Transcript 1_John_3-1-3 - Fountain of Truth

“Behold, what manner of love the Father
hath bestowed upon us, that we should
be called the sons of God: therefore the
world knoweth us not, because it knew
him not.” 1 John 3:1
“Behold”- Ἴδετε (Idete); to see with the
mind; experience; examine; attend to
John begins the next section with intent
to prove God’s Love. He encourages the
reader to approach the subject with
deep attentiveness and experiential
consideration. God’s love is a subject
that cannot fully be comprehended
through study but must be experienced.
Understanding the degree of love is a
spiritual perception.
John uses the word “agapen” translated as
love. This word alludes to a moral
preference. It is a purely Biblical and
ecclesiastical word describing God’s love
toward the church. It is the deepest affection
and benevolence described in Scripture or in
ancient writings. This love refers to a
connecting, binding, unifying, love.
17 “…so that Christ may dwell in your
hearts through faith. And I pray that you,
being rooted and established in love, 18
may have power, together with all the
Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and
long and high and deep is the love of
Christ, 19 and to know this love that
surpasses knowledge—that you may be
filled to the measure of all the fullness of
God.” EPHESIANS 3:17-19
Wide- Embracing All Men
Long- throughout all ages
High- beyond the reach of any foe
Deep- profound in wisdom that no man
can understand; exceeds our
understanding.
“To Know”- Experience, feel
This is the language of a man (Paul) whose
heart was full to overflowing. He had a deep
sense of the love of Christ, and he expressed
a wish that they should understand it.
Suddenly he has such an apprehension of it,
that he says it is indeed infinite. No one can
attain to a full view of it. It had no limit. It was
unlike anything which had ever been evinced
before. – Barnes Commentary
Distinct Attributes of God’s Agape:
1) It loves before it knows. (Romans 5:8)
2) It is a pardoning love.
3) It overcomes evil with good. (Matthew
5:44-48)
4) It is endlessly patient. (2 Peter 3:9)
5) It creates Community. (Hebrews 13:1)
6) It is Unconditional. (Romans 8:35)
7) It is Completely Unselfish.
John then reiterates a former theme
by stating the greatest example of
God’s love toward us is the
bestowment of family position as a
“son” of God.
Adoption- Adoption is an act of God
whereby he makes us members of his family.
11 He came to that which was his own, but his
own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did
receive him, to those who believed in his name, he
gave the right to become children of God— 13
children born not of natural descent, nor of
human decision or a husband’s will, but born of
God.
JOHN 1:11-12
34 “Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you,
everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
35 Now a slave has no permanent place in
the family, but a son belongs to it
forever.” John 8:34, 35
When we choose to live for God
(repentance) we voluntarily become
slaves of righteousness. Then God
extends His love in a greater way by
adopting us as sons.
Formal adoption of slaves was permissible
under Roman law. –ref. Slaves, Citizens,
Sons; Lyall
Adoption resulted:
1) All former family ties were broken
2) Legal procedures such as financial
obligations were eradicated and 7
reputable witnesses were required.
3) Final and absolute
4) The newly adopted son became a full
citizen and had rights to inheritance
14 “For those who are led by the Spirit of
God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit
you received does not make you slaves,
so that you live in fear again; rather, the
Spirit you received brought about your
adoption to sonship. And by him we cry,
“Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself
testifies with our spirit that we are God’s
children. 17 Now if we are children, then
we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs
with Christ, if indeed we share in his
sufferings in order that we may also share
in his glory.” Romans 8:14-17
Because of God’s love, he purchased us to
be sons. The means of our adoption is the
Spirit of God. The Spirit of God also is the
legal witness of the adoption proceedings.
Spirit: πνεύματι (pneumati) Used in Matthew
3:11, Acts 1:5 means wind, breath, spirit.
Repentance- We voluntarily become slaves.
Baptism- As slaves we choose to be born
into His slavery. We desire “all” our sins to be
cancelled. We take on the “name” of Christ.
Holy Spirit- The adoption from slaves to
sons.
10 Then
I heard a loud voice in heaven
say: “Now have come the salvation
and the Power and the kingdom of
our God, and the authority of his
Messiah. For the accuser of our
brothers and sisters, who accuses
them before our God dayand
night, has been hurled down.”
Revelation 12:10
The Holy Spirit:
The Great Accuser:
1. Testifies that we
are the Son of
God.
2. Gives us help in
the time of need.
3. Guides and
instructs us how
we should conduct
ourselves as sons.
1. Constantly
declares why we
shouldn’t be the
sons of God.
2. Tries to discourage
with weakness and
infirmities.
3. Tries to entice us
NOT to act like
sons.
The Love of God is exhibited in the
privileges of Adoption:
a) The ability to speak to God and relate
to him as a good and loving Father.
b) The right to a great inheritance in
heaven.
c) The allowance of angels to minister to
us (read: Hebrews 1:14)
d) The opportunity to be led by the Spirit
(Romans 8:14)
e) Recognition that God disciplines us as his
children. (Hebrews 12:5-6)
f) The expectation that as we have shared in
his suffering we should also share in His glory
(Romans 8:17).
g) We have an opportunity to relate to one
another in an intimate way as God’s children.
h) We share with Christ the adeptness in
exercising our authority over evil spirits.
“But when the set time had fully come,
God sent his Son, born of a woman, born
under the law, 5 to redeem those under the
law, that we might receive adoption to
sonship. Because you are his sons, God
sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,
the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7
So you are no longer a slave, but God’s
child; and since you are his child, God
has made you also an heir”
Galatians 4:4-7
“See what great love the Father has lavished
on us, that we should be called children of
God! And that is what we are! The reason
the world does not know us is that it did
not know him.” 1 John 3:1
As sons of God we are required to uphold the
standard of living expected of us which is
convey God’s attributes.
The failure of the world to know God is
one of John’s reoccurring themes:
3 “They will do such things because they
have not known the Father or me.” John 16:3
18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind
that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to
the world, it would love you as its own. As
it is, you do not belong to the world, but I
have chosen you out of the world. That is
why the world hates you.” John 3:18-19
Conditions of John’s Exile
"Early tradition says that John was banished
to Patmos by the Roman authorities. This
tradition is credible because banishment
was a common punishment used during the
Imperial period for a number of offenses.
Among such offenses were the practices of
magic and astrology. Supernatural wonders
was viewed by the Romans as belonging to
the same category, whether Pagan, Jewish,
or Christian. (Pliny Natural History)
John writes comments Jesus made during
his earthly ministry as reminding statements
to the current Christians enduring difficult
tribulation by the Roman current emperor.
“The world”- the mass of unbelievers who are
indifferent and hostile toward God’s people.
To enjoy God’s love, and position, is more
important than the world’s hatred.
2 “Beloved, now are we the sons of
God, and it doth not yet appear what we
shall be: but we know that, when he
shall appear, we shall be like him; for
we shall see him as he is.” 1 John 3:2
Though we are God’s children the unveiling of
our full identity and nature lies in the future as
we 1) we become like him and 2) we partake in
His glory.
3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in
the heavenly realms with every spiritual
blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in
him before the creation of the world to be
holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5
he predestined us for adoption to sonship
through Jesus Christ, in accordance with
his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of
his glorious grace, which he has freely
given us in the One he loves.”
Ephesians 1:3-6
God, through his foreknowledge, declared:
1) Those who would live in Him would be
ordained as children of God.
2) One day all men with this position (son)
would receive privileges.
3) God would sanctify a people. Those that
would be counted as sons would have
responsibility to be holy.
This verse is NOT a description of Calvinism
or the doctrine of God’s Elect.
Predestination, in theology, is the doctrine
that all events have been willed by God. John
Calvin interpreted biblical predestination to
mean that God willed eternal damnation for
some people and salvation for others. This
doctrine implies that God has actually
determined (rather than simply seen) in
advance the destiny of creatures.
What is Paul writing to the church of
Ephesus?
“The Jews considered themselves an elect or
chosen people, and wished to monopolize
the whole of the Divine love and beneficence.
The apostle here shows that God had the
Gentiles as much in the contemplation of his
mercy and goodness as he had the Jews;
and the blessings of the Gospel, now so
freely dispensed to them, were the proof that
God had thus chosen them, and that his end
in giving them the Gospel was the same
which he had in view by giving the law to the
Jews, viz. that they might be holy and without
blame before him.”
“Here the word is used to point out God‘s
fixed purpose or predetermination to bestow
on the Gentiles the blessing of the adoption
of sons by Jesus Christ, which adoption had
been before granted to the Jewish people;
and without circumcision, or any other
Mosaic rite, to admit the Gentiles to all the
privileges of his Church and people”- Adam
Clarke; Clarke Commentary
The Greatest Privilege as a “son” of God is
future promise that we shall share in His
glory, power, and Honor.
“Now if we are children, then we are
heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with
Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings
in order that we may also share in his
glory.” Romans 8:17 (NIV)
“When Christ, who is your life, appears, then
you also will appear with him in glory.”
Colossians 3:4
God is Light
Read Genesis 1:3 (Notice light was
apparent prior to creation of the sun)
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the
light, we have fellowship with one
another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son,
purifies us from all[a] sin.”
1John1:7(futuristic implication)
Jesus after His Resurrection
a) Jesus vanishes out of the sight of the
men on the road to Emmaus. (Luke
24:31); the
Arabic version renders it, "he was hidden
from them“ (Gill Exposition of the Bible)
b) Jesus emerges at the meeting of the
disciples through shut doors. (John
20:19)
c) Jesus is carried up away from the
midst of the disciples (Luke 24:51)
In a glorified state Christ has the ability to:
1) Disappear/ Vanish in an Instant
2) Reappear in a Moment
3) Accelerate through Physical Matter
4) Be caught away in the air
Scientific Evidence
Speed of Light
• 186, 282 miles per second
• 1.3 seconds ray of light from the earth
to the moon.
• 100, 000 years for a ray of light to
cross the Milky Way.
52 “In a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet
shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
1 Corinthians 15:52
In a “Moment”- (atomo) part of time that
cannot be defined, divided, or measured.
Yoctosecond- 10−24 (yocto- + second), is
one septillionth (short scale) of a second.
(Orders of Magnitude)
Planck Time
Theoretically, this is the smallest time
measurement that will ever be possible. It is
the time required for light to travel, in a
vacuum, a distance of 1 Planck length.
“Twinkling” of an eye- ῥιπῇ (rhipe) a
twinkling of lights
53 “For this corruptible must put on
incorruption, and this mortal must put on
immortality. 54 So when this corruptible
shall have put on incorruption, and this
mortal shall have put on immortality,
then shall be brought to pass the saying
that is written, Death is swallowed up in
victory.” 1 Corinthians 15:53, 54
Translation of Physical Form
Corruptible →→→ Incorruption
phthartós– perishable, what easily
perishes disintegrates (corrupts) – like
the break-down of the physical body
during our natural lifetime
“It is sown a natural body; it is
raised a spiritual body. There is a
natural body, and there is a
spiritual body.” 1 Corinthians
15:44
Mortal →→→ Immortality
According to the mass-energy
(Einstein’s theory of
relativity)equivalence formula E = mc2,
an object travelling at c would have
infinite mass and would therefore
require an “infinite” amount of energy to
reach c.
Theory of Relativity
From the perspective of an outside observer,
as an object travels faster, its size begins to
shrink in the direction of its motion (to a very
minute degree at first, which is why it is never
really noticeable). As the speed of light
approaches and the object's perception of
time decreases accordingly, so also will its
perceived size from an outside observer.
Once the speed of light is reached, however,
the object's size will become zero. It will
disappear.
Quantum Tunneling
Quantum tunnelling refers to the quantum
mechanical phenomenon where a particle
tunnels through a barrier that it classically
could not surmount. It is possible for spin
zero particles to travel faster than the speed
of light when tunnelling. This apparently
violates the principle of causality (physics),
since there will be a frame of reference in
which it arrives before it has left.
18 “For I reckon that the sufferings of
this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory which shall
be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest
expectation of the creature waiteth
for the manifestation of the sons of
God.” Romans 8:18, 19
2 “Dear friends, now we are children
of God, and what we will be has not
yet been made known. But we know
that when he appears, we shall be
like him, for we shall see him as he
is.3 Everyone who has this hope in
him purifies himself, just as he is
pure.” 1 John 3:2, 3
Paul and John refer to the promise as “hope”
and “comfort”.
Everyone with this hope has a responsibility
to stay pure, putting away defilement, and
seeking righteousness. The greek word
refers to a constant moral cleansing.