“Liar, Liar, Liar”

Texts: “If we say…we lie and do not practice the truth” (1 John 1:6). “He who says…is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4). “If someone says…he is a liar” (1 John 4:20).

Thought:  In this hard-hitting and straightforward Epistle, the Apostle John is confronting error and lies that misrepresent the true nature of the Christian life.

After he presents himself as an authoritative witness to the “Word of life,” (Jesus Christ Himself and eternal life in Him), he lets his readers know of his desire and purpose in writing. He wants his readers to share true “fellowship” with the Apostle himself (and those with him), and this is a fellowship that is with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. So, positively, John is presenting truths that will lead his readers into true fellowship with the Lord. Let’s call this fellowship “walking in the light,” which is one of the phrases that John uses.

At the same time while John is describing how to walk in the light, he is confronting falsehoods that represent “darkness” rather than “light”. He begins his message or instruction by declaring that “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1:5). Certainly within this word “light” is the idea that God is completely true, truth-full, righteous, and pure. Thus, John is countering falsehood and lies that would lead his readers away from a “walk” that should be characterized by truth, righteousness, obedience and love.

You Can’t Walk in Darkness and Say You Have Fellowship with a God Who Is Light (1:6)
The believer is to “walk in the light.” He is not to walk in darkness, for in so doing he is not practicing “the truth” (1:6). John makes it clear later that the true Christian will practice righteousness and will not practice sin. But here John’s emphasis is on being honest about sin, being willing to confess sin, and recognizing God’s provision of an Advocate if you do sin.

John’s desire is that his readers would “not sin” (2:1), but the way of forgiveness and cleansing is presented when a believer does sin. Indeed, it is in an aspect of “walking in the light” that a believer will be honest about sin, will confess it, and experience the cleansing and renewed fellowship that comes through the blood, the propitiation, the advocacy of Jesus Christ. So to say that you have fellowship with God and at the same time “walk in darkness” and refuse to deal with sin—is not to practice the truth. In short, it is to speak and live a lie. Along the way, we deceive ourselves and call God a liar as well (1:8, 10).

You Can’t Say You Know the Lord and Disobey His Commandments (2:4)
The Apostle John does not leave a lot of room for gray in his Epistle. To claim that you really know the Lord and to not be committed to obeying His Word just does not make sense. Indeed, it is a lie. If you say that you abide in the Lord, then you ought to “walk just as He walked” (2:6). John spells this out throughout this Epistle, but it is interesting to note that he emphasizes loving your brother (2:7-11), and believing on the “Name of…Jesus Christ” as aspects of obedience (3:23).

Indeed, if you do not believe in the Son of God, you make God (the Father) a liar. So, walking in the truth means to believe the truth and obey the truth. And those who teach otherwise are teaching falsehood. Besides teaching a straightforward truth here, John may be exposing false prophets or teachers who claimed to know God, but they denied basic doctrines concerning God’s Son, and they were not obeying His teachings.

You Can’t Say You Love God and Hate Your Brother (4:20)
The Apostle has already called his readers to a deep Christ-like quality of love (2:8-11, 4:7-19). Loving your brother is part of walking in the light (2:8-11). Indeed, to hate your brother is to be in darkness and to walk in darkness. Here the Apostle states the situation as simply and practically as possible. It is simply a lie to say that you love God and to hate your brother. He asks the rhetorical question, “for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” Having exposed the lie, John then simply states God’s command, “he who loves God must love his brother also” (4:21). Let us hear John’s instructive and inspiring words, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (4:10-11). How true!

Thrust: Let the Apostle John’s straightforward challenge be a warning to us. We must speak the truth and practice the truth. Then we will experience more fully the kind of fellowship with the Lord and with other believers that God intends for us.   

David L. Olford teaches expository preaching at Union University’s Stephen Olford Center in Memphis, Tennessee.

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