In the opening two chapters of the first epistle of John, the apostle enumerated the following impossibilities:

a. To have fellowship with God while walking in darkness. According to 1:6, the person willfully disobedient to God's word is a liar- when he claims to have fellowship with God.

b. To live perfectly sinless. Although we are to aim at perfection (Matt. 5:48), we must realize that we shall continually fail short of the goal. The man who claims perfection is self-deceived and does not possess the truth (I John 1:8).

c. To know Jesus and not obey him. Although most everyone is nominally acquainted with Jesus, only the obedient have the personal relationship which allows us to know him and what he has done for us. Should the disobedient claim to have that knowledge, they are liars 0 John 2:4).

d. To be in the light and hate one's brother. To be obedient to God and hate one's brother are mutually exclusive. The man who thinks he is able to do both is still in spiritual darkness (I John 2:9).

Although the song said that the ant did what couldn't be done, these are some absolute impossibilities.

TRUTH MAGAZINE, XV: 5, p. 3
December 3, 1970