1 John 2:28-3:7 Remain in Him
This weekend is the time to remember those who have fallen. In the mean time, this week is still the time to remember the one who has risen, Jesus Christ our Lord. For those who have fallen, and for those who are their families, I think the greatest comfort to them comes from our Christian hope, the hope that in the end we will all be raised from the dead just like Jesus. According to the Bible, Jesus’ resurrection is the first fruit of our resurrections. Because of His resurrection, in the end we will all be raised. That is why St. Paul said in 1 Cor: “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
Back to today passage in 1 John, today let us learn more about our relationship with the risen Lord. Many of us may think that since Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and now he is back to heaven, He is far away from us. However, this is only part of the situation St. John has said in today’s passage. <2:28> Another part in this verse is ‘remain in him’. And these words are actually echoing what Jesus Christ has said: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.” Now then, what exactly is remaining in him? Since Jesus Christ is in heaven and we are on the earth, how can we remain in him?
The first thing to remain in him is to remain in the truth, the truth which was once passed down from the apostles and now written in the Bible. Then what exactly is this truth? In an earlier verse St. John has beautifully summarized this truth. Let me read 2:21-22. In other words, the truth is that Jesus is the Christ. What St. Johns means is that the historical Jesus is the only Christ, the Son of God, who was sent by the Father God into this world, and became one of us. This Christ has also died and resurrected. And all these have happened according to the promises in the Old Testament. There is no other Christ. St. John even says that anyone who denies the Christ is a liar, an anti-Christ. In the past two thousand years there have been so many voices against this truth, sometimes not just outside the church but also inside the church. Here St. John warns us if we deny this truth, we are alien from God, because Jesus Christ is the only way coming to Father God. 2:23, And again Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” So let me say once again, we must believe in this truth, and defend this truth, not just defend general truth.
The second thing of remaining in Jesus Christ is remaining in the fellowship with Him. As what I have said two months ago, believing the truth of Jesus Christ demands our relationship with Him. At that moment I said that we need a trusting and repentant heart in our relationship to Jesus Christ, and in today’s passage another important feature in our relationship to Him, i.e., in fellowship with Him. St. John even uses the wordings of “see him” and “know him” to describe this fellowship. Today when we come together for this service we come together in fellowship. We see each other, know each other, and we communicate with each other. This is the fellowship among us, and our fellowship with Christ is similar. And this fellowship relationship has already been mentioned at the beginning of 1 John. 1:3, <> Then how can it happen? Is Jesus Christ up in heaven? How can he be in fellowship with us? It is because the Holy Spirit is in each believer’s heart. The God we believe is One God, and the Holy Spirit, the Son, and the Father are one. When the Holy Spirit is with us, Christ is also in our hearts. Moreover, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can know Jesus more through the teachings in the Bible. We cannot see Him face to face now, not until his coming, but we know He is among us through the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
The third thing about remaining in Jesus is remaining in Him until his coming. 3:2, <> Here the Bible points to something very important at the far end of the horizon – seeing Jesus face to face. We have this life goal, as we continue to remain in Him until that day. It is unlike this fleeting secular world, where people dare to give up one thing and anther in order to ride on the worldly trend. Such life style will never give us any meaning of life. Moreover, the target of seeing Jesus at the far end is really not that far. God is fair to everyone. No matter what will be the exact time of Jesus Christ’s second coming, our life experience is in a similar length of time. It spans from our birth to our last breath. And afterward, we sleeping for a while, and then all of us will wake up, and then see our Lord face to face. So, in terms of our life experience, the sleeping time doesn’t count. Then the end is really not that far. With this in mind, we may be able to know how to count our days and gain wisdom.
The fourth thing about remaining in Him is that we are thus entitled being the children of God. 3:1, <> Last month As what I have said something about the love of God, that our Father God has given His son to us, in order that we may be saved. And again from the above verse we know that we are not just saved, but through Jesus we are called children of God, only when we believe in the truth and remain in Jesus. Please note that this entitlement is not just a royal descent, but a divine descent. And we don’t have to wait until the last moment of Jesus’ coming, that is what we are! This entitlement has been granted to us because we remain in Him. Yes, a sinner as me now becomes an adopted son of God. That’s why St. John exclaims, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us.” Moreover, the full benefit of this entitlement will be cashed in when we see our Lord face to face.
With this hope in mind, St. John exhorts us to get away from sin. 3:3, <>, and again in 3:6, <> We are the glorious children of God. But if we sin, certainly we are falling short of the glory of God, and here the Bible teaches us that no one who remains in Jesus Christ keeps on sinning. Habitual sin is no good for your divine status, and it also threatens your fellowship with our Lord. We need to listen and repent.
So, dear friends, let us remain in Jesus Christ who has risen from the dead. Let us stand firm in the truth, keep the fellowship with our Lord, and live a life worthy to be called the children of God. Let us also not forget the final end in the horizon, because at that moment, we will see our resurrected Lord face to face. Amen.
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Dear Father, how amazing is your love demonstrated to us through the salvation work in our Lord Jesus Christ. Please help us to be humble before you, be inspired by the Holy Spirit, and learn from our Lord Jesus Christ that we may be your good children. Please also strengthen our faith, that we may dare to be different from this fleeting world, as we are waiting for your coming. … Amen.
Back to today passage in 1 John, today let us learn more about our relationship with the risen Lord. Many of us may think that since Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and now he is back to heaven, He is far away from us. However, this is only part of the situation St. John has said in today’s passage. <2:28> Another part in this verse is ‘remain in him’. And these words are actually echoing what Jesus Christ has said: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.” Now then, what exactly is remaining in him? Since Jesus Christ is in heaven and we are on the earth, how can we remain in him?
The first thing to remain in him is to remain in the truth, the truth which was once passed down from the apostles and now written in the Bible. Then what exactly is this truth? In an earlier verse St. John has beautifully summarized this truth. Let me read 2:21-22. In other words, the truth is that Jesus is the Christ. What St. Johns means is that the historical Jesus is the only Christ, the Son of God, who was sent by the Father God into this world, and became one of us. This Christ has also died and resurrected. And all these have happened according to the promises in the Old Testament. There is no other Christ. St. John even says that anyone who denies the Christ is a liar, an anti-Christ. In the past two thousand years there have been so many voices against this truth, sometimes not just outside the church but also inside the church. Here St. John warns us if we deny this truth, we are alien from God, because Jesus Christ is the only way coming to Father God. 2:23,
The second thing of remaining in Jesus Christ is remaining in the fellowship with Him. As what I have said two months ago, believing the truth of Jesus Christ demands our relationship with Him. At that moment I said that we need a trusting and repentant heart in our relationship to Jesus Christ, and in today’s passage another important feature in our relationship to Him, i.e., in fellowship with Him. St. John even uses the wordings of “see him” and “know him” to describe this fellowship. Today when we come together for this service we come together in fellowship. We see each other, know each other, and we communicate with each other. This is the fellowship among us, and our fellowship with Christ is similar. And this fellowship relationship has already been mentioned at the beginning of 1 John. 1:3, <> Then how can it happen? Is Jesus Christ up in heaven? How can he be in fellowship with us? It is because the Holy Spirit is in each believer’s heart. The God we believe is One God, and the Holy Spirit, the Son, and the Father are one. When the Holy Spirit is with us, Christ is also in our hearts. Moreover, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can know Jesus more through the teachings in the Bible. We cannot see Him face to face now, not until his coming, but we know He is among us through the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
The third thing about remaining in Jesus is remaining in Him until his coming. 3:2, <> Here the Bible points to something very important at the far end of the horizon – seeing Jesus face to face. We have this life goal, as we continue to remain in Him until that day. It is unlike this fleeting secular world, where people dare to give up one thing and anther in order to ride on the worldly trend. Such life style will never give us any meaning of life. Moreover, the target of seeing Jesus at the far end is really not that far. God is fair to everyone. No matter what will be the exact time of Jesus Christ’s second coming, our life experience is in a similar length of time. It spans from our birth to our last breath. And afterward, we sleeping for a while, and then all of us will wake up, and then see our Lord face to face. So, in terms of our life experience, the sleeping time doesn’t count. Then the end is really not that far. With this in mind, we may be able to know how to count our days and gain wisdom.
The fourth thing about remaining in Him is that we are thus entitled being the children of God. 3:1, <> Last month As what I have said something about the love of God, that our Father God has given His son to us, in order that we may be saved. And again from the above verse we know that we are not just saved, but through Jesus we are called children of God, only when we believe in the truth and remain in Jesus. Please note that this entitlement is not just a royal descent, but a divine descent. And we don’t have to wait until the last moment of Jesus’ coming, that is what we are! This entitlement has been granted to us because we remain in Him. Yes, a sinner as me now becomes an adopted son of God. That’s why St. John exclaims, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us.” Moreover, the full benefit of this entitlement will be cashed in when we see our Lord face to face.
With this hope in mind, St. John exhorts us to get away from sin. 3:3, <>, and again in 3:6, <> We are the glorious children of God. But if we sin, certainly we are falling short of the glory of God, and here the Bible teaches us that no one who remains in Jesus Christ keeps on sinning. Habitual sin is no good for your divine status, and it also threatens your fellowship with our Lord. We need to listen and repent.
So, dear friends, let us remain in Jesus Christ who has risen from the dead. Let us stand firm in the truth, keep the fellowship with our Lord, and live a life worthy to be called the children of God. Let us also not forget the final end in the horizon, because at that moment, we will see our resurrected Lord face to face. Amen.
--------------------------------------------------------
Dear Father, how amazing is your love demonstrated to us through the salvation work in our Lord Jesus Christ. Please help us to be humble before you, be inspired by the Holy Spirit, and learn from our Lord Jesus Christ that we may be your good children. Please also strengthen our faith, that we may dare to be different from this fleeting world, as we are waiting for your coming. … Amen.
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