Title: WALKING IN THE TRUTH
Focus: Authentic Christian living flows from a knowledge that comes from God, instilled within us through faith in Jesus Christ.
Function: To move the people to walk in the truth of the Christian faith.
Text: I John 5:1-21
Semper Fidelis—always be true. Such is the motto of the U.S. Marines. As a parent having a son in the U.S. Marines, I’ve observed a number of fascinating things about the Marines in general. For example, you must meet certain standards before you are allowed or qualified to call yourself a Marine. I read the story of a young recruit who had a U.S. Marine tattoo on his arm when he reported for boot camp. He was severely reprimanded and told in no uncertain terms that no one could call himself a U.S. Marine until they have sustained 13 weeks of basic training with its final, climactic endurance test.
Also, I learned that in order to be a U.S. Marine you must live by the standards and code of honor of the Marines. You must abide by their stipulations. I suspect that there are similar expectations for those who are in the Army and the Navy.
What I find so interesting about all of these things is the insistence on authenticity. Phony baloney or hypocrisy are deplorable acts of conduct. And that resonates with me as a Christian, for I find that the Scriptures demand the same thing from all who claim faith and allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ and to the kingdom of God. Authenticity is not an option for Christians. If we claim to be Christians, then live as Christians. Semper Fidelis—always be true!
Training, practice, knowledge and powerful, rigorous discipline, along with a strict code of conduct—these are the ingredients that lead to the formation of a U.S. Marine. But what leads a person to authentic Christian living? In light of John’s letter to the churches in Asia Minor, I say that authentic Christian living flows from a knowledge that comes from God and that is instilled within us through faith in Jesus Christ.
When you pay close attention to the style of John’s writing, you’ll notice recurring phrases and particular key words or terms. One of those is the verb “to know.” I will explore that verb with you in the text, but first we need to ask a question: how do we know? Well, knowledge is something that comes to us by way of information. That information may come to us in various ways: textbooks, teachers, the internet, etc. I can give you some information about my family in the Netherlands. But that factual information does not mean that you will then know my family.
You see, knowledge is also something that comes by way of formation. And formation includes experience. Growing up in my family, for example, has taught me many different things that I could only pick up by way of experience. I know from experience how my Dad might react when I was way out of line and pushed him as a kid. I learned the hard way, at times. So there is such a thing as experiential knowledge. It’s a knowledge that shapes or forms us.
We also know by way of intuition. Each one of us has an inward “antenna” that picks up knowledge instinctively or by way of intuition. I may have never discussed a particular moral dilemma or concern with Rosanne, for example, but I know intuitively how she will react or think about my question or concern. In other words, we know certain things even before we share or ask questions about them.
So knowledge is something that comes to us by way of information, by way of formation, and by way of intuition. In that light, I say it again: authentic Christian living flows from a knowledge that comes from God and that is instilled within us through faith in Jesus Christ.
Consider now that key verb in John’s writing: to know. In chapter 5 John uses three different Greek verbs—all of which are translated as “to know.” Listen: (vs.2) “This is how we know that we love the children of God….”
(vs.13) “I
write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you
may know that you have eternal life.”
(vs. 15) “And if we know that he
hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”
(vs.18) “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin….”
(vs.19) “We know that we are children of God….”
(vs.20) We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true….”
When you explore these texts in John’s writing, you begin to realize that John appeals to a knowing, a knowledge that comes from information (that what is revealed by God in his Word and through his apostles), from formation (that what gets passed on to us by practicing faith, by obeying God’s Word, and by loving God and one another), and a knowledge that comes to us by the workings and inward guidance of God’s Spirit within us.
There are many people who know God (that is, who have received information about God and his Son, the Lord Jesus). But that knowledge alone does not make us authentic Christians. Authentic Christian living comes from living, inhaling, exhaling, tasting, testing, drinking, and practicing the Christian faith. It comes from living within the Lord Jesus, from embracing the Christ, and from being embraced by God’s Word and Spirit.
Authentic Christian living calls for being “in Christ,” for walking in the truth. A true U.S. Marine lives by the code of the Marines; he stays in step with the Marines. So it is also with us. Authentic Christians know Christ—we serve him, we honor, obey, and follow him--wherever he leads; whenever he calls. Knowing Christ means walking in the truth.
Ah, truth also comes into the picture. Listen to John (vs. 20) “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true--even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”
John makes use of contrasting terms to teach us authentic Christian living. He speaks of light and darkness, of truth and falsehood. To live in the light (as God is in the light) is to live in truth. To live in the darkness (as the Evil One is in the darkness) is to live as an antichrist, to live a lie, to live with falsehood.
Authentic Christian living flows from a knowledge that comes from God and that is instilled within us through faith in Jesus Christ. For the apostle John, such knowledge is always connected with truth. Ask yourself, in light of John’s pastoral letter, what does it mean to walk in the truth? Here are at least 6 insights:
It means:
(1) To be found in Christ, the
Son of God. Listen (I Jhn. 3:18) “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions in truth.” John then goes on and suggests that truth is embodied in the triune God. Listen (3:19) “This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.” In 5:6 John tells us that “the Spirit is the truth.” And in 5:20 we learn that Christians are “…in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God….” Clearly, to walk in the truth means to be found in the triune God who reveals himself in Jesus Christ through his Holy Spirit.
Also, to walk in the truth means:
(2) To abide by or be in step
with the Spirit of truth. Listen (4:13) “We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.” The Spirit of truth echoes or testifies to us in our hearts. And thus to walk in the truth means to echo the testimony of the Holy Spirit. John appeals to the testimony of the Holy Spirit when he says (5:10) “Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart.” To walk in the truth means to abide or to be directed by the Holy Spirit.
Furthermore, to walk in the truth means:
(3) To affirm that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God. There were a number of false teachers in the early church. They denied that Jesus is both truly human and truly divine. These teachers do not walk in the truth. What we confess about Jesus, matters. If we deny his full humanity and divinity, we do not walk in the truth. Thus John can say (4:2) “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God—but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.” Clearly, we must affirm the truth about Jesus. That’s part of walking in the truth.
Also, to walk in the truth means:
(4) To be in fellowship with
God and with one another. In his pastoral letter, the apostle John stresses the vertical relationship with God as well as the horizontal relationship with one another. To walk in the truth means to be in communion, in fellowship with God and with all God’s people, the church of Christ, worldwide. Listen: (1:6) “If we claim to have fellowship with (God) yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another….” Clearly, to walk in the truth means to have fellowship with God and with one another.
It also means:
(5) To know our place before
God. In 1:8 John says: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” The need for confession and repentance is always before us. If we recognize our place before God—as sinners in need of forgiveness and new life—we strike the right posture. Then the truth of the gospel immerses us with the cleansing power of Christ’s blood and with the embracing love of God. Know your place before God!
One final good news observation! To walk in the truth also means:
(6) To have eternal life. Listen
to John (5:11) “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” Or listen to vs. 20: “And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”
Congregation, there is so much to digest in John’s pastoral letter, so much to ponder and to take to heart. Let me try to summarize the message one more time: authentic Christian living flows from a knowledge that comes from God and that is instilled within us through faith in Jesus Christ. Such faith knowledge enables us to walk in the truth. And there is no better way to live—and die—and live forever—then to walk and have your being in the truth. Semper fidelis deo—always live in the truth of God.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and always shall be, world without end. Amen.