The Christian and His Neighbors

GOLDEN TEXT: “And this commandment we have from Him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.” —I John 4:21

I JOHN 4:16 – 5:3

IT IS important in the consideration of this lesson to determine just who are Christians. The expression, “Christian world,” is often used in contrast with “the heathen world.” Under such a classification a Christian could be almost anyone who is not a heathen, a Jew, or an avowed atheist. The Scriptures use the word “Christian” only three times. Its first use is when we are told that the brethren at Antioch were first called Christians. (Acts 11:26) Peter speaks of one who suffers for the name of Christ as a Christian.—I Peter 4:14-16

In our lesson John does not use the word “Christian.” However, he describes what a Christian is by the statement, “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is begotten of God.” (ch. 5:1 R.V.) First there is the necessity of accepting Jesus as the Christ of promise. This is done upon the basis of faith, or belief. This, however, is more than a casual acknowledgment of the fact that Jesus came in fulfillment of God’s messianic promises. True belief expresses itself in action, and the action called for in this case is the full dedication of oneself to do the will of God. No one can be a Christian in the full sense of the word without being fully consecrated to the Lord.

To become a Christian one must first be drawn to Christ by Gad. Then we must exercise faith in Christ and the power of his redeeming blood, and upon the basis of this faith surrender ourselves to the doing of the divine will. But before we are truly Christians God must further act. John refers to saying that believers are “begotten of God.” This is the Revised Version translation, and it is correct. No one is “born” of God until the first resurrection.

In the Greek language the same word is used both for “born” and “begotten.” The context in which it is used determines which is meant. Jesus explained to Nicodemus that those who are born of the Spirit, or of God, can come and go invisibly, like the wind. (John 3:8) Obviously this is not true of Christians while they are still in the flesh, so the present status of believers is referred to in the revised translation as “begotten.”

The will of God for all consecrated believers is that they might be emptied more and more of self, and be filled with the Spirit of God, which is the spirit of love. These are to deny self, and to walk in the way of sacrifice, the footsteps of Jesus. (Matt. 16:24) The spirit which motivated Jesus to lay down his life for us, and for the whole world of mankind, was love. So the Lord’s will for us is that we also be so filled with love that we will lay down our lives for one another, and for mankind, even as Jesus did.

The devoted followers of the Master, in their love for God and for his people, should stand out as examples in any community in which they live. They will not be self-seeking, but ever on the alert to do good to those around them. While there are many noble people in the world who are not Christians, on the whole the people of the world are more inclined to take a selfish viewpoint of life than are the followers of the Master.

Living exemplary lives of unselfishness and helpfulness will not itself, however, convey the Gospel of the kingdom to our neighbors. In addition to our exemplary living, the Word must be spoken, the Gospel explained. That is the reason we are exhorted to hold forth the Word of life amidst a crooked and perverse generation.—Phil. 2:15,16, R.V.

The general view is that the world is to be converted by the preaching of the Gospel during the present age. But this view is not supported by the Word of God. Jesus commanded his disciples to go into all the world and preach the Gospel as “witnesses.” (Acts 1:8) This witnessing of the Gospel will reach those whom God is drawing to Christ for the purpose of being associated with him in the future kingdom work of blessing the world, but the world will be little influenced by it. (John 6:44) When we witness to our neighbors we may expect that few, if any of them, will manifest any great degree of interest.

If we are filled with, and controlled by love, we will not fear bearing witness to the truth, even though at times we may discover that those to whom we witness are very much opposed to us. In John’s day, the opposition was very severe, often leading to imprisonment and death. For this reason his explanations and admonitions were of great concern to those early believers. But they apply in principle to us. Although violent persecution is not so general today, we still have the opportunity of proving faithful through our witness work.

QUESTIONS

Explain what constitutes a Christian.

What is the difference between being “begotten” of God and being “born” of God?

What is the will of God for all true believers?

How should Christians appear to their neighbors?

How can Christians bear witness to the Gospel of the kingdom?

Will witnessing to the Gospel in this age convert the world?

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