I John 5:19  And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
20  And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
21  Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

This has been a busy week in space activities. Elon Musk’s Starlink has so far launchd 7,022 satellites to date. That is quite a bit of “space junk” up there. They are quite large weighing in at 1760 lb. each. When they are deployed and their solar panels opened, they have a wing span of 100 feet. Unlike the stars that God has placed in the heavens, these satellites need to be managed by fallible men. They also do not have the lifespan of the stars.
Those who are born again, can be thankful that we can communicate with God at any time without the need of any satellites. We have access to God’s throne through our precious Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ.
In our text, we are once again reminded that we can know if we are saved. Those who are saved are of God. We are made new creatures in Christ by the will of God. No true child of God is a self-made person. Each one has submitted to God and turned to Him in repentance and trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. Each one has received that blessed gift of salvation and eternal life. From the moment of salvation we are called to walk in newness of life and to learn how to do this through personal daily Bible reading and also through attendance in a true local church. We need the fellowship of other saints and we need the preaching of God’s Word by faithful men who are called to that task by God. The true saint has the Holy Spirit indwelling him, and he also needs the personal challenge from other God-fearing men to walk in the right way.
We are also reminded that the whole world lieth in wickedness. In chapter 2 we were reminded not to love the world. This world is passing away. Those who are saved are called to walk separated lives. The CCM music and the immodesty that permeates so many religious groups today is not walking separated from the world. It is a declaration that the world has taken over and those involved in that superficial religion are friends of the world. It is a stark contrast to what the Bible declares to be the fact of the new birth.
In verse 20 we also know that the Son of God is come. We, those who are saved, are awaiting His soon return. By faith we accept the fact that He did come the first time as a babe in a manger. His mother, Mary, conceived this special child through a one time work of the Holy Ghost. Jesus Christ is from eternity past. Mary is not the mother of God. She is the mother of the incarnate Son of God. She was chosen by God to be the vessel through which He would give flesh to His Son. He is the Creator of all things. He willingly set aside His glory to become a servant obedient unto death.
Jesus Christ has given us an understanding. It takes this gift of God to know that He is true and that we are in Him that is true. We are told here that the “he” is in reference to the eternal Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. The cults reject the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. They need to read this and many other passages that clearly state the deity of Jesus Christ.
Notice the last phrase of verse 20: “This is the true God, and eternal life.” We see once again the unity of the Godhead. Eternal life is only found in accepting the truth of Who Jesus Christ is and accepting His gift of eternal life that is given to all those who trust in God for their salvation.
In verse 21 we are once again called out as “little children”. As we have noted before, this is not a derogatory statement. It is a statement of true love from God to those who are saved. We are little children who never grow into independence from God. As we grow, our faith in God is increased. We become more Christ-like in our walk and talk.
An important point in being God’s little children is to keep ourselves from idols. This is again something WE need to do. Christians do not take a passive approach to their walk with God. We do not sit back and wait for God to remove us from certain things if it is His will. We can know His will and we choose to submit to Him and follow Him.
Idolatry takes on many forms. Most of those who read these devotionals will not have an image of Mary or some other dead person that they pray to. If you do have that, that is definitely an idol and is contrary to the nature of a true child of God. Idols can also be a wrong philosophy that we might allow to supersede the truth. Anything that is allowed to be in competition with the true God and His Word is an idol. Those who are saved worship the true God. We accept His Word to be truth. We do not worship the written Word. We accept It as Truth. I heard someone talking of the Bible as “our guide”. God’s Word is not just our guide. It is an authoritative Word that is not optional. It is eternal and it is right. Psalm119 gives us many descriptive words to describe God’s Word. Those who are saved submit to the truth and follow God’s way because we love Him, not because we have to.
Following God’s Word is not optional for the faithful child of God. However, the motivation to follow God’s Word is the love of God which is in the heart of the true child of God. It is that love that John was directed to write about in this short letter. That love is so precious and so powerful. As we live out that love in our daily lives, we will impact the lives of others. Some will take offence to that love, others will be drawn to that love.
Throughout this letter, John shows us the blessing we can know as true children of God; the fellowship with the Father and the Son and with the saints. As we enjoy that fellowship we will be able to be a blessing to one another. As we consider this letter, we can see how separating from a true local church does not meet God’s standard. It is not an expression of the love of God that indwells every true child of God. Those that are not able to attend a good church due to health issues, will admit they are missing out on important blessings. It is important to seek to visit those people and encourage them as they go through that challenge of failing health.
In these last days we need to take the words of this book to heart. Every true child of God in every generation before us has also needed to take them to heart. As we, who truly know the true God today, live for Him, we can be an encouragement to those who are watching us. We can show them that God’s way is the right way.
The “Amen” at the end of this book is God’s final declaration that what He has given John here is absolute truth. It cannot be altered. It is part of God’s sure Word to man.
It is important that we, those who are saved live in accordance with God’s Word. I listened to a person speaking about baptism the other day. He is a former school teacher. He tried to demonstrate a false sense of humility by suggesting that we cannot know what the right “mode” of baptism is. He suggested that when John was baptizing in the Jordan river, he was splashing water on the recipients. What foolish talk. The Bible is abundantly clear on what baptism is. It is a picture of a burial and a resurrection. It is being planted with Christ. There is no ambiguity.
Paul warned of those who are too wise to accept God’s Word as truth. We need to guard against this. This is part of keeping ourselves from idols. Those who are saved have an inner desire to please God. We are constantly reminded of the importance of this through the Word of God and through the work of the Holy Spirit within as well as through the fellowship of a true local church. Be sure you are walking with the Lord if you are His child.
Pastor Bartel