Ina study of I John, we note thatthree words-"as he is"-are usedfive times in this one epistle. The signifi-cance of "as he is" in relation to a believ-er's potential expresses marvelous truthsand thrills our hearts.

"As he is" is found early in I John 1.The first usage is singularly significantfor these words are used in their fullestand most inclusive way.I John 7:5-7:This then is the message which we haveheard of him [God], and declare untoyou, that God is light, and in him is nodarkness at all.If we say that we have fellowship withhim, and walk in darkness, we lie, and donot the truth:But if we walk in the light, as he is [as Heis] in the light, * we have fellowship onewith another, and the blood of JesusChrist his Son cleanseth us from all sin[broken fellowship].

These verses dwell on the topic fellow-ship. To have fellowship with God, aperson must first of all be a son. A sonhas fellowship in a family only after heis born. 'After being born again, ourfellowship with God is indicated by ourwalk as Christian believers. If we walkin the light as He is light, we speak thewords He .speaks; we believe what Hewould have us believe; we act as Hewould have us act; we declare what He

*The words "in the" are deleted from theearliest texts so that it reads, "as he is light."

4 The Way MagazinefJ uly-August 1977

Dr. Victor Paul WierwilleFounder & President of The Way International

declares; we are as He is.Comparing the "as he is" of verse 7

with the "he is" of verse 9 is revealingin the contrast and in the omission ofthe word "as."I John 7:8,9:If we say that we have no sin [brokenfellowship], we deceive ourselves, andthe truth is not in us [in our renewedmind].If we confess our sins [broken fellow-ship], he is [He is] faithful and just toforgive us our sins, and to cleanse usfrom all unrighteousness.

This verse informs us that God is faith-ful and just. Although Christians are notalways faithful and just, He is. When weare faithful and just, we are in fellowship.

God is light, so darkness is separationfrom fellowship with God. It is never thewill of the Father that we shou Id beseparated in our fellowship with Him.Not God, but the believer breaks fellow-ship by failing to walk in the light as Godis light. This failure to live in fellowshipon the part of a believer is sin. ButGod in His foreknowledge, knowing thatman would not always walk in light,provided a way to get back into thelight and in fellowship with Him. "If weconfess our sins, he is [He is] faithfuland just to forgive us our sins, and tocleanse us from all [our] unrighteous-ness." Then, once again we are in thelight, we are again in perfect fellowship.

Whereas the verse, I John 1:9, usesthe words "he is," the verse I John 2:6,uses "as he."

I John 2:6:He that salth he abideth in him oughthimself also so to walk, even as he walked.

If a believer is abiding in Christ, thatChristian is walking as he (Christ) walked.Since no one except Jesus ever wal kedperfectly, God's Word encourages us tostrive for the perfection of Jesus Christ'swalk.

God the Father is light, His Son JesusChrist was light in this world for healways did the will of the Father.* Indoing the will of God, Jesus walkedaccording to the revealed Word. Andsince Jesus Christ is in us, the believers,we can walk on God's Word as we "oughtso to walk, even as he (Christ) walked."Look at this significant truth: God is lightand God was in Jesus Christ and Christ isin us.

Did Jesus Christ declare that thereis no God, that God is dead, that thereis no resurrection, no return, that prayingis only psychologically good for theone praying, that God cannot deliver,that the Bible is full of myths, interpola-tions and inaccuracies? Had Jesus stoppedliving God's Word because of what peoplesaid, he would not have been our savior.Had he been swayed by what the neigh-bors said or by what the communityand society thought, he never wouldhave walked perfectly in fellowshipwith his Father. So we should walk,

*John 4:34: "Jesus saith unto them, My meatis to do the will of him that sent me, and tofinish his work."

"ellen as he walked."The second usage of the three words

"as he is" is found in I John 3:2. Let usbegin reading with verse 1, notingspecifically the love which the Fatherhas showered upon us.I John 3: 7,2:Behold, what manner of love the Fatherhath bestowed upon us, that we shouldbe called the sons of God: therefore theworld knoweth us not, because it knewhim not.Beloved, now are we the sons of God,and [but] it doth not yet appear whatwe shall be [in the future]: but we knowthat, when he shall appear, we shall belike him; for we shall see him as he is.

When are we the sons of God? Now.When we were born again of God'sSpirit, we became His sons. Not whenwe die, not some day, not a "maybe"day, but right now we are sons of God.Our life with God-in-Christ-in-us iswonderful now, but it will be even betterin the future when we shall see him "ashe is." Being sons of God is a guaranteein the present that we shall see Christas he is at his return.

"As he is" starts with walking in thelight and thus having fellowship. Thenat Christ's return, we shall be as he isand shall see him as he is. This is thecompleted circle. God is light; He madeknown Himself, the light, in Christ;we received this light so we are guaran-teed at Christ's return to be as he is.

I John 3 contains the third usage ofthe words "as he is."I John 3:3:And every man that hath this hope inhim puritieth himself, even as he is pure.

"This hope" is the hope just spokenof in I John 3:2: "when he [Christ Jesus]shall appear, we shall be like him; for weshall see him as he is." The word "hope"is used in the Bible regarding that whichis only available in the future, whilethe word "faith" is used regarding thatwhich is available at the present moment.At this moment we have not seen himas he is for his return is yet future. Everyman who has this hope, the hope for thereturn of Christ, the hope to be as he is,that believer "purifieth himself, even ashe is pure."

The usage of the word "pure" here isenlightening. The Greek word is hagnos,meaning "to keep lustrous" even whileliving in this present tarnished world.Jesus Christ was in the flesh in thisworld, but t~e world was not mixed inhim to the end that he was contaminated.Jesus was in all tliings tempted as we are,yet without sin.* "Pure," hagnos, can be

"Hebrews 4: 15: "For we have not an highpriest which cannot be touched with the feeling

used of Jesus Christ, but never of thepurity of God, for God is katharos,pure with no foreign mixture of anykind.

We endeavor to make ourselves pure,hagnizo, because of Christ's purity inus. Our manifested purity lies in therenewing of our minds. Having the hopeof Christ's return is the purity in ourday-by-day living before God.

The fourth reference using "as he is"is four verses later, also in I John 3.

I John 3: 7:Little children, let no man deceive you:he that doeth righteousness is righteous,even as he is [as He is-God in Christ]righteous.

How righteous was Christ? As righ-teous as God because God was in him./I Corinthians 5: 79:To wit, that God was in Christ, reconcil-ing the world unto himself, not imputingtheir trespasses unto them; and hathcommitted unto us the word of recon-ciliation.

When Christ is in us, then spirituallyhow righteous are we? We are as righteousas God in Christ is righteous.

To become righteous we must confesswith our mouths the lord Jesus andbelieve in the innermost part of ourbeings that God raised Christ from thedead. Then we are righteous "even as heis righteous." Righteousness is from Godand has nothing to do with how we feel;it has everything to do with God's justifi-cation of us in Christ, given to us as a freegift. II Corinthians 5:21 says, "For hehath made him to be sin for us, whoknew no sin; that we might be madethe righteousness of God in him." Righ-teousness is not of man's works, but ofGod's grace. No man by his own workscould ever make himself good enoughto have the righteousness of God. Therighteousness of God to the believer isa gift beyond human comprehensiongiven by a Father who loves us and notgiven because we merit or even comeclose to meriting it.

The fifth and final record of "as heis" is I John 4:17. Since verse 17 beginswith a word referring to a previous state-ment, our understanding is improvedby reading the last part of the precedingverse.

I John 4: 76, 77:... God is love; and he that dwelleth inlove dwelleth in God, and God in him.Herein is our love made perfect, that wemay have boldness in the day of judq-

of our infirmities; but was in all points temptedlike as we are, yet without sin."

ment: * because as he is [as He is], soare we in this world.

After becoming a child of God, ourlove is made perfect by fellowsh ip:"he that dwelleth in love dwelleth inGod." Because of our doubly establishedlove, by sonship and by fellowship, wehave boldness in this day of man's judg-ment. We are not reluctant, hesitant,fearful, hiding our light under a bushel;but we have the boldness to take thegreatness of God's Word to a sin-sickand dying people because as He is,perfect, so are we in this world.

Peter and John had this love and bold-ness for, as recorded in Acts 4, theycontinued teaching the Word of Godwhile suffering severe persecution.Acts 4:23-26,29:And being let go, they [Peter and John]went to their own company [they wentback among the believers], and reportedall that the chief priests and elders hadsaid unto them. 'And when they [the people of the com-pany of believers] heard that [report],they lifted up their voice to God with oneaccord, and said, Lord, thou art God,which hast made heaven, and earth, andthe sea, and all that in them is:Who by the mouth of thy servant Davidhast said, Why did the heathen rage, andthe people imagine vain things?The kings of the earth stood up, andthe rulers were gathered together againstthe Lord, and against his Christ.And now, Lord, behold their threatenings[This is the first prayer that is recordedin the Christian Church.]: and grant untothy servants, that with al/ boldness[not hesitancy, reluctance or fear]they may speak thy word.

Speaking the Word of God with allboldness was the very thing that gotPeter and John into trouble in the firstplace. Yet instead of praying, "Lord,take the pressure off," they prayed formore "boldness to speak thy word."

As he is so are we in this world and sowe can walk with both power and enthu-siasm. We can witness to people. We canhelp them. We can expect to succeedin business, in shops, factories, farms,in offices and kitchens. Wherever youare, you are ashe is. Isn't that tremendous?

Remember Romans 8:37-" ... we are

"The day of judgment is the day in which youand I are now living. This is man's day ofjudgment; the Lord's day of judgment is stillfuture. I Corinthians 4: 3 states, "But with me itis a very small thing that I should be judged ofyou, or of man's judgment .... " The "judgment"is the word "day." The reason the Gree k wordwas translated "judgment" is that in this dayand age, which is man's day, man does thejudging. In the Lord's day, God will judge.

The Way Magazine/July-August 1977 5

Christ, who hath blessed [past tense] uswith all spiritual blessings in heavenlyplaces in Christ." And Colossians 1: 13further edifies us when it says, "Whohath delivered [past tense] us fromthe power of darkness, and hath trans-lated [past tense] us into the kingdomof [by the work of] his dear Son." InGod's sight the believer is already deliv-ered and translated even though he isyet living in this world.

Colossians 2:6 says, "As ye havetherefore received Christ Jesus the Lord,so walk ye in him." As he is, so are wein this world. Having received Christ Jesusthe lord we are to walk in him. Westand fast on God's Word and walk"as he [Christ] walked," and then weare not blown about, we are not tossedaround, we are not running from thishappening to that happening, we arenot listening to different men's opin-ions and different ideas. We are listeningto one thing only and that is God's Word.

Colossians 2:7,70:Rooted and built up in him, and stablishedin the faith [the fam ily faith] , as ye havebeen taught, abounding therein withthanksgiving.And ye are complete in him ....

If we lacked anything, would we becomplete? No, indeed not. How littleof the Word of God we have acceptedand lived in our lives. Our level of exis-

tence most of the time is far below parcompared to what is available as oursonship privileges, for as he is so are we.Few believers are willing to confessthat they are what God says they are.Hebrews 10:23 reads, "Let us holdfast the profession [confession] ofour faith without wavering .... " Thatmeans we are to confess with boldnessthat as he is, so are we in this world.

As"elsmore than conquerors .... "-and John10:10-" ... 1 am come that they mighthave life, and that they might haveit more abundantly." We do not waitto get power and abundance in thefuture; we are now as he is.lCorlnthians 7:30,37:But of him [of God] are ye in ChristJesus, who [Christ Jesus] of God is madeunto us wisdom, and righteousness,and sanctification, and redemption:That, according as it is written, He thatqlorleth, let him glory in the Lord [inwhat the Lord accomplished for us].

If we are going to boast of something,let us not boast about ourselves butabout what the Lord did, what he accom-plished. As he is so are we in this world.We are as he is now, not as he was whenhe was spit upon, beaten and crucified.We are not as he was in defeat andfrustration, but as he is in all victory.glory, power, and majesty. This is whyEphesians 2:6 and 10 say, "And hathraised us up together, and made ussit together in heavenly places in ChristJesus ... For we are his workmanship .... "We are already seated in the heavenliesso far as God is concerned because ofthe victory of Christ and because ofGod's grace.

In Ephesians 1:3 we note, "Blessedbe the God and Father of our Lord Jesus

To real ize the "as he is" greatness ofthe First Epistle of John is almost breath-taking in our day. (1) To "walk in thelight as he is light" is the fellowshipof power. (2) To be assured in the presentthat in the not-too-distant future "weshall be like him; for we shall see himas he is," is the fellowsh ip of etern ity.(3) Having this hope for Christ's return,we walk uncontaminated, purifying our-selves "even as he is pure." (4) Knowingthat righteousness is the believer's cher-ished possession, we refuse to' be deceivedby any denial to the contrary, but contin-ue manifesting our righteousness even"as he is righteous." (5) Perhaps the mostrewarding knowledge is the realizationthat in this day of man's judgment wecan manifest God's perfect love. We havethe boldness to declare God's Word; wehave the power to live a life more thanabundant and to be more than a con-queror, because as he is, so are we in thisworld. ~

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6 The Way MagazinelJuly-August 1977