2 John is such a short letter compared to the enormity of the entire Bible, or even just the New Testament. But here it is, so there must be some wisdom to mine. What does God want to say to us in these 13 verses?
- the truth of the Gospel will be forever
- seeing our children walk in this truth ought to bring us great joy
- our eternal command is to love one another, and this love is shown by obeying God's commands (seems like kind of a circular logic there)
- a deceiver is one who fails to acknowledge the humanity of Jesus, that He came in bodily form
- stay away from these deceivers
Friday, March 21, 2014
Friday, March 14, 2014
1 John 3 - And That is What We Are
Dear friends, we are now 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.
- 1 John 3:2
Jesus has taken away our sin (v. 5). He has done this in two ways. He has freed those of us who trust Him from sin's penalty. This is immediate. There is no penalty, no condemnation for those in Christ. At the same time, He is much more gradually, and equally lovingly freeing us from the power of sin. We are forgiven; we are saints who still sin. In Him, covered by His blood, we are not sinners who are trying to escape the clutches of sin. In Him we have escaped. We have been rescued. And we are being led on a life-long process of becoming like our Savior.
Because of this reality, we should love one another (v. 11). Love for others is evidence of our membership in God's family. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other (v. 14). This is God's command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us (v. 23). It is not complicated. Love God, follow Jesus, love His people.
- 1 John 3:2
Jesus has taken away our sin (v. 5). He has done this in two ways. He has freed those of us who trust Him from sin's penalty. This is immediate. There is no penalty, no condemnation for those in Christ. At the same time, He is much more gradually, and equally lovingly freeing us from the power of sin. We are forgiven; we are saints who still sin. In Him, covered by His blood, we are not sinners who are trying to escape the clutches of sin. In Him we have escaped. We have been rescued. And we are being led on a life-long process of becoming like our Savior.
Because of this reality, we should love one another (v. 11). Love for others is evidence of our membership in God's family. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other (v. 14). This is God's command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us (v. 23). It is not complicated. Love God, follow Jesus, love His people.
Friday, March 7, 2014
1 John 2 - Do Not Love the World
What does John mean when he tells us to not love the world (v. 15)? Or anything in it? That sounds a little harsh, no?
He gives us the answer. The three ideas that he is considering to be the essence of "the world" are the lust of the flesh (indulging in what I should not pursue), lust of the eyes (wanting what I should not desire), and pride of life (failing to recognize who I truly am, and my need for a Savior), are all to be avoided. These things do not last. They do not satisfy the deep longings of our soul. "The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever."
He gives us the answer. The three ideas that he is considering to be the essence of "the world" are the lust of the flesh (indulging in what I should not pursue), lust of the eyes (wanting what I should not desire), and pride of life (failing to recognize who I truly am, and my need for a Savior), are all to be avoided. These things do not last. They do not satisfy the deep longings of our soul. "The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever."
Friday, February 28, 2014
1 John 1 -- "If"
One of the things that causes me to believe that the Biblical account of the life of Jesus is accurate comes from the writing of people like Peter and John, who walked with Jesus and would have known whether His resurrection happened or not.
From 1 John 1:1-3:
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. The 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. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us.
In the second part of this short chapter, we see the word "if" five times. Reading what someone says after the word "if" is a great way to know what they believe to be true. And since we're talking about a close associate, friend and eyewitness of Jesus, I especially want to know what he thinks.
1 John 1:6-10:
From 1 John 1:1-3:
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. The 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. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us.
In the second part of this short chapter, we see the word "if" five times. Reading what someone says after the word "if" is a great way to know what they believe to be true. And since we're talking about a close associate, friend and eyewitness of Jesus, I especially want to know what he thinks.
1 John 1:6-10:
If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But 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.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
Friday, February 21, 2014
2 Peter 3 -- 1000 Years is Like a Day
Jesus is coming and we don't know when....the reason He hasn't come yet is that He desires that all would come to Him.
But have no doubt -- He is coming and when He does nothing will ever be the same. In the meantime, we are to "make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him."
But have no doubt -- He is coming and when He does nothing will ever be the same. In the meantime, we are to "make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him."
Friday, February 14, 2014
2 Peter 2 -- False Teachers...Don't Be One
We are assured in this chapter that false teachers will be among us, introducing destructive heresies. The challenge is to know when those false teachers and their destructive heresies are around. Certainly Peter warns us so that we can be on guard against the false teaching, not following the false teachers into their "depraved conduct". Reading the rest of the chapter, this is not a path one would want to travel.
Those who follow the evil false teachers will receive severe punishment. There's no getting around this, and verses 13-22 are pretty uncomfortable to read. The best defense against all this ugliness is undoubtedly found in the person of Jesus Christ. We are safe in Him. We are welcomed into His arms when we come with sincerity of heart. There is no condemnation for those in who are in Christ. For those who willingly pretend to be but are not, it apparently isn't pretty.
Those who follow the evil false teachers will receive severe punishment. There's no getting around this, and verses 13-22 are pretty uncomfortable to read. The best defense against all this ugliness is undoubtedly found in the person of Jesus Christ. We are safe in Him. We are welcomed into His arms when we come with sincerity of heart. There is no condemnation for those in who are in Christ. For those who willingly pretend to be but are not, it apparently isn't pretty.
Friday, February 7, 2014
2 Peter 1 -- Everything We Need
Sometimes it feels like I'm so poorly equipped to live the life God calls me to. Without Him, I am. I can't win. In Him, I can't lose.
Verse 3: "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."
The power isn't mine. It is God's. And yet, I tap into that power that resides inside me by putting forth effort. I have to work and train at it. It doesn't happen magically.
Verse 5: "For this reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness; knowledge;"...and the list goes on from there.
But I have to make the effort. However, the effort I put forth comes not from my own resources but from the divine power within me through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who enables me to put forth the effort directed toward growing in godliness in the first place.
Walking through the process described in this chapter is a big deal with very tangible results. We are assured that we will avoid being ineffective and unproductive (v. 8) as members of His family.
Verse 10b-11: "For if you doe these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
Lastly, there are plenty of people in the world who question the historical accuracy of the Bible. It's certainly impossible to prove to someone who doesn't want to believe that the Bible is believable. At the same time, historians have little argument that Peter was an early leader of the church. And Peter himself was there with Jesus and was executed for his role in the spread of Christianity.
He writes in verse 16 about how he was an eyewitness of the majesty of Jesus. If he didn't buy into the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, why in the world would he waste his life building the church? Why would he be willing to die for something he knew to be untrue? That stance makes no sense.
Verse 3: "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."
The power isn't mine. It is God's. And yet, I tap into that power that resides inside me by putting forth effort. I have to work and train at it. It doesn't happen magically.
Verse 5: "For this reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness; knowledge;"...and the list goes on from there.
But I have to make the effort. However, the effort I put forth comes not from my own resources but from the divine power within me through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who enables me to put forth the effort directed toward growing in godliness in the first place.
Walking through the process described in this chapter is a big deal with very tangible results. We are assured that we will avoid being ineffective and unproductive (v. 8) as members of His family.
Verse 10b-11: "For if you doe these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
Lastly, there are plenty of people in the world who question the historical accuracy of the Bible. It's certainly impossible to prove to someone who doesn't want to believe that the Bible is believable. At the same time, historians have little argument that Peter was an early leader of the church. And Peter himself was there with Jesus and was executed for his role in the spread of Christianity.
He writes in verse 16 about how he was an eyewitness of the majesty of Jesus. If he didn't buy into the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, why in the world would he waste his life building the church? Why would he be willing to die for something he knew to be untrue? That stance makes no sense.
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