The Joy: Filled up and overflowing in the Gospel
Although John raises some eyebrows by urging his readers toward fellowship first with us, and then secondarily with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ, the fourth verse of 1 John might be even a bit more curious: “And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete” (1 John 1:4). [...]
The Fellowship: With the Church, with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ
In the opening of 1 John, the Apostle explains that his reason for proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Word of Life Made Manifest, is this: “that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with [...]
The Proclamation: The Word of Life has been Made Manifest
As all the commentaries on 1 John will point out, most New Testament epistles begin with an introduction concerning the author of the letter. The opening of 1 John, however, introduces Someone else: That which was from the beginning, which we have hard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon [...]
But perfect love casts out fear
More than any of us would ever care to admit, we make almost all of our decisions based on fear. A thousand terrifying questions plague our minds, and so we throw ourselves at whatever sliver of security seems to present itself to us. “Will I ever find love?” “Will we have enough money to survive?” [...]
Whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him
In 1 John 4:7-12, John laid out the obligation that we have as Christians to love one another: “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11). Based on the facts that God is the source of love, that God is Love Himself, and that God demonstrated his [...]
If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another
In the letter we call 1 John, the Apostle has spoken at length on three subjects: Our sinfulness, which has infinitely alienated us from our God who is light, and in whom there is no darkness whatsoever. Our salvation, which was purchased by Christ Jesus who is the eternal Son of God, yet who became [...]
On The Discernment of the Saints
So, apparently “many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). John tells us to test the spirits, and he even gives us the single criterion by which to judge the spirits (This Jesus-Christ-Come-in-Flesh Jesus!), but if we are talking about spirits we cannot see who have recruited prophets skilled in lying, [...]
Confessing This Jesus-Christ-Come-In-Flesh Jesus
After John urges his beloved readers to “test the spirits” in 1 John 4:1, he reveals the specific truth he wishes them to embrace, and the specific error to avoid: 2By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3and every [...]
Testing the spirits in a world of Twitter
Once upon a time, there was little confusion as to what a person ought to believe about something. You could always count on either the king or the priest or the prophet to go out of his way to ensure that you knew what to believe on all the important issues. Certainly, other people had [...]
Whoever is born of God cannot keep on sinning
In 1 John 3:4-10, John makes a startling claim: if we have indeed been born of God, we cannot (i.e., we are not able) to continue sinning. If we continue sinning, then we have not been born of God. Read carefully what John says: 4Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin [...]
« go back — keep looking »