Verse 1, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not."
LGT "You start seeing what manner (sort) of love the Father has given to us, in order that children of God we might be called, and we are. Because of this, the world is not knowing us, because it did not know Him."
"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us."
The Greek word for 'what manner' is 'potapane' originally meant 'of what country,' and we get 'of what sort or manner'. The Greek word 'bestowed' is 'dedoken' means 'to give, bestow, present, and is in the perfect tense, meaning that it was begun in the past, and has come to its culmination, and continues as a completed result. Because of Christ, God was able to give to us a perfect love, and it is our possession. The kind of love the Father has bestowed on His adopted children is demonstrated by His adopting each and every one of us into His eternal family as full-fledged members. We have all the divine rights as children. I don't know about you, but this is a blessing that keeps me going day to day. This positional truth of being a perfected family member makes me want to study His Word, to know Him better, and keep His Word, to make Him proud of me. I can remember as a child my dad would say to me when I would begin a new adventure, 'Remember who you are, that is, a Graves family member, and make me proud of you.' I can remember how this would have an impact on me; however, I certainly didn't live up to what was expected of me. I do know that my dad and mom always loved me, but I sure didn't make them proud of what I did. I missed the mark as their child, but they always loved me and supported me with encouraging words; the encouraging words were supported with a good amount of proper discipline. Our heavenly Father loves us with an even greater love than our earthly parents. Even when we miss the mark, He loves us; He loves us with the encouragement of His Holy Word, and with a goodly amount of discipline along the way, 'The son whom He loves, He chastises.' This great love of God is our present possession. It's not something we will receive when we get to heaven we possess it right now.
J. Vernon McGee says:
"John has emphasized that we are God's children right now. This brings me to say that our salvation is in three tenses: I have been saved; I am being saved; and I shall be saved.
- I have been saved. The Lord Jesus said, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my Word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life' (John 5:24). The moment you trust Christ as your Savior, you receive everlasting life, and you will never be any more saved than you are the moment you trust him. You are born again, born into the family of God. John is addressing 'little children'- these are God's children. He says, 'What manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us.' Why? Because we are His children. He has bestowed His love upon His children, and they respond to that love by obedience unto Him by living a life that is well pleasing to Him.
- I am being saved. Paul said, 'Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.' (Phil. 2:12,13). Peter said, 'But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ ' (2 Peter 3:18). John is talking to us along the same lines here. If we are the children of God, we are going to be obedient unto Him, we are going to grow, we are going to develop, and we are going to go on in the Christian faith. Therefore, we can say that we are being saved.
- I will be saved. When the Lord Jesus comes again for the remainder of His children, we all will experience the final stage of our salvation. Sin no longer will have power over us, and we will be with the Lord forever." (T.T.B. J.Vernon McGee)
"That we should be called the sons of God:"
John is obviously referring back to the statement in his Gospel in the first chapter and the twelfth verse, "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them who believe on His name." The moment we believed on Christ, we became the adopted children of God. God bestowed His love on each and every believer by making us His family members.
"For when he says, that love has been bestowed, he means that it is from mere bounty and benevolence (grace) that God makes us his children; for whence comes to us a dignity, except from the love of God." (John Calvin's comm. on First John)
"And we are."
The United Bible Societies Greek New Testament retains, 'and we are' the children of God. Most of the better translations of the original Greek New Testament have retained the phrase 'and we are' to this verse. Some later Greek Mss. Omit 'and we are.' We not only have the authority to call ourselves children of God, we are children of God.
"John is saying that we do not expect to be the sons of God, we are the sons of God. A better translation includes the words 'and we are.' The child of God can say emphatically, 'I am a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ.' We don't hope to be, we don't expect to be, but the thrilling fact is that every believer can exult and rejoice and constantly thank Him that he or she is God's child. We are boasters not in ourselves, but we are boasting of the wonderful Shepherd that we have." (T.T.B. J. Vernon McGee)
By faith in the Lord Jesus Christ a person is immediately placed in the family of God through divine adoption. Our position in Christ is what God has predetermined through predestination, and not who will become a family member. It is a very important issue to keep clear in our minds, in order to fully appreciate our adoption.
"What the sophist (Greek philosophical thinkers of the sixth and fifth century B.C.) Say, that God foresees those who are worthy to be adopted is plainly refuted by these words, for, in this way the gift would not be gratuitous. It behooves us especially to understand this doctrine; for since the only cause of our salvation is adoption, and since the Apostle testifies that this flows from the mere love of God alone, there is nothing left to our worthiness or to the merits of works. For why are we sons? Even because God began to love us freely, when we deserved hatred rather than love. And as the Spirit is a pledge of our adoption, it hence follows, that if there be any good in us, it ought not to be set up in opposition to the grace of God, on the contrary, to be ascribed to Him.
When He says that we are called, or named, the expression is not without meaning; for it is God who with His own mouth declares us to be sons, as He gave a name to Abraham according to what he was. (John Calvin's Comm. on First John)
"Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not."
John is teaching the same principle in this first epistle that he taught in his gospel "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you" (John 15:18).
In Bible school the principal would remind us that the world crucified Christ, and that if we walked in fellowship with Christ, how could we expect better treatment? The fact that there aren't a lot of crucifixions going on today only proves that there is only one perfect Lord. Christ has imputed His righteousness on us, and so we are now perfect children of God in Christ. The positional truth here is that God sees us as perfect children. He loves us in the same way he loves His only begotten Son. God loves each and every believer with the same perfect love he has for His Son. I never tire of repeating this blessed truth. I believe the reason I keep reminding myself of this tremendous positional truth of being a perfect family member is because my involvement in the world often blinds me of this wonderful truth.
John Calvin summed it up quite nicely:
"It is a trial that grievously assaults our faith, that we are not so much regarded as God's children, or that no mark of so great an Excellency appears in us, but that, on the contrary, almost the whole world treats us with ridicule and contempt. Hence it can hardly be inferred from our present state that God is a Father to us, for the devil so contrives all things as to obscure this benefit. He obviates (makes unnecessary) this offence by saying that we are not as yet acknowledged to be such as we are, because the world knows not God: a remarkable example of this very thing is found in Isaac and Jacob; for though both were chosen by God, yet Ishmael persecuted the former with laughter and taunts; and Esau, the latter with threats and the sword (And the Arab nations, referred to as the Turks throughout the history of the church, are wreaking havoc on the world today: these Arab nations are all sons of Ishmael. All the Arab nations supporting terrorism are nothing but a bunch of wild asses ignorant of any concept of God almighty, and one day God will exterminate them from the face of the earth, not soon enough to suit me). However, then, we may be oppressed by the world, still our salvation remains safe and secure. (John Calvin's Comm. on First John)
Verse 2, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is."
LGT "Beloved, now we are children of God, and was not yet manifested what we will be. We are knowing that if He might be manifest, like Him we will be, because we will be seeing Him just as He is."
"Beloved, now we are the sons or children of God."
This is a very important statement John makes here. He begins with the fact of our son-ship and then continues to encourage us. One of the chief reasons John writes this epistle is that believers will know that they are secure. Eternal security is very important to John, and must be important to us, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God" (I John 5:13).
Whenever I stand before a mirror and realistically look at myself, I really can't see anything that convinces me that I am one of God's children. It is only through the Word of God that I am convinced. The world and all that it offers certainly doesn't help convince me I belong to God; just the opposite, it pulls me in the opposite direction and attempts to make me feel anxious and insecure. As long as we look to any other source besides the Word of God we will definitely be deceived.
John begins verse two with a present fact, "now." We don't have to wait for Christ to return to become God's children, we are presently His family with greater glory to come at Christ's 'parousia.'
"And it doth not yet appear what we shall be."
In our present physical state we have to look to the Word of God in order to see who and what we are. What we are in Christ in our abiding relationship can only be manifest to us in the Word of God. Our minds are deceived because of our flesh, which is subject to our old sin nature. When Christ returns and receives us unto Himself we will see reality.
"The Apostle has just said, 'it does not yet appear what we shall be, because the fruit of our adoption is as yet hid, for in heaven is our felicity (great happiness), and we are now far away exposed to an hundred deaths, is far different from that eternal life which belongs to the children of God; for being enclosed as slaves in the prison of our flesh, we are far distant from the full sovereignty of heaven and earth." (John Calvin's Comm. on first John)
I have a brother who often reminds me of what a chore it is to live in this world, this veil of tears. Even entertainment is a chore. Think of the work involved in going fishing, and if in a boat, what a chore it is to launch the boat, fill it with gas, go get bait, travel over the water a mile or so, drop the anchor, fish a few hours, move around looking for a good spot, maybe catch some fish, pull up anchor, back to the harbor, work to put the boat back on the trailer, move up to the water hose, clean the boat, flush the motor with fresh water, drive home, and rest for two days to get your strength back, what fun. And how about a motor home? What work is involved in the up-keep on one of those monsters? Just trying to maneuver it in traffic is a chore let alone at the gas pumps. And think about the delicious chore of emptying the holding tank. I think I'll stick to hotels and restaurants. I understand that some people spend in the neighborhood of a million dollars on their motor homes. How many luxurious hotels could a person stay in, in a year just for the insurance and taxes on one of those babies? All of this entertainment is designed to divert our attention for a brief time from what we really are in the flesh. Thank God we have been rescued from spending too many years in these pursuits. When he appears we will see what vanity this world offers.
"But we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him."
The doctrine of being 'like Christ' is reference to having Christ's divine mental attitude. At the present time we must study God's Word in order to know what the divine perspective is. We will not forfeit our own personal personalities when Christ appears, but we will take on immortality and we will be like Him in order to be able to view eternity with a divine perspective.
"For we shall see Him as He is."
At the present we all see Christ a little differently, that's why we have so many denominations. The conservative Christian views Christ as a just and gracious Redeemer, and the liberal Christian views Christ as a benevolent all forgiving One that winks at sin. The conservative sees Christ as the Redeemer and Savior of those who believe in Him, while the liberal sees God as the Father of all man, and that all men will eventually be saved. The conservative sees Christ not only as a God of love, but also a God of vengeance and justice. The liberal sees Christ as an all-forgiving God who winks at sin, and would never allow anyone to go to hell. There will be quite a surprise when Christ returns, especially to those who refuse to study the Scriptures, for we will all see Christ as He really is. We will see Christ from the divine perspective. The more we study God's Word, the less we will be surprised when we see Him. The Christian who studies God's Word faithfully will see Christ as a brother and friend. The liberal who does not study will see Christ as a King and a stranger, for he didn't take time to get acquainted with Christ in His Holy Word. Some of us will look forward and feel right at home when Christ comes, and some of us will feel strange and be quite ashamed.
Verse 3, "And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure."
LGT "And everyone who is having this hope upon Him, this person is pure himself, just as that One is pure."
"And every man that hath this hope in Him."
The emphasis of this verse is on 'this hope.' This refers back to the second verse and the 'ephanerothe', manifestation of Christ, that is, when Christ is made manifest at His second coming. Our trust must constantly be upon Christ. The more we study God's Word the more we will look forward to Christ's 'parousia.' In reading the different commentators on this chapter, they all seem to stress the fact that we will only really know Christ when we see Him face to face. While I agree with this concept to a degree, for there will be an awakening of our senses at that time where we will see him from a new immortal body, without the distractions of this life and its details, however, I believe God has made Christ clearly known in His Holy Word. One of the Bible teachers in my past would say, 'you can't love God if you don't know God, and you can't know God, if you don't study God's Word.' God's Word is God's viewpoint, and it is impossible to separate God from His Word.
"Purifieth himself, even as he is pure."
When we have the hope of Christ's return in our minds it stimulates us to His purity. We are to follow Christ's example set forth in the Word. The study of Bible Doctrine is the only method I know that leads to this purity of life. This purity can only be manifest as we love God and love God's children. So you see, it is essential to study God's Word, and follow God's Word, if we are to conform to the image of Christ. It is not good enough to just have knowledge, we also must have wisdom, which is, putting into practice what we have knowledge of. The more we learn of the true doctrines of Christ, the more we will look forward to His coming, for if we are too distracted by the details of this life, the more unconcerned we will be as to the second coming of Christ. I have heard Christians say they weren't concerned with rewards, for they are just happy that they are saved and going to heaven, and that's enough to satisfy them. As pious as this sounds, it is a very dangerous perspective to adopt, for if it were not important to study and eagerly wait for Christ's return, John for one, would not have laid such great stress on a holy walk and conformity to Christ, 'to be pure, even as He is pure.'
Verse 4, "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law for sin is the transgression of the law."
LGT "Everyone who is doing the sin and doing the lawlessness, and the sin is lawlessness."
"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law."
I personally believe that John uses the term lawlessness, gr. 'anomian' here in verse four for a very good reason. In chapter one verse nine John uses the term 'unrighteousness', gr. 'adikias,' referring to the believer confessing sin for cleansing. Here in verse four we believe John is making a reference to unbelievers committing lawlessness. When John describes the unbeliever sinning he uses a present active participle 'poion' which is 'doing sin.' It seems to me that when John is speaking about the believer committing sin, it is not a way of life as the unbeliever who practices sin. The believer misses the mark and commits sin whereas the unbeliever is 'doing' sin as a way of life. The unbeliever doesn't miss the mark, because he is not shooting at the mark, for he has no mark. Doing lawlessness is the opposite of doing righteousness. John is also making a definite reference to the heresy being perpetrated by the Gnostics that sin is of the flesh and the flesh cannot produce good, and that the spirit is not affected by the flesh, therefore it doesn't matter if a believer sins, because the believer is a spiritual being. John says that the unbeliever's way of life is to practice lawlessness, and that the way of life for the believer is to shun all sin, and that they should attempt to live a righteous life, and when a believer does sin he has an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One.
"For sin is the transgression of the law."
John Calvin translates verse four as follows: "Every doer of sin, is also the doer of unrighteousness; for sin is unrighteousness or iniquity." The one who practices sin is a doer of unrighteousness.
Verse 5, "And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin."
LGT "And you are knowing that the One was manifested in order that He might take away the sin, and sin in Him is not."
"And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins."
This verse is referring to the purpose of Christ's incarnation, that is, the reason He was manifested, He was made flesh, "The next day John (John the Baptist) seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Christ paid for every sin committed by the whole world, past, present and future. Christ satisfied God's just demand for the penalty for sin. The only sin that Christ did not propitiate (satisfy God's justice) is refusal to accept Christ as sin bearer.
"They who cease not to sin, render void the benefits derived from Christ, since He came to destroy the reigning power of sin" (John Calvin's Comm. on First John).
When a person refuses to accept Christ as Savior from sin, he keeps on practicing sin as a way of life. When John Calvin says those who cease not to sin, he is referring to the unbeliever who refuse to accept Christ as sin Bearer. We believers still sin, but not as a way of life. We know when we sin, and we know we have an advocate pleading our case before the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One. Christ has imputed on each believer His righteousness, and so you see, we are all perfectly righteous in Christ.
"And in Him is no sin."
Christ is sinless in eternity past, in the present, and in eternity future. Christ has always been free of personal sin. On the cross he was made sin for us, he became sin for us, sin was imputed upon Him and therefore he was able to pay the price, which is, that he satisfied God's just demand for sin, He propitiated our sins. So now, when the Apostle John speaks of the believer being unable to sin, he is referring to our position in Christ the perfect Lamb of God Who took away the sin of the world. The unbeliever is still in their sin, because they will not allow Christ to be their propitiation.
"He, therefore, immediately draws this inference (conclusion) that they sin not who remain in Christ. For if Christ dwells in us by faith (and He does), He performs His own work, that is, He cleanses us from sins. It hence appears what it is to sin. For Christ by His Spirit does not perfectly renew us at once, or in an instant, but he continues our renovation throughout life. It cannot then be but that the faithful are exposed to sin as long as they live in the world; but as far as the Kingdom of Christ prevails in them, sin is abolished. In the meantime they are designated according to the prevailing principle, that is, they are said to be righteous and to live righteously, because they sincerely aspire to righteousness. (I will make one correction here, it is not that we so much aspire to His righteousness, as that His righteousness was imputed upon us the moment we believed, "For God had made Him (Christ), who knew no sin (was sinless), to become sin for us (on the cross), that we might be made (imputed on us) the righteousness of God in Him (Christ).
They are said not to sin, because they consent not to sin, though they labor under the infirmity of the flesh; but, on the contrary, they struggle with groaning, so that they can truly testify with Paul that they do the evil they would not.
He says that the faithful abide in Christ, because we are by faith united to Him, and made one with Him" (John Calvin's Comm. on First John).
Verse 6, "Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him."
LGT "Everyone who is in Him is abiding (and) is not sinning. Everyone who is sinning has not seen Him, neither has known Him."
"Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not."
The Greek term John uses in this verse for 'sinneth not,' is 'ouch harmartano,' is linear present, and A.T. Robertson says it means, 'keeps on sinning.' This is in harmony with what was said previously about sin in the believer is not a habitual way of life. A true believer in Jesus Christ can, like the Prodigal son, visit the pigpen, but our Heavenly Father will not let us remain there. No Christian is happy living in sin. Of course this verse is making reference to our new nature in Christ, and this new nature assures us that we might remain in sin for who knows how long, but there is no peace in sin, and the believer is not able to abide there forever.
"Whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither hath known Him."
Again, John is speaking of those who are sinning as a way of life, for if they had accepted and known Christ, they would be changed through the imputation of Christ's righteousness. I am not advocating sinless perfection, but only stressing the mental attitude we must have regarding sin. The moment we accept Jesus Christ and put our trust in Him, we are no longer sinning. This is a positional truth of our position in Christ. I for one sin every day, but I also know what my attitude is about sin. I know that the Father hates sin, and I also know He has made a provision for weak Christians like me, First John 1:9. I also know that I cannot sin in order that grace may abound the more. I know my sins grieve the Father, and I don't like to grieve Him. I know it is a dangerous way of life to use the grace of God as a license to sin. One of the instruments the Father uses for our edification is divine discipline, and I cringe to think of being disciplined.
Verse 7, "Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous."
LGT "Little children, let no one be deceiving you, the one who is doing the righteousness is righteous, just as that One is righteous."
"Little children, let no man deceive you."
"The false teachers (the Gnostics) with their sophistry were capable not merely of condoning sin, but of making it seem virtuous" (The Gospel and Epistles of John F.F.Bruce).
John begins with 'little children,' so he is speaking to believers. He is telling them not to listen to the Gnostic heretics that were telling the congregation sin would have no effect whatsoever on their spiritual growth. It was obvious to John that some of the believers were listening to these antichrists with no small amount of enthusiasm. I know exactly what John is concerned with in the little children. He doesn't want them to ruin their lives by sinning and not dealing with their sins as taught in I John 1:9. It seems part of the Christian experience of maturing, that as we learn about the grace of God, we all seem to experiment with grace to see how far God will let us go, without disciplining us. Of course, I realize there are those that probably don't know what I'm talking about, because they would never think of deliberately sinning, as I have. This is just my experience, and yes, I do regret that I used God's grace as license, however I also thank God he didn't give up on me.
As I have been studying the topic of the Christians position in Christ, all the commentators I have been reading agree that when an unbeliever accepts Christ as personal Savior, they are immediately placed into Christ forever, never to be removed. The problem is, not this positional truth, but they all seem to stress that if a person is truly born again they will show evidence of their new position. I agree that we all should walk after the Spirit, which would include not sinning. I believe the stress should not be what we see in a believer's life, but what is the motive of the believer to walk in the light? I don't hear very much taught about eternal rewards. I believe John is very interested in his little children reaching maturity. I honestly don't believe we can tell a whole lot about someone by observing his or her actions. I have been a real phony at times, and I have met some real phonies. I have attended many churches in my time and have met people with the holy vocabulary, and the congregation admires them as spiritual giants, however after getting to know them personally, many times they turn out to be spiritual morons, not knowing the Scriptures, only learning how to talk like the pastor, or some of the deacons in the upper clique.
"He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous."
It is impossible for anyone but a believer to do a righteous act. Jesus Christ indwells all believers, and therefore the believer is a channel through which the Holy Spirit is able to do good works. No one is able to produce positive righteousness except the eternal Godhead; so understand this, good works are not the production of the flesh, but through the yielding of oneself to the Spirit of God. Yielding is studying Bible doctrine and then being obedient to doctrine.
Verse 8, "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil."
LGT "The one who is doing the sin is out of the devil, because from the beginning the devil is the one sinning. Unto this the Son of God was manifested in order that He might destroy the works of the devil."
"He that committeth sin is out of the devil."
The one, whose way of life is sin, is sourced out from the devil. Satan is the originator of sin, he ruined the first pair, Adam and Eve, and has been trying to ruin this world ever since.
"He that committeth sin is of the devil. We need to recognize that the devil is the source of all sin. He is the one responsible for sin being brought into the world. He is the one who led our first parents into sin. And the reason that you and I have a sinful nature today is because of the devil. 'He that committeth sin is of the devil.' Remember that the Lord Jesus said to the religious rulers of His day, 'Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do ' (John 8:44). The interesting thing is that we will take after our father. If your father is the devil, then you are going to act like him. If your father is our heavenly Father, then you have His nature, and you are going to act like Him" (T.T.B. J. Vernon McGee).
"For the devil sinneth from the beginning."
Satan is the father of all lies and sin. The devil does nothing but sin. That's the way he began when he fell, and he has been sinning ever since.
"He has been sinning from the beginning of his career as the devil. This is his normal life and those who imitate him become his spiritual children" (WPNT A.T. Robertson).
"For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil."
In Genesis 3:15 we have the prophecy of this final defeat of Satan described that Christ would bruise the head of Satan. The head wound is fatal. In the same passage it states that Satan would bruise the heal of Christ, and this was accomplished on the cross, however Christ rose again and Satan is the loser. There is a conflict going on today between Satan and his children, and Christ and the church. The outcome is sure; Christ reigns.
Christ came to die on the cross to redeem those under the curse of sin. The Lamb of God did in fact take away the sin of the world, however, we will contend with our flesh and the old sin nature until we meet Him face to face.
"He repeats in other words what he had before said, that Christ came to take away sins. Hence two conclusions are to be drawn, that those in whom sin reigns cannot be reckoned among the members of Christ, and that they can by no means belong to His Body; for wherever Christ puts forth His own power, He puts the Devil to flight as well as sin. And this is what John immediately adds; for the next sentence, where he says that those who sin not are born of God, is a conclusion from what is gone before. It is an argument drawn from what is inconsistent, as I have already said; for the Kingdom of Christ, which brings righteousness with it, cannot admit of sin. But I have already said what not to sin means. He does not make the children of God wholly free from all sin; but he denies that any can really glory in this distinction, except those who from the heart strive to form their life in obedience to God" (John Calvin's Comm. on First John).
Verse, 9 "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His seed remaineth in Him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."
LGT "Everyone who has been born out of God is not doing sin, because His seed is abiding in him, and he is not able to be sinning because he has been born out of God."
"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin."
The English translation is unfortunate with the use of the word 'commit.' The Greek word for commit is 'poiei' and means to practice or to be doing sin, as you can see in the literal Greek translation above.
"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin' - unfortunately, this gives a wrong impression here. The idea is not just one act of sin; the idea is he does not live in sin. John has said earlier in chapter 2, "If any man [any Christian man] sin, we have an advocate with the Father" - the believer will sin. However, John makes it very clear that it is God's will that we live without sin: "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not" (I John 2:1). Sin is anything contrary to the will of God, but when sin comes into our lives, John says that we have an advocate with the Father, and "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9). Again, John is talking to believers, and he is saying that believers will sin. Therefore, when John says, "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin," he is saying that that new nature will not continue to live in a pigpen - never, under any circumstances will it do that (T.T.B. J. Vernon McGee).
"The child of God does not have the habit of sin" (WPNT A.T.Robertson).
"For His seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."
The contrast here is quite obvious, the believer is born of God's seed, the new birth, whereas the unbelievers are of their father the devil, they are of his seed. Once we are regenerated and placed in union with Christ, we no longer do or practice sin. The unbeliever is sinning from the beginning.
"The first sentence of verse 9 repeats in substance the first sentence of verse 6: 'whosoever abides in Him does not sin.' Once again, John emphasizes that the practice of sin is something that characterizes the children of him who 'has been sinning from the beginning' (Vs.8), not the children of God. The reason the child of God does not practice sin is said to be that 'His seed abides in him' - a clause which can be understood in more than one-way. That 'His seed' means God's seed is fairly certain. This may mean the divine nature implanted in the believer through the new birth; so the Revised Standard Version: God's nature abides in Him' and thus prevents him from sinning (cf. New English bible: 'the divine seed remains in him; he cannot be a sinner, because he is God's child). But seed is frequently used in the sense of 'offspring' (as, for example, in the discussion about Abraham's 'seed' in Galatians 3:16-29); if that is the sense of the word here, then the meaning of the passage is not 'God's nature remains in the child of God' but 'God's child remains in God and cannot sin because he is God's offspring. There is not much practical difference between the two constructions; the difference resides mainly in the precise force of the noun 'seed' and the reference of the pronoun 'Him'. The latter construction might be regarded as an expansion of verse 6a" (The Gospel and Epistles of John F.F.Bruce).
Verse 10, "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother."
LGT "In this is manifest the children of God and the children of the devil. Everyone who is not doing righteousness is not out of God, even the one who is not loving his brother."
"In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil."
John begins this next section with a comparison of God's children with the devils children.
"Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother."
Jesus Christ gave two commands, 'to love God with all the heart soul, and mind,' and 'to love your Christian brother as your self.' It is impossible for any unbeliever to do positive righteousness. God must first impute His righteousness on a believer through Jesus Christ, before a believer is able to perform by the Holy Spirit a righteous act. The Holy Spirit produces all true righteousness.
"Neither he that loveth not his brother," means that we are to have a concern for our Christian brother; we are to be helpful to him. It does not mean that you necessarily care for his ways, his conversation, or the things that interest him. It does not mean you have to run up and put your arms around him. It means that you are to be concerned for him. You cannot harbor hatred against another believer. We will see in the next chapter that this love is not something that is sloppy and slippery by any means. It does not mean that you are to help, that is, taken in by every Tom, Dick, and Harry who comes along. We are warned to be very careful indeed and to keep our eyes open, but we are to have a love in our hearts for our brethren in the lord. This is to be a concerned love, a love that acts, a love that does something beneficial" (T.T.B. J. Vernon McGee).
LOVE ONE ANOTHER
Verse 11, "For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another."
LGT "Because this is the message which you heard from (the) beginning, that we continue loving one another."
The beginning that John is referring to is when these believers first heard the message from Christ; "By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35). This is not a new commandment, for Adam and Eve taught it to their children.
Verse 12, "Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous."
LGT "Not just as Cain was sourced out of the evil one and slaughtered his brother; and on account of what slaughtered he him? Because his works were evil but the ones of his brother were righteous."
"Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother."
Here John says that by Cain's hatred of his brother he is showing that he is from his father the devil, just as the believer shows from what family he is, by loving the Brotherhood.
"And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous."
I have read several commentators describe the reason that Cain slew Abel. Most say that Cain was envious of Abel, because God accepted Abel's sacrifice, and his wasn't. Others say that Cain was jealous of Abel for the same reason. I believe these are legitimate observations from the text, however, I believe that the literal Greek translation has put it very appropriately, "Cain was sourced out from the evil one." Cain did not accept the way of salvation that was taught him; therefore he refused to believe Christ would pay the price for his sin. Being an unbeliever he was sourced out from the devil and all his works were unrighteousness, whereas all Abel's works were righteous in the sight of God, because He believed in Christ. Cain and Abel were blood brothers only. I believe the reason Cain slew Abel was that he was wicked from the beginning, and by slaying Abel, in his mind, he was destroying Abel's works, and by doing this, he was saying his works were superior to Abel's. The pride of life was present when Satan fell from heaven, it was present when Adam and Eve sinned, and it was present when Cain slew Abel. Satan thought that by crucifying 'The Christ' he was destroying works of righteousness, however, what Satan did was to seal his own fate, the 'Cross of Christ' crushed the head of the serpent, the old father of lies, the devil (Genesis 3:15). Cain was sourced out of his father the devil, and he proved what family he was sourced out from by hating his brother, conversely, the believer proves what family he or she is sourced out from, by loving the brotherhood (John 13:35).
"This is another confirmation, taken from what is contrary; for in the reprobate (unbelievers) and the children of the devil hatred reigns, and it holds, as it were, the chief place in their life; and John brings forward Cain as an instance. It served in the meantime to give them consolation, as he at length concluded by saying, Marvel not, if the world hate you" (John Calvin's Comm. on First John).
Verse 13, "Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you."
LGT "(And) marvel not, brothers, if the world is hating you."
John says here, "cease wondering" why the world hates you, for it first hated Christ before it hated you. The world hates you, because it first hates Christ.
"This explanation ought to be carefully noticed, for men ever blunder as to the way of living, because they make holiness to consist of fictitious works, and while they torment themselves with trifles, they think themselves doubly acceptable to God, as the monks, who proudly call their mode of living a state of perfection; nor is there any other worship of God under the Papacy but a mass of superstitions. But the Apostle testifies that God approves this righteousness alone that is, if we love one another; and further, that the devil reigns where hatred, dissimulation (putting up a false front), envy, and enmity prevail. We ought, however, at the same time, to bear in mind, that brotherly love, as it proceeds from the love of God as an effect from a cause, is not disjoined from it, but on the contrary is commended by John on this account, because it is an evidence of our love to God.
By saying that Cain was driven to slay his brother, because his works were evil, he intimates what I have already stated, that when impiety rules, hatred occupies the first place. He refers to Abel's righteous works, that we may learn to endure patiently when the world hates us gratuitously, without any just provocation" (John Calvin's Comm. on First John).
I believe the so-called public church would do well to meditate on Christ's words in John 15:18-19, "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you. If ye were of the world (an unbeliever), the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." I watch the so-called T.V. Evangelists, and the so-called 'music' they play is so awful you can't tell it from the world's racket. They call their music 'Christian rap, and Christian rock. They rationalize their sinful, Christ dishonoring, self promoting meetings, that they must appeal to the world in order to 'win the world' to Christ. What is ignored by these T.V. clowns is the fact that the reason the church is to meet is to study the Word of God, and not to evangelize the world. I don't believe we are to be obnoxious to the world, but we are to realize if we live a Christ honoring life before the world we will be hated. Most of us are obnoxious enough to begin with, without using the Word of God as our excuse.
Verse 14, "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death."
LGT "We are knowing that we have passed out of the death into the life, because we continue loving the brothers; the one who is not loving the brother is abiding in the death."
"We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren."
How John stresses love for the brethren! A Christian can know that he or she is a believer by the fact of whether or not they love one another. I believe it is essential to define what kind of love John is speaking of. The world has its definition of love that is quite opposite from true 'divine love.' Christian love is that we recognize in our brothers and sisters the relationship we have with Lord Jesus Christ. If we see our brothers and sisters in this light of the Gospel, that they are joint heirs with our Lord Jesus Christ, then we realize that our treatment of them is on this basis of their relationship with Christ, and our relationship with Christ, so in fact how we treat one another is how we are treating Christ Himself. This is some very weighty material, and should be meditated on until it becomes a way of life for all believers.
When we accept Christ as our own personal Savior, we have passed from 'the death' into 'the Life.' The Literal Greek translation puts the article before death and life. The reason for this is that it is a special kind of death, and a special kind of life. The literal translation therefore, is that we have passed out of 'the death' (eternal death) into 'the life' (eternal life).
John says the evidence that you have eternal life is that you love your brothers. We must be very careful in our exegesis that we don't get the cart before the horse. Some religionists teach that we gain this eternal life by loving our fellow man. They teach the damnable heresy of the fatherhood of God, and the brotherhood of man, that was propagated in the fifties and sixties by the liberal moron Norman Vincent Peal, and is perpetuated by the maudlin old fool and his son at the Crystal Cathedral in Costa Mesa, Robert Schuler Sr. and Jr. You see, what John is saying is that once you are a child of God, the fruit of the Spirit is that you may love your brothers. It does not say that you definitely will love your brother. The benefit of loving your brother is that you will be in the will of the Father, and you will have confidence and assurance that you are pleasing Him. To get the cart before the horse is what the Schuler's and other money grubbing scoundrels teach. These false teachers have a completely different definition of love than what John is teaching us in this passage. They teach love the same way we would see it on T.V. soap operas, and situation comedies. This kind of love can be defined as being a nice guy to your neighbor, and not causing them to feel bad about themselves. This sort of love that they teach could be described as 'charisma.' The Schuler's teach a self motivating good neighbor love that makes everyone feel good about themselves and produces 'self-esteem.' Two of their silly, maudlin slogans are, 1) 'Tough time's never last, but tough people do,' and 2) 'If you can wish it, you can do it.' The fact of the doctrine is that the Holy Spirit produces it and not self-effort, for in fact tough times may last, but weak people by the strength of God's Holy Word will survive. Good works, and love for the brethren as good works, are fruits of the Holy Spirit, and we cannot take credit for what is produced by God's Spirit. To correct Schuler's slogan I would say, 'tough times may last, but God's Word is able to see you through any and all difficult times.' The Glory must always be given to the One who deserves such Honor, The Lord Jesus Christ.
"He that loveth not his brother abideth in death."
The word abideth in N.T. Greek is 'remains.' If we don't love our brother we remain out of fellowship with the Father, that is, we remain in the flesh. When we become a Christian, we don't lose the old sin nature, the flesh, so we can live our lives in the Spirit, either in fellowship pleasing God, or in the flesh, out of fellowship, grieving him. The next verse will explain more of our two natures.
Verse 15, " Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him."
LGT "Everyone who is hating his brother is a man-killer, and you are knowing that every man-killer is not having life eternal abiding in him."
"Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer."
This is a good time to explain the concept of using the fact of God's wonderful grace as our teacher. As we study the word of God we must always keep in our minds the Grace of God, for it is impossible to separate God from His grace. The context will always bear out this grace concept. If what we study does not fit the deduction of the grace of God, we do not as yet understand the context. Let me show you from the above verse how this grace deduction works. The phrase, 'whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer' is how John describes the seriousness of the sin of hatred for the brethren. Now immediately some would come to the conclusion that a person can't be a murderer and be saved at the same time, wrong! Christ said that others will be able to tell that we are family members by our love for our brothers, so some would say, if we don't love our brothers we are not a family member. John is writing to believers for he uses the term 'brother.' The Bible never uses the term 'neighbor' or 'brother' to mean anything other than believers. The term 'brother' in the Greek is 'adelphos,' and its meanings are, 'a brother, near kinsman or relative; one of the same nation or nature, one of equal rank and dignity; an associate, a member of the Christian community.' Now in this context we would have to agree that John is using the term 'brother' to mean a member of the Christian community. So you see, if it is possible for a Christian to hate his or her brother or sister, and it is, one of three things must be a possibility; 1) either the one hating his brother was never saved in the first place, and if so, he would never have been able to be called 'brother' by John or any other family member or 2) he was a family member and then hated his brother and lost his salvation, which is impossible, if a correct understanding of God's Word is applied, and lastly 3) the correct interpretation by the context is that it is possible for a believer to hate his brother and when he does he is living a carnal life and has lost fellowship with the Father, and is groping around in the darkness as a 'man-killer.' The answer for all believing haters of brothers is to confess the sin (I John 1:9) and make amends with the brother, and then begin walking in the light of fellowship. For once confession is made to the Father, fellowship is restored and the one who hated will be walking in the light and no longer a man-killer.
"And ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him."
Here again we have a very difficult phrase to understand if we don't apply the deduction of grace. In verse 14 John says that the one who hates his brother abideth in death, which means that he is out of fellowship and is walking around in darkness. The same principle must be applied here, that he is not walking in the light but remains in the darkness, and he has no real joy of his salvation. John says in 1:4 that he is writing these things that their joy might be full.
Verse 16, "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the Brethren."
LGT "In this we have known this love, that, that One on behalf of us laid down His life; and we are morally obligated on behalf of our brothers to lay down our lives."
"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us."
Jesus Christ paid the supreme sacrifice on the cross for each and every one of us. This is how he displayed his love for every believer, "But God commended His love to us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8).
"And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."
John is saying that if we are willing to lay down our lives for our brothers, this is real 'agape' love, real unemotional divine love. There is no atoning value in our laying our life down for a brother as Christ's death atoned for our sins, however, it is describing to us what the limits of true love is.
Verse 17, "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?"
LGT "Moreover, whoever might be having the sustenance of life of the world and may be contemplating his brother having needs, and might shut up his inner compassion from him, how is the love of God abiding in him?"
The Greek words for 'this world's good' is 'ton bion' and they mean, 'means of living; sustenance, maintenance, or goods.' John begins to describe what is considered good works. In the second part of this verse he uses an interesting term 'bowels of compassion.' This is the inner seat of our emotions. The first place we feel pain when we see others suffer is inside. That is why we are unable to eat or drink when a tragedy has struck. When we see our family in need and do not respond, we would have to deal with the inner emotions by shutting them off. John says that if you are able to shut off this inner compassion, how is your love for God made manifest? The believer has an opportunity to put his or her faith into action by helping those who are not so fortunate. If God has given you an abundance of the details of this life, it is for only one purpose; that is, to see what you do with that wealth. We all will give an account someday on how we used what he gave us. I can't think of anything better than to share your wealth with your family. This world is passing away and the things of this world along with it. God supplies us and then requires good stewardship on our part. I believe that if a person thinks truly in their heart that they are self made men, and that God had nothing whatever to do with their acquiring this worlds goods,
then they probably have no difficulty in saying, 'go in peace and be warmed and filled.'
"Frequently, however, a Christian will not be called upon to give his life, or even risk it, for his brothers. But he will have frequent opportunity of showing them his love in less exacting ways. Many of them suffer material hardship and privation; a Christian who is blessed with this worlds goods will instinctively show 'the love of God' by sharing what he has with others less fortunate. If, on the contrary, he hardens his heart and refuses to show them compassion in such a practical way, what is the use of his talking about 'the love of God'? By paying it lip service without exhibiting it in kindly action, he is simply bringing on himself and his associates the charge of hypocrisy. It is love 'in deed and truth' that is expected from a child of God, not the kind of pious talk that devalues the currency of heavenly love because it is unmatched by corresponding action. James says something very much to the same effect: 'If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them- Go in peace, be warmed and filled, without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? (James 2:15)" [The Gospel and Epistles of John by F.F. Bruce]
"John is saying that love is not a sentiment; it is that which expresses itself in action. James also had a great deal to say about this in his epistle. There he wrote, 'If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not the things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?' (James 2:15,16). When a brother in need comes to some folk, they simply say, 'I'll pray for you, brother.' But the important thing is whether or not our love is manifested in what we are doing. One of the most tragic things in the world will be when many believers come into the presence of Christ, having had this world's goods down here and not having used them for the cause of Christ" (T.T.B. J. Vernon McGee).
Verse 18, "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."
LGT "Little children, let us not be loving with word neither with tongue, but with work and truth."
"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue."
I believe it is impossible to love in word without work. It is a good thing to give comfort with words, but words are of little comfort without works of compassion. I like how A.T. Robertson sums up this verse:
"What John means is 'not merely by word or by tongue.' He does not condemn kind words, which are comforting and cheering, but warm words should be accompanied by warm deeds to make real 'in deed and in truth' (en ergoi kai aletheiai). Here is a case where actions do speak louder than mere words" (WPNT A.T. Robertson).
"Self-sacrificing love is required of us as believers. It may not be necessary to give our lives, but certainly it is necessary to give of our substance. Christianity is a love relationship" (T.T.B. J. Vernon McGee).
CONFIDENCE BEFORE GOD
Verse 19, "And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him."
LGT "(And) in this we will be knowing that we are out of the truth, and in the presence of Him we will be persuading our heart."
It is not our works, or our emotions, that gives us assurance that we are of the truth, but it is the Holy Spirit producing these good works in us that assure us. If we study the truth and apply it, the Holy Spirit will work in us. John is saying that when you love the brethren you will have this assurance. Love is that we recognize our relationship to our brothers, and our relationship to the Lord; if we contemplate on this love, and our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, we will conclude that what we do to our brothers we are doing to Christ. Our hearts, at times, can deceive us, if we don't keep our focus on the One who is greater than our hearts. Our assurance comes from the Word of God.
Vincent has a very good comment on this very passage:
"So we shall assure our heart before Him in whatsoever our heart condemn us. Not with conceited assurance of self righteousness; not with drugged and dulled perception of the vileness of sin; not with an elixir which shall relax our spiritual fiber and moderate our enthusiasm for spiritual victory; but with the thought that we are God's children, loving, though erring, in our Father's hands; with our elder brother Christ interceding for us; with the knowledge that the judicial element in our Christian experience is transferred from our own heart to God; with the knowledge that, being His, 'neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our lord.' As I read this passage I wonder if John, as he penned it, had not in mind that interview of Christ and Peter at the Lake after the resurrection. There was Peter with a heart stung with self-accusation, as well it might be: Peter who had denied and forsaken his Lord: and yet Christ meets all this self-accusation with the words 'Lovest thou Me?' And Peter's reply is in the very vein of our passage. 'God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.' 'Lord, Thou knowest all things, Thou knowest that I love Thee" (Vincent's Word Studies in The N.T.).
Verse 20, "For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things."
LGT "Because if our heart may condemn us, it will be because God is greater than our heart and is knowing all things."
God is omniscient. He knows our every intent in our heart. Even when our own conscience condemns us, God does not. It is impossible to lose our salvation, because God is greater than our hearts that condemns us.
"The child of God can have assurance, but suppose we are not doing what we should be doing? Does that mean we have lost our salvation or that we did not have it to begin with? John says, 'For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.' We don't lose our salvation. If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, greater than our lack of assurance. He is going to hear our prayer. Isn't He a wonderful God? When we fail Him, He won't fail us" (T.T.B. J. Vernon McGee).
Verse 21, "Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God."
LGT "Beloved, if our heart may not be condemning us, we will be having boldness toward God."
This is the flip side of verse 20. We have assurance when our hearts do not condemn us, and this means we are loving the brethren. We know when we are in fellowship as certain as we know when we are out of fellowship. The Word of God is the great separator. We must use the Word of God to inspect our motives. The modern day psychologists will attempt to make you feel good about yourself and he or she will attempt to give you self esteem, however, this is diametrically opposed to God's system. What the Word of God will reveal in all of us is that we are despicable, self-serving, self-righteous goons. What we all need is to realize this, and then obey His commands of love to overcome our carnal deficiency. It is possible to use the world's psychology that we have self-worth, and then harden our hearts against God's Word, that without Him, we are sunk. If we don't use the Scripture way of confessing sin to continue in fellowship, we will condemn ourselves to walk continually in darkness, and end up in heaven, losers!
Verse 22, "And whatever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight."
LGT "And whatever we might be asking we will be receiving from Him, because we are keeping His commandments, and we will be doing that which is pleasing in His presence."
John is not saying that God will give us anything we ask if we keep Christ's commandments. What John is saying is that if we are walking in the light, that is, in fellowship with the Father, we will have the boldness and confidence to know what we are to ask for and not ask for. Our minds when they are tuned in to Him will know what the will of God is, and this is the boldness that John says comes from loving God and the brotherhood. It is ridiculous to think that John is saying that if we keep the commandments, the 'Law of Moses', God will give us anything we ask for. This is 'Pentecostal nonsense.' The context here is that if we do not love our brothers, we cannot love God. You see, the unbeliever does not have the capacity to love God, only to hate Him, because the natural man cannot know God, and you must know God in order to love God. Our hearts (that is our minds) will signal us if we do not love our brothers, and it will also signal us when we do love our brothers. Remember, divine love is not an emotion. Divine love that we are to have for our brothers is based on divine viewpoint. God loves us based on our relationship with Jesus Christ; the righteousness He has imputed on us qualifies us for His divine love. This is exactly the same love we are to have for our brothers. We recognize our relationship and our brother's relationship with Christ, and because of this relationship with Christ we are all qualified to love the brethren and be loved by the brethren.
Verse 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."
LGT "And this is His commandment, that we might be believing in the name of the Son of Him, Jesus Christ, and continue loving one another, just as He gave a commandment to us."
The commandment to love one another is based on the commandment that we first must believe in the name of Jesus Christ. We could never love one another without first believing in Christ. This verse is just a repeat of the previous verses that stress the point that if we love one another we will have the assurance that we are His children. If we do not love one another we have no assurance in our salvation. The more we exercise love for the brethren the more confidence we have in our own position in Christ.
Verse 24, "And he that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us."
LGT "And the one who is keeping His commandments, he is abiding in Him, and He in him; and in this we will be knowing that He is abiding in us, out of the Holy Spirit which He gave to us."
I must make a most important point at the close of this chapter. John is saying that loving God and the loving one another is proof the Holy Spirit abides in us, not the cause. God, His Son, and the Holy Spirit abide in us through His Word. The abiding does not result from our obeying the commands, it is only proof we have this abiding relationship with the Godhead.
"The Holy Spirit verifies these things to our hearts if we have not grieved Him. We grieve the Holy Spirit when we do not do His will. Jesus said, 'If ye love me, keep my commandments' (John 14:15). If we do not do that, we grieve the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is given to every believer, as Paul makes clear in Romans 8:9, 'But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if (since) so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.' The mark that you are a child of God is that you are indwelt by the Spirit of God, and it is the Holy Spirit who will verify these things and make them real to your heart" (T.T.B. J.Vernon McGee)
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