In verse 29 John twice uses the word “know”: “If you have known that He is righteous, you know also that everyone who practices righteousness has been begotten of Him.” The first use of the word know is a translation of the Greek word eideta, from oida, perceived with a conscious knowledge, a deeper inward seeing. This is for knowing the Lord. But the second use of the word “know” is a translation of the Greek word ginoskete, from ginosko, the outward objective knowledge. This is for knowing man.
The word “righteous” in verse 29 refers to the righteous God in 1:9 and Jesus Christ the Righteous in 2:1. In this word to all the recipients, beginning from 2:28, the apostle turns his emphasis from the fellowship of the divine life in 1:3-2:11 and the anointing of the Divine Trinity in 2:12-27 to the righteousness of God. The fellowship of the divine life and the anointing of the Divine Trinity should have an issue, that is, should issue in the expression of the righteous God.
According to John’s word in verse 29, if we know that God is righteous, we “know also that everyone who practices righteousness has been begotten of Him.” To practice righteousness is not merely to do righteousness occasionally and purposely as some particular act; it is to do righteousness habitually and unintentionally as one’s common daily living. It is the same in 3:7. This is an automatic living that issues from the divine life within us, with which we have been begotten of the righteous God. Hence, it is a living expression of God, who is righteous in all His deeds and acts. It is not merely outward behavior, but the manifestation of the inward life; not merely an act of purpose, but the flow of life from within the divine nature we partake of. This is the first condition of the life that abides in the Lord. It is all due to the divine birth, which is indicated by the word “has been begotten of Him” and the title “children of God” in 3:1.
John’s writings on the mysteries of the eternal divine life place much emphasis on the divine birth (3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18; John 1:12-13), which is our regeneration (John 3:3, 5). It is the greatest wonder in the entire universe that human beings could be begotten of God, and sinners could be made children of God! Through such an amazing divine birth we have received the divine life, which is the eternal life (1 John 1:2), as the divine seed sown into our being (3:9). Out of this seed all the riches of the divine life grow from within us. It is by this that we abide in the Triune God and live the divine life in our human living, a life that does not practice sin (3:9), but practices righteousness (2:29), loves the brothers (5:1), overcomes the world (5:4), and is not touched by the evil one (5:18).
First John 2:28-3:10a indicates that we can abide in the Lord. We have pointed out that certain pronouns used in these verses indicate that to abide in the Lord is actually to abide in the Triune God.
It is not a simple matter for us to abide in the Triune God. How can human beings abide in God? To abide in God is different from walking with Him. Genesis 5 tells us that Enoch walked with God. But what does it mean to abide in Him? Here John does not speak of walking with God, but speaks of abiding in God. To abide in God means to dwell in Him. We may find it rather easy to understand what it means to abide with God or dwell with God. But according to the natural mind it seems that it is impossible for human beings to dwell, to abide, in God.
Abiding in the Triune God is a matter that involves the divine birth. The third section of this Epistle emphasizes the divine birth. We have the words “begotten of Him” in 2:29 and the phrase “begotten of God” in 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4, and 18. By this we see that John repeatedly refers to our divine birth. In order for us to dwell in God, we need to realize that we have had a divine birth, that we have been born of God. Through this divine birth we have received the divine life, which is the divine seed. How wonderful that a divine seed has been sown into our being and that we have been born of God!
When a child is born of his parents, he automatically has a human life. We may say that this human life came from the sowing of a human seed, that the child’s being came from a human seed. This seed means a great deal to a child’s living, for it causes him to be different from any kind of animal. Because a newborn child has a human seed, the child can dwell in humanity. He has been born of humanity, and he has a human life from that seed. Therefore, it is easy for the child to remain, abide, dwell, in humanity. Actually, for a child to dwell in humanity is natural, spontaneous, and automatic. He can abide in humanity because he has had a human birth and possesses a human life from the human seed.
Suppose someone commanded a dog to abide in humanity. A dog may pretend for a little while to stand upright like a human being. But eventually he will go back to standing on four feet and spontaneously live according to the dog nature within him. Because a dog has not had a human birth, he does not have the human life, the human seed, to enable him to abide in humanity.
Do you know what makes it possible for us to dwell in the Triune God? We can dwell in Him because we have been born of Him. It is the wonder of wonders that human beings can be born of God. Although God is divine and we are sinners, we have nevertheless been born of the divine Being. Nothing could be greater than this.
This divine birth is not merely a doctrine or something experienced psychologically. On the contrary, this birth has actually taken place organically in our spirit. In John 3:6 the Lord Jesus says, “That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Praise the Lord that we have experienced such a birth! This divine birth brings us a divine life, and the divine life is the divine seed which is now in our being. In this divine life we spontaneously abide, dwell, in the Triune God.
We are already dwelling in the Triune God. There is no need for us to exercise ourselves to dwell in Him since we are already in Him. However, we need to be careful not to allow this abiding in the Triune God to be interrupted.
We have been born of God, and God’s seed abides in us. By this seed we are in God and can abide in God. There is no need for us to do anything. But we should not let our abiding in Him be interrupted. This is the reason John charges us again and again to abide in Him.
In 3:24 John says that we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He gave to us. This indicates that the Lord’s abiding in us and our abiding in Him is altogether in the Spirit.