The American Wisdom Series

Presents
Pamphlet #4654

My highlighted verses: 1 John 2:3  ¶And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4  He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5  But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
6  He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked

1 John 2:3
And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
It is one thing to say that you believe in Jesus Christ and that you fellowship with Him but it is an entirely different matter to KNOW that you KNOW Him, with NEVER a DOUBT!

How is that possible?

Simply abide in His Word, Fellowship with Him, be a DOER, and Keep His Commandments.

If you do not do that... well... you are kidding yourself as in lying to yourself!

In other words, you are a liar, because you do not really know Jesus Christ.

Didn't you know that Jesus Christ is the Word of God?

[4] He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
This is in contrast to "keeping His Word" in the next verse.

You see, if you will keep His Word, which is to abide in it (study it), which is to fellowship with the Lord, then you will grow and become "mature" (which is what the word "perfected" in the next verse means)  and you will cease from being an habitual sinner.

You cannot be both an habitual sinner and have the truth remain in you, i.e. without repentance there is no forgiveness!

[5] But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him.
You must mature in the Word and you will come to know Him personally through that fellowship and His love and compassion and willingness to forgive will grow in you.

If you do not fellowship with Him through His Word then you will never get to know Him and He will never get to know you!

Got it?

That is why Christ will say to those church going Christians who have listened to men all of their lives instead of fellowshipping with Him, "And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity (Matthew 7:23).

They didn't keep His word and mature!

1 John 2:6
He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
Hey, you may have to take some spiritual punches to the jaw and withstand some persecution and suffer for righteousness sake if you decide to walk the walk and keep His commands!
.7  ¶Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
8  Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.
9  He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
10  He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
11  But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

However, it is precisely because you are NOT in darkness (next verse), i.e. because you "little children" already know the truth, which "thing" is true in you, that I am writing this to you!
1 John 2:8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.
Therefore, if you have come out of darkness and into His Word then this has special meaning for you.

Here it is:

1 John 2:9
He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
Doesn't everyone know that you cannot be a Christian and hate your brother?

Now stop for a minute!

Remember that this is written to God's elect and so it has a much deeper meaning than what appears on the surface. First of all the word "hate" means to "love less by comparison" and the object of the "loving less" is a brother, not an enemy! Who would you love a brother less than? The answer is YOURSELF!
If you think for one moment that just because you claim to have the light in you, that you are in the know concerning God's truth, that you are a chosen "little one", that you are any better than our brothers and sisters who still walk in darkness, you are sadly mistaken and you yourself are "in darkness even until now"!

Christianity and the love of God does not work that way.

God's elect do not consider themselves above others, as elitists!

Matthew 23:11 "But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant."

But there is also another aspect to "hating" your brother and that is that you do not love him!

Sound strange?

It shouldn't!

Did we not just read that Christ was the propitiation for ALL, not just us?

You see, the love of God actually "constrains" us (2 Cor. 5:14), i.e. compels us to want to help our brothers and sisters, not to keep our light under a bushel or to remain unto ourselves.

Our brothers and sisters are all God's children and it is our Father's desire that NONE of them perish but that ALL come to repentance.

That should be our desire also.

That is why He is so patient and longsuffering!

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
How do you look upon people of other faiths and how do you look upon our brothers or sisters who are part of other churches or sects or religious groups?

They may still be blinded and still walk in darkness (but for the grace of God there go I), but we are not to look down on them because of their ignorance for then we walk in darkness along with them.

That is one reason why you have never heard this ministry discuss or even answer questions about other churches, religious groups, or ministries.

It is not God's way!

We need not even tell a brother that he shouldn't attend a church that teaches the any-moment rapture theory!

We should be mature enough in the Word to say to him "Hey, have you ever read 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 where Paul says that antichrist, who is Satan disguised as Jesus, will come first before we gather back to the Lord"?

You see, IF a person begins to "fellowship with Christ" through His Word he or she will easily figure out where he or she belongs!

1 John 2:10
He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

 
 
 

To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.

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