The Normal Christian Life

1 John 2:12-14
P. G. Mathew | Sunday, March 11, 2001
Copyright © 2001, P. G. Mathew

I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. 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 evil one. I write to you, dear children, because you have known the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

1 John 2:12-14

In 1 John 2:12-14 the apostle John gives us his view of the state of the true church. Earlier in this epistle he spoke about heretics-people who make claims of knowing God, but in reality, are unregenerate. As we learned in verse 11, such people are in darkness; they walk about in darkness; they do not know where they are going; and their eyes are blind. Darkness here means the sphere of evil, the realm which Satan controls; thus, heretics are under the dominion of the evil one.

But true believers are those who walk in the light and who are light. In these three verses, the apostle is addressing the true church. He uses three forms of address for them: children, fathers, and young men. These three categories may represent three stages of the Christian life. During New Testament times, people between twenty-four years and forty years of age were considered as young men, while those forty-one years old and older were considered old people.

We must keep in mind that the apostle is not addressing the heretics in these verses; rather, he is describing the nature and experience of true believers. He is doing so for their encouragement and comfort. It is interesting to note that there are no conditional statements, no subjunctives, and no imperatives in these verses. All of John’s statements are in the indicative, meaning that John was describing the reality of the church. It is John’s state of the union message to the church.

Categories of Believers

These believers are addressed first as children, and John uses two Greek words, teknia and paidia, to refer to them. Teknia refers to the relationship of the children to the father. As Christians, they have been born but of the Father. Teknia also speaks about children’s complete dependence upon their heavenly Father. So 1 John 5:1 we read, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God,” and in John 1:12 we read, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” Here John uses the same term: children born of God. These verses speak about those who believe in Jesus Christ and receive him. We are only able to do these things because of something prior that happened to us: We had to be born of God.

In 1 John 3:9 John writes that we are children of God because his seed remains in us. Then in verse 10 John writes, “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.” According to the Bible, there are only two fathers: God and the devil. Either you are born of God or you are a child of the devil. Your behavior will prove your parentage.

So the word “children” as used here are those who are born of God, in whom the seed of God remains. Unlike the Gnostics, such people believe in Jesus Christ and do the will of God. Because they are born of God, they know the Father, love their brothers, and so on.

The second word John uses is paidia, which is found in verse 13. Paidia points to the idea of subordination to the father and the fact that children are taught and instructed by their father as they grow up. They are not to come up with their own ideas and philosophies; rather, they are to receive the revelation that is coming from the father. In Ephesians 6:4 we are told that fathers are to bring up their children en paideia kai nouthesia kuriou, “in the instruction and the admonition of the Lord.” And in Luke 10:21 Jesus said, ‘I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.'”

John, then, uses two words for children. One speaks about relationship while the other speaks about subordination and teachability.

The second category John addresses is young men. He uses the word neaniskoi, which refers to young men and women of the church who are twenty-four to forty years of age. These people are strong and vigorous. Like Joshua and David, they like action and are ready to fight. John says they are to engage in battle against the devil and win.

Third, we find the category pateres, fathers. Fathers are believers of great maturity who have been persevering in Christian faith for over thirty years or so. They are leaders, elders, and teachers who are appointed by God to faithfully teach the gospel to the next generation.

In these three verses, then, we are introduced to the irreducible minimum of our Christian position and experience. They are, first, forgiveness of sins; second, the fight of conquest; and, third, fellowship. Every believer will experience these realities in varying degrees.

Forgiveness of Sins

The first experience John speaks about is forgiveness of sins. In verse 12 John writes, “I write to you, dear children, because your sins are forgiven on account of his name.” The first experience of a Christian is to hear from God these wonderful words: “Your sins are forgiven.”

We notice that in the Greek text all these verbs appear in the perfect tense. In Greek the perfect tense means an action that took place in the past whose effect continues on to the present. The idea here is that your sins were forgiven and you are still in the condition of being forgiven.

A basic truth of Christianity is that salvation is by grace alone and must be divinely initiated. A sinner is dead in trespasses and sins; how can a dead man seek the true God and save himself? He cannot, although many people even in the evangelical world do not understand this simple truth. The Bible declares that by nature we are dead, we are enemies of God, and we cannot seek God on our own. Romans 1 tells us that by nature we suppress the truth of God’s revelation of himself and exchange the truth of God for the lie of the devil. That is why we cannot earn our salvation.

God must act if we are to become children of God. First, the call of the gospel must come to us. This happens when we are brought to listen to the preaching of that gospel. The gospel call is aimed at bringing us to the summum bonum-the highest blessing-of fellowship with the Father and the Son. It says we must repent of all our sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. It tells us we must believe that Jesus Christ died for us on the cross, that he was buried, that on the third day he was raised from the dead, that he ascended into the heavens, that he is Lord of all, he is King of kings, and that he is coming again to judge the living and the dead. It tells us we must believe that he is the great Prophet, Priest, and King to whom we must commit our lives forever and whom we must love and obey.

Yet even when the call of the gospel comes, we cannot respond on our own to that call. In fact, in ourselves we are morally incapable of doing any of these things. So the Spirit of God must raise us from the dead or regenerate us. Through the mysterious work of regeneration our minds become able to understand the gospel, our wills become inclined to do the will of God, and our hearts are opened to respond to the gospel call. Only when we are regenerated are we able to receive Jesus Christ and believe in him. Only then can we savingly trust in Jesus Christ and pray the sinner’s prayer. Only then can we repent truly, believe truly, and pray truly. Only then can we ask forgiveness of all our sins. By faith we are justified and God looks upon us as if we had never sinned.

This is what John is speaking about in this verse when he writes, “apheôntai humin hai hamartiai.” All our sins are forgiven and we are in a state of forgiveness all of our life. This is justification.

Jesus Christ used this same expression in the perfect tense when he told the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven you.” To the sinful woman in Luke 7 he said the same thing, “Your sins are forgiven you” (Luke 7:48). After his resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ required his apostles to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins to all the nations.

The Basis of Forgiveness

John writes, “Your sins are forgiven on account of his name.” What is the basis for our justification? The name of Christ.

We can never be justified on the basis of our own works, our own merits, our own seeking of God. Some people have the idea that God is in heaven in front of a control panel, which he is watching. All of a sudden, a place on the panel lights up, indicating that someone has begun to seek God. God notices the light, looks for the person and responds to him by helping him out. In this scenario we have to make the first move, and then God will take care of us. Such a view is not what the Scripture teaches. Yes, we receive Christ and believe on his name, but we do so because we have been born of God.

What, then, is the basis of our justification, according to this passage? John says on account of his name our sins are forgiven. The Bible tells us, “Where sin abounded, grace superabounded.”

In the phrase, “On account of his name,” the word “name” stands for the person and work of Jesus Christ. The second person of the Trinity took upon himself perfect human nature and lived a perfect life before dying for our sins. That is the basis for our justification.

In Acts 2:38 Peter told the crowd, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” In Acts 3:6 Peter said to the lame man, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Here we see that the name of Jesus Christ stands for his person and work. In Acts 3:16 Peter told the crowd, “By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you all can see.”

In 1 John 3:23 John writes, “And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.” This is the command, not a suggestion, of the Father in heaven. He who gave the Ten Commandments now commands that we believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another. Who is this One we are to believe in? Jesus Christ, who became the sacrifice of atonement; Jesus Christ, our atonement; Jesus Christ, by whose blood alone our sins are cleansed.

Gnostics cannot be saved. Their sins are not forgiven because they refuse to believe in the person and work of Jesus Christ, God’s eternal Son. It is the blood of Jesus Christ that purifies us from all our sins. So in 1 John 5:6 we are told that Jesus Christ came by water, meaning by baptism, and by blood, meaning by crucifixion. Jesus Christ is our basis, foundation, and hope. He is our atonement as well as our advocate. When John says our sins are forgiven because of his name, he means they are forgiven because of who Jesus is and what he has done.

In Acts 4:12 we find another declaration of salvation through the name of Christ: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

No man can ever be saved without faith in God’s Messiah. He alone is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father without him. He is the ladder between heaven and earth. This is the reason why Paul declared in 1 Corinthians 2:2 that, unlike the Sophists and the hollow philosophers, he did not want to know anything else but Jesus Christ and him crucified.

So John is saying in this epistle, “My dear children, your sins are forgiven. You stand before God as people forgiven of all your sins on account of his name.” Oh, what assurance! This is not a theory or a hope; it is part of the normal Christian life.

Message to Young People

Having addressed the children, John then turns to the young people in the church, saying in verse 13b, “I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one,” and in verse 14b, “I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.”

Look at the language the apostle uses: Fight! Conflict! Temptation! Battle! Strength! The man who is saved by the Lord Jesus Christ is given freedom not to sin. Aware of the devil, he is actively engaged in battle against temptation, sin, the flesh, and the devil. This ought also to be the normal Christian experience.

What are the realities that describe the young men and women of God’s church? They are strong and vigorous. Yet they are not strong in themselves but in God. In Isaiah 40:30 we read, “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” The idea here is that it is not the muscle strength of the young people that makes them strong, but their trust in God. “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.”

In 2 Corinthians 12:10 Paul says he glories in his weakness, saying “when I am weak, then I am strong.” Elsewhere, Paul tells Timothy to endure hardship like a good soldier. Fight the good fight! That is what John is saying to the young people.

The moment we become Christians, we discover that we have enemies. Before we only had one enemy: God. But now that God is our friend, we discover that we have enemies all around, including the devil, the world, and false prophets in the church.

Here John is telling the young people that they are strong and vigorous, not because of their youth, but because of their faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. In 1 John 5:4 we read, “This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” Faith here is used absolutely, meaning our faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. His victory is our victory, and the young people understand that. So they engage in battle and defeat the enemy, the evil one. As we said before, the verb, nikaô, is used in the perfect tense here. These young people fought and were victorious and remain in the state of victory.

In 2 Timothy 2:22 the apostle says to “flee the evil desires of youth.” Young people are particularly tempted in these ways. Trust in the power of Jesus Christ, who defeated all the enemies by his death and resurrection.

Overcoming the Enemy

In 1 Peter 5 we find further instructions to young people about fighting the enemy of their souls. In verses 5-6 we read, “Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” Then in verses 8-9 Peter writes, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”

The devil is a roaring lion, seeking to devour us, but here Peter encourages us that if we resist him, he shall flee from us. This is similar to John’s encouraging words: “I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.”

Yes, we have enemies. One enemy is the devil-a superhuman being who possesses great wisdom, strength, malevolence, and power. Next, we have the world as our enemy. Then in the church we have false prophets, antichrists, who sit in the church but will not submit to the gospel. All of these are presented to us in this first epistle of John.

These enemies are always engaged in opposition to Christians, but, as young people, John writes, we must understand that Christ has overcome the devil. In 1 John 3:7-8 we read,

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.

The purpose of the incarnation of Jesus Christ was to render our enemy powerless. He did so throughout his life on earth and especially by his death on the cross.

In Luke 11:21-22 we read in reference to the devil, “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils.” The strong man was rendered powerless when Christ overcame and conquered him. We must note that Luke uses the same Greek word nikaô.

We find nikaô also in John 16:33. There Jesus told his disciples, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.” This is true. In this world we have problems and conflicts from the devil, from the world, from false philosophers, from false prophets and others. So Jesus said, “In this world you have trouble, but take heart. . . .” In other words, rejoice, be strong, be courageous! What is the reason we can take heart? “I have overcome the world.” What is the basis for our confidence? Jesus Christ has overcome the world!

Challenge to Young People

Young people, I challenge you to be action-oriented and fight. Look upon temptation as an opportunity to stand against the devil. When you do so, he shall flee from you. Learn from Joshua who, when called by Moses to take his sword and fight against the Amalekites, did so until he had overcome them (Exodus 17:8-13). Learn from the young man David in his fight against Goliath. In the name of the Lord, he destroyed Goliath. That is the idea of being an overcomer. Learn from Joseph. When he was tempted by Potiphar’s wife, he said, “How can I do this wicked thing and sin against God?” Learn from Daniel and his young Hebrew friends. The Babylonians wanted them to eat non-kosher, non-scriptural food, but they resolved not to defile their bodies. As a result, they became very successful. Even though Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were faced with a burning fiery furnace, they refused to worship an idol. They were thrown into the furnace and God kept them.

So John says, “I write to you, young people, because you are vigorous, you are strong, and you have overcome the evil one.” Young people, little children, fathers, the truth is, no one can harm you. In John 10:28-29 Jesus said of his disciples, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

In Romans 8:37 Paul uses an expression, hupernikômen, saying, “In all these things we super-conquer every day.” In other words, a Christian is super-conquering all his enemies. What an amazing statement! “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” In 1 John 5:18 John writes, “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him,” and in 1 John 4:4 John tells us, “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

The Key to Overcoming

John, then, is addressing young men who are strong and who engage in battle. What is the key to their ability to overcome? In verse 14 we read, “I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” The basis of our strength and victory is that “the word of God abides in [us].”

This fact is stated in the present tense, meaning the word of God continually abides in us. The key to vigor and conquest in spiritual battle is the secret of the indwelling word-knowing, believing, and doing the gospel.

What did John mean when he wrote that this word dwells in them? He was not referring to having just theoretical knowledge of the word. The other day I asked someone what church he went to. He said, “It is large-several thousand members.” When I asked how someone could become a member of the church, he said, “Really, it doesn’t matter who you are. No one asks any questions, so anyone can become a member of the church.” I finally asked why he decided to go to that church. His reply surprised me: “There is a good choir,” he said. He did not say, “That church preaches the word of God.”

When the Bible says “the word of God abides in them,” it is speaking about the word of God ruling them. PGM It is hearing the word, it is loving the word, embracing the word, believing of word, and doing the word. “Young men,” John is saying, “you can overcome because you are regulated by the very word of God.”

In Colossians 3:16 we read, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” In other words, we must let the word of Christ control and rule us. We find the same idea in Ephesians 3:17, where Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians is “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Wherever the word of Christ is dwelling, there Jesus Christ is dwelling. And in Ephesians 5:18 we read, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” When we read these three verses-Colossians 3:16, Ephesians 3:17, Ephesians 5:18-together with 1 John 2:14, which says, “The word of God abides in you,” then we gain this understanding: When we say the word of God rules us, it means Jesus Christ rules by his Spirit.

In Ephesians 4:11-12 we read, “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” Is Paul saying we should be built up in the hollow philosophies of the world? No! We are to be built up in God’s truth as it is preached, practiced, and proclaimed.

What is the result of this building up? In verse 14 we read, “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.” Many Christians today are like balloons, filled with the hot air of evangelical superficiality or charismatic shallowness or the hollow philosophies of this world. We can look up in the sky and see preachers, like hot air balloons, going this way and that way, up and down, over here and over there-unstable and unsteady in all their ways. What is the cause of this unsteadiness? They have rejected God’s word.

I hope you will not be Christian hot air balloons, but people stabilized by God’s truth. I pray that you will be so regulated and guided that when the devil comes, you can say with Martin Luther, “One little word shall fell him.” That word is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Message to Fathers

Third, John says, “I write you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning.” We are created to enjoy the highest blessing possible, which is fellowship with God. God didn’t intend us to be baptized in pearls, silver, gold, and fame. God has a higher purpose for us: fellowship with him. This is described in the Scriptures as blessing par excellence. This is why the catechism begins with the question and answer, “What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and to enjoy him forever.”

Through sin we were deprived of this blessing. Because of sin we were driven out of God’s presence. But God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to deal with our sin and purify us from all our sins. We are told in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and to purify us from all unrighteousness.” The removal of our sins by Jesus Christ makes us holy and blameless and results in restored fellowship with God.

When John says, “You have known him who is from the beginning,” we must note that the word for “know,” egnôkate, is in the perfect tense, meaning we have known God and continue to know God. “Yes, fathers, you have known him,” John is saying. This is especially speaking about Jesus Christ, who is described in 1 John 1:1 and following, and John 1:1-14, as the preexistent eternal Son of God. This knowledge, which came about by the preaching of the gospel, is not some theoretical knowledge about Jesus, but a personal, loving relationship with him. As Jesus said in John 17:3, “This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

We must have vital relationship with him who is from the beginning. Without this knowledge of Jesus Christ, no one knows God the Father. No one comes to the Father without knowing his Son, and he who has the Son has the Father.

This fellowship with the Father and the Son is the experience of all believers. Yet the fathers, the mature believers, experience this communion in an ever-increasing degree. The things of this world do not attract them; rather, they are looking eagerly toward heaven, longing to be with the Father and the Son. They are fascinated with God’s word and feast upon it continually. They rejoice in God with joy unspeakable. Rather than being hot air balloons, floating about in confusion, they speak of the gospel with great conviction. They know whom they have believed and, like Noah and Enoch, walk with God. They love righteousness and hate wickedness. They delight in serving God, and long to be like Jesus Christ and to see him. Such people gladly say with the apostle Paul, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain,” and “I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (Philippians 1:21, 23).

As Christians get older, their great desire is to have full fellowship with the Father. Who is this Father? The one who loved us from all eternity; the one who chose us to eternal salvation; the one who spared not his own Son, but gave him for our salvation; the one who loves us with an everlasting love; the one who provided for our every need and still provides; the one who justified us; the one who protected us from all harm; the Father of all good gifts; the Father of all spiritual blessings; the Father of all mercies; the Father of all comfort.

Do you enjoy this type of fellowship with God? Do you long for the fullness of this fellowship when we see him as he is? This is the normal Christian life: first, your sins are forgiven; second, you are strong and conquer your enemies, because the word of God permanently rules you; and, third and highest, you know and have vital fellowship with the Father and the Son.

Dwelling in God’s Presence

We find an illustration of what it means to dwell in vital fellowship with God in Exodus 40 where we find the story of the tabernacle being set up. According to certain theologians, the theme of the entire book of Exodus is the presence of God, under which is also included the themes of redemption.

We are told in Hebrews that Moses was fascinated, not by anything in the world, but by God. Brought up in all the luxury and pomp Egypt could provide, Moses forsook all of that for the sake of Christ. He was so fascinated with God that in Exodus 33:15 Moses told God, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” Moses knew that a life without God’s presence is an absolutely miserable life. Of course, unbelievers define happiness as life without God. But here we see Moses telling God, “If you don’t come with us, don’t send us up from here.” Moses was seeking the presence of God. He eagerly desired a God-directed life.

In Exodus 33:18 Moses asked the Lord, “Now show me your glory,” and God appeared to him, as we read in Exodus 34:5-7: “Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.'”

Then, in verse 8 we read, “Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. ‘O Lord, if I have found favor in your eyes,’ he said, ‘then let the Lord go with us.'” Moses still had in his mind that God might not accompany his stiff-necked, idolatrous people into the land of Canaan. Although God had brought them out of Egypt, the people were so rebellious and stubborn that Moses knew it was possible that God may not go with them. Thus, as a mediator, he interceded, saying, “Please go with us,” and God heard his prayer.

In Exodus 33:18 Moses had prayed, “Now show me your glory.” In Exodus 34:29 we read, “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.” In some sense, the Lord had shown him his glory because Moses’ face was radiant from his meeting with God.

In Exodus 40 we read that Moses set up the tabernacle according to the pattern that God showed him. What was the purpose of the tabernacle? That God may dwell with his people. Yes, they were a sinful, stiff-necked people, yet God was coming down to dwell with them in the Holy of Holies. He would be separated from them by various curtains, but nevertheless, God would be with his people. What a blessing to have God dwell with us!

The Reality of Living with God

If God is dwelling with us, we must keep two things in mind: First, he blesses us by protecting us, providing for us, instructing us, governing us, leading us, and guiding us. The greatest blessing we can ever imagine is to have God with us. However, there is also a danger in having God dwell with us. As the King and Ruler of the universe who governs his people among whom he dwells, God will judge those who will not be governed by him and his word. God has rules for the lives of his people. When we read the Old Testament we find him telling what to eat and what not to eat, what is holy and what is not holy, when to work and when not to work. This God who dwells with us regulates every aspect of our lives and deals with every violation of his law. So before we say, “O God, come into my life,” we must think. While it is a great blessing to have God with us, God must also deal with our sin. We see such dealings taking place even today in the church. In 1 Corinthians 11:30 we read, “That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.”

We read about this aspect of dwelling with God in Leviticus 10. Nadab and Abihu had been invited to meet with God when he met with Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel on the mountain. Later they were ordained as priests, together with their father, the high priest Aaron. But the Bible tells us these two sons of Aaron acted in an undisciplined manner. We do not know what the nature of their behavior was. The presence of the Lord killed them.

What about the people of Israel in the wilderness? God was with them, as we said before. But if you study it, you will notice that people dropped dead, one after another. Over a half million men died over the course of forty years. What was the reason for all this death? God was dealing with their sin.

When the Israelites reached the promised land, God was with them and told them how they should conduct themselves in the battle against Jericho. He commanded that no one should take devoted things for himself. A man named Achan stole some items. Along with his family, Achan then dug a hole and hid them inside his tent. His reasoning, probably, was that surely God could not see through the tent. But Achan’s sin was uncovered, and God-this great, gracious, compassionate, merciful God-killed Achan and destroyed his whole family.

In the second chapter of the book of Acts, we see that God was with the church. Yet in the fifth chapter we read that Ananias and Sapphira literally dropped dead in the midst of the church, in the presence of the Lord.

That is why we need to be careful when we pray, “O God, I want you to be with me.” Yet this desire to be with God should be the prayer of every true Christian.

In Exodus 40 we find the tent set up with everyone looking on. In verse 34 we read, “Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” God finally kept his promise that he would come with them. This is what the Christian life is all about.

The Word of God Dwelling in Us

In 1 John 2:14 we read, “These things I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God dwells in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” I would put it this way: “I write these things to you, young men, because the word of God dwells in you; therefore, you are strong and therefore you have overcome the evil one.”

The issue we need to note is that the word of God dwells in a Christian. The heretics of John’s time claimed that they knew God, that they had fellowship with God, that the word of God was dwelling in them, and that God himself was dwelling with them. Yet in 1 John 1:10 we are told, “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” Here is the difference between a true Christian and a pretender: in one, the word of God dwells; in the other, it does not.

What is meant by the idea of having the word of God dwell in us? In Colossians 3:16 we read, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,” meaning, “Let the word of Christ rule and regulate you.” Paul uses the word “dwelling” to indicate that, rather than having a tangential relationship with the word, the word of Christ takes up permanent residence in us and regulates every aspect of our lives.

So in Colossians 3:16 Paul wrote, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom. . . .” and in Ephesians 3:16-17 he said, “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Here, then, in Colossians 3 Paul said the word of Christ dwelling in us richly, and in Ephesians 3 he prayed that Christ may permanently dwell in our hearts by faith. Then in Ephesians 5:18-19 Paul wrote, “Do not get drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. . . .”

Notice, there is a great similarity between Colossians 3:16-17 and Ephesians 5:18-20. But in one place we are told, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,” and in the other we are told, “Be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Thus, we cannot claim to be filled with the Holy Spirit and at the same time not have the word of Christ dwell in us richly. It is an utter impossibility.

What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? It means to be controlled, ruled, by the third Person of the Trinity and by the word of God. The Spirit controls us through the word of God.

This word-controlled, Spirit-controlled life was illustrated for us by Jesus Christ himself. After Jesus was baptized in the the Spirit as he came up from the Jordan, the Spirit led him into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. Of course, Jesus was filled with the Spirit in a different way and degree than we will ever be. But he was also Scripture-filled and controlled. The word of God dwelt in him richly, as we see in his responses to the devil. Jesus knew from God’s word that what the devil was telling him to do was not the will of God. The word of God dwelt in Jesus richly.

To be filled with the Spirit and to be filled with the word-both are true of a Christian at the same time. We cannot claim to be Spirit-filled yet defy the word of God, because the word of God is authored by the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of truth.

I hope we understand this truth. Our minds are muddled nowadays with hot-air Christianity, which tells us that as long as we agree with our minds to some Christian propositions, we are Christians. This teaching is all false. What differentiates a Christian from a non-Christian is that God has come and taken permanent residence in a person’s life and now he is controlled by the word of God.

Thus, the person who is filled with the Spirit is also the one in whom the word of Christ dwells richly by faith. To put it simply, a Christian is a person who obeys God. If you are a child or a wife or a husband, if you are an elder, if you claim to be Christian, you must be filled with the Spirit and the word of God, which will result in obedience to God. Jesus’ charge to his disciples was to go “into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey whatsoever things I have commanded you.” When the word of God dwells in us richly and we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will do God’s will.

God Dwells in Us!

In John 14:21 Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.” The one who has the word of Christ dwelling in him will show his love for God by obedience to God. No one is showing love to God unless he obeys God. John continues, “He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” And in verse 23 Jesus said, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.” What is the result of loving and obeying God? “My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”

If the word dwells in us richly, it means Christ is dwelling in us. Additionally, it means the Holy Spirit is dwelling in us because, according to our theology, it is the Holy Spirit who applies redemption into our hearts. Without the Holy Spirit working, we cannot become Christians. Additionally, as we just read in John 14:23, it means the Father is dwelling in us. So a Christian is a person in whom the triune God has made his home, and we know he is dwelling in us because we do what he says.

The triune God has come; that is why we are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. In the person of the Holy Spirit, the triune God has chosen us to be his home. Is there any greater reason for consolation than knowing that God is with us?

This is the idea we see whenever the cloud came and filled the tabernacle or the temple. God dwelt in the Holy of Holies, surrounded by the people. There was a curtain, in front of the Holy of Holies and no one could go in except the high priest, once a year, and that with blood. What would the priest see when he went into the Holy of Holies? Blood, blood, blood, blood-blood all over the place!

When Jesus Christ died on the cross, the curtain that separated us from the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom. A new and living way was opened up for us so that now in Jesus Christ we can come into the very presence of God. To put it another way, God himself comes into our hearts and dwells in us.

This understanding is greater than pearls, gold, silver, fame or anything else the world can offer. The highest blessing is for God to dwell with his people, and for his people to come under his benediction, his blessing, his protection, his provision, his guidance.

Overcoming the Evil One

However, as we said before, there are also problems associated with dwelling with the living God. Never think that we can disobey and grieve the Holy Spirit of God without consequence. Many Christians today hate this idea that love for God is expressed in obedience to the word of God.

If we disobey God, we will experience serious spiritual problems, physical problems, economic problems, and every other kind of problems. Do you think it is worth experiencing the pleasure of sin for a season when the effect of that sin can continue to the second, third and fourth generation? How foolish we are when we function in a stubborn and disobedient way to our God!

So John writes in 1 John 2:12-14, “I write these things to young men because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” What is the key to overcoming the evil one? Having the word of God dwell in us. Loving the gospel and living under the gospel’s discipline will make a Christian vigorous, strong, and able to overcome the devil.

Let the Word of Christ Dwell in You Richly

I pray that we will be strong in the word and in the power of his might. May the word of Christ dwell in us richly and may we always yield to the word of God as Jesus Christ did. When tempted, may we respond, “It is written,” knowing that nothing more needs to be said. As Christians may we be the first to eat the word of God, and, as we do so, may our souls be nourished that we can be strong in our innermost being.

Jesus Christ said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). As Paul wrote in Romans 8:37, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Amen.