The Spiritual State of the Union

Bible Book: 1 John 2 : 12-17

Subject: Christian Living; Obedience to Christ; Christ, Union with; Christian Growth

Introduction

The Spiritual State of the Union is a matter of critical importance. Of course, I refer to your union with the Lord Jesus Christ. Dr. R. David Rightmire explains, “Union with Christ is the result of an act of divine grace, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Baptized into Christ (Gal 3:27), the believer is incorporated into the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:13). A variety of biblical metaphors describe this union: vine and branches (John 15:1-6); head and body (Eph 1:22-23; 4:15-16; 5:23); marital relation of Christ and the church (Eph 5:23-32). The result of identification with Christ is organic union and spiritual life.”[1]

1 John 2:12-17 reads, “I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake. I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one.
I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

Notice three movements in our passage.

I. First, note the word about Development.

1 John 2:12-13 reads, “I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake. I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one.”

Dr. Lehman Strauss (1901-1997) writes, “In verse 13 the whole family is divided into three stages of spiritual development, ‘fathers... young men... little children.’ The ‘little children’ in verse 13 are either those who are young in the faith in relation to time, or else they are victims of arrested development. I dare say that some of you know exactly what I mean, and you know also in which part of the heavenly family you fit. The New Testament Epistles are full of the idea of progress. We are to ‘press toward the mark’ (Philippians 3:14), ‘increase more and more’ (1 Thessalonians 4:10), ‘go on unto perfection’ (Hebrews 6:1), ‘add to your [our] faith’ (2 Peter 1:5), ‘grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’ (2 Peter 3:18). But, alas, too many remain ‘babes in Christ’ (1 Corinthians 3:1). (See also Hebrews 5:11-14.)”[2] Hebrews 5:11-14 reads, “of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
Listen for these three voices in the church. First, the voice of enthusiasm “Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake . . . . Because you have known the Father” (1 John 2:12, 13); Second, the voice of education, “Because you have overcome the wicked one. . . . Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one” (1 John 2:13, 14); and Third, the voice of experience, “Because you have known Him who is from the beginning . . . Because you have known Him who is from the beginning” (1 John 2:13, 14).

Dr. R. C. H. Lenski (1864-1936) explains, “Now these heretics are denying the deity of Jesus, are claiming that he is the natural son of Joseph, that his blood is not that of ‘the Son of God’ (see 1:7; also 1:1, ‘the Logos of the Life,’ and 1:3, ‘his Son Jesus Christ’). . . . Our fellowship with God (1:7) is that of Father and children, no less. This we ‘know’ in the way explained in 2:3; see 3:1. What the heretics claim to know about their fellowship with God without a reference to sins, to Christ, God’s Son, and to his cleansing blood, is a lying claim (1:5-10). These men are trying to get their lying claim to take the place of the knowledge in the hearts of the readers. John writes because of the knowledge of his readers, to preserve and to fortify this knowledge.”[3]
Rev. Matthew Henry (1662-1714) writes, “All Christians are not of the same standing and stature; there are babes in Christ, there are grown men, and old disciples. As these their particular states, so they have their particular duties; but there are precepts and correspondent obedience common to them all, as particularly mutual love and contempt for the world. We see also that wise pastors will judiciously distribute the word of life, and give the several members of Christ’s family their several suitable portions.”[4]
1 Corinthians 3:1-4 reads, “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, ‘I am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not carnal?”

II. Second, note the word about Detachment.

I John 2:15-17a reads, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it. . .”

The term “detachment” means, “Indifference to worldly concerns.”[5] Dr. Douglas Groothuis writes, “As Pascal said, our passionate interest in the trivial and our lack of concern for the eternal, evidences a very strange disorder. Let us repent and live for what matters most.”[6]

The term “detachment” can also mean, “That which is detached; especially, a body of troops or part of a fleet sent from the main body on special service.”[7] 2 Timothy 2:3-5 reads, “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.”

We are to be in the world but not of the world. In 1 Corinthians 7:31 we read about “. . . those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away.”

Puritan Bible Commentator, John Trapp (1601-1669), writes the following on “Ambition” related to 1 John 2:16: “Pleasure, profit, preferment (called here the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life) are the worldlings Trinity, to the which he performeth inward and outward worship. According to the three things which the woman by false suggestion saw in the tree for meat, for the eyes, and for prudence. And according to our Saviour’s three-fold temptation Mat. 4 the last whereof the vain pomp and glory of the world, he could least of all endure, and therefore bids the Tempter Avaunt.”[8] According to the Webster’s 1913 Unabridged English Dictionary, the term “avaunt” means, “Begone; depart;—a word of contempt or abhorrence, equivalent to the phrase ‘Get thee gone.’”[9]
Solomon confesses in Ecclesiastes 2:1-11, “I said in my heart, ‘Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure’; but surely, this also was vanity. I said of laughter—‘Madness!’; and of mirth, ‘What does it accomplish?’ I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives. I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards. I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove. I acquired male and female servants, and had servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and musical instruments of all kinds. So I became great and excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, For my heart rejoiced in all my labor; And this was my reward from all my labor. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.” As you slowly read those words you get the sense of one pursuing “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life”!

Solomon shares his conclusion in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.”

Dr. Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847) began a sermon based on 1 John 2:15 titled, “The Expulsive Power of a New Affection” as follows: “THERE are two ways in which a practical moralist may attempt to displace from the human heart its love of the world—either by a demonstration of the world’s vanity, so as that the heart shall be prevailed upon simply to withdraw its regards from an object that is not worthy of it; or, by setting forth another object, even God, as more worthy of its attachment, so as that the heart shall be prevailed upon not to resign an old affection, which shall have nothing to succeed it, but to exchange an old affection for a new one.

My purpose is to show, that from the constitution of our nature, the former method is altogether incompetent and ineffectual and that the latter method will alone suffice for the rescue and recovery of the heart from the wrong affection that domineers over it.”[10]

Rev. Andrew Murray (1828-1917) explains, “Pride, or the loss of humility, is the root of every sin and evil. All this to make it known through the region of eternity that pride can degrade the highest angels into devils. . . . [Rev. Murray further explains,] Humility, the place of entire dependence on God, is, from the very nature of things, the first duty and the highest virtue of the creature, and the root of every virtue.”[11]

James warns about the love of the world as well. James 4:4 reads, “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Colossians 3:1-9 reads, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.”

Dr. David Wells writes, “Worldliness is what any particular culture does to make sin look normal and righteousness look strange.”[12] Jerry Bridges explains, “The world…is characterized by the subtle and relentless pressure it brings to bear upon us to conform to its values and practices. It creeps up on us little by little. What was once unthinkable becomes thinkable, then doable, and finally acceptable to society at large. Sin becomes respectable, and so Christians are no more than five to ten years behind the world in embracing most sinful practices.”[13]

1 John 5:14 reads, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” Romans 10:17 reads, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

III. Third, note the word about Deployment.

1 John 2:17b reads, “. . . but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

The term “deploy” means “to arrange in a position of readiness, or to move strategically or appropriately.”[14] Remember you must do the will of God in the world in the midst of a system that opposes it. Ephesians 5:15-18 reads, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.” Romans 12:1-2 reads, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

In John 17:6-19 Jesus prayed, “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. ‘I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.”

Conclusion

Dr. R. David Rightmire explains, “Although union with God is dependent on God's gracious initiative, it also requires a human response (Eph 2:8). Central to Paul’s notion of being ‘in Christ’ is the fact of faith. It is the indispensable condition for salvation, a placing of one’s trust in the God revealed in Jesus Christ. This faith is the basis for intimate union with Christ, since it is the self-abandonment of the redeemed to the Redeemer. Faith-union thus finds its focal point in the death and resurrection of Christ. . . .

The notion of union with Christ is multidimensional in theological significance. ‘In Christ,’ believers identify with his death (Romans 6:3; 6:5-11), his burial (Rom 6:4), his resurrection (Col 3:1), his ascension (Eph 2:6), his lordship (2 Tim 2:12), and his glory (Rom 8:17).”[15]

Dr. Thomas Manton (1620-1677) writes, “Old men excuse themselves, they are too old to interest themselves in Christ; and the children are not ripe, and young men are otherwise occupied. . .”[16] Dr. John William Diggle (1847-1920) author of several books to include, Religious Doubt: its Nature, Treatment, Causes, Difficulties, Consequences, and Dissolution, Sermons for Daily Life, and Godliness and Manliness, writes, “And is it not wise for Christian teachers occasionally to proclaim to Christians some message designedly appropriate to each particular stage? For the cycle of man’s fleeting life, like the cycle of the revolving year, has its successive seasons — its springtime of childhood, its summer of youth, its autumn of maturity, and its winter of old age. Each of these successive seasons of life has its own joys and sorrows, weakness and strength, temptations, besetting sins, and preventing graces. And the gospel has a meaning appropriate for each period of life.”[17]

Discernment is needed to evaluate the spiritual state of the union.

[1]Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, ed. Walter A. Elwell, “Union with Christ, R. David Rightmire, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House Company, 1996), Accessed: 03/09/15, http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/union-with-christ.html .

[2]Lehman Strauss, The Epistles of John: Devotional Studies on John's Three Letters (Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers, 1962), 58.

[5]detachment. Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster Dictionary http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detachment (accessed: 03/12/15).

[6]Douglas Groothuis, “Why We Should Avoid Celebrity Gossip,” February 9, 2015, Accessed: 03/09/15, http://douglasgroothuis.com/the-constructive-curmudgeon-blog/ .

[8]John Trapp, A Commentary Or Exposition Upon All the Books of the New Testament Wherein the Text is Explained, Some Controversies Discussed, Divers Common Places Handled, and Many Remarkable Matters Hinted, that Had by Former Interpreters Enlarged Throughout (London: R. W. are to be sold by Nath. Ekins, 1656), 1060.

[10]Astronomical and Commercial Discourses by the late Thomas Chalmers, D. D., LL. D., (New York, NY: Robert Carter & Brothers, 1880), 209. http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nnc1.cr59944048;view=1up;seq=569 .

[11]Andrew Murray, Humility: The Beauty of Holiness (New York, NY: Anson D. F. Randolph & Co., 1895), 15, 133.

[12]Roy B. Zuck, The Speaker’s Quote Book (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic & Professional, 2009), 552.

[13]Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace, (Carol Stream, IL: NavPress, 1994), 202-203.

[14]deployment. Dictionary.com. Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/deployment (accessed: 03/12/15).

[15]Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, ed. Walter A. Elwell, “Union with Christ, R. David Rightmire, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House Company, 1996), Accessed: 03/09/15, http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/union-with-christ.html .

[16]The Biblical Illustrator, ed. Joseph S. Exell, First John (New York, NY: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1905), 106. https://archive.org/details/biblicalillustra62exel .

[17]The Biblical Illustrator, ed. Joseph S. Exell, First John (New York, NY: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1905), 104. https://archive.org/details/biblicalillustra62exel .

Dr. Franklin L. Kirksey, pastor First Baptist Church of Spanish Fort 30775 Jay Drive Spanish Fort, Alabama 36527

Author of Don’t Miss the Revival! Messages for Revival and Spiritual Awakening from Isaiah and

Sound Biblical Preaching: Giving the Bible a Voice [Both available on Amazon.com in hardcover, paperback and eBook]