Bringing the light of Jesus Christ to a world darkened with sin. This is the Lighthouse Radio Bible Study, an outreach ministry of the Progressive Primitive Baptists. Our purpose at The Lighthouse is to present you the truth of God's Word and its relevancy for your daily living. We want to help equip you to light your world with the truth of Jesus Christ, that Jesus is both Lord and Savior. Hello my name is Scott Reiner and I invite you to join us now as we study God's Word together. Welcome and thank you for joining us today at the Lighthouse. I'm your host and radio Bible teacher Scott Reiner. For the next several weeks we are planning to look at love from the perspective of 1 John. This book contains numerous references of love focusing on different ways that it is to be expressed in the lives of believers and how it was and is demonstrated by God in His actions towards His people. Our first lesson from the first week focused on how obedience to the commandments of God is the means that establishes the credibility of our profession of faith. This was divided into two parts, the basis of credibility, which involves obeying God's word, and the denial of credibility, which focused on an absence of obedience to God's Word, which showed that our profession of faith was a lie. Our study today is the second point of this lesson, and that is, obedience to God's Word is the means of perfecting the love of God. The main point here is that obedience demonstrates the reality of God's love in our life, and that our love for Him is real because of our obedience. With that we invite you to join with us for today�s study from 1 John chapter 2 verses 3-6. But first let�s be encouraged by this special musical presentation �Great is Thy Faithfulness� by Judy Williams. by compassion. faithfulness, Lord, unto me. Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, sun, moon, and stars in their courses above and manifold witness to thy great faith. All I have needed, thy hand hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord of all. Morning by morning, new mercies I see. All I have needed, thy hand hath provided. Great is thy favor. This morning, I encourage you to take your Bibles and turn with me to the New Testament book of 1 John, and there I'd like to read from the second chapter, verses 3 through 6, and our study today will focus on verses 5 and 6. Once again, we'll be reading from 1 John chapter 2, verses 3 through 6, with our study coming from verses 5 and 6. As I mentioned during our last time together, for the next few weeks I want us to explore some of the biblical concepts of love from the perspective of 1 John. As we indicated last week, the Apostle John uses various forms of the term love, some 46 times. This reveals that love is a major priority for the Apostle John, both when it comes to instructing believers as to what love is, that is the nature and the action of love, and for believers to actually develop this vital quality in their loves. That is very simply for believers to engage in loving, but from a biblical perspective. Last week we emphasized that a primary emphasis in this passage is keeping God's commandments, or His Word. This is seen in both verses 3 and 5. And we also indicated that the essence of this idea was on obedience, obeying the Word of God, and not just simply with the external act, but with the inward disposition as well, that is, the affections of the will. And we also noted that out of this, John developed two reasons why obedience to God's Word was so important. First of all, keeping or obeying God's Word is the means of establishing the credibility of our profession of faith. We studied this last week. And secondly, keeping or obeying God's Word is the means of perfecting the love of God. And this is going to be the focus of our study today. With that in mind, please read with me from 1 John 2, verses 3-6. By inspiration we have recorded these words. Now by this we know that we know him if we keep his commandments. He who says I know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in him. He who says he abides in him ought himself also to walk just as he walked." Again, we're going to be focusing on the idea that keeping or obeying God's Word is the means of perfecting the love of God. Now the first thing I want you to observe is that what John writes here is set in contrast to verse four. Go back with me and look at verse four again. He who says I know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. That is the word of God does not influence how he lives. But in verse 5, the term but begins this sentence, and the term but is a term of contrast. But whoever keeps his word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. Now, we mentioned this last week, but it bears repeating. The phrases, if we keep his commandments in verse three, and does not keep his commandments in verse four, can be grammatically understood as if we keep on keeping on his commandments, or if we do not keep on keeping his commandments. In other words, these terms are given in the present tense, which implies continuous and repeated action. This is also true for the phrase in verse 5, whoever keeps his word, that is, the individual who keeps on keeping the word of God. Now this idea is not a reference to sinless perfection, but rather it is a reference to a pattern of life marked by principled obedience. It is a way of life. It is a lifestyle. It is this person who keeps on keeping the Word of God that the love of God is perfected in. Now the question at this point that we need to examine is what exactly does this mean? Truly the love of God is perfected in him. Now it can either refer to God's love, that is the love with which he shows, God's love for us. or our love for God. Now some commentators even combine these ideas. Now it is my understanding that the emphasis here is actually on God's love, which has been demonstrated. But at the same time, it by necessity includes our love for Him. Go back and notice the phrase, the love of God. Again, this I think refers to God's love, which has been demonstrated in His plan or purpose of salvation, which of course is centered in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Now this plan of salvation not only points to the work of Christ, what we sometimes refer to as salvation accomplished, but it also points to salvation applied. That is, that work of the Holy Spirit by which He sovereignly and graciously applies the salvation accomplished or secured by Christ in His redemptive work on the cross to elect sinners. that is bringing them to a state of salvation with all of its blessings, with all of its privileges, and with all of its responsibilities. Now notice it is the love of God which is perfected in Him, in the individual who keeps on keeping God's Word. The term perfected means to bring to an end by completing or perfecting. It is used in the sense of accomplishing or of bringing to completeness. Now, with that in mind, I want you to think about this. God is a God of love. The Bible clearly teaches this. In fact, it says God is love. But that love, in a sense, really doesn't do us, that is, condemned sinners, any good unless that love is directed toward us. Very simply, the fact that God is love doesn't mean that He has to love us as rebellious sinners. Keep in mind that there is already perfect love that exists within the Trinity, that is between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. So God is under no constraint outside of Himself to love us. His love for us is an act of divine grace. So the sovereignty and the graciousness of God's love is seen in the full scope of his plan to save sinners. This includes the work of the Father, the work of the Son, and the work of the Holy Spirit. Now, several weeks ago, I made the observation that one of the things that distinguished the God of Israel from the false gods of the ancient Near East was God's desire for relationship with his covenant people. Now, this was something that was absolutely not seen among the religions of the ancient world at this time. It was completely unheard of. But not only did God desire a relationship with his people, but he actually provided the basis for that relationship. Now ultimately we recognize that that is in the forgiveness of sins through the death of his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And not only did God provide the basis for a relationship with his people, But he searched out those with whom he would have a relationship. Now remember that it is God who initiates this relationship. And as a result, he would change their hearts and give to them the desire and the ability to respond to him and want to have a relationship with him in return. Or in essence, they would learn to love him. So the point is that where there was death, God would give life. Where there was unbelief, God would give faith. Where there was rebellion, God would provide love. The heart of any personal intimate relationship is love. A mutual reciprocal love. And this is true with God and us. And so the purpose of God's love, a relationship, making us his children, is perfected. That is, it is accomplished. It comes full circle. It meets his objective, his purpose, when we learn to love God in return. And what we need to keep in mind is this basic and vital point. What is the key way that we love God? Jesus said in John chapter 14 and verse 15, if you love me, keep my commandments. And it is this basic idea that the Apostle John has in mind in this section of scripture. So God's love for us demands our love in return. One writer said that keeping God's word does not cause us to love God. but rather it is loving God that causes us to keep his word. So keeping or obeying is the means of perfecting the love of God. Now one other thing I want to note here is this term perfecting is given in what is called the perfect tense. And the perfect tense describes something that took place in the past but has continuing results into the present. So God loved us. He gave his son for us. He changes our hearts in regeneration. He gives us the gift of faith to respond to the truth. This enables us to love him in return. And that love is demonstrated or perfected as we keep on keeping his word. That is, as we live a life of obedience. Now in verse five, John writes, by this. And this phrase, by this, is linked to the idea of keeping his word. By this, we know, and here there is a sense of assurance, that we are in him. That is, we are authentic believers in Jesus Christ. Now by the experience of obeying God's Word, and this is true consistently and growingly, that is learning how to obey in even greater ways as we mature in our Christian walk with the Lord, in this there is a growing assurance, a legitimate assurance that we belong to Christ, again that we are in Him. So underscore this in your thinking, there is a vital link between assurance and obedience. If we are living a life of disobedience, then we have no basis for assurance. Now, in him is probably best understood as to what John writes in verse six, that is, abiding in him. And in verse six, John says, he who says he abides in him, that is Christ, ought himself also to walk just as he walked. Now again, notice this phrase, he who says. We mentioned last week that just because someone calls themselves a Christian, doesn't necessarily mean that they are a Christian. So he who says that he abides in Him, Again, that is Christ ought himself also to walk just as he walked. The term abides means to continue, to dwell, to endure, to remain, to stand. Negatively, we could say it means to not leave, to not forsake. or not to abandon. One writer calls this idea of abiding in Christ as habitual obedience. And what a wonderful thought there. Habitual obedience. This is what we're talking about. A life of obeying the commandments, the words of God. So this is marked by a life that is patterned after the life of Christ. In fact, the whole idea of being a Christian, the term Christian, means Christ-like, to be like Him. Why would anyone want to call themselves a Christian and not want to center their lives on what Christ teaches? Why would they call themselves a Christian and not want to be like him? So the person who says he abides in Christ, and the term abide here is given in the present tense as well, which implies continued and repeated action. This person is challenged to faithfully and consistently demonstrate that profession by walking as Christ walked. Now one thing that I read that I found very interesting is that some see this idea of abiding as an expression of salvation. Or in other words, it is a term of salvation. But that's what John has in mind. It is a synonym for salvation. And so the person who says that he is a believer in Christ is challenged to walk like Christ. Now the idea of walk, of course, describes a person's way of life, how they live. And so their life is to be patterned after the life of Jesus Christ. Now there's a lot of qualities that we could think about here, the fact that Jesus was merciful, he was compassionate, he was truthful, he was strong, he resisted temptation, a lot of very positive, powerful things. But as you look at the life of Jesus Christ in general, there is one thing that seems to capture the essence of what his life was all about, and that is obedience. Time and time again, Jesus spoke of the fact that he came not to do his own will, but to do the will of his Father in heaven. And so this simply means that he was obedient to the Father's purpose. And the extent of this obedience is found in a great statement of Scripture that Jesus became obedient even to the point of death, the death of the cross. He was so determined that his life be marked obedience to the will of the Father that he was willing to die. because that was the purpose of the father. That was the purpose that he submitted to in what we call the covenant of grace. The father purposed or planned salvation. Jesus in his death would accomplish salvation and the Holy Spirit would apply salvation to the covenant people of God. So Jesus Christ became obedient to the point of death. So as we look at our lives, our life that is to mirror the life of Christ, we're to walk as he walked. This means that our life is to be marked by obedience. So the life of Jesus becomes a pattern for us. If we claim to be a Christian but we're not walking like Christ, then there's no credibility about our profession of faith. Again, look at verse 6. The person who says he abides in him, that is, who expresses salvation, who says that they are in Christ, then they ought to walk just as he walks. There's a statement that sometimes is used, and that is a Christless Christianity. That describes simply a bare outward profession, but a life that is void of any resemblance to Christ. Or perhaps more specifically, there is no Christ. It's all talk. It's just an outward profession. As the old saying goes, don't talk the talk if you're not going to walk the walk. If you talk of being a Christian, then your life needs to be Christ-like. And again, that focuses ultimately on a life of obedience, a lifestyle, a pattern that is marked by obeying God's Word. Again, we're not talking about sinless perfection, but we are talking about a life that expresses its love for God by how it lives. Now, I want to close with one last statement. This particular writer says that the admonition to live by the teaching of Jesus reveals that this conformity comes from us. Slaves must follow the commands of their masters or they will be punished. Employees need to do their work to keep their jobs. However, the Christian, as a child of God, ought to obey God because of a sincere desire to do so. It should be a joy to follow in the footsteps of the one who died for us. If the love of God demonstrated through the sufferings and the death of Jesus Christ is not enough to motivate us in our love for Him expressed by obedience to what He commands us to do, then I don't know what else can motivate us, or at least in the right way. Until next week, may the Lord bless you, is our prayers. You have been listening to the Lighthouse Radio Bible Study, an evangelistic ministry of the primitive Baptist churches of the southeastern United States. We encourage you to attend one of these churches whenever possible. This radio ministry and its supporters are committed to the authority, the inerrancy, and the divine inspiration of God's Holy Word. to the Saviorhood of Jesus Christ as well as to His Lordship, and that salvation is by God's grace alone. We hope this program has had a positive spiritual influence in your life. If it has, please write us and let us know. We encourage you to be with us next week at this same time. To find out more information about the Lighthouse, you can visit us at our website at www.lighthousebiblestudy.org. That's all one word and in all lowercase letters. Once again, that's www.lighthousebiblestudy.org. Please take a moment and visit us at our website. This program exists because evangelistically-minded people like you contribute to it. If you would like to help us bring the light of Jesus Christ to a sin-darkened world, then write us at The Lighthouse, P.O. Box 1317, Baxley, GA 31515. Once again, that's The Lighthouse, P.O. Box 1317, Baxley, GA 31515. We would love to hear from you. Until next week, this is Scott Reiner, encouraging you to light your world.