Because Truth is so much more than just being right
Although I place a great deal of emphasis on orthodoxy (right belief), I think that conservative Christians like myself sometimes do the world a disservice by misrepresenting why Truth is important. Very often, we speak as though being right were the only virtue in the world, almost as though theology were just one big math [...]
The Anointing of the Holy One
So then, how do we heed John’s warnings concerning the world and concerning the Church? John considers–and rejects–two main possibilities: Should we simply rely on our common sense, trusting our own intuition and discerning to navigate through life? Or, should we despair of our own ability, and instead seek higher knowledge held by elite Christians [...]
John’s warning concerning the Church
Although John warns his flock about the dangers they face from the world, John spends far more time talking about the dangers his spiritual children face amidst their own ranks. John insists that the situation has become so dire that it is indeed “the last hour” (1 John 2:18) By this, John does not so [...]
John’s warning concerning the world
The reasons we sin are neither complicated nor new. John summarizes and warns against the three ways temptations appeal to us: Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world–the desires of [...]
Envisioning the Beloved Society
John summarizes all that he has said to this point in a poem in 1 John 2:12-14: I am writing [grapho] to you, little children [teknia; cf. 1 John 2:1], because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I [...]
Love as the Litmus Test of Genuine Faith
John’s words in 1 John 2:9-11 are hard, and they should give every sincere Christian pause: Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in [...]
How Jesus Made the Old Commandment New
John’s transitions are abrupt and short, but clear and significant. In 1 John 1:5-2:6, John had described the message of the gospel and then applied that message to two false beliefs. (On this passage, see posts 1, 2, 3, 4.) At 2:7, John quickly changes subjects through a single-word transition: “Beloved.” In 1 John 2:7-14, [...]
Reforming the Lives of Wanton Libertines (Like Me)
In 1 John 2:1-6, John turns his attention from Pharisaical hypocrites to wanton libertines: And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps [...]
God is Light, and in Him is no Darkness Whatsoever
In 1 John 1:5-2:6, the Apostle John writes about sin, faithful living, our Advocate in Jesus Christ the Righteous, forgiveness, cleansing from sin, and obeying God’s commandments. In some ways, this section is a primer on practical Christianity–what does it actually look like to become a baptized member of Christ’s church? Everything, though, that John [...]
