#12 The Double Distinguishing Mark

From Meditations on the Epistles of John, by Samuel Froehlich

First John 3 verses 19 through 21. "And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God."

The apostle gives us a double distinguishing mark by which we may know that we are of the truth and have the spiritual life of Christ in us. First the negative: If our heart condemns us for every unfaithfulness to the holy rule and every deviation from it. Of course, not every deviation is one from the truth, but the inner censuring and punishing on account of it, is a proof and testimony that the truth of Christ dwells in the man and that the heart of this man is pledged to the truth and, as a rule, watches sternly over and is zealous for its purity.

Such deviation in a child of God is the exception only, and not a matter of habit. Yet these exceptions must always become fewer the more faithfully one follows the Spirit of Christ, because a child of God dislikes being disciplined and prefers to have peace with the Father and joy in the Holy Ghost; and just as the sea will suffer nothing dead in it, but casts it up, so the pure Spirit of Christ will likewise suffer no impurity in the heart. Where one gives room to the impure spirit, there the pure Spirit of Truth must depart, for He does not in vain punish and discipline each sinful impulse, but so that the man of God may be purified of every sin and may lead a holy life in the world.

It is for this very reason that the inner judgment is a sign of the truth and spiritual health of one, for men of the world know nothing of it. They treat all kinds of sinning with indifference, and if they should perhaps still hear a condemning voice in their conscience (How else does God keep a door open for Himself even in the conscience of natural man?), they are not inclined to hearken to this warning and punishment, but stifle the voice of their screaming conscience and bring it to silence and excuse and justify themselves in regard to their sins.

Romans 2 verse 15. "Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another."

Even if the spoken word of reproof is added to it, they will have nothing held against them. But the children of God, who are of the truth, are not so; they accuse and bewail themselves before God of each transgression so that it may be forgiven them; they do not wish to conceal anything for it is God Who enlightens them and Who knows all things. For as soon as one is converted, the inner judgment comes into power and action, and if one walks faithfully after that, he is free from the punitive correction of the heart and is also anxious to keep himself free from it; however, not like the unconverted, by the denial of sin, but by the denial of all that is ungodly and the worldly lusts. That is the difference between the children of God and the children of the devil.

Hypocrites also know very well what is right or not right, and they see it, too, and judge and censure every sin, only not in themselves but in others. Indeed, they judge and blame the children of God for that which, in itself, is not even sin but a weakness – so holy a life do they demand of the children of God! But those who are of the truth, above all, direct their critical eye at themselves and not at others and by virtue of this severity toward themselves, they may then, on an occasion of overhastiness, appeal to God and assure (quiet and assuage) their hearts before Him without becoming self-deceiving hypocrites and liars, for God is omniscient, knowing not only their deviation but also their remorse, pain and self accusation.

First John 3 verse 19. "And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him."

It is toward God that we stand in the highest and most important relationship of our life, inasmuch as He is the Judge of all the world. Therefore, we must enter into the closest fellowship and circle of acquaintance with Him, that we may know how we stand with Him and come not into judgment. The world does not know the living God, feels no drawing to Him, and, accordingly, does not understand sin. On the other hand, all children of God know their Father and have an open and a joyous access to Him, which they will not again allow to be closed to them by sin. Therefore, they guard themselves against sin so that they may not lose the peace of God.

Now, when John speaks of a condemning or an accusing of the heart, he does not mean it of the beginning of a sinner’s conversion, when the judgment of damnation for the time of ignorance thunders so loudly and terribly in the heart that the frightened sinner ventures not so much as to lift up his eyes to God, but smites his breast – much less then could he threaten the storm and still the tempest himself. Then, nothing except the voice of Christ can help us, which brings rest to the soul and indeed so wondrously and quickly that man must kneel down and worship and acknowledge that He is the Lord, and after this greatest experience of His power and glory, the pardoned one never again doubts that the same Lord Jesus has the power to defy every tempest and to rescue him from every danger, anxiety and temptation.

Matthew 11 verse 28. "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

For there is no tempest as great and as terrible as sin, and when the heart has once become free, peaceful and quieted of sin, it is also armed against every outward storm of the enemy, without being thrown into confusion or removed from composure.

But John speaks here of the children of God, who are already of the truth, that they possess and have in control their own heart, and so can quiet it before God their Father, without deceiving or wrongly comforting or absolving themselves as does the unbelieving world, which forgives its own sins instead of seeking forgiveness from God and converting themselves from sin to Him, and while the hypocrites slander the Son of God, saying that He forgives sins, which alone is the province of God, these same hypocrites are not afraid of absolving themselves.

The children of God, however, can quiet their hearts before God because they are upright before Him and, like the Father, hate all that is sin, and because they hate sin, they avoid it and therefore they are differentiated from those who are still under the law but in original conversion and who indeed hate sin too, but still commit it because they have not yet put on Christ. Romans 7.

For those things about which a child of God is still condemned in his heart are not the gross, grievous sins against the old law, but are such things apart from them that, as well, are unbecoming of saints, who are severe and exact with themselves and who give account to God for every unnecessary word and impure thought. Of such severe judgment of one’s self, the world knows and understands little, if anything, and the ungodly for that reason slander the children of God as fools, saying that they have scruples about little things and will no longer have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them: for sin is the greatest misfortune that can happen to a person, worse than breaking one’s neck and limbs.

Matthew 5 verse 29. "And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell."

And because every sin is first embryonic and must be present in thought and desire before it comes to the deed, all children of God must watch over their heart and guard it.

John obviously wishes to comfort the children of God when he says "God is greater than our heart" First John 3 verse 20 – the Father is greater than the children. Our heart can accuse and condemn us, but God is a righteous Judge Who acquits His children Romans 8 verse 26 because they are upright, sincere, loyal and simple-hearted concerning Him, and wish to conceal nothing from Him, for they know that He knows all things.

Romans 8 verse 26. "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."