Readings for this week
Monday: 1st John 2
Tuesday: 1st John 3
Wednesday: 1st John 4
Thursday: 1st John 5
Friday: 2nd John 1
Saturday: 3rd John 1
Sunday: Revelation 1
Tuesday: 1st John 3
Wednesday: 1st John 4
Thursday: 1st John 5
Friday: 2nd John 1
Saturday: 3rd John 1
Sunday: Revelation 1
Introduction to 1st John 2-5
Chapter 2
John continues to discuss to the topic of fellowship and how its provision is through the death of Christ. He says, “My dear children, I write this so that you won’t sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for the sins of us and the whole world.”
He then discusses the imperatives of fellowship such as obeying God’s commands, saying, “We can be sure that we know him if we keep his commands. The truth is not in those who say ‘I know him’ but ignore his commands. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”
And he adds:
“Dear friends, this new command is really the old one that you’ve always known from the beginning. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still walking blindly and stumbling in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light.”
He then presents a poem on the prerequisites of fellowship or the status of the believers:
I am writing to you, dear children,
because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, dear children,
because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.
He then discusses the impulses against fellowship or loving the world, saying, “Do not love the world or anything in the world – for those who love the lusts and prides of the world don’t have the Father’s love in them. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”
He then moves on to the topic of false teachers and how to recognize their deception. The first proof is their abandonment. He says, “Dear children, this is the last hour. You’ve heard the antichrist is coming, but many antichrists have already come. We know it’s the last hour because all these antichrists emerged from within us… but they didn’t really belong to us. They’re exit proves that they didn’t truly belong to us.”
The second proof is their denial that Jesus is the Christ. He says, “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth – that’s why I’m writing to you. Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”
The third proof is the anointing of the Spirit on the believers. He says, “As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you so that you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—eternal life. I’m writing this because of those who are trying to lead you astray and not because you needed to be taught. You have kept his real anointing which teaches you about all things - and it taught you to remain in him.”
He then discusses the imperatives of fellowship such as obeying God’s commands, saying, “We can be sure that we know him if we keep his commands. The truth is not in those who say ‘I know him’ but ignore his commands. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”
And he adds:
“Dear friends, this new command is really the old one that you’ve always known from the beginning. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still walking blindly and stumbling in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light.”
He then presents a poem on the prerequisites of fellowship or the status of the believers:
I am writing to you, dear children,
because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, dear children,
because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.
He then discusses the impulses against fellowship or loving the world, saying, “Do not love the world or anything in the world – for those who love the lusts and prides of the world don’t have the Father’s love in them. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”
He then moves on to the topic of false teachers and how to recognize their deception. The first proof is their abandonment. He says, “Dear children, this is the last hour. You’ve heard the antichrist is coming, but many antichrists have already come. We know it’s the last hour because all these antichrists emerged from within us… but they didn’t really belong to us. They’re exit proves that they didn’t truly belong to us.”
The second proof is their denial that Jesus is the Christ. He says, “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth – that’s why I’m writing to you. Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”
The third proof is the anointing of the Spirit on the believers. He says, “As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you so that you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—eternal life. I’m writing this because of those who are trying to lead you astray and not because you needed to be taught. You have kept his real anointing which teaches you about all things - and it taught you to remain in him.”
Chapter 3
He then moves on to the topic of eschatological hope which is motivation for holy living in the present. Hope produces holiness. He says:
And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed. If you know that he is righteous, then you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him. See what great 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 doesn’t know us is because it didn’t know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.”
He then offers a proleptic view of sanctification, saying:
“Everyone who sins is a law-breaker. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins – because there’s no sin in him. If you live in Jesus, you no longer live in sin. If you continue living in sin, then you don’t really see or know him. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one 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. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them. They cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. This is how to tell the difference between the children of God and the devil: Those who don’t do right and who don’t love their brothers and sisters are not God’s children.”
He then goes on to discuss love as the basis for assurance. And he offers some examples, starting with the negative example of Cain from the Hebrew Bible, saying, “You heard from the beginning that we should love one another. Don’t 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.”
He adds, “Don’t be surprised if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.”
He then points to the positive example of Christ, saying, “This 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 and sisters.”
He adds, “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?”
He continues to discuss assurance and addresses the issue of discernment through the witness of the Spirit. He brings up the topic of the condemned heart, saying, “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know it’s because God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.”
He then discusses the confidence we can have before God, saying:
“Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps God’s commands lives 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.”
And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed. If you know that he is righteous, then you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him. See what great 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 doesn’t know us is because it didn’t know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.”
He then offers a proleptic view of sanctification, saying:
“Everyone who sins is a law-breaker. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins – because there’s no sin in him. If you live in Jesus, you no longer live in sin. If you continue living in sin, then you don’t really see or know him. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one 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. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them. They cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. This is how to tell the difference between the children of God and the devil: Those who don’t do right and who don’t love their brothers and sisters are not God’s children.”
He then goes on to discuss love as the basis for assurance. And he offers some examples, starting with the negative example of Cain from the Hebrew Bible, saying, “You heard from the beginning that we should love one another. Don’t 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.”
He adds, “Don’t be surprised if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.”
He then points to the positive example of Christ, saying, “This 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 and sisters.”
He adds, “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?”
He continues to discuss assurance and addresses the issue of discernment through the witness of the Spirit. He brings up the topic of the condemned heart, saying, “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know it’s because God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.”
He then discusses the confidence we can have before God, saying:
“Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps God’s commands lives 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.”
Chapter 4
He then talks some more about false teachers as well discernment of false spirits. And he provides an objective test regarding doctrine, saying, “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. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God and is the spirit of the antichrist, which you’ve heard is coming but is already in the world.”
He also offers a subjective test by the witness of the Spirit, saying, “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. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them instead of to us. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.”
He then talks about how love is essential to sanctification. First, he reminds them of the exemplary love displayed in the death of Christ, saying:
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God, but God lives in us and his love is made complete in us if we love one another.”
He also points to the witness of the Sprit to the death of Christ, saying, “This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.”
He then talks about how love removes fear, saying, “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear. The one who fears is not made perfect in love, because fear has to do with punishment.”
He then talks about how divine love prompts brotherly and sisterly love, saying, “We love because he first loved us. Liars claim to love God while hating a brother or sister. Those who don’t love their visible brothers and sisters cannot love an invisible God. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”
He also offers a subjective test by the witness of the Spirit, saying, “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. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them instead of to us. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.”
He then talks about how love is essential to sanctification. First, he reminds them of the exemplary love displayed in the death of Christ, saying:
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God, but God lives in us and his love is made complete in us if we love one another.”
He also points to the witness of the Sprit to the death of Christ, saying, “This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.”
He then talks about how love removes fear, saying, “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear. The one who fears is not made perfect in love, because fear has to do with punishment.”
He then talks about how divine love prompts brotherly and sisterly love, saying, “We love because he first loved us. Liars claim to love God while hating a brother or sister. Those who don’t love their visible brothers and sisters cannot love an invisible God. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”
Chapter 5
He then talks about faith, and how it is assurance in our hearts, saying, “All who believe that Jesus is Messiah are born of God. Everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands… which are not burdensome. This birth and faith is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who overcomes the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.”
He also talks about faith and assurance brought by the witness of the Spirit, saying:
“Jesus is the one who came by water and blood… and the Spirit of truth testifies it. For there are three that testify in agreement: the Spirit, the water and the blood. We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because he gave it about his son. Whoever believes in the Son of God (those who don’t are calling God a liar) accepts this testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. If you have the Son, you have life; if you don’t, you don’t.”
He then discusses the advocacy of Christ which is the basis for our present confidence before God. He says:
“I write to believers in the Son’s name so that you may know you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us… and if he hears us we have it—whatever we ask. If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I’m not talking about those sins that lead to death. But know that every wrong action is sin… and not every sin leads to death.”
He then summarizes his points on assurance, saying:
“Anyone born of God does not continue to sin because the One who was born of God keeps them safe so the evil one cannot harm them. We are children of God, and the whole world is under the control of the evil one. The Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ, who is the true God and eternal life.”
And the letter ends abruptly with the command, “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols…”
He also talks about faith and assurance brought by the witness of the Spirit, saying:
“Jesus is the one who came by water and blood… and the Spirit of truth testifies it. For there are three that testify in agreement: the Spirit, the water and the blood. We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because he gave it about his son. Whoever believes in the Son of God (those who don’t are calling God a liar) accepts this testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. If you have the Son, you have life; if you don’t, you don’t.”
He then discusses the advocacy of Christ which is the basis for our present confidence before God. He says:
“I write to believers in the Son’s name so that you may know you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us… and if he hears us we have it—whatever we ask. If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I’m not talking about those sins that lead to death. But know that every wrong action is sin… and not every sin leads to death.”
He then summarizes his points on assurance, saying:
“Anyone born of God does not continue to sin because the One who was born of God keeps them safe so the evil one cannot harm them. We are children of God, and the whole world is under the control of the evil one. The Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ, who is the true God and eternal life.”
And the letter ends abruptly with the command, “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols…”
