We have come to know him

1 John 2:1-11

Key Verse 2:3

“We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.”

Last Sunday we learned that our fellowship is with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. We need to walk in the light and confess our sins in order to have fellowship with God continually. 

Now in today’s passage a new topic arises. It is to know Jesus correctly. We need to know what it means to know Jesus. To know Jesus is important in our fellowship with Jesus. The more we know Jesus we can have deeper fellowship with Jesus. To know Jesus is also important because eternal life is to know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.  Not only that but also our practical life of faith shows why to know Jesus correctly is so important. For example, One person I know told me that he was confused when he believed that Jesus took away the possibility of our sinning when he took away our sins. Because of the confusion he suffered many years. Another person I know believed that he did not need to deny himself because Jesus solved his sin problem on the cross. Then he ended up committing more sins than when he did not believe in God, and he was in great agony. Their examples show how important it is to know Jesus correctly. 

So in today’s passage we want to learn how we can know Jesus correctly and what it means to know Jesus. My message have two parts. Part I. I say this to you so that you will not sin. (v.1-2) Part II. We have come to know him if we obey his commands (v.3-11). 

Part I. I write this to you so that you will not to sin. (v.1-2)

Look at verses 1 and 2. “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. [2] He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

In chapter one the author talked about sin. He said in verses 8 and 10 “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8) “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” (1 John 1:10) It is true that we have sin and we have sinned. Yet, it does not mean that we should sin. But some people might misunderstand his writing as allowance to sin. They may think, “Well, we have sin in us and we have sinned. And Jesus will forgive us and purify us if we confess our sin. So it is not a big problem even if we sin.” But that was not the purpose of the author. So he says, “My dear children I write this to you so that you will not sin.” 

In the world there are many false teachings which promote sin. There are many theories which justify our sin. Even today’s passage shows that there is possibility for some people to be led to false interpretation and false teaching from chapter one. 

 But all of these false teachings do not come from God but from the evil one. If we follow those teachings we will continue to sin. Most of all we will not know Jesus truly. So we should reject any teachings or theories that take sin lightly and promote sin. In fact, Satan uses all kinds of human ideas in order to promote sin. As far as man sins he remains as slaves of sin and he is under Satan’s control. That is why Satan is so eager to produce all kinds of deceptive theories to encourage sin. 

I heard one female Counselor who had advised one married woman, “If you feel so you can have affairs with other man when your husband cheats you.” In another time I heard one man claims only brave men and women do what they want to do, and what they want to do was bold sinning. At the time when the apostle John wrote his letter there were a group of people who claimed that they had secret knowledge of Jesus while they sinned freely. They were like people who think knowing Jesus as an intellectual game. They believed man’s body is evil and therefore their sinning in their body did not matter. Indeed there are all kinds of ideas that justify sin and they all come from the devil. But God’s teaching is clear: ‘My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.” 

But now what happens if anybody does sin? Look at verse 1b again. “But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.”

Verse 1b does not say ‘When anybody does sin’ but ‘if anybody does sin.’ It is true that ‘we have sin and we have sinned, but that does not mean we should sin.” The word ‘if’ shows there are people who do not sin. But ‘if we sin’ we suffer from all kinds of shame, fear, guilt, and condemnation. Most of all we despair the most. The result of sin is very destructive. It not only destroys our fellowship with God but also tempt us to sin more in despair. So the author helps us not to fall into another sin of despair and giving up by teaching us that we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense when we sin. 

When we sin Jesus works as our defense attorney. He speaks to the Father in our defense. Furthermore he never charges anything. These days prominent lawyers charge a lot. You can ask Dan Kim. He knows how much good lawyers charge these days. Long time ago I experienced how good it is to have a lawyer who does not charge and still understand my cause. I had a dispute in my dental expense. I was charged with $450.00 although I had the insurance. It was so unfair that I went to a lawyer, explaining my situation. Do you know what he said? “Well, I charge you $500.00 to take care of your case. But you do not have money to pay for $450.00. How will you pay me? It does not make sense.” I was hurt because he regarded man who did not have even $450.00. What I wanted was to see justice served. So I felt bad but I could not argue with him because he was right. So I paid $450.00. At that time I felt ‘whether I am right or not does not matter to the lawyer. What matters is money’. I almost wanted to sue for justice even if I had to pay $50.00 more. But Jesus dose not charge anything and still cares about our cause. Yet, Jesus wins our cases all the time. Now, think about it! We have our defense attorney throughout our life time, all free of charge, and he wins our cases all the time. If that is true don’t you want to have one? I do. I would like to have one. Indeed we all have one. Who is he? Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. Verse 1b says, “But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” This is a good news for all who sin. So when we sin we need to go to Jesus, our attorney, instead of despairing and sinning more and restore our relationship with God as soon as possible. Because of Jesus we can have confidence before God even if we do sin. Because of Jesus we can be free from Satan’s condemnation and others’ accusation even if we do sin. 

Now how could Jesus win our cases all the time? Verse 2 explains. It reads, “[2] He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” 

Jesus wins all the time because Jesus paid the full price of man’s sin. The meaning of ‘atoning sacrifice’ is ‘the price of man’s sin is paid in full’. On our side there is no sacrifice but on Jesus’ side he sacrificed his own life. On our side there is no pain and suffering. But on Jesus’ side he had to go through the pain of being crucified and staying on the cross for several hours. Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and in this way he freed us from sin. Jesus became the sacrifice so that we may not sin.

One person I know told me a story which explains the meaning of Jesus being the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Figuratively sin is like a prison. So we are all like prisoners in a prison. We are all born inside of prison and have lived inside of the prison all our lives. So we do not know what it means to go out of prison and become free men, and we do not know there is another free world outside of prison. One day Jesus came and he served all the prison terms for all of us. Then he opened the prison door widely. In this way he freed us from our sins.

I believe the same image is described in Acts 16:25-26. Acts 16:25-26 reads, “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. [26] Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose.” 

I believe this is what Jesus did by becoming the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Through Jesus “At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose.” We are free to go. We are free to live as a free men rather than prisoners of sin.

    

Now we need to remember that Jesus saved us not to sin. Some people are so happy to hear that they are all free from sin, and they sin more. But that is not the purpose of Jesus’ becoming the atoning sacrifice for our sins. He saved us from sin so that we may not sin. Indeed to know Jesus means not to sin.

Part II. we have come to know him if we obey his commands (v.3-11).

Let’s read verses 3 and 4. “. ³ We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. ⁴ The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

These verses teach us how we can know Jesus. It is through obedience. Knowing Jesus comes through obedience. The word ‘know’ used here has the meaning of deep personal and intimate knowledge. It refers the knowledge between husband and wife. The word ‘know’ is repeated 36 times in 4 chapters of this book. (2,3,4, and 5). Indeed true knowledge is so important in this book that the author ended up using the word ‘know’ so many times. He did it because there were people in his time who claimed to have super knowledge of Jesus without obedience.

To know God through obedience is God’s design for man from the beginning. In the Garden of Eden God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. To obey his command was God’s way for them to know him. Surely God opened the door for man to have fellowship with him and grow in the knowledge of him through obedience. In another words God does not want man to know him through the knowledge but through obedience.

God’s way for us to know him remains the same. So verse 3 reads, “³ We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.” 

But why do you think so many people are deceived by their own desires and the devil in knowing Jesus? It is because to know Jesus without obeying his command is easy. Yet, to know Jesus through obedience is different game. Obedience involves self denial and suffering. In the Garden of Eden to eat the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is easy whereas to obey God’s command requires self denial and patience. 

Even to Jesus obedience was not easy although he was the Son of God. 

Hebrew 5:8-9 says, “Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered [9] and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” 

Even Jesus had to learn obedience through suffering. Jesus became the atoning sacrifice for our sins by obeying God’s command. John 14:31a reads, “But the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.”

So if a man says “I know Jesus” and does not know obedience he is a liar and the truth is not in him.  So verse 4 reads, “⁴ The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

Now look at verse 5-6. “But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: [6] Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”

Obeying Jesus’ commands helps us to know Jesus and Jesus is the embodiment of God’s love. So verse 5a says, “But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him.” To be in Jesus or live in Jesus means to live a life of obedience like Jesus. So verses 5b and 6 reads, “This is how we know we are in him: [6] Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”

Now what is Jesus’ word or his commands? His word has many commands. But the author is talking about one command which is the sum of all his commands.

Verses 7 and 8 reads, “Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. [8] Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. 

 Verse 7 talks about old command, and ‘the old command” is ‘to love God and love your neighbor’. This is the message they have heard since the beginning. But verse 8 talks about new command. What is the new command? It is to love one another. 

Jesus said in John 13:34, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”  

 The old command ‘to love God and love your neighbor’ is completely fulfilled and revealed in Jesus and believers experienced it. So verse 8b reads, “its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.” Here ‘the darkness’ may refer to ‘ignorance’ about true love, and ‘the true light’ could refer to Jesus or ‘true love’. 

Now in verses 9 through 11, the author contrasts the difference between two people; the one who loves his brother and the one who hates his brother.

Verses 9 through 11 reads, “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. [10] Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. [11] But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.”

Anyone who loves his brother lives in Jesus who is the true light. He knows Jesus because he obeys Jesus’ command. But anyone who hates his brother lives in darkness. Since he disobeys Jesus’ command he does not know Jesus who is the true light. He lives in darkness and walks around in darkness. The most tragic thing about him is that he does not know that he is in the darkness. He does not know where he is going or what he is doing because the darkness has blinded him. 

When I prepared the passage I was shocked to know the desire of some group at the time of Apostle John is so powerfully present among us and in me even these days. I found that I was seeking to know Jesus without obeying his commands and with the desire to sin freely. So I did not know Jesus personally and I was in darkness, and walked around in darkness and did not know where I was going.

Surely if we want to know Jesus deeply and personally we should not sin but to obey his commands.

One word: we have come to know him if we obey his commands.

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