His Commandments

This is the last day through I John, and I feel like I am still missing so many themes in the book--darkness and light, the love of the Father, the power of the witness, the false Christian, and so much more. But alas, I must move on to another month-long trek through another book. I know that I am not finished with I John, only finished for now. Even though there is much that I haven't deeply considered, I feel like I have a much greater knowledge and appreciation for this great, short letter.

Today I figured that I would finish up my study with a focus on the "commandments" references in the book. Once again, I was surprised at how much that I found in this theme, even though I had read it 29 times previously. So what do we learn about the "commandments" of God from our beloved writer?

In 2:3-4 we have the familiar theme of assurance showing up through the commandments. If we keep His commandments we have assurance. If we don't keep His commandments, we lie (and by inference have no assurance). In 2:5 it seems that "the word" is used interchangeable with his commandments in the previous verse.

In 2:7-8, John turns and addresses the continuity of the "old" commandment and the "new" commandment. In actuality, the "commandment" is the same, but it becomes new in the sense that it is fulfilled in Christ, and therefore in us. This breaks the darkness of the chains of the sinful nature (see Romans 7:7ff re: the law). The old commandment has been with us from the beginning, and it is the word that we have heard. The new commandment is the gospel that pierces the darkness of the old commandment with light.

In 3:22 we are told that we have whatever we ask of Him because we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him. This would be more confusing if it weren't for the fact that the commandment is clearly defined in the next verse. What are the commandments? Believe in the Lord Jesus and love the brothers. This surely has parallel to Matthew 22:34-38. The noticeable difference is in the first commandment. Matthew tells us that the first commandment is to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, etc. I John says that the commandment is to believe in the Lord Jesus. While this may seem inconsistent, it is actually a wonderful confirmation of the gospel--loving God is accomplished only through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ - Solus Christus. This clear definition of the commandments in verse 23 doesn't entirely clear up the confusion on having whatever we ask of him, but a solid New Testament understanding should easily dispel the popular use of this verse by the prosperity teachers. That and an ounce of logic. How can you love your brothers and live in greed at the same time? It's impossible, as the IRS may soon point out to certain prosperity teachers.

The next several references in 4:21, 5:2, and 5:3 show how intricately life in Christ is tied to keeping His commandments. We know that we don't earn the love of God by keeping His commandments, and these verses never even hint at that. But it is clear that keeping his commandments is the evidence that the love of God and the life of Christ have impacted our lives. This dispells the notion that all we have to do in life is "love God". 5:3 shows that loving God equals keeping His commandments.

My favorite of all these verses comes last of all in 5:3, "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome." Why aren't they burdensome? Because of the glorious light and life of Jesus Christ that comes to us through His grace. This is the same news that Paul proclaims in Romans 7:24-8:1. We are completely burdened by these commandments until we meet Christ, and then His grace motivates and accomplishes what we could never do on our own in our flesh. That's some good news.

My application through this particular study? Never let the commandments of God be reduced to an "outdated, irrelevant Old Testament concept". This is clearly not true in John's letter, and it shouldn't be true in my life. God was serious about His commands when he gave them to Moses, and just as serious about them when John wrote, and just as serious about them in my life. God help me to honor you through your perfect word!

Soli Deo Gloria