(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

Hello everybody, it's me, MrToll23, back there with a video. Just do a quick sound check to make sure that the sound is working. Okay, so the sound is working. Alright, so anyway, so in this video I want to talk about the book of 1st John, the first epistle of John as a total, do a general overview of that book. Now it's not going to be an in-depth study of the whole book, I could talk for hours about the book of 1st John, there's a lot of details within it, and I'm not going to read every verse in this video either, because that would make this video quite long. Rather, the purpose of this video is to look at the purpose of the first epistle of John. There's a lot of people misunderstand and they twist why 1st John was written, and they use it for things that it shouldn't be used for, and thus they take a lot of verses out of the larger context of the epistle to teach false doctrine, particularly a false gospel. Now when a book of the Bible explains why it was written, we should give heed to that reason, because oftentimes it helps us to understand the meaning behind the text itself. For example, in John chapter 20 it explains that the purpose of the book of John is that we might believe, and that believing we might have life through his name, it says in verse 31. So a few weeks ago I made a video on the purpose of the Sermon on the Mount, that Jesus's intent was to show that we cannot get to heaven by our own righteousness, but only through the narrow way, which is through Jesus Christ. Now towards the end of the book of 1st John, it is written in chapter 5, verse 9 to 13, If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater, for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things are written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. Here towards the end of the epistle, John explains how it is that we are saved, that we believe this record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. If somebody does not believe that record, according to the Bible, they are making God a liar, and they do not have the witness in them, which according to the preceding verses, the witness is the Spirit. And in Romans chapter 8, it says that if we do not have the Spirit of Christ, we do not belong to him. We are none of his, as it says in verse 9. And then in verse 13 of this chapter, John says that these things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. Therefore one of the purposes of the book of 1 John is to explain to those who already believe how they may know that they have eternal life, to give them assurance of salvation and to explain the results of salvation. So the purpose of the book of 1 John is to tell us how we know that we have eternal life, and therefore is both about how we get saved and the evidences of salvation. It's a book about self-reflection, about examining ourselves and seeing whether we are in Christ. However, there is another purpose, which is revealed at the beginning of the book in 1 John chapter 1, verse 4. It says in these things write we unto you that your joy may be full. So he's speaking to believers, those who are saved, that their joy might be full. Now Jesus said concerning this to his disciples in John chapter 15, verse 10 to 11, If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. Therefore our joy is full, or we are filled with that feeling of overwhelming delight and elation when we keep the commandments of God. In the opening statements of the book of 1 John, it makes clear that another subject of this book is fellowship with God, not salvation. It's written in verse 3, That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. So some will quiz this book, and they'll use quotes from the book of 1 John to teach that it's only about how to get saved. And of course they'll preach a false gospel, they'll see what the scriptures say are the evidences that one is born of God, the inward changes that take place of salvation, and they try to apply that to people and say that you need to do these things in order to be saved. I'll show you a few examples of that throughout this video, but let's read 1 John with the knowledge that the purpose of the book is to show people who already claim to believe, who are already Christians, how they know that they have eternal life or assurance of salvation to strengthen the faith of believers, but also to show us how to have fellowship with God, that our joy might be full. Personally, I should repeat what I've already pointed out, that we've already read what we must do to be saved, and John explains in 1 John 5, verse 10 to 13, that those who believe that God hath given to them eternal life, and this life is in his Son, they have the witness in themselves, and they already have eternal life. As Jesus said, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life, in John 6, 47, and he said that he that believeth on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. So the only requirement for salvation or for having eternal life is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. If all your trust is in Jesus Christ as your Savior for your salvation, then you are saved. You have eternal life. There's no other requirement. The Bible says whosoever, meaning anybody, there's no other requirement given. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God hath raised from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For by grace are you saved through faith, and then not of yourselves. It is a gift of God, not of works as any man should boast. Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. It's hammered in throughout the whole Bible. So we can't just take 1 John out of the context of the whole Bible. It's all the Word of God. It does not contradict itself. It all aligns together. You can't just ignore other scripture when you're looking at the book of 1 John. So any other doctrine which teaches that you need to do something else in order to be saved is false doctrine. It's a false gospel. So let's interpret some scriptures in the book of 1 John and see what they actually mean, based firstly on what the words actually say and not our interpretation of what they mean, based secondly on the purpose of 1 John and also using other scriptures from other books of the Bible as comparison to these books. In 1 John chapter 1, verse 6 to 7, it says, if we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ, his son cleanses us from all sin. I've heard people twist this to try to say that if we do anything wrong, if we sin, that means that we're not saved, that we need to obey the commandments of God in order to be saved. However, that's just assuming what walk in darkness and walk in the light means. Instead of forcing our own meaning onto the text, how about we use the Bible's definition of walking in the light? I made a video about this subject a few weeks ago about what the Bible says about the light of God. So if you want to watch that, I go into more detail about this subject that shows that everybody who is saved, everybody who believes on Christ is no longer in darkness but in light. It's written in John chapter 12, verse 46, I am come a light into the world that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. So Jesus says that whosoever believeth on him should not abide in darkness. Therefore, in order to be part of the category of people in 1 John 1, of those who walk in the light, all you have to do is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Because there's an order with having fellowship, you can't have fellowship with God if you're not saved. Now, I'm not saying that fellowship is the same thing as salvation, but you need to be saved first in order to have fellowship with God. Now in the same chapter, John 12 that is, where Jesus said that, a few verses earlier it says in verse 35 to 36, Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you. For he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have the light, believe in the light that ye may be the children of light. Pay close attention to what Jesus is saying. First he's telling the Jews to walk in the light, lest darkness come upon them. He said that he is the light of the world. Jesus is with them, he has spoken unto them the word of God, and thus they should get saved. And he then explains what he means in the very next verse, in verse 36, that is, that they should believe on the light, and that those who believe become the children of light, which we also see in Ephesians 5-8. Now Jesus's illustration is followed up in verses 37 to 40 about a description of the Jews which did not believe on Christ, which had the light, but they rejected that light, and they went into darkness. It says that they did not believe on him in verse 37, and then in verse 39 it says that they could not believe, because God hath blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they be converted, and I should heal them, it says. So the whole passage is about faith in Christ. Those who have the light of the gospel revealed unto them, who know Jesus Christ, the light of the world, should believe on Christ, and in doing so, they no longer abide in darkness. That's why it says in 1 Peter 2-9 that we have been called out of darkness into his marvelous light. So if we go back to 1 John 1, the subject is about faith. Those who say that they have fellowship with Christ, and yet they do not know Christ as their savior, they are not saved, whose understanding is darkened, it says that they lie. But those who walk in the light, those are the ones who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and they are the ones whose sins have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. So in 1 John 1 verse 8-10 it says, If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. So next we have another evidence of somebody's salvation, or rather an evidence that somebody isn't saved, that they're lying. If somebody denies that they are a sinner, they're not saved. They do not have the truth and the word in them. Now Jesus said that I am the way, the truth, and the life, and he said that people who are saved will have the Spirit of Christ within them. So only if we confess that we have sinned, we are cleansed from our sins. For all those sinful, or sinless perfectionists out there, the people who claim that they're sinlessly perfect, that they've never sinned, that they're living a life of perfect righteousness, they're not saved because they're making God a liar. They don't even understand why they need a savior, they're trying to do it by their own righteousness. They say, I'm perfect, I've just stopped sinning. That's the attitude that they have. But the Bible says that they're making God a liar, they're deceiving themselves. So that's one thing that we should keep in mind also as we read through the rest of the book of 1 John. Because ironically, there are a lot of people who say that you need to stop sinning in order to be saved, and they use quotations from the book of 1 John in order to prove that, yet they ignore the first chapter. They ignore these scriptures that we just read. It's like they just want to just ignore chapter one when they go into chapter two and three and four. They also apparently ignore the next couple verses, because it says in 1 John chapter two, verse one to two, my little children, these things write unto you that you sin not, 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 sins of the whole world. Firstly, here's another purpose of the book of 1 John in verse one. He's writing that we sin not, but don't misunderstand what he means by that. Because in the preceding verses, it's already told to us that if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. And the next phrase of verse one, it teaches us that if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Therefore, the Bible is not telling us that the book is going to teach us how we can never sin again, how we can become sinlessly perfect. Just like when Jesus says, go and sin no more. He's not saying that we will never sin again. Obviously God doesn't want you to sin. Obviously sin is a transgression of God's law. God isn't going to say go and maybe sin. He doesn't want us to sin, but that doesn't mean that we will never mess up. The simple fact is because of the flesh, because we still have the flesh, there will never be a time when we achieve perfect sinlessness or we achieve perfection. We're still expected to grow and attempt to live for God. So in the next verse, it's written in verse three through verse five, it says, and hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments. He that sayeth 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 is the love of God perfected, thereby know we that we are in him. Here we have another statement, which is twisted by a misunderstanding of the concept of being born again and which we see repeated in the book of first John as well. The Bible just got done telling us that if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves when the truth is not in us. So on one hand he says, you're lying if you say you don't have any sin, while here he's saying you're lying if you don't keep the commandments of God and you say that you know him. So what is the Bible teaching us here when it says that if we do not keep his commandments, we do not know him? Well if we consider again the purpose of the book of first John, it's that those who are already believers may have assurance of salvation. It's about inward reflection, not about looking at others and determining whether or not they're safe. It's about evidences in yourself that you have been born of God. And we'll see that more as we get into first John chapter three, that chapter specifies that it is he that is born of God that sin is not, and I'll go into more detail with that later as we go into those verses. But if you read the New Testament, you know that when one is born again, there is at that point two men or two natures, the regenerated spirit and the unregenerated flesh, the new man and the old man, the inward man and the outward man. When we get saved, it's not our physical body or flesh which is saved. It's not our flesh which is then born again. It's the spirit. Jesus said, except the man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, you must be born again. So being born again is a spiritual matter. It's the spirit that gives us eternal life and it's a regenerate reborn spirit inside of us, which is born again. That which is born of the spirit is spirit, Jesus said. So we've already experienced the fleshly birth when we came into this world, when our mother gave birth to us, when we were a newborn infants. That's the fleshly birth. But being born again, being born the second time is not being born of our earthly parents. When we got saved, we were born of God. That's being born of the spirit and this new man, this inward man, the Bible teaches is without sin as opposed to the flesh. That's why sin is called in the new Testament, the lust of the flesh or the works of the flesh. It's not the born again spirit, which falls into sin, but when we get into the flesh, we disobey the commandments of God for it is written that the carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So Paul wrote concerning sin. It is no more either to it, but sin that dwells within me. I know that in me that it's in my flesh, both no good thing. So the flesh is not changed and the flesh can still fall into sin, but by contrast is written of the inward man for I delight in the law of God after the inward man. And so then with the mind, I myself serve the law, serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin in Romans seven 25. So yes, anybody who has been born again, the inward man, the spirit is what we're talking about here. Isn't perfect subjection to the commandments of God and keep of the commandments of God. But that does not mean that the Christian and his earthly life will never fall into sin because the Bible teaches that the flesh remains, that the body is not going to become incorruptible until the time of the rapture sin still dwells in the flesh. And therefore, John said, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves when the truth is not in us because we do have sin, but it's not the inward man. It's sin that is dwelling within the flesh according to Romans seven 17. So keep that concept in mind as we go through the rest of the book of first John, because for some reason, even though the doctrine of walking in the spirit and the difference between the spirit and the flesh is repeated throughout the Bible, there's like three chapters about it in the book of Romans. There's a chapter about in Galatians, there's one in Ephesians, one in Colossians, et cetera. Even though it's just hammered in within the new Testament, a lot of Christians and also people who claim to be Christians, but who aren't saved because they believe a false gospel, they'll twist what first John is teaching because they do not compare spiritual with spiritual because they're just like isolating this one book and just ignoring what the rest of the Bible says. It's like they're just forgetting what the whole book of John says. Remember the book of John was written by the same guy that wrote the book of first John. So if he says in one book, all you have to do to be saved is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, why would he say in another book, well, actually you have to do all this other stuff that doesn't make any sense. So it says in first John chapter two, verse nine to 11, he, let's say, if he is in the light and haters, his brother is in darkness, even until now, he, the love with his brother abideth in the light and there's not occasion of stumbling in him, but he, the haters, his brother is in darkness and walketh in darkness and knoweth not whether he go with because that darkness darkness has blinded his eyes. Again, recall that the Bible teaches that those who believe on Christ do not abide in darkness, but here it says that those who do not love their brethren remain in darkness, but do not abide in the light, that they have been blinded by the darkness. Therefore, if we again look at this from the perspective of an inward reflection, that this is a book being written to people for assurance of salvation, he's writing to people who already claimed to believe on Christ. He's saying that if somebody hates his brother in Christ and they are not in the light, but in darkness. So keep in mind also that this is hatred we're talking about, hating your brother. It's not just a disagreement or a minor dislike. It's despising or pouring your brethren. Only you and God know your heart. If you have a hatred within your heart for fellow Christian, not just you mess up and you get angry at them, but you have an actual hatred in your heart, then it says that you're not saved. You're still in the darkness because the Bible says that those who do not love their brethren remain in darkness, but Jesus said that whosoever believe within them should not abide in darkness. So we'll see that doctrine more and more as we get into chapter four of the book of first John which deals with loving the brethren in more detail. In first John chapter two verse 12 to 14 it says I write unto you little children because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. I write unto you fathers because you have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you young men because you have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you little children because you have known the father. I have written unto you fathers because you have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you young men because you are strong and the word of God abideth in you and you have overcome the wicked one. These three verses are important for establishing once again who the audience is of the book of first John. It's not to unsave people, it's to save people, people who already claim to believe in case that wasn't clear already from first John 5 13 where he literally says that he's writing to them that believe on the name of the son of God. So John is working with the assumption that the audience already believes on the Lord Jesus Christ and has been justified and given eternal life. The purpose of this book is to provide assurance of salvation, to strengthen their faith and to show believers the result of being born again in their heart. He says that their sins have already been forgiven. So he's not writing to people who he says you need to get saved, you need to have your sins forgiven. He's saying your sins are already forgiven. The Bible tells us that whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins in Acts 10 43. So it says also that they have overcome the wicked one which is the devil. Later in the book of first John in chapter five it's written that those who have faith that Jesus is the son of God have overcome the world and the Bible tells us that the devil is the prince of this world or in second Corinthians 4 4 calls him the God of this world. So again don't forget that the audience of the book of first John is believers in Christ not unsaved people. He's not saying you need to get saved, you're all without eternal life. This is about inward reflection, about assurance. In first John chapter 2 verse 18 to 19 it says little children it is the last time and as you have heard that antichrist shall come even now are there many antichrists whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us but they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. So here is again another important statement from this epistle concerning antichrists meaning those who are against Christ or who place themselves or another person in the place of Christ. It says the antichrist shall come. We know of course that that is talking about the beast or the man of sin that's talked about in the book of Revelation and second Thessalonians chapter 2. However it says that even now there are many antichrists even the day of John the first century there were antichrists. Verse 19 tells us an important concept to remember as well because the Bible teaches us that nobody can lose their salvation. Jesus said he that believeth on me hath everlasting life meaning the moment that they believe they have eternal life which means that the life will never end or he also said I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my father's hand or out of my hand and then he says my father which gave them me is greater than all and no man can pluck them out of my father's hand therefore anybody who trusts in Christ for salvation they're given life eternal life meaning life that will never end life that will last forever they'll never go to hell once they're born again he said that whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die therefore it's written that they went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us so anybody who's truly saved does not leave the faith it's not talking about backsliding or getting into the flesh but literally it's no longer continuing with the believers departing from the faith saying I don't believe in Jesus Christ anymore Jesus made it clear that those who are condemned are those who hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God in John 3 18 so those who don't believe now according to Jesus have never believed if anybody has left the faith and no longer believes in Christ they were never of us they were never true believers they didn't understand salvation they may have claimed it but they did not actually believe in their heart because if they were they would have been born again and they would have no doubt have continued with us a couple verses later explains these Antichrists in more detail in 1st John chapter 2 verse 22 to 23 it says who is a liar but he that denyeth that Jesus is the Christ he is Antichrist that denyeth the father and the son whosoever denyeth the son the same hath not the father he that acknowledges the son hath the father also so anybody who denies that Jesus is the Christ meaning the Messiah is not of God but is an Antichrist and not only do they deny the son but it says that they also deny the father so somebody must believe on Jesus Christ to be saved we'll see that later in the book of 1st John that it says that whosoever believe that Jesus the Christ is born of God so you don't get to decide who Jesus is Jesus is who the Bible says he is believing on Jesus is not just conjuring up your own version in your mind and trusting in him you know there's a lot of people out there who are named Jesus you can't just believe well I believe on this guy believe he'll get me to heaven you need to believe on the actual Jesus the one who is the son of God who came to this earth in the first century to die for our sins if you deny that Jesus is the Christ and the son of God then you are a liar you deny God the father and you do not have either of them it says that means that all Jews all who believe that Jesus is the Christ there or who believe that Jesus is not the Christ they're liars and they're antichrists according to the scriptures now there's even people who aren't Jews but who are you worshiping Zionists out there who do the same who deny that Jesus is the Christ John Hagee and Sam Gibb for example they've both said that Jesus is not the Messiah now they are antichrists according to the Bible it's not surprising anyway because both of them evidently don't understand the gospel they teach a false gospel that you have to turn from your sins and live a good life etc now another thing which the Bible says concerning those who were saved in 1st John 2 27 let the anointing which you have received of him abideth in you and you need not that any man teach you but as the same anointing teach you of all things and it's truth and is no lie even as a even as I have taught you he shall abide in him so this of course is talking about the Holy Ghost because Jesus said he to believeth on me as the scripture hath said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water but this spakey of the Spirit which they that believe on him should receive but the Holy Ghost was not yet given because that Jesus was not yet glorified so all that believe on Christ according to the Bible received the Holy Ghost which Jesus promised in John 14 26 would teach us of all things and in John 16 13 would guide us into all truth so another way that we know that we've been given eternal life is that we have been anointed with the Holy Ghost and we need not that any man teach us if you read the scriptures and none of it makes sense it's just you're just blinded to it it just means nothing to you and that's a sign that you probably don't have the spirit within you because the Bible says the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God because their foolishness unto him neither can he know them because they're spiritually discerned if you're like the Ethiopian eunuch who said how can I accept some man should guide me after he was asked by Philip understandest thou what thou readest then either you're just not in the spirit and you're trying to lean upon your own understanding or the spirit is not within you so in first John chapter 2 verse 29 it says if we know if you know that he is righteous you know that everyone to do with righteousness is born of him I want to couple this with the next passage in the next chapter because they essentially say the same thing or they have the same general idea in first John chapter 3 verse 6 to 10 it says who so abideth in him said if not who so it's ineth hath not seen him neither known him little children let no man deceive you he that do with righteousness is righteous even as he is righteous he that committed sin is of the devil for the devil sent from the beginning for this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil whosoever is born of God did not commit sin for a seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God in this the children of God are manifest and the children of the devil whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God neither he that loveth not his brother in both verse 29 of chapter 2 and verse 9 tells us that the subject is that which is born of God it is whosoever is born of God does not commit sin in verse 10 and this the children of God are those who do righteousness it says that in this the children of God are manifest or revealed this is how we know who is the children of God those who do not righteousness are not of God now many people will flip this on its head and try to teach that you need to give up all sin in your life or you need to start living for God in order to be saved part of the misunderstanding is the use of phony Bible versions which usually change commits sin to make a practice of sin or habitually sin or something of that nature but the issue is not sinning at all the Bible says that those who are born of God do not commit sin now it's not saying stop sinning in order to be born of God that's impossible because the Bible says again the carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be the idea that we could stop transgressing the law in our flesh in order to be born again of the Spirit is nonsense and it's unbiblical the Bible makes it clear that the only thing we need to do in order to be born of God is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ it's written as many as received him to them gave you power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name which are born not of not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God so it says that those who believe on his name they are born of God to be born of God all you have to do is believe on the name of the only begotten Son of God the result of that according to Jesus is that we are born of the Spirit in John chapter 3 again I spoke about this earlier that it's an inward change it's being born of the Spirit the inward man the new man the Bible says if any man be in Christ he is a new creature old things are passed away behold all things are come new it's not saying that we'll never live or that we'll never in our earthly lives sin again because of the existence of the flesh therefore it's written it's no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me for I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing in Romans 7 17 to 18 so it's not I meaning the new man the reborn Son of God the Spirit which goes to live with God in heaven after the death of the body it's not that which sins but the flesh which sins for in the flesh dwells no good thing in the flesh the sin remains so Paul explains in that same chapter Romans 7 that the result of this inward change and the inward man is that he with the mind serves the law of God that he desires and he wills to to obey God he wants to obey the commandments of God he has been subject to the law of God in the Spirit so if we walk in the Spirit we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh however if somebody is walking in the Spirit and they fall in the sin they don't have any grief concerning what they did they don't have any hatred toward the things of the flesh or they don't receive any chastising from God that's a warning because that shows that they have not been born of God in 1st John chapter 3 verse 14 to 15 it says we know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren he that loveth not his brother abideth in death whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer and you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him this ties in with what was stated in chapter 2 that those who hate their brother abide in darkness and not in the light now again I'll repeat what I said when we talked about that verse I think it was verse 8 to 9 in 1st John 2 don't misunderstand what verse 14 is saying it's not saying that we are passed from death unto life because we love the brethren like you need to love the brethren in order to pass from death unto life but that's how we know that we've been passed from death unto life remember the purpose of 1st John is to explain how we know that we have eternal life to give assurance to salvation assurance of salvation the inward signs of change which result from being born of God he's writing to people who already believe Jesus made it clear that he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but he is passed from death unto life in John 5 24 so the only requirement for being passed from death unto life particularly eternal life is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and one of the effects of being given eternal life is that we no longer hate our brethren verse 15 spells it out clearly that whosoever meaning anybody who hates his brother is a murderer and you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him from that we can gather the fact that one who holds hatred for their brethren in their heart they're not saved however the statement about murderers should not be misunderstood either this is not saying if anybody kills another that means that they weren't saved or they lost their salvation or whatever because again we're talking about an inward change in the eyes of God we are no longer sinners but saints our sins have been washed away and according to Romans 4 8 will not be imputed unto us our sins have been our iniquities have been forgiven our sins have been covered blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin it says it is written after listing several sins in 1st Corinthians chapter 6 and such were some of you but you're washed you're sanctified but you're justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God we've been made right in the eyes of God we've been made saints before him we are no longer sinners in the eyes of God again being born again our inward man is subject to the law of God even though the flesh still serves the law of sin but he didn't come to save our flesh that won't happen until the time of the rapture so what 1st John 3 is telling us is that those who have murder in their hearts meaning that God looks at them and they are murderers that they have this hating heart and a desire to shed blood unjustly with no chastisement with no feeling of grief or anything like that that means that they do not have eternal life the scriptures say further in 1st John chapter 3 verse 24 in he that keepeth his commandments dwell within him and he and him and hereby we know that he abideth in us by the spirit which he hath given us in 1st John chapter 4 verse 2 to 3 it continues that thought it says hereby know ye the spirit of God every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God and this is that spirit of antichrist wherever you have heard that it should come and even now already is in the world of course when the book of 1st John was written there were no chapter divisions so this concept of the spirit of God continues from the end of chapter 3 into chapter 4 in the last verse of chapter 3 it's written that we know that God abides in us by the spirit again that the subject of the whole book of 1st John is knowing that we have eternal life but once again we should note that it's not talking about looking at others and determining if they're saved because it's us knowing if it's us knowing that he abides in us by the spirit that he has given us I mean how can we look within somebody and say they have the spirit of God within them so if we continue on to the next chapter into chapter 4 we know that the spirit of we know the spirit of God by our confession of Christ if we confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh then that spirit is of God anybody who denies that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh does not have the spirit of God but the spirit of antichrist again this is talking about the spirit it's about what we confess in our heart if we deny Christ in our heart then God does not abide within us now any part of the statement Jesus Christ has come in the flesh which may be denied would you deny that truth you can say somebody came in the flesh but if it's not Jesus Christ then the spirit you have is not of God you can say Jesus Christ has come but if you don't believe that he came in the flesh the spirit you have is not of God as I said earlier you can't just conjure up your own image of who Jesus Christ is in your mind you may believe that there was a man who walked upon the earth who was named Jesus but if you do not believe that he is the Christ if you do not believe that he came in the flesh if you do not believe that he is the son of God it's not the right Jesus etc so that's one way that we can discern true and false prophets and discern uh true and false spirits as well because if we go back to verse 1 which I didn't read but it says in first john 4 1 try the spirits whether they are of God for there are many false prophets that are gone to the world so anybody who does not confess that wonderful truth that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh now the son of God he was manifest in the flesh the word became flesh and dwelt among us as the bible says for sure they are a false prophet now here's another way to try the spirits whether they are of God in verse 6 it says we are of God he that knoweth God heareth us he that is not of God heareth not us hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of error somebody who knows God and has a spirit of truth within them heareth us now that's essentially what Jesus says he that is of God heareth God's words he therefore hear them not because you're not of God in john 847 anybody who rejects what God has said is not of God a lot of Christians demote the importance of the bible but the truth is that somebody who is truly safe somebody who's been born of God somebody who has the spirit of truth dwelling within them will always care and believe what the bible says if somebody if anybody sees something that's written in the bible and just says i flat out just reject that i don't believe that then they're not of God so in first john chapter four when john speaks about hearing us he's talking about hearing the word of God that is preached because because it's the job of preachers to preach the word of God right it says in second timothy chapter four preach the word be instant in season out of season reprove rebuke exhort with all long suffering and doctrine so it's not talking about just denying anything that a preacher says but one who preaches the word of God we ought to believe what the word of God says because that's our final authority it's from holy men who spake as they were moved by the holy ghost i got a plug in my computer another sign of one who knows God is again love towards brethren that we've seen in chapter two and chapter three so far it says in first john chapter four verse seven to eight beloved let us love one another for love is of God and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God he that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love so far we've seen in first john 2 that it says that he that hates his brother is not in the light but is in darkness and the previous chapter it says that he that hates his brother does not have eternal life abiding within him now it says that everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God so if we do not love our brethren then we do not know God it's pretty simple if in your heart you love your brethren in Christ then you are of God and if you do not but instead hold hatred in your heart toward professed Christians then that means that you do not know God it's written in first john chapter 4 verse 12 to 13 no man hath seen God at any time if we love one another God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us hereby know we that we dwell in him and he and us because he has given us of his spirit so once again it's stated here that God dwelleth in those who love one another again don't misunderstand what it's saying it's not saying that God dwells in us because we love one another but rather that's one of the ways to know that God dwells within us those who hate the brethren they're in darkness they do not know God here it says also in verse 13 that we know that he dwells in us because of his spirit that's how God dwells within us because obviously there's no physical presence of God with us God isn't walking side by side with us Jesus Christ was on this earth but he ascended up into heaven after his resurrection uh he promised to send the comforter which is the holy ghost uh to abide with believers it's the spirit which now indwells within us it says in Romans chapter 8 verse 9 you're not in the flesh but in the spirit if so be that the spirit of God dwelled in you now if any man have not the spirit of Christ he is not of his in first Corinthians chapter 6 verse 19 to 20 it says that our bodies are the temples of the holy ghost because the holy ghost dwells within us and we belong to God so if we do not have the spirit within us then God does not dwell within us and according to the bible we are not of him we do not belong to him Jesus guaranteed that everybody who believes would receive the holy ghost in John 7 39 it says this spakey of the spirit which they that believe on him should receive but the holy ghost was not yet given because that Jesus was not yet glorified so of course after Jesus was glorified after he rose from the dead he came to his disciples and he said uh receive he the holy ghost and that is when from that time forward in the new testament the spirit of God dwells with believers therefore anybody who is born again or born of the spirit as Jesus says in John 3 they have the spirit of God dwelling within them going back to first John it says in verse 4 or 15 rather whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the son of God God dwelleth in him and he in God so if somebody confesses that Jesus is the son of God God dwelleth in him according to the bible that means that if somebody denies the truth again they're denying Jesus and that shows that they do not have the spirit of God dwelling in them in other words they're not saved if we go back to where we started this video in first John 5 10 says he that believeth not God hath made him a liar because he believeth not the record that God gave of his son and this is the record that God has given to us eternal life and this life is in his son if you do not believe that record if you deny that record then you do not have the witness which is the spirit within you it says that you're making God a liar according to the scriptures somebody who denies that Jesus is the son of God is not saved because if you deny any of that record whether it's you don't believe it's eternal life or you don't believe that it's through his son then you're not saved it isn't just saying those words but actually meaning it people who claim that Jesus is the son of God but really believe that he's just a human he doesn't have any divine pre-existence they don't actually believe that he's the son of God they may mouth those words but in their heart they don't actually believe that likewise if somebody says that Jesus is the son of God but they do not actually believe that Jesus is God's son meaning the son of the father as he's called in second John 3 they don't actually believe it either so that would be the oneness people out there the modalists who think that Jesus is the father that there is only one person and not three they do not believe that Jesus is the son of God they believe that Jesus is God the father they're not saved they don't believe that record so it says at the beginning of 1 John chapter 5 verse 1 to 3 whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and everyone that loveth him that begat loveth him also that has begotten of him by this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments for this is the love of God that we keep his commandments that his commandments are not grievous firstly in verse one it again tells us that we just need to believe in order to be saved that Jesus is the Christ that ties them with the statements of Jesus being the son of God as well that we saw in the last chapter Christ and the son of God are synonymous you can't again you can't make up your own image of Jesus you can't say he's the Christ but he's not the son of God you can't say he's the son of God but he's not the Christ that's why all throughout the gospels when people confess Jesus they say I believe that thou art the Christ the son of the living God it's tied in together it's not separated it's not just I believe thou art the Christ but I don't believe you're the son of God etc now that's basic for anybody who's watching this who's already saved and they understand the gospel but the only requirement for salvation is belief on the Lord Jesus Christ sirs what must I do to be saved believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved that if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him to the dead thou shalt be saved it says in Romans 10 9 yet people will somehow some reason twist the statements made in the very next verses in verses two and three to teach that if you don't obey God's commandments then you aren't saved even though that's not even what the verses say let's read it again in verse two it says by this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments for this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not grievous firstly in verse two we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments again going back to the purpose of the book of first john it's to give us knowledge it's saying that we know that we love the children of God which would be our brethren when we keep God's commandments for that is the love of God if you keep God's commandments you love God and if you love God then you have the knowledge that you love the children of God now there's nothing in this verse about salvation and of course to say that it's saying that we need to keep the commandments of God in order to be saved or that anybody who ever sins is not saved that would be a contradiction of a multitude of other scriptures which tell us plainly that all you have to do is believe especially even in the book of first john it tells us that we have eternal life by believing in the name of the only begotten son of God and furthermore it tells us that if we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us so by saying that keeping the commandments of God or loving God which is keeping the commandments of God it's not saying from the day that you get saved you need to perfectly obey every single thing that God has commanded commanded in order to love God because that's impossible according to first john 1 8 in addition loving God is not is not equivalent to salvation there's no verse in the Bible that says you need to love God in order to be saved because the only given definition of the love of God is obedience to him and his commandments but the Bible tells us that salvation has nothing to do with works or obedience to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justified the ungodly his faith is counted for righteousness people who believe but have no works people who worketh not they're still saved they're still justified works have nothing to do with salvation so that's just a general overview of the book of first john like I said I could have talked about every single verse in this video but that would take a while I'm planning on sometime in the future to go through a study of the book of first john I'm planning on doing that with several books right now I'm doing a daily verse by verse study of the book of john itself then I'm going to do Romans and Galatians and probably first john second john third john after that so I'll do more in-depth studies of this book in the future but for now I just wanted to look at some of the verses which are twisted by false prophets out there and the confusion comes from the ignorance of the Bible's distinction between the spirit and flesh that's one way people misunderstand this an ignorance of the difference between fellowship and salvation and also an ignorance of the difference between the cause of salvation and the inward results of being born again also an ignorance of the purpose of first john those who fail to compare spiritual with spiritual and read the book of first john in context they don't do so they want to make every single statement in the book of first john about how to be saved even though it's written to people who already are saved and who already are serving God according to chapter 5 verse 13 and chapter 2 verse 12 to 14 they've already believed on the Lord Jesus Christ they're already saved and they're serving God they're keeping the commandments according to chapter 2 they've overcome the wicked one so it's not just being written to unsaved people telling you this is how you need to be saved but yet there's a lot of false prophets out there who will make this book about that so don't misunderstand what first john is about and also another thing I should point out is because it identifies the audience in this book this book isn't being written to babes in Christ it's not for the new Christian people who don't really have an understanding of the scriptures they read this book they're going to doubt their salvation misunderstand a lot of what it says because they may not know the scriptures and they may fail to compare spiritual to spiritual so this goes with every book of the bible and pretty much everything in the bible don't just isolate scripture you know I'm not just talking about in the the general context of a chapter or a passage but don't isolate the whole entirety of scripture you can't just take one verse in the bible and say this is what it means when there's a hundred verses in other books that tell you what it means and tell you how to get saved or whatever and say well there's this one verse and I'm interpreting this as you need to keep the commandments of God in order to be saved even though there's like a hundred verses that say just believe well now I'm just going to change the definition of believe to fit this one verse maybe your interpretation of that one verse is wrong which it is if you compare spiritual with spiritual consider the purpose of first john and read what it actually says so that's it for this video thank you ready for watching and goodbye god bless you