LESSON II.—SABBATH, OCTOBER 14, 1893.
- My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye may not sin. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
- And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.
- And hereby know we that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
- He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;
- But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily hath the love of God been perfected. Hereby know we that we are in him;
- He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked.
- Beloved, no new commandment write I unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which ye heard.
- Again, a new commandment write I unto you, which thing is true in him and in you; because the darkness is passing away, and the true light already shineth.
- How are the readers of the epistle addressed?
- For what purpose are these things written?
- What provision has been made for one who falls into sin?
- What is the name and character of the advocate?
- What relation does he sustain to sin?
- For whom?
- By what evidence may we be assured that we really know God?
- What charge is made against those professing to know him in whom this proof is lacking?
- In whom is the love of God perfected?
- Of what is this the proof?
- What should be the daily walk of the Christian?
- Is this a new conception of the Christian life?
- How old is it?
- How long since it has been made known?
- Although old, is it still new?
- In whom is it true?
- For what reason?
1. VERSES 1-3.—Christ came to save, not in sin, but from sin. Matt. 1: 21. He redeems from all iniquity (Titus 2: 14), and delivers from the power of evil (Col. 1: 13); but God remembers our weakness (Ps. 103: 13, 14), and has adapted his plan of salvation to the weakest one. "The Christian will feel the promptings of sin, but he will maintain a constant warfare against it. Here is where Christ's help is needed. Human weakness becomes united to divine strength." "There are those who have known the pardoning love of Christ, and who really desire to be children of God, yet they realize that their character is imperfect, their life faulty, and they are ready to doubt whether their hearts have been renewed by the Holy Spirit. To such I would say, Do not draw back in despair. We shall often have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus because of our shortcomings and mistakes; but we are not to be discouraged. Even if we are overcome by the enemy, we are not cast off, not forsaken and rejected of God. No; Christ is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Said the beloved John, 'These things write I unto you that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.' And do not forget the words of Christ, 'The Father himself loveth you.' He desires to restore you to himself, to see his own purity and holiness reflected in you. And if you but yield yourself to him, he that hath begun a good work in you will carry it forward to the day of Jesus Christ. Pray more fervently, believe more fully. As we come to distrust our own power, let us trust the power of our Redeemer, and we shall praise him who is the health of our countenance." We have each a case pending in the court of heaven, but we have an advocate there watchful of our interest. Heb. 7: 25. "He asks for his people not only pardon and justification, full and complete, but a share in his glory, and a seat upon his throne." "The law was there within the veil, but it was concealed under the golden mercy seat, and its voice was hushed by the blood of the atonement. The propitiation, or mercy seat, was there, and on it sat the glory of God, whose anger had been turned away by the voice of the blood."—Rodgers. "Obedience—the service and allegiance of love—is the true sign of discipleship," but "it is faith, and faith only, that makes us partakers of the grace of Christ, which enables us to render obedience." 2. VERSES 4-6.—"Though John in his epistles dwells so fully upon love, yet he does not hesitate to reveal the true character of that class who claim to be sanctified while living in transgression of the law of God." "God is love, and his law is love," and so "the love of God hath been perfected," or fully wrought out, in the one whose life is in harmony with his word. We are called to holiness (1 Thess. 4: 7), which is agreement with God, and "the command, 'Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect,' would never have been given if every provision had not been made whereby we could obey the requirement,—be as perfect in our sphere as God is in his." "It is not Christ walking upon the sea, but his ordinary walk, that we are called upon to imitate."—Luther. Love to God (Deut. 6: 5) and love to man (Lev. 19: 18) was not a "new commandment" in fact, but to many it was "a new commandment" in experience. 3. WORD THOUGHTS.—That ye may not sin (v. 1), that is, what John wrote is not a mere injunction not to sin, but if received, the word will keep from sin. He wrote that they might forsake sin.—Advocate (paraclete), the word from which "Comforter" comes in John 14: 16. Christ is the first Comforter, the Holy Spirit is the one called "another Comforter," who abides with us in Christ's absence.—The Righteous, the only righteous one in contradistinction to all others who sin.—Propitiation (v. 2), expiation, the one who shows mercy. Christ manifested God's mercy and goodness toward us.—If we keep his commandments.—Obedience does not make love; it is the test of love; it is the fruit of love. "Keep," as a habit; not spasmodically. Guard them as a precious treasure.—Old—New.—The principle of love is as old as God, and the first commandment and all the commandments given of God are love; but to the heart yielded to Christ and partaking of his Spirit the commandment is new, even as the man is a new creature. He sees in every precept of God not an accuser to bring him to punishment, but a blessed witness of the righteousness of Christ upon him.