Rabbit Trail Bible Study

1 John Part 18

2008-09-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 1 John 5:1

I've always thought that this verse was commanding us to love Jesus, since he is God's Son, hence his child. But in this context I'm pretty sure that John is telling us to love fellow Christians, the adopted children of God. Verse two talks about loving the children of God by obeying his commands.

It's hard to love the children of God. We are programmed in our sinful nature to look out for our own interests and to not offer grace to one another. I guess that's why we have to be commanded to be different.

When we talk about loving each other, we need to look to love the Christians at our own church, those with whom we interact regularly. But I think we in the American church need to take it a step further. We will support missions and go to the ends of the earth to reach different people groups, but we rarely interact with fellow Christians in this country who are a different color, culture, or denomination. We come up with some reason to stay separate. There is deep distrust between the races that the white evangelical church is largely unaware of - because we've been separated for so long. Are we willing to change any of our preaching or music to be inclusive of other cultures? This can be done without compromising the message. Or do we come up with silly defenses like, "The style doesn't matter, only the subject of our song or sermon," and then stubbornly not change the style that supposedly doesn't matter. If it didn't matter, then changing it wouldn't matter either. Are we willing to give up our rights for the good of others, by supporting diversity efforts at white Christian colleges, or are we going to whine about how we're so harmed by anything that looks like affirmative action?

What's our motivation? Why are we to love the children of God? Because it's a way of showing love for God. If you're a parent, aren't you thrilled when someone shows positive attention to your child? Conversely, how do you react when someone talks bad about your kid or hurts them? Yeah, I thought so. You want to pound them. How about if you have more than one child and one hurts the other? Very hurtful and frustrating. But it makes your day when one sibling helps or looks out for another, or even forgives a wrong.

God gives us these relationships as examples of how he relates to us. Think about your kids the next time you want to talk bad about a brother or sister in Christ. Think about how God sees this.

Don't just think about it in terms of not doing mean things. Think about how your Father is pleased when we show love to our fellow Christian. If pleasing God is motivation for you, and my goodness it should be, then we ought to look for opportunities to love our fellow Christian. Start thinking of ways right now!

1 John Part 17

2008-08-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

We love because he first loved us. 20If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1 John 4:19-21

The beginning of this passage is so important: We love because he first loved us. He set the example for loving the unlovable, and we are to follow. He also gave us the power of loving the unlovable.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8

John commanded us to love our brother. No one needs to command us to love those who are easily lovable - the pleasant, friendly, kind- the people who serve our purposes. So the command is to love those whom it is difficult or against our nature to love. Because Christ died for us while we were still sinners, we are to love our brothers whom we don't like for one reason or another. Or maybe we'd be inconvenienced somehow by showing love: going to a neighborhood we wouldn't normally frequent, giving money we'd rather keep, spending a weekend working instead of relaxing, you get the idea.

And "our brother" refers to fellow Christians, I believe. Not that we shouldn't love those outside the church, but God also has great concern about the relationships between his children, fellow believers. No good parent wants to see his kids fight with one another, but how much it must grieve God to see people who have been redeemed by His blood fighting with one another. It takes a perfect God like ours to put up with us.

Praise Him always!

1 John Part 16

2008-03-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:7-8

Love Love Love

How do we love one another? The Bible says that we show love to God by obeying his commands. This is not appropriate in relationships between Christians unless someone has authority over us in a particular situation. So, how do we love one another?

First Corinthians 13 gives what I believe is the most complete description of what love is in the Bible. What does this passage tell us about love? It tells us what love is and also what it is not. What it does and what it does not do.

Let's make two lists. First, what love is and does:

Patient
Kind
Rejoices in the truth
Always protects
Always trusts
Always hopes
Always perseveres

Second, what love is not and what it does not do:

Envy
Boast
Proud
Rude
Self-seeking
Easily Angered
Keep a record of wrongs
Delight in evil
Fail

It is clear that love is shown in thought and action. It involves emotion like rejoicing and lack of envy, but is primarily action based. Even when you describe love as patient, it means that love shows patience through actions. Love shows kindness through actions. We must keep doing these things more and more, having our actions towards one another being motivated and influence by this godly love. Even just working on increasing one of these characteristics in our lives would make us much more effective at showing true love towards one another.

I am struck by the constancy of love. Three things that love does starts with the word 'always.' Love is not fickle. Love doesn't usually protect. Love always protects. Love doesn't usually come through. Love never fails. Never.

When one reads what love is and what it is not, it is almost self evident what John says about love in 1 John 4:7-8. First, love comes from God. It certainly could not come from any of us? Who does not envy? Who does not boast? Who is not self seeking? It seems like self seeking is almost all that we (I) do. Who is naturally patient? Who is not proud? Who isn't rude at their core, even though you may resist the rude words and actions just to be polite? Maybe I'm revealing more about myself than is wise, but since no one is good as the Bible says, I know I'm in 'good' company.

Also, anyone who loves must know God, for how could you love apart from his Spirit? It is impossible. And anyone who does not know God can not love, for God's Spirit has not taught him what love is and how to carry it out.

Look at the list of what love is not. It is no surprise that the first seven characteristics on that list have to do with our self-centeredness? We are self centered, so we envy what others have wanting it for ourselves; we boast about what little we do have; we are proud and self-protective; we are rude, disregarding the value of others; we are self seeking in all we do, and finally and easily angered if anything goes wrong or if anyone dares do anything we don't want him to do. Love demands that we seek the good of others above our own. That's what God did for us.

1 John Part 15

2008-02-22T20:51:00.000-08:00

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:4

John wrote this in the context of fighting false religion, specifically religion that presents a false view of Jesus and seeks to corrupt the Church. These things can be intimidating, but we have the Holy Spirit and can trust him to give us whatever we need to stand strong.

This is the verse to cling to when you see world events and start to worry about the future. We need to remember that our ultimate destiny has already been determined, and if we belong to Christ, it is glorious beyond all imagination! So if someone gets away with a crime or a horrible person gets elected, we know all things will be made right in the end and the shenanigans of evil are only temporary.

And we know that evil can do nothing to us if we call on the Holy Spirit to guide and protect us. Why do we choose to go unprotected into battle so often? Baffling.

Why do we overcome?

Only because of the greatness of who is in us. It has nothing to do with our position or abilities. It is only, only, only because of the Holy Spirit in us. This is an ever important lesson that seems nearly impossible for me to remember.

5They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood. 1 John 4:5-6

I need to remember this passage and not be angered and annoyed and frustrated when I see millions of people believing lies and garbage without even examining what they believe. It's also a shame that those that listen to worldly people also do not listen to God. They've heard the wisdom of God but refuse to listen or even entertain that it might be true.

May the Lord increase in my life.

1 John Part 14

2008-01-24T19:51:00.000-08:00

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1

John went on to address a common heresy of that time, that Jesus had not really come in the flesh but was some kind of spirit being. While this particular false teaching may not be common today, there is a whole host of false teachings to take its place.

There are many false teachings and teachers that most people can see coming a mile away. Cults and televangelists come to mind. Some of their antics and ideas are so goofy that few fall for their ideas, though there is always someone who does.

There are other teachings that might seem true if you do not know your Bible well. The health and wealth gospel appeals to our greedy nature. Twist a few verses, and you're there. Of course Jesus promised us trouble in this world so I guess I can't believe in the health and wealth gospel and the true gospel of Jesus Christ at the same time. Oh well...

I believe there are many other false spirits that we believe much more easily. They do not always come in the form of a television preacher or a door to door evangelist; they come in the form of thoughts planted by Satan and the slow drip of worldly culture into our minds. We entertain thoughts because of a messed up childhood. Maybe dad wasn't a good example of a loving father, and we believe our Father in heaven is angry and unpredictable even though the Bible says he is slow to anger and never changes. Maybe we think that we're worth less because we're not pretty or we're overweight, even though God looks at what's inside a person and sent his Son to die for us. These spirits are the ones that must be tested, and man should they fail the test! But we don't test these spirits and let them into our minds and hearts with little or no protest at all.

Remember... take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5b

1 John Part 13

2007-12-05T19:53:00.000-08:00

And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 1 John 3:23

John, being the disciple whom Jesus loved, was probably with him when one of the experts in the law asked Jesus what the most important commandment was. Jesus answered:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. Matthew 22:37-40

I think this is very close to what John says in verse 23. Believing in Jesus is how we love God; there's no possible way to love God without believing in his Son. Perhaps this is the starting point in fulfilling the most important command to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

'Those who obey his commands live in him.'

Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. 1 John 3:24

This statement makes sense to me. We are living in God's will if we do what he says. But does it mean more than that? Do these verses from Galatians help clarify the true meaning of this passage?

..for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. Galatians 3:27

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. Galatians 2:20a

Part of the problem is we're limited by human thought and language while trying do describe a profound spiritual truth that is beyond description. In some way our old selves have died and Christ makes us spiritually alive, so we live in him. And while we our old selves are gone, we are still here on earth as individuals, and Christ lives in us. But we are not just in his will if we obey him; he also spiritually sustains us. After all, how could we obey him without his help? And 'help' seems like such an inadequate word, as if someone on a ventilator is only hooked up to a 'breathing helper' when the person would stop breathing and die without it. God sustains us and makes it possible for us to do his will; he's not just a 'helper.'

We know that God lives in us by the Spirit he gave us.

How else could we know? We are so dull in ourselves and completely unaware of God and his Spirit that the only way we could possibly know that God is in us is if the Spirit told us himself.

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you. John 16:13-15

It is comforting to know that the Spirit will tell us only what the Father and Son say. The Spirit of God will never lead us astray. We can also trust the Spirit to make things known to us if we listen. He brings glory to Christ by making what is His known to us. What an amazing gift. One that I ignore regularly.

1 John Part 12

2007-11-27T20:41:00.000-08:00

18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 1 John 3:18-20

I find the phrase "whenever our hearts condemn us" very interesting. I don't know a single Christian that hasn't felt condemnation within themselves at some point. If you have not doubted your salvation, you have for sure doubted the quality of your faith and your value to God. Jeremiah 17:9 says that the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.

It seems to me that this verse is saying that if you love in actions and truth, then our hearts will be assured of salvation and of our right standing with God. We do not need to run or hide from God.

The Next Level

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 1 John 3:21-22

Now that we have assurance of salvation and we know the truth, we add to this foundation obedience. Because we are close to God and are obeying him, we then can receive from him anything we ask for. I believe it is largely because we will ask for the right things. We may ask for opportunities and favor in sharing the gospel rather than a shiny new bike like we did when we were children. But I also believe we receive special favor from God the more faithful we become.

This is true empowerment by the Holy Spirit. We quit with the old things of worrying about our standing with God and rest in his power and care. That is when we can start to truly live for him, free from the chains of doubt and false condemnation.

1 John Part 11

2007-11-15T16:56:00.000-08:00

The way we treat each other is important

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.
16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:14-18

Sometimes we may be tempted to keep our faith between ourselves and God, and not let it influence us to get involved in the lives of others. We can philosophize and ponder why we are to reach out to others and not keep to ourselves, but the fact that God tells us to is enough. Understanding why helps, but it is not essential. Love one another.

How do we show love toward each other? John says we should lay down our lives for each other. Now if we need to die for one another we should be willing to do so, but the more difficult task is to daily put others' needs ahead of our own, to sacrifice our interests and well being for the sake of another.

Talk is cheap

Verse 18 shows that true love is shown in action, not words or 'feelings.' Words mean nothing if they are not backed up by action. Gary Chapman has come up with the concept of love languages, five different ways of showing love to others. The one that means the least to me is words of affirmation. It's probably because I've heard people make way too many promises and say things they didn't mean. How did I know they didn't mean it? Because their words were not backed up by actions. One actually has to do something to show love. Words alone don't count. The only time words mean something to me is if I can tell someone went out of their way to say something to me or I can tell it took courage for them to say what they did.

Love in truth

It's very important to note that love must take place in truth. Since true love is shown in actions, one must know the truth to know the proper actions to take. Glossing over sin is not love. Saying there are many ways to heaven is not love. Avoiding conflict is not love when the conflict is necessary. Doing something that's wrong or misguided even when you have the best of intentions is not loving, even if you meant the action to show love.

1 John Part 10

2007-11-15T16:27:00.000-08:00

Hope they hate us for the right reasons.

This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. 13Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. 1 John 3:11-13

I mentioned this subject briefly in my last post. The world hates Christians. This is a fact. The question is, 'Why?' Why do they hate us?

Part of the reason is Christians that do not act like Christ - ones that are mean, greedy, sticks in the mud, etc. I never hated all Christians before I came to Christ, but the televangelists and the self righteous ones that I saw were not my favorites. And if that's all you saw, then I'd imagine you wouldn't have a real high opinion of Christians.

I think I hear this line of thinking quite a bit in the church, mostly because we as American Christians know we fall short in many ways and carry quite a bit of guilt over it. We've lived through the legalism of dress codes and a culture of judgment rather than forgiveness. We've been guilty of getting too comfortable in our life to make real changes and be convicted of our sins. I just don't think that this is as big a reason as Christians may think.

People hate us because we stand for what is right. We are the do gooder righteous folk that think we have all the answers for people. We don't drink or swear. Even if you don't say one word to someone, if they're drinking and you're not, you are likely to take heat for it. You'll be made fun of for your clean speech. Just wait until someone finds out that you tithe. You're crazy. John says it pretty plainly using the example of Cain and Abel; if your actions are righteous and the other person's actions are not, you will be hated. It's not because you didn't present yourself in a relevant manner or you came on too strong; you're hated because you're a Christian. Sometimes it really is that simple.

This doesn't give you license to act like a punk; you'll be hated no matter what, right? We are told to answer non believers with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15), and to make the most of every opportunity (Ephesians 5:16). You can't do these things while acting like a jerk. Of course if you realized that you are where you are only by the grace of God this won't be a problem.

Don't be surprised

I think I also need to emphasize what John says about not being surprised if the world hates you. I think I am still surprised by the world's reaction to Christians and Christian principles, probably because society used to respect Christian principles for the most part. This is not the case anymore. This should not surprise me or shock me the way it does sometimes. In a sense things are getting back to normal in America since it is more against Christians every day.

So when some government official goes out of their way to remove a Christian reference, a store refuses to mention the word "Christmas," or other religions are given preferential treatment, I need to remember to not be surprised.

1 John Part 9

2007-11-15T14:33:00.000-08:00

Out of control

Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. 1 John 3:4-6

Sin is lawlessness. Sin is so ugly. What do you think or feel when you think about lawlessness? A bad neighborhood? A corrupt region where the weak are victimized? Lawlessness comes from the human heart, and we all have the potential for lawlessness in us. The law keeps us under control to the extent that we obey the law. When we do not obey the law, lawlessness exists and we are out of control. The ugliness we see in bad neighborhoods and corrupt regions of the world is present in every human heart.

Jesus came to take this sin and lawlessness away from us. He came that we might become self-controlled. Self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23).

So, once we know the sinless one who took away our sins, we will not keep on sinning. We know from context that this means a lifestyle and direction of sin, not that we will never commit a single sin the rest of our lives. It only makes sense that if we live in the sinless one that we will not keep on sinning.

It also makes sense that those who continue in a life of sin have never truly seen Christ or know him. It is impossible to meet Christ and not be changed.

He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. 1 John 3:8

The work of the devil is sin, and the Son of God appeared to destroy sin. Sin and all its consequences are the devil's glory. It's all he wants to do. He wants to sin and increase sin in mankind. Jesus destroys this work in his followers.

1 John Part 8

2007-11-14T14:02:00.000-08:00

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. 1 John 3:1-3

I could write a book on how truly great the Father's love is to call us his children. We deserve separation and hell. And it's amazing that He doesn't want that for us. His love truly must come before his anger in order to want us to be with him. How does he see us as anything better than annoying pests? The perfect love of God is the only possible answer. I can't be stupid or annoying or sinful enough to exhaust his love for me. Praise be to my Father!

It's also interesting that the world seems to take this for granted. We're all God's children, right? We may all be created by God, but it's only through Christ's sacrifice that we can be adopted into God's family. We have to be adopted to be called children of God; it's not the birthright of a sinner. If you tell a non believer this, make sure you explain it. Tell them you have to be adopted.

And that is what we are! (1 John 3:1b) The fact that we are children of God seems so exciting and unbelievable to John that he has to repeat it. It's almost a verbal way of him pinching himself. We are, we really are children of God!

Why aren't you understood, liked, or respected by the world? Because the world doesn't know God and his ways. Many people talk about the world hating us because Christians don't act like Christians. This is true to a point, but I don't think we should go around feeling guilty because people don't like us. There's a spiritual element to the world's hatred of Christians that goes beyond the objective judgments of worldly people. The world hates what God loves and there's not a lot we can do about it.

John moves on to talk about the great hope we have because we are children of God. We are going to be transformed to be like Christ. I don't know exactly what that means, but I know it's really good. Our bodies and minds will be new and different, and isn't that what you long for? I know I do. To be without the daily struggles of my corrupt mind and body is one of the most freeing things I can think of.

Should be live differently here since we know we will be like Christ someday? Absolutely. John tells us to purify ourselves because of this great hope. We are preparing ourselves to meet Christ face to face and to be like him. In a sense our lives are like a great preparation or practice of purification for living with God for eternity.

1 John Part 7

2007-11-10T16:48:00.000-08:00

Religious people will try to lead you astray. 1 John 2:18-28

I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 1 John 2:26

Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. 23No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 1 John 2:22-23

I am encouraged when I read passages that emphasize doctrine. It is important what you believe. John would not repeat the warning to remain in Christ over and over if doctrine was not important. And if doctrine was not constantly being twisted by religious people trying to lead true Christians astray.

Don't fall into temptation to doubt; Trust God and your calling .

As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him. 1 John 2:27

John was concerned about doctrine, and he encouraged these believers to be confident in their faith and to trust God. Satan loves to sow seeds of doubt in our minds and hearts, and then attack with all that he has. If we remain confident in our faith, then the seeds of doubt will not grow and serve their evil purpose.

What's at stake?

See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25And this is what he promised us—even eternal life. 1 John 2:24-25

And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. 1 John 2:28

We have glorious promises to look forward to if we remain in him. Conversely we have much to lose if we allow ourselves to be led astray. You will remain in the Son and in the Father which is unfathomably great in itself. We will receive eternal life, and how can the importance of eternal life be diminished?

Do you ever wonder what it will be like when you see Jesus face to face for the first time? Do you think it is possible to be confident and unashamed when you see him? If we continue in him we can be confident and unashamed, while face to face with Jesus! Amazing.

1 John Part 6

2007-11-09T11:52:00.000-08:00

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:15-17

The world = temporary. The world= Satan. The world= evil.

Your cravings are evil. The fact that you want every good looking thing you set your eyes on, is evil. That pride you feel for your accomplishments and maybe your house, car, or iPod? Evil. Especially the iPod, since I don't have one. Wait a minute...

Is it bad to want things? Bad to want shiny tvs? Just about anything in a Best Buy ad? Well, probably. Think about the emotions you feel when you see the latest gadget. How excited do you get when you study the specs and photo of what you want? How do you feel when your friend lets you see their new iPhone? At best these things are distractions from the Kingdom of God. At worst they become the center of our desires and the objects of our worship. We are willing to go into debt and neglect our relationship with God to serve our desires.

It is important to note what this verse so wisely says, that these things will pass away. They seem so important now but they will not last. Even if these things last the rest of our lives (which they rarely do) they still pass away. You can't take it with you, right? Technology becomes outdated. And the stuff that does not will be dispersed to our younger relatives or sold off and donated when we die.

The things will pass away, but the desire for them will pass away also. The focus will be on God for all eternity, even for those who are not saved. Those who are saved will be satisfied with his presence; those who are not will long for him in vain. This worldly system will be gone.

The world and its desires are evil and useless, while doing the will of God leads to eternal life. What a stark contrast! How foolish we are for going after worldly things. What an awful thing it is for the love of the Father to not be in us. What an awful consequence for going after things that last for such a short time.

May the Lord transform my mind and renew me daily so that I can focus on Him rather than the pretty shiny things of the world around me.

1 John Part 5

2007-11-09T10:47:00.000-08:00

Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. 1 John 2:6

What does that mean? How did Jesus "walk"? What was the essence of his life? Which principles transcended his day to day actions and were a part of everything he did? Like John said in his gospel, the world doesn't have enough books to tell about all the things that Jesus did (John 21:25), but the principles that strike me are grace and truth. You can have truth without grace, but you can not have grace without truth.

We must start with the truth. Jesus personified truth (John 14:6) so he never could get away from it or escape it. He never lost sight of the truth like we do. Truth defines his very being. This is what makes the grace that he walked in have all the greater magnitude. Jesus is the very essence of truth, yet he came to forgive people who were filled with sin and treated them with grace and compassion while never being able to escape the reality and the magnitude of their sin.

How do we imitate this in our own lives?

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. ¹⁰Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. ¹¹But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him. 1 John 2:9-11

Do you hate your brother? Do you hate other people? I know I do. What does it mean to hate? Do you put yourself first and treat others like they don't matter? I know I do. Do others just get in the way sometimes? Do you only have time for smart people, pretty people, funny people, moral people? We are none of these things to Jesus. We are not smart or moral for sure. Yet he has grace and compassion on us. Do you only have time for people that can provide you some benefit? Then you are not walking as Jesus did. Jesus needs nothing from anyone and we have nothing to offer him.

Selfishness is a constant struggle. Our felt needs are there constantly. And they are up close and intense. I guess this is otherwise referred to as the flesh. Our physical and emotional desires are in our faces surrounding us. Our sinful nature wants to fulfill these desires with no regard to the consequences. Will we walk as Jesus did, looking to the needs of others while grounded in truth, or will we disregard the needs of our brothers and fulfill our selfish sinful desires?

I feel the need to emphasize the need to be grounded in truth. We should not rationalize the sins of others or ourselves. Sin is sin and it is not ok. We need to pray throughout the day as well as set time aside for prayer to stay grounded in the truth. When we recognize our own sin and the sin of others for what it is, it should drive us to compassion because they are helpless just like we are. It should compel us to show the love of Christ to them, not become annoyed and condemn them in our hearts.

1 John Part 4

2007-10-30T21:48:00.000-07:00

Obedience vs. Disobedience: What Does it Show and What are the Consequences?

We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. ⁴The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. 1 John 2:3-5a

Obedience shows that we have come to know God, but disobedience shows that you are lying if you claim to know God. Why is this?

I can think of a few reasons why this is true, but I can not claim that this is a comprehensive list. I'm sure there are many benefits of obedience of which I am unaware, and the same goes for consequences of disobedience. If you come to know God's great care and concern for you, you will trust him and consequently obey him. If you come to know God's sovereignty, power, justice, holiness, and hatred of sin, you will avoid disobedience.

Have you been acquainted with the great rewards and deep joy of obedience to God? Then you know him and will obey him all the more. Have you experienced the sting of his judgment or the consequences of stumbling in the darkness? Then you will turn and obey.

God's love made complete

If I obey God's word, his love is made complete in me(v5)? How is God's love incomplete if I am disobedient? Isn't God's love the same always? I believe that this means that God's love will be able to bear fruit in our lives if we are obedient. If we are not obedient, then God's love does not have the opportunity to have the impact that it was intended to have. Therefore it remains incomplete in us.

1 John Part 3

2007-10-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ²He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:1b-2

We should strive not to sin, but if we do, we have someone to speak to the Father in our defense. Isn't it great that someone speaks in our defense when in ourselves we are indefensible? And it's not just anyone; I suppose anyone could speak in our defense, but only one is qualified to speak to the Father in our defense. This is the Righteous One, Jesus Christ. He can have that title in capital letters because He is the only one who is righteous. Now it is even more amazing that not only someone speaks in our defense to the Father, but the Righteous One, Jesus Christ, is the one that speaks in our defense.

Verse two says that Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice for our sins. I looked up the word atone and it means to make amends for. Christ's sacrifice makes amends for us and the sins we have committed. The consequence of someone making amends is reconciliation if both parties are willing. And praise God he is willing to reconcile with us!

I also found out that the word atone is actually a contraction of the words at and one. We just don't think of it that way since the word doesn't sound like a combination of those words to us. It is actually the pronunciation of the word one that has changed over the years.

Now I know that the Bible was not originally written in English and it is easy to get carried away with just one word. But the New American Standard version uses the word propitiation in the place of the phrase atoning sacrifice. It seems to mean about the same thing, which we'd hope is the case for two reputable translations. Because of Christ's sacrifice, someone has made amends for us and we are reconciled to God.

I find it so hard to live like I am reconciled to God even when I sin. I struggle so much with fear, wanting to hide from him fearing his anger and disappointment. I am at one with God through Jesus. I just am.

1 John Part 2

2007-10-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ... This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. ⁷But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

⁸If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. 1 John 1:3b,5-10

This passage has confused me in the past. It seemed to say that if we walk with God we will not sin, but then later John says that if we are without sin we deceive ourselves. It seemed contradictory. But alas, it is not.

Here is a quick outline of verses 3-7:

Our fellowship is with the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ. v3
God is light; there is no darkness in him at all. v5
If we claim to have fellowship with God (pure light) in whom there is no darkness, yet you walk in darkness, you are a liar because there is no darkness in God. If your fellowship is with darkness, it can not be with God who is pure light. v6
If we do walk in the light (God) :, a. We have fellowship with one another, and b. The blood of Christ will purify us from all sin. Christ will remove the guilt resulting from the sins we commit.

Here are the issues that confused me in the past:

What does it mean to walk in the darkness vs walking in the light?
What does it mean that the blood of Christ will purify us from all sin?

My confusion arose from how I answered these questions. I thought that walking in the light meant being sinless, and walking in the darkness meant committing sins. I was in the light as long as I did not sin, but then would be in the darkness as soon as I sinned. This definition came from outside of this passage, and indeed from outside the Bible from a legalistic sinful mind.

Walking in the light means walking with God, having fellowship with Him. It does not mean that we will never sin once we have chosen Christ. It means that we stay in contact with Him through prayer, reading Scripture, good works, fellowship with other believers, evangelizing, and any other way we may have fellowship with Him. It means that when we do sin, we confess our sins to God and ask forgiveness. And God will be faithful to Christ's sacrifice and forgive us if we have put our faith in him. And Christ's blood will also continue to do the work of purifying us and making us more like Him.

Using this correct definition of fellowship, verses 8-10 do not contradict the previous verses. Realizing that we sin and confessing those sins to God are part of walking in the light and maintaining our fellowship with him. This is how the Word has a place in our lives. Not by claiming to be sinless.

So, God knows you are going to sin even though you have chosen to walk with him. Do not hide from him, but confess your sins without delay so that you can be purified.

1 John Part 1

2007-08-27T09:21:00.000-07:00

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:1-3

Jesus Christ personifies life and eternal life. He is the Word of life, meaning he communicates life. Jesus Christ is real. John and others touched him with their hands and saw him with their eyes.

If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.1 John 1:6

May I quit living like a liar! I have Jesus and can walk in him and have fellowship with Christ and other Christians. May he purify me from my sin!

2 John Part 3

2007-08-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

John is known for writing about love. He expresses what love is in many ways. Love for Jesus is shown by obeying his commands (John 14:15). If someone is in authority over you, then you love them by obeying commands that they have the authority to give. He also says that there is no greater love than laying down your life for your friends (John 15:13). If you give of yourself for your friends, even if it hurts you, is loving your friends. You have given up something precious and put others ahead of yourself. This is also love.

After the resurrection, when Jesus was asking Peter if he loved him, he told Peter to feed his lambs (John 21:25). So love is shown to a person by taking care of people for whom the person cares also. You can love a person by loving their children or parents or someone else they care about.

Love is also expressed by taking care of a persons needs (1 John 3:17). One may express love by giving food or clothing to someone who is needy, or by listening to someone who needs to talk or is lonely.

It is clear that John believes that love is shown through actions. It is shown through obeying, feeding, listening, or whatever action is called for to love a person in a particular situation. He also says it explicitly here:

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1John 3:18

It struck me today while reading 2John that while he is known for writing about love, he is very stern about correct doctrine. We're fed the lie that love is shown by accepting everyone without arguing over doctrine; it is exclusionary and discriminatory to judge the beliefs of others. Read what John says in 2 John 9:

Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God. 2 John 9

Wow. If you don't continue in the proper teaching then you do not have God. If you don't have God then your sins are not forgiven and you are going to hell. Doesn't really fit into the modern concept of love, does it?

2 John Part 2

2007-07-06T14:42:00.000-07:00

I managed to cover three verses of 2 John in my last post a few months ago, and I'm ready to get started again. My last New Testament study concerned who I am in Christ - all the things the New Testament says is true of believers. Hopefully I can put it in this blog someday in an extended study.

Back to 2 John: What is love? What is true love? 1 John 4:8 says that God is love. His nature is love. Since God's very nature is love then we can believe what John says about love in verse six of 2 John:

2 John 6a

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands.

Think about this for a moment: Could anything else possibly be love or loving other than walking in obedience to God? Our own nature is wicked and sinful, and the god of this world is Satan. Are there any other alternatives? You are either walking in obedience to God, obedience to your own sinful nature, or obedience to Satan, who is a thief and a liar.

John goes on to warn the lady to whom he is writing about false teachers. The false teachers in this place and time were denying that Jesus Christ actually came in bodily form. I don't know of many that say this today other than Jehovah's Witnesses regarding Christ's resurrection, but there are many other very dangerous false teachings that are very common. One such teaching is a perverted view of tolerance. John shows his intolerance for false teaching in his warning to his friend:

2 John 7-8a

Many deceivers ... have gone out into the world. Any such person in the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out...

Such an act would be seen as the opposite of love in our world today. But a follower of God knows that identification and correction of sin and falsehood is at the center of loving a fallen world. We know it from our own experience. How loving would it have been for God not to tell us about our own fallen ways? To not warn us of negative consequences? To be silent on the prospect of eternal hell for those who do not believe in him? True love is shown in his grace of loving us while still sinners, not denying that we are sinners.

2 John Part 1

2007-04-11T12:58:00.000-07:00

Our fellowship with one another depends on truth, and that truth is Jesus.

John shows a great sense of community just like he did in 3 John, another short letter to another believer.

2 John 1-2 The elder,
To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I only, but also all who know the truth - ²because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever:

John loves the chosen lady and her children in the truth, who is Jesus. All who know the truth love her and her children. Jesus allows us to love one another in him, which is the purest form of love that humans are capable of, guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit of God.

Since Jesus will be with us forever, we will be able to share this kind of love with other believers for all eternity. It would do us good to practice it now. Practice extraordinary love toward other believers, something that goes beyond your natural self.

2 John 3 Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, will be with us in truth and love.

John does not just wish grace, mercy, and peace to the readers of the letter, he states that it will be with us in truth and love, in Jesus himself. May we each live each day rich in this knowledge that we have grace, mercy, and peace from God himself!

3 John

2007-04-11T12:25:00.000-07:00

Jesus values community among fellow believers.

3 John 3-4 It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. ⁴I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

This is a short letter from the apostle John to his friend Gaius. I get a great sense of community among believers at that time and the importance of community among believers in Christ.

John is encouraged by his friend’s faithfulness. The only reason John knew about Gaius’ faithfulness was because a group of believers that knew both of them told John about Gaius’ faithfulness. So we need to walk in the truth not only for ourselves, but for other Christians who struggle to do the same in an evil world. It is encouraging to know that we are in this together.

3 John 7-8 It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. ⁸We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth.

John also says that it is important to provide ‘hospitality’ to brothers doing the Lord’s work. We need to provide what another believer needs who is working to spread the Gospel. Once again we are in this together.

John also points out in vv 9-10 a man who is trying to destroy their sense of community and plans on confronting the man about it. Those who seek to destroy a community of believers are dangerous and should be dealt with firmly.

He also wants to see them in person, not just write to them. There is just something about spending quality time with friends and fellow believers that is very encouraging and uplifting.

3 John can be related to Paul's description of the 'Body of Christ' in 1 Corinthians 12, where Paul compares the church to the parts of a human body working closely together. Paul’s main point is the interdependence within the church and the importance of each individual person or part carrying out their unique role. John’s letter illustrates the same point in a different way. Paul’s description of the church has more of a philosophical textbook feel while John’s letter shows how Paul’s description of the Body of Christ needs to be lived out. So no more debates on whether you’re a spleen or an aorta! You are an important person in the church, but no more important than anyone else.

Jude Part 2

2007-04-11T12:21:00.000-07:00

He will keep you from falling.

Where in your life do you fear falling? He can keep you from it if you trust him. This is what I need from Jesus right now, for him to keep me from falling. This verse says that he is able, but he is also willing!

Jude 24-25 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— ²⁵to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

Jude Part 1

2007-04-11T12:14:00.000-07:00

A Friend and a Brother

Jesus had two brothers that we read about, Jude and James. These two called him Lord and God as well. What would it have been like to live with Jesus on earth as a brother? Do we as Christians now have that same privilege? Romans 8:29 says that Jesus is the firstborn among many brothers.

Romans 8:29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

I often hesitate to think of Jesus this way since he is God. I believe it is in our nature as humans to struggle with this personal and intimate nature of God revealed in Jesus Christ. How can someone who is Creator and Master of the universe be our friend and brother?

Jesus also said that we can be his friend. He called Lazarus his friend in John 11:11. Jesus said specifically that he died for his friends.

John 15:13-15 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

The greatest love ever shown you was that your friend died for you. If you are a believer and a Christian, then Jesus is your friend, and you are his friend. You have had a friend die for you- the best person you’ve ever known- your very favorite friend has died for you.