I John 3:14, "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death."

This morning, many texts are worded or structured differently based on the context of the setting. For instance, is the context personal (individual) or church based? Is it an eternal or timely context?
Based on the answers to these questions, we find language that more adequately describes these lessons to us. Therefore, the context of things is greatly important, and when language is scrutinized, it is always beneficial to understand the setting that the language is surrounded by. Therefore, let us look at
this verse that has a different wording than other Biblical texts and see why the language is different.

The striking thing about this text is that John employs the word "know" in relation to our
understanding of being alive in Christ. The reason that this is interesting is that the Bible is replete with examples that talk of our eternal life as a "hope." Now, since there are no contradictions in Scripture, let us see what the difference is. Hope, by its very nature, is unseen. Paul describes this in Romans 8 by asking why a man would hope for something that he sees. If we see something, then there is no need to hope for it. One hope that I have while writing this is to make it home this evening, see my wife and son, and find all things well. Since I currently do not see that, it is a hope. But, Lord willing, this evening I will not have to hope for it as I will see it before me. After work this evening, I can say I know that my family and things are well.

So, the hope that we have in Christ Jesus our Lord stems from the fact that we have not beholden Him with our own eyes (yet). Our bodies have not been fashioned and changed like unto His glorious body (yet). We have not yet seen heaven's pure world, and since our sight of these things is absent, we patiently wait and hope for it. However, it must be stated that this hope is not a flimsy, could be, might
be, wish, or pipe dream. This hope is the earnest expectation of our desire. We firmly believe that it will come to pass, even though not yet manifest. As a matter of fact, as confident as I might be of the hope of seeing my family this evening, the hope in Christ is stronger and more sure than that or anything else in this world that a man may hope for. So, if our reference to eternal life, seeing our Saviour, and walking through our inheritance is called a hope, what does John mean by using the word know?

Shortly before our verse above, John makes the statement, "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." (verse 9) John makes the clear and bold statement that what God has planted within us is pure, holy, without spot, and incapable
of sinning. Other places call this seed the new man, inner man, new creature, and sometimes the creature.
So, when God vitally enters one of His own in regeneration, His seed of planting can never fall away or sin. Even though our old man (body of death) is totally given to sin, the new man cannot (has not the capacity) to sin. This is of utmost importance, for could our new man sin, we would have no hope in the doctrine of eternal security. But, John clearly states the impossibility of falling from the gracious
state of God's union to us. So, let us see what can be observed in verse 14 from verse 9.

When God's children are born of Him, they are commanded to work out what God has worked in.
(Philippians 2) There is no greater display of this working out than the assembling of the saints together in the house of the Lord. When the congregation comes together in one accord in one place, the love of Christ that has been shed abroad in our hearts comes flowing out from breast to breast and faith to faith.
During these happy seasons and times of feasting, the display of love that is brought forth shows us something that we can perceive. What we are perceiving is the image of Christ coming out in the faces of the saints of God. (Colossians 1:27) The hope of glory is coming out manifestly by our conduct and loving affection one to another. Since we can see these things, we can say that we know some things. We do not have to hope for what we are seeing.

Therefore, if we are seeing the image of Christ (by faith) coming out through the bonds and chords of love, we have the evidence to say, "I know that I have passed from death unto life." The love that we feel one for another is our evidence that gives the knowledge of the blessed state we are in. When we see
these things, we can rejoice to be able to say one more time, "I have seen the face of the King in the faces of His people. Surely the Lord is in this place and in our midst." This is one of the primary reasons that one cannot get as much outside of church as one can inside church being a visible member of the body of Christ.

And oh how sad the times of parting from these scenes becomes! While the flesh is weary sometimes after exercises of worship, the parting hand is one that makes me yearn immediately for the next occasion to meet together. When we leave these scenes of fellowship, our evidence of the image of Christ in our brethren's faces leaves as well. It is the times when not around the Lord's saints that we must (at times) say, "I hope that I have passed from death unto life" as the things seen are not presently visible. May our hearts yearn and long for these times to visit together and see our Lord high and lifted up. Truly, the Lord's people have been a help and blessing to me all the days of my life. My humble prayer is that the
face of my Saviour has been seen in glimpses in my efforts to give the same assurance and rest to the brethren as their faces have given me. Finally, may we all seek to show forth the love of Christ more and more with each passing hour.

In Hope,

Bro Philip