GETTING TO KNOW YOU (1 JOHN 1)
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My coworker Percy invited a few of us to his home for a Chinese New Year dinner (January 29, 2019). I was surprised that he kept hedgehogs as pets – not one but two separate cages. The hedgehog's dilemma, or sometimes the porcupine dilemma, describes a situation in which a group of hedgehogs seek to move close to one another to share heat during cold weather. They must remain apart, however, as they cannot avoid hurting one another with their sharp spines.
German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer first articulated the conundrum:
“A number of porcupines huddled together for warmth on a cold day in winter; but, as they began to prick one another with their quills, they were obliged to disperse. However the cold drove them together again, when just the same thing happened. At last, after many turns of huddling and dispersing, they discovered that they would be best off by remaining at a little distance from one another.” (Wikipedia: Hedgehog’s Dilemma)
John is one of Jesus’ twelve apostles who belonged to Jesus’ inner circle of three, including Peter and John’s brother James. He was renowned for writing the gospel John, three letters of John and the Book of the Revelation. He is otherwise known as
“the beloved disciple” or three times as the disciple “whom Jesus loved” (John 19:26, 21:7, 21:20), whom Jesus entrusted his mother to his care (John 19:26), thereby the introduction – “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life” (v 1).
What is life of fellowship with Jesus like? How does it benefit others? How can we develop the blessed life with Christ and what can derail it?
Extend the Fellowship – Fellowship Doubled
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
The early Christians had a radical, extreme and separatist understanding of fellowship with God, from which out of it is the making of monks and nuns. Christian monasticism is the devotional practice of individuals who live ascetic and typically cloistered lives that are dedicated to Christian worship. The word monk originated from the Greek monachos "monk," itself from monos meaning "alone.” Eremitic monasticism, or solitary monasticism, is characterized by a complete withdrawal from society, which was popularized by St. Anthony of the Desert, or St. Anthony of Egypt, who left civilization behind to live on a solitary Egyptian mountain in the third century. Men wandered into the desert, holed up in caves and took to the mountains to look for that exclusive fellowship with God. Women had the option of becoming an anchoress, who would live alone in a room that typically had a window that opened into a church so they could receive communion and participate in church services. There were two other windows that allowed food to be passed in and people to come seek advice. (Wikipedia: Christian monasticism)
The chapter has no imperatives but three purpose clauses. The first “hina” or purpose clause or the first distinctive of true fellowship, however, is not to get ahead or get away – which is just the transit - but to get others and get along, not to leave others behind – not the vertical but the horizontal plane, not the heavenly but the human factor, not relation with God but reciprocal with others.
The verb “proclaim” (apaggello) in verse 3 can be translated as “bring word again” ( Matt 2:8), tell (Matt 8:33), shew (Matt 11:4) and reported (Acts 4:23). John was a witness to Jesus’ transfiguration, but the highest experience of the Christian life is not to experience the Word but to evangelize the world, and to savor and save the experience for yourself but to share and spread the experience too others, not to own but co-own the experience or capture and not to master or monopolize the experience but extend and . Heard, seen and touched could not have been closer, richer and better relationship, but Christianity is more than a private matter or a personal experience.
John did not vouch for himself but for others as well in the “we” passages. Nobody in leadership contradicted, countered or corrected his viewpoint but championed, confirmed and concurred the same thing. No matter how high, how hallowed and honored the experience, Christianity is not closeted, cloistered or closed fellowship.
The noun “fellowship” (koinonia) in verse 3 is translated as contribution (Rom 15:26), communion (1 Cor 10:16), distribution (2 Cor 9:13) and communication (Philem 6). The word “fellowship” occurs once only in Matthew and Luke, but 33 times in John’s gospel, so it is a precious to John. Fellowship is the most repeated word in the chapter (vv 3 2x, 6, 7), more in this chapter and in 2 Corinthians (2 Cor 6:14, 8:4, 9:13, 13:14) than any chapter in the Bible, and the most repeated word in chapter 1 – four times. It is not about programming, partying but partaking and participating in the body of Christ- with all its flaws, frailties, friction, frustrations and fractures.
Family
Encouragement Examination
Love
Learning
Obedience
Worship Watchmen
Service
Humility Hospitality
Instruction
Prayer
The highest experience is with the Son and the Father. Close, rich and meaningful experience.
Experience the Joy – Fellowship Deepened
4 We write this to make our joy complete.
Researchers Aekyoung Kim of Rutgers University in the US and Sam Maglio of the University of Toronto used a range of elegant studies to pin down a causal effect, including self-reported questionnaires and interventions. One of their studies asked participants to list the 10 things that would make them happy in their life (which might be something as simple as devoting a few hours a week to be with your family). Rather than leading to feelings of optimism about the future, it caused them to be especially stressed about the limited amount of time they had to do all those things – and they were less happy as a result. This was not true if they simply listed the things that made them happy at that moment - it was the desire to increase their happiness that was the problem.
Happiness really is like a timid animal. And once you stop chasing it, you might just find that it appears naturally of its own accord. http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20181218-whats-the-quickest-way-to-happiness-do-nothing
The second purpose clause relates to oneself. Fellowship with others is on the outside, joy is on the inside. Our joy may be complete. Happiness depends on things “happening” or its “happenstance,” as in a happening movie, happening event or happening place, be it café, club or city. It is passive and external in nature. Happiness is laboring for moments but joy is living with meaning. Unlike happiness, joy is not circumstantial, changing or coincidental. Amazingly joy and grace (charis) share the same root word. Initially, there was not a great distinction placed between chara and charis in classical Greek since they both had the same basic meaning since they are based upon the same root. https://www.wenstrom.org/downloads/written/word_studies/greek/charis.pdf
Chara (joy) is produced by the “charis” (grace) of God. Someone says, “It is grace that brings well-being while joy is the experience of this well-being.” This means 'joy' is not human-based but God-centered. Chara (joy) is the experience whereas happiness is the emotion. Joy is godly, genuine and grounded in faith.
Also, that joy is not your joy or my joy, but our joy. In the earlier text the pronoun “your” is missing. While happiness is selfish, joy is shared. This joy is inside not outside, not earthly but eternal (even when we are gone), not physical but peaceful, patient and perfect.
Complete (pleroo) can be translated as fulfill (Matt 1:22), fill (Matt 23:32), end (Luke 7:1), expire (Acts 7:30), full (Rom 15:19), supply (Phil 4:19), and perfect (Rev 3:2). It is perfect tense as in continuity and in the passive voice – not caught. It speaks of the faithfulness, finish and finality, because it is not selfish but supportive of others, not mystical or mysterious but mature. Complete means not lacking, deficient, deprived or demanding anything. Joy is in significance rather than satisfaction, content than consumption, the gladness rather than the gratification.
Biblical joy has five characteristics:
1. Joy is ongoing and owned in Christ not off and on (John 16:22).
2. Joy is optimal in Christ. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. (John 15:11)
3. It is obedient not opposed to truth (3 John 4).
4. It is overcoming especially in affliction (2 Cor 7:4, 8:2)
5. It is ordered (Phil 2:2).
Expel the Menace – Fellowship Disrupted
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 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 sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
On Friday (February 22, 2019), a week after the Chinese New Year I went to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned or washed. The last appointment was more than a year ago, if not one and a half years ago, which means you can run but you cannot hide. It’s never good, only bad and ugly!
Nothing is as powerful as sitting in the dental engine with the ultrasonic cleaner vibrating in your mouth, at the same time spurting water and cleaning debris and washing down the deposits. The dental engine includes a small faucet and a spit-sink, as well as one or more suction hoses, and a compressed air/irrigation water nozzle for blowing or washing debris clear in the patient's mouth.
When you go to the dentist you learn new words such as scaling, interdental cleaning and super floss. After 15 minutes of flossing, brushing and cleaning, my teeth felt like a million bucks, refreshed and reborn – with a reasonable amount of scolding, shaming (Nurse: “You are supposed to breathe through your nose not your mouth” when I panicked) and suffering. No one goes to the dentist without understanding the terms such as remorse, repentance and relief in mind.
Verses 5-10 are very tricky. The overall theme is in verse 5: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
Verse 5 summarizes verses 5-10. Verses 6 and 7 contrast walk in darkness and walk in light, darkness first (v 6) because verse 5 ends with “darkness.” For example, verse 6 begins with darkness, then light in verse 7, a reverse from verse 5 where darkness follows the light. Darkness does not refer to color but to character. It refers to sin, which means separation from God, straying from truth and scuppering the word. Darkness can imply disobedience, desolation and death. Light (v 7), on the other hand, means deliverance, decency and direction. It is to be free from Satan’s slavery, schemes and service.
Why? Because God is light and Jesus is the light of the world (John 12:46) we are children of light (John 12:36). His followers shall not walk in darkness or abide in darkness (John 12:46), but to walk in the light and have the light of life (John 8:12).
The word “sin” ends verse 7, followed by we (v 8), He and us (v 9) and we and Him (v 10).
The third purpose clause is that to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (v 9). The purpose 1s to live the victorious, vigilant and virtuous life, and not live a vain, vile and vulnerable life.
Finally, fellowship is with the Father, knowing he is always available to us, forgiving us and purifying us from sins. Forgive means forsake (Matt 19:27), omit (Matt 23:23), yield up (Matt 27:50), lay aside (Mark 7:8) and sent away (Mark 4:36). Purify means clean (Matt 8:2), cleanse (Matt 10:8) and purge (Mark 7:19). The difference between forgive and purify in Greek is the word preposition “away” for forgive and inside for purify.
Conclusion: Victory over sin is like the process of a patient in the dentist chair gasping for air while gurgling in water and grappling for straws. Eventually, there’s light at the end of the tunnel, and it will be worth it after all.
Fellowship with brothers and sisters is as simple as sitting with them, speaking with them, singing with them, studying with them, serving with them, sympathizing with them, and sharing with them.
