Himself provided the redemption for us. That is love.

Vs. 3 "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments." Notice the phrase 'know Him'. John is poking fun at the Gnostics, who were searching for the secret knowledge that would reveal God to them. What are the commandments we are to keep? 1 John 3:23, believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ (be born of God) and love one another. So when we are born again and love one another, we are keeping His commandments. When we know He is love, we love others.

Vs. 4 "He who says, "I know Him", and does not keep His commandments (be born of God and love one another) is a liar, and the truth is not in him." If a person is not born of God or walking in love, he does not know God. Notice how the phrase "the truth is not in him' is similar to 1 John 1:8,10. This is another reason that we know that 1 John 1:8,10 are talking about being born again. Also notice 1 John 2:22, "Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ?"

Vs. 5 "But whoever keeps His Word (commandments: believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another), truly the love of God is perfected (brought to completion) in him. By This we know that we are in Him." So if we are born again and walking in love toward others, God's life is flowing through us.

Vs. 6 "He who says He abides in Him (God is love) ought himself also to walk (walk in love) just as He walked."

Vs. 7 Read. The commandment that John spoke of is John 13:34-35, "that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." God is love. If we walk in love, people will see God in us.

Vs. 8-11 Read. To summarize these verses, if we hate or condemn others, we are walking in darkness. If we love others by offering grace to them and not condemning them, we are walking in the light.

Vs. 12-14 Read. These verses describe a spiritual progression within our lives, or levels of spiritual maturity. Notice the characteristics of little children: they know that their sins are forgiven them for His name's sake and they know that God is their Father. It is interesting to note that we can know God is our Father, but not realize that He is love.

Young men (or women) spiritually are those who are strong, and the word of God abides in them, and they have overcome the wicked one. Notice 1 John 4:4 We overcome the wicked one by knowing that God lives within us, and greater is He Who is in us than he (Satan and evil spirits) that is in the world. We must learn that Christ lives in us. If we don't understand that the sins of our entire lifetime are forgiven, it will be impossible to see that God lives in us. We will always be focused on our outward actions, instead of being focused on God living within us.

Fathers, or spiritually mature men and women, know Him Who is from the beginning. The Greeks referred to the gods as fathers, but they were often cruel and vindictive. The Jews saw God as a God of justice and punishment because of the Law of the Old Testament. By now we should see that John is referring to the fact that God is love. This unknown, unseen God Who is from the beginning is love. When we walk in love toward others, the love of God is perfected, or brought to completion, in us.

Keith Oliver

1 John Chapter 1

2012-01-17T17:24:00.000-08:00

Remember John's primary revelation: God is love. When we are born again, we are born of God or born of Love. When we recognize Who God is and receive His love, we shall be like Him. We shall love others. 1 John 3:2, 1 John 4:7-8, Luke 9:51-56

Vs. 1-2 "That which was from the beginning....." This unknown, unseen God, Who is eternal Life and Love, manifested Himself in the body of Jesus. Jesus personified the life and love of God in a human body. These verses also dispute the Gnostic idea, referred to in the previous lesson, that Jesus did not have a human body because they taught that matter is evil. The Gnostics said that Jesus only appeared in spirit form.

Vs. 3 "......that you may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." Our part or fellowship or sharing in this: now God manifests Himself in us just like He manifested Himself in the person of Jesus. We have His life. We understand and demonstrate His love to others. People should now see God in us. How can people see God (Who is love) in us if we feel condemned or if we condemn others? T.L. Osborn said this, "God is Spirit. We are His flesh."

Vs. 4 When we truly understand what John meant in this epistle, we will be full of joy.

Vs. 5 "This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." Notice the abstract themes of light and darkness from Plato's writings, which we discussed in the previous lesson. Also notice that this verse is similar to 1 John 3:11, "For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.' So John is talking here about walking in love. John declares in 1 John 2:8-11 that walking in love is walking in the light; walking in hate is walking in darkness. So John could have said this: We declare to you that God is love (light) and in Him is no hate or condemnation (darkness) at all. Why does John not reveal that God is love at this point? This is one example of why I believe this is a progressive revelation, and that John is poking fun at the Gnostics.

John 8:1-19 Jesus forgives the woman caught in adultery and does not condemn her according to the Law. Vs. 12 "I am the light of the world (love): he who follows me (loves, does not condemn) shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." Vs. 15 "You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.' Vs. 19 "You neither know me, nor my Father..." The Jews did not recognize that God is love.

Vs. 6 "If we say that we have fellowship with Him (share in who God is, or say that we represent Him: He is love) and walk in darkness (hate or condemn others), we lie and do not practice the truth."

Vs. 7 "But if we walk in the light (walk in love), as He is in the light (He is love), we have fellowship with one another (we are manifesting His life and love through us) and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin (we are born of God or born again). This follows John's revelation in chapter 4 that God is love, we are born of Him, and when we KNOW that He is love, we will then love others.

Vs. 8 "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." Notice that sin is singular, which refers to the nature of sin. Gnostics said this; no Christian would say this. For us to be born again, we must admit that we have sinned or have a nature of sin and need a Savior. Also notice that it says the truth (His Word) is not in us.

Vs. 9 If we confess our sin (singular: nature of sin), He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin (singular: nature of sin) and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (acts of sin). This happened when we were born again.

Vs. 10 "If we say that we have not sinned (actions of sin), we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us." Gnostics said that even the grossest sin did not matter, because physical matter is evil anyway. Only spirit is important. Notice the phrase "His Word is not in us." This could not refer to Christians. 1 Peter 1:23 "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible; by the Word of God, which lives and abides forever." When we are born again by the Word of God, it lives forever in us. 2 John 2 "For the truth's (Word's) sake, which dwells in us, and shall be with us forever."

Keith Oliver

The Book of 1 John

2012-01-14T09:09:00.000-08:00

1 John is a progressive revelation. The great revelation is that God is love. He doesn't have love. He is love. We are born of God or born of Love. When we recognize that God is love and that He lives in us, we will be like God. We will love others.

The idea of God as a Father in not new to the New Testament. Greek mythology speaks of the gods as fathers, but they were not benevolent and loving. In many ways they were cruel and often mean and vindictive. The Old Testament also reveals God as a Father in several verses, but it was not commonly recognized by the Jews during Jesus' day because of the Law. Some Old Testament verses that reveal God as Father are Exodus 4:22, Isaiah 63:16, Isaiah 64:8, Hosea 11:1, Deut. 1:30-31, Deut. 8:5, Deut. 32:6, Psalms 89:26, Isaiah 9:6. Jesus recognized this from His study of the Old Testament. That is where He recognized God as His Father.

Gnosticism or Neoplatonism was the main philosophical school of thought during the time that the New Testament was written. Gnosticism was born out of the writings of Plato, who lived around 400 B.C. Many of the abstract themes that we see in 1 John are themes that were dealt with in the writings of Plato: light and darkness, love and hate, life and death. Gnosis is a Greek term for knowledge. Gnosticism evolved from the Way of Truth that was outlined by Plato in his dialogues and letters. The Gnostics were concerned with spiritual enlightenment, and ascent into the divine or godlike realm by this secret knowledge. Therefore, Gnosticism espoused two premises that the Bible would consider false teachings. First, the Gnostics believed in a dualism regarding spirit and physical matter. They asserted that physical matter is inherently evil and spirit is good. As a result, they said that anything done in the body, even the grossest sin, has no meaning because real life exists in the spirit realm only. Second, the Gnostics believed they possessed an 'elevated knowledge', a 'higher truth' known only to a few, which was revealed from a higher plain of existence. They believed that salvation was gained through the acquisition of this 'divine knowledge' which freed them from the illusions of darkness here on the earth. The Gnostics did not believe that Jesus came to earth in a physical body because they believed that physical matter was inherently evil.

John refutes these Gnostic ideas and he also reveals that God is love, which was a great revelation to the Greeks and Jews of his day. I believe that John does this in a humorous, tongue-in-cheek manner.

1 John 3:2 "Beloved, now we are children of God (born of God), and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be (until later in 1 John chapter 4), but we know that when He is revealed (as love), we shall be like Him (we will walk in love), for we shall see Him as He is (He is love)." In chapter 4, God is revealed as love. This pattern is used throughout the book. John speaks in one chapter of a subject, often using the abstract themes discussed earlier, and it is revealed a chapter or so later more clearly.

1 John 4:7-8 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God: and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." Notice that he who loves is (1) born of God and (2) knows God. He who does not love does not know God. It doesn't say that he isn't born of God. We can be born of God but not know God, that He is love. Therefore we will not walk in love, even though we are born again.

1 John 4:17 "Love has been perfected (brought to completion) among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgement; because as He is (God is love), so are we in this world (we walk in love toward others).

1 John 4:18 "There is no fear (of God and punishment) in love; but perfect love (love brought to completion in us) casts out fear (of God and punishment), because fear involves torment (punishment). But he who fears (punishment) has not been made perfect in love (he does not understand the full extent of God's love)."

Let us explore this idea that God is love a little further. This is the basis of the gospel of John also.

Genesis 1:1 "IN THE BEGINNING, God created the heavens and the earth." Who is this God Who created everything? Is He sometimes mean and cruel like the gods of Greek mythology? Is He the God of justice and punishment based on the Law of the Old Testament?

John 1:1-18 "IN THE BEGINNING was the Word....." Notice the themes of light and darkness included in the first several verses. Then verse 10 "The world was made through Him, but the world did not know Him (God is love)." Verses 12-13 We become children of God. We are born of God. Verse 17 "For the law (and judgement) was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." Verse 18 No one has seen this unknown God at any time. Jesus has declared Him (or revealed Him) as love.

1 John 1:1 "That which was from THE BEGINNING....." John reveals God as love in His epistle..

Keith Oliver

Your Faith Will Make You Well

2011-11-21T05:03:00.000-08:00

I was diagnosed 15 yrs ago with a hereditary disease called Friedreich’s Ataxia. It falls under the umbrella of Muscular Dystrophy. The brain and body work, but the neurocommunication between the two is fuzzy. I used to have a problem telling people anything about the disease because I was taught that mentioning anything about the disease would deflate my faith. I moved here in ’07 to learn more about how to build my faith for healing. There were many teachings that I gravitated towards and they all stemmed from when Jesus told individuals “Your faith has made you well.”

So I followed instructions and began my quest to build my faith. I went through two yrs of a school that taught on faith. I separated myself from anyone who did not walk, talk, and breathe faith. I went to all the faith seminars and meetings. I didn’t get a job because I would have to get an electric wheelchair and a minivan that with modifications and I was taught that would negate my faith. So I spent 4 yrs “building” my faith…isolated, alone, and very confused. In school, when I had a bad day or used the wheelchair because I was tired, people would tell me things like “you have to learn how to resist symptoms (as if I wasn’t)”. One student said to me “If I were you, I would have resisted that disease when the first symptom came on me. Do you even want to be healed?” A week later, that student got banged up in a car accident and for three weeks he had to take pain pills to curb the pain he was experiencing. I wanted to say something, but didn’t because I began to see there was something way off with this teaching.

Healing lines in these churches and faith seminars began to get longer and longer. And the most disturbing thing to me was the absence of love and compassion for others. Almost everyone I knew had been caught up in trying to “work their faith” and felt so condemned when they saw no results. Because of these negative emotions, they treated most other people negative and displayed a very short tolerance for others in a rough spot. I grew very weary because everywhere I turned, I was either being condemned or told I wasn’t doing enough. I felt like I was stuck in a nightmare and was starving for genuine friendships and godly love…so I broke and cried out to God.

I began to hear teachings and testimonies of people being delivered and healed by focusing on Jesus alone. I started listening to teachings that were so full of God’s love and grace. But none of them seemed to point people to their faith, they were all pointing to Jesus. So I began to explore different churches that pointed me to Jesus and told me I already had all the faith I’d ever need. Because of the blood of Jesus, I was qualified. It was such a big responsibility taken off my shoulders. I started studying scriptures I missed when learning I was responsible for building my own faith. Hebrews 12:2 says “Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of faith” I began to see that Jesus was the Author of faith, not me. When Peter walked on water, he didn’t spend one second trying to build his faith. All he did was look at Jesus and he did the miraculous…but the minute he took his eyes off Jesus, he bagan to sink.

Another truth that helped free me from the bondage of “building my faith” was that “faith” is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Fruits don’t grow by focusing on them…a tree naturally produces fruit because that’s the nature of a tree. The fruit of the Spirit will effortlessly grow when a Christian simply focus’ on Jesus because He is the fullness of our nature.

Another “faith” teaching that has been taken out of context and was used to keep me from spending too much time in public was Rom 10:17 “faith comes by hearing” and it does. But in context of Romans 10, it’s talking about faith for salvation. Rom 10:14 says “So how can they call on someone they don’t have faith in? And how can they have faith in someone they haven’t heard of? And how can they hear without a preacher?” and in the NLT, Rom 10:17 says “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ” I was always taught that I had to keep hearing and hearing and hearing and stay away from interacting too much with people because they can be “faith drains”. Sounds pretty good, but Jesus is not in the equation at all.

But the biggest question I had was “What about when Jesus told people ‘Your faith has made you well’?” And the Lord began showing me one of the most liberating revelations l have ever received. One of the most common stories is about the woman with the issue of blood. When she touched Jesus, He said “Your faith has made you well.” And faith became the subject that was taught by many preachers. So l was taught l needed to build my faith in order to receive healing.

But the Lord began to show me this revelation in other translations. In the Amplified, Mk 5:34 says “And He said to her, Daughter, your faith (your ^[^a^]trust and confidence in Me, springing from faith in God) has restored you to health.” So faith itself was not what healed the woman, it was her faith in the person of Jesus that healed her. But, just to be on the safe side, I looked at another passage that preachers always quote and tell people to “build their faith” for healing. It’s found in Matthew 9:27-29, the story of the two blind men. They asked the Lord to heal them and he responded by asking them “Do you believe I am able to do this?”They answered “Yes Lord”…in the King James, all Jesus said was “according to your faith, be it unto you.” So again, building faith is taught because Jesus said “According to your faith”. But in the Amplified, Matt 9:29 records Jesus saying “According to your faith and trust and reliance [on the power invested in Me] be it done to you” Once again I saw that Jesus was not referring to their “faith level” to receive healing. He was referring to their faith to believe in his ability. Jesus had become the object of their faith. There are several other healings where Jesus mentions the individual’s faith, but it always had to do with faith in His ability to perform, not their own blind faith level.

Now that my efforts to “build my faith” are over, I can fully rely on Jesus’ ability to be my all in all. I don’t have to be concerned with separating myself from “faith drains” because my faith is in Jesus’ ability, not mine. I am free to be who God made me to be because I have let go of trying and started trusting. Next week, I am going to get assessed for an electric wheelchair and a van so I can start working. I now have no problem with that because my faith is not in my ability, my faith is in Jesus Christ.

~ Jeff Rose

The Kingdom of God and Galatians Chapter 5

2011-10-20T17:31:00.000-07:00

Until we understand grace and righteousness, we sometimes tend to view scripture verses through a consciousness of sin and see verses as condemning when in reality they are not. Galatians chapter 5 is one example. To understand what Paul is saying in these verses, we should search the Word to see what the kingdom of God really is.

John 3:3 "Jesus answered and said unto him, 'truly, truly I say unto you, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." We must be born again to see or perceive the things of God. They are not seen with the five senses.
Luke 17:20-21 "And when He was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said, 'The kingdom of God comes not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo, here it is! Or lo, there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you." Jesus was telling the Pharisees, who were looking for a physical kingdom to be established, that the kingdom of God would be within people. When we are born again, God comes to live within us. So His kingdom is within us.

Romans 14:17 "For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking (carnal, fleshly things), but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
This describes some of the fruits of the born again spirit. It also describes the pathway into the kingdom of God. When we understand righteousness by faith apart from our works, we will be at peace within ourselves. Then we will experience joy in the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 32:17 "The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever." We have peace and confidence before the Lord forever. Praise God.

Acts 20:32 "And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified." The message of grace in the New Testament will help us to walk in the inheritance that we received when we were born again. It does not automatically happen just because we are born again. We can have God within us, or have the kingdom of God within us, and not walk in our inheritance. We can walk just like an unbeliever if we do not renew our minds to His Word of grace.

You should now be able to see clearly what Paul was talking about in Galatians 5:16-25. I will hit some of the main points.
Galatians 5:16 "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." Walk implies action. "In the Spirit" refers to who I truly am in my born again spirit. So Paul is saying that our actions and behavior should be guided or directed by who we really are in our born again spirit. He has made us holy and righteous. Everyone who is born again has God living in them. This is where the kingdom of God is, within you. We must choose to walk in the spirit, so that we do not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Obviously Christians can and do commit these acts, otherwise Paul would not be telling them this.

Now we come to verse 21 which has condemned many. Galatians 5:21 "....of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." Remember that the kingdom of God is not referring to heaven, or going to heaven. Paul is not telling these believers that if they commit these works of the flesh, they will not go to heaven someday. He is telling them that if they spend their time fulfilling and practicing these fleshly actions, they will not inherit the kingdom of God already within them. They will not walk in the fruit of the Spirit listed in verses 22-23.

These verses have been used to try and scare Christians into walking in outward holiness. Has it worked? No. If we are born again, we will go to heaven, even if we do not walk in or inherit the kingdom of God which is within us. We have a choice to make. If we spend time with God and renew our minds with His Word of grace, we will inherit the kingdom of God within us.

Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." We as Christians should be controlled by the Spirit of God within us. One interesting way to look at the fruit of the spirit: it may be somewhat of a spiritual progression. When we understand God's love for us, we will have joy and be at peace. As we understand how longsuffering and kind God is toward us, we should be patient and kind and gentle toward others, and so on. Oddly enough, the last fruit listed is self-control. If it takes awhile for believers to start exercising self-control and walking in outward holiness, we should be patient and kind to them. God knows that He has been, and continues to be, patient and kind to me!

Keith Oliver