In the first posting of this series I emphasized the words “yea” (“yes”) and “amen” (“so be it”).  “Yea and amen” is the “headline” relative to the promises God made to those who believe His Word.  However, the most important part of those promises–the “fine print”–must be addressed before “yea and amen” can apply.  The Lord summarized this most important aspect of His promises using two words: “IN HIM.”  The first 2 commandments are the most important of God’s Ten Commandment Law and are the foundation upon which the other 8 stand.  Likewise, “IN HIM” are the 2 most important words relative to God’s promises and are the foundation upon which His promises rest.  Unless one obeys the first two commandments, three through ten are meaningless.  Likewise, UNLESS ONE IS “IN HIM” THERE IS NO “YEA AND AMEN.”  Let us turn to the gospel of the Apostle John where we learn the whole truth relative to “yea and amen.”

In John 17:13-23 we find Jesus speaking to the Father in open prayer so that His disciples, and eventually the world (vs 13), could hear His prayer concerning those who desire to spend eternity with Him.  He begins (vs 14) by noting that He had given His disciples “Your (God’s) Word” which they would take to the world (vs 13).  The part of the world Jesus dealt with personally hated His (God’s) Word, hated Him (Jesus) for bringing it and hated the disciples who proclaimed it because they (the haters) were of Satan’s world.  In 2 Corinthians 4:4 the Apostle Paul notes that Satan had blinded the eyes of the world so that the light (Word) of God could not shine on them.  Nothing has changed in the present day, church-saturated world where only the Lord’s tiny remnant embraces His Word and makes It the standard of their life’s walk, Jesus of Nazareth being their example (1 Jn. 2:6).

Note that those who hated Jesus, hated His Father and hated those who spread Their Word were the religionists of the day who, though they “believed in Him” nevertheless wanted to kill Him because of what He said.  Jesus told those who “believed in Him but rejected His Words that 1) they were not of God, and 2) that Satan was their father (Jn. 8:30-47).  Nothing has changed.  Those who hate God’s Word, hate Him and hate His Son are church people who BELIEVE IN Jesus but DO NOT BELIEVE HIM, thereby proving that their spiritual father is Satan and that they despise both the Father and the Son (Lk. 10:16).  Having dealt with church people for many years, I can assure you that no one hates the Holy Scriptures and Their Author, His Son and Their ministers more than Catholics and Protestants.  As the Lord said, those who walk in darkness hate the light because it exposes their dark beliefs and practices.  The nonchurched do not care what God’s people believe, say, write, etc.  I receive no resistance from them.  It is church people whose anger comes forth when presented with God’s Word.  Neither group is “in Him.

Beginning with verse 14 we will examine the focal passage in order to understand what “IN HIM” means in the Biblical sense.  Unless one has such knowledge and acts on it, the Holy Scriptures have no relevance.  So important is this Truth that I ask you to read the following passages before proceeding with this study: John 8:31; 14:15,23; 15:10,13,14/ Matthew 7:23; 12:46-50/ 15:9/ Luke 6:46/ Romans 2:13/ James 1:22.

Verses 14-16: The world (including those who “believe in Him”) hated the disciples because of Christ’s Words which separated them from the world just as they separated Him from the world.  He would leave the world, but the disciples would not.  Jesus asked God to strengthen them against those whom Satan would use to persecute them..

Verses 17-20: Sanctification means to be spiritually segregated from the world while living in the world.  Read God is a Segregationist.  Key word–Segregationist.  It is belief in and obedience to God’s word–His Truth (Jn. 17:17)–that had segregated Jesus and would segregate His disciples, then and now.

Verses 20-23: Jesus prays for those who would become disciples through the ministry of the original 12.  He prayed for those whom they and their ministerial descendants would lead into true discipleship.  Verse 21 is the focal verse of this passage.

Verse 21: Jesus prayed that the disciples would be ONE (in spirit, knowledge, faith, power, etc.) “AS YOU, FATHER, ARE IN ME AND I IN YOU, THAT THEY ALSO MAY BE ONE IN US ….”  Note it: Jesus asked the Father to make the disciples (then and n0w) one IN THEM, meaning AS THEM (in holiness, power, spirit, knowledge, faith, etc.).  True disciples, then and now, are ONE IN THE GODHEAD AND ONE WITH THE GODHEAD.  There is no sin in the Godhead.  In order to be “IN THEM” one must be ONE WITH THEIR CHARACTER.

In 1 John 3 we find several statements that back up what Jesus said.  Just as there is only purity in the Godhead; there is purity only in the Godhead.  Verse 3 notes that those who have the hope of salvation PURIFY THEMSELVES THROUGH OBEDIENCE TO THE WORD OF GOD CONTINUOUSLY, MAKING THEM PURE AS JESUS IS PURE.  Verses 5-7,9 proclaim that there is no sin in Jesus, which means that there can be no sin in one who is IN HIM.  “HE WHO SINS HAS NOT SEEN HIM, NEITHER KNOWS HIM.  HE WHO DOES RIGHTEOUSNESS IS RIGHTEOUS, EVEN AS HE IS RIGHTEOUS.”  In verse 9 we find John making a statement that has caused many people to doubt God’s Word: “Whosoever is born of God (converted) DOES NOT COMMIT SIN for His seed remains in him and he CANNOT SIN  because he is born of God.”  Even Jesus Himself could sin.  So we must go to the “extra-fine print” to understand this seemingly false statement.

In the Greek language the word “cannot” is made up of 2 words: CAN–“dynamai”– to be able to, have power to, and NOT–“ou”– not at all, in no way, absolutely not.  Together the words mean that one has the power to do something but absolutely refuses to do so.  In this case, it means that the disciple can sin but will not do so because he is IN HIM who has all power and shares it with those who IN HIM so that they can reject sin as He did.

Jesus tells us in Revelation 3:21 that His true followers “cannot (can but refuse to) sin” with these Words: “To him who OVERCOMES (sin) I will allow to sit with Me on My throne, just as I OVERCAME (sin) and have set down with My Father on His throne.”  In 1 John 2:1,10,12,14 the apostle tells God’s true saints to “sin not” and not to “stumble.”  He tells them that their (past) sins have been forgiven, that the Word of God abides in them and that they can “OVERCOME THE WICKED ONE,” just as Jesus declares that one must do in order to qualify to join Him on His throne in the Kingdom of God.

We must overcome Satan’s temptations to sin just as did Jesus.  This places us “IN HIM.”    THEN, AND ONLY THEN His promises are “YEA AND AMEN.”   L.J.