1 John 4:14-16

1 John 4:14-16

And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent the Son as savior of the world.  Whoever should confess that Jesus is the Son of God: God remains in him and he remains in God.  And we have known and we have believed the love that God has in us.  God is love.  The one who remains in love remains in God and God remains in him.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

In this passage we have what some have called the basic fundamental truth of the world: God is love.  These three words explain so much about our origin as a human species.

• Why did God create us?  He wanted to display love and be in relationship with us.
• Why does God give us free will?  Without free will we cannot love God back.  After all, a people who have no choice but to love give no love at all.  In order to truly love, we must have the option of something besides love.
• Why does God redeem us through Jesus Christ?  He loves us and would rather have relationship with us than stand in judgment over us in His righteous wrath.
• Why does God provide us with all that we have?  He is love and He desires us to know the richness of His grace.
• Why does God offer eternal life to temporal beings?  He loves us and desires to allow us to live with Him forever.

Of course, the answers to each of these questions go far deeper than this.  But this is the basic premise.  All of the basic questions can be answered through God’s sacrificial love.

What does “God is love” mean to you?  How can you emulate this kind of love?

Second Thought:

The Greek word “μένω” appears 6 times in verses 12-16, three times in the second half of 1 John 4:16 alone!  I have translated this word as “remain.”  In the Greek it literally means “to remain in the same place for an extended time.”  Many translations use the word “abide.”  All of these ideas revolve around the same concept.  When we love, God remains in us.  God desires to stay within us for an extended period of time!  Think about what that means for just a second.  The all-powerful creator of the universe desires to stay with you for an extended period of time.  Many religions try and get human beings to worship a deity.  But only one that I know of actually wants to come and have an intimate, personal relationship with you.

Does it ever amaze you that God wants a relationship with you?

Third Thought:

Jesus is the savior.  On one level this seems like such a simplistic assertion.  Of course Jesus is the savior of the world, right?  Who would ever argue with that?  But then again, how many times do I enjoy playing the role of savior?  How many times do I appreciate the accolades that come with solving a problem or saying just the right words.  We must remember this simple confession.  Jesus is the savior.  Only He could do what He did.  Only He can solve our problems.  Only He can restore our relationship with God.  Only He can bring wisdom and life to us.  Jesus is the Son of God and the savior of the world.  At best I may help Him demonstrate God’s love as He sees fit.  That’s still important, but not as important as Him being the Savior in the first place.

do you ever enjoy being a “savior?”  Why do those moments feel good?  Why is it important to remember that Jesus is the only real savior?  How can you use moments where God uses you and turn them into moments that allows Christ to be a savior?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 John 4:17-18

1 John 4:11-13

1 John 4:11-13

Beloved, if God loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another.  Nobody has seen God at any time.  If we should love one another, God remains in us and His love is having been made complete in us.  In this we know that we remain in Him and He remains in us: He has given us out of His Spirit.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

We continue today with the same themes that we studied yesterday.  We begin with a bold statement of fact.  If God loved us – and He has – then we ought to love one another.  Notice the word that John uses: “ought.”  In the Greek (“ὀφείλω”) the word literally means “to be obligated” or more precisely, “to be under an obligation.”  Love is not a choice.  Love is not something we turn on and off.  Love is our obligation.  While we were yet sinners, God loved us.  He sacrificed so that we might know relationship.  We are under an obligation to respond in forgiveness when our brothers and sisters in Christ sin.

How does it add to the challenge of love to hear John use terminology of obligation?  Does this make love less meaningful?

Second Thought:

So how do we know we can love?  How can we forgive?  How can we have it within us to forgive the people around us who do not deserve to be forgiven?  We have been given the Spirit of God.  The truth is that we do not have it within us on our own.  But because we have the Spirit of God within us, we can genuinely forgive.  Because we have the Spirit of God within us, we can love in any circumstance.  We know this because God has already proven that He can love in the face of sin.  If He can do it once, He can do it again and again within us.

Why is it important to remember that it is God who gives us the strength to love and it does not come from within ourselves?

Third Thought:

We now return to an unusual comment that John makes in this paragraph.  He says that nobody has ever seen God.  His inference is that we do not see God physically but we do see Him in each other when we love.  Given the thoughts in the prior two points this should make sense.  When do we see God the most clearly?  We see Him the most clearly when we experience forgiveness – that is, love.  We don’t have it within ourselves to forgive, especially in the big things.  But God does.  So when we experience someone forgiving another person who does not deserve to be forgiven we see God.  We sure don’t see God with our eyes.  But we do see His Spirit in every act of sacrificial, forgiving love.

Where have you seen God?  What does that picture of God look like?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 John 4:14-16

1 John 4:7-10

1 John 4:7-10

Beloved, we should love one another because love is out of God and everyone who loves has been born out of God and knows God.  The one who does not love does not know God because God is love.  In this the love of God was being revealed in us: that God has sent His one and only Son into the world in order that we should live through Him.  Love is in this: not that we have loved God but that He loved us and He sent His Son as propitiation concerning our sin.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Here’s the blunt end to John’s point.  Love isn’t an emotional feeling we have towards another person.  Love is what God does: forgiving our sinfulness when we don’t deserve it – and even making a sacrifice of Himself to accomplish it. 

Love isn’t some melting of the heart when a cute person walks by.  That’s probably more closely related to lust than love. 

Love isn’t that feeling of personal attraction to one particular person.  If that were true, then we could only love our spouse.

Love isn’t an emotion tied to procreation.  If that were true, we could only love our children.

Love is what God does.  Love is forgiving others when they don’t deserve it.  Love is thinking the best of others when they deserve judgment.  Love is offering new life when judgment and death should follow instead.  That’s why God is love.  That’s why love is so difficult for us to attain.

How does John’s definition of love differ from the world’s definition?  How does John’s definition of love differ from your own?  How well do you live up to John’s definition of love?

Second Thought:

Having said that, now let’s return to John’s exhortation.  We should love one another.  That doesn’t mean we should have that warm emotional gooey feeling inside of us towards everyone around us.  It means that we should live our life having a position of forgiveness.  We should live our life willing to even sacrifice of ourselves when the people around us fail.  Of course, there is the question of who should receive this posture from us?  John’s context throughout this whole letter has been that we should love one another – that is, we should love other people who are out of God as we spoke yesterday.  That much is for certain, and that is certainly John’s point.  However, let’s also remember who God loves.  God loved us while we were yet sinners.  (Romans 5:8)  We are bound by faith to love other Christians.  But if we want to be like God, our love will extend to the world as does His love.

Do you feel the invitation to love?  Do you feel the challenge in love?  Which is the stronger pull for you?  Which is more difficult?

Third Thought:

Not only do we imitate God’s perfect love, but this allows us to know God.  To know means so much more than to just have academic awareness of something.  In the Bible, to know a person means to have an intimate relationship with them.  Through love, we know God deeply.  To sacrifice for the benefit of other people and forgive them when they are undeserving gives us the ability to know the depth of God.  Knowing doesn’t come through academic pursuit alone.  Knowing comes from putting what we learn (faith/believe) into practice (do/obey).

Do you know God?  When do you grow in knowing God the most?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 John 4:11-13

1 John 4:4-6

1 John 4:4-6

You all are out of God, little children, and you all have conquered them because greater is the one who is in you all than the one who is in the world.  They are out of the world, because of this they speak out of the world and the world listens to them.  We are out of God; the one who knows God listens to us.  Whoever is not out of God does not listen to us.  Out of this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

John says, “You all have conquered them.”  The “them” in question is the people who have the spirit of an antichrist prom the passage that we studied yesterday.  John uses a great word when comparing those in Christ and the people who are attached to the world: “conquered.”  Those in Christ have already won because Christ has already won.  Christ came and the world killed Him.  But God demonstrated His superiority by raising Christ into new eternal life.  The world can do no worse to us, and God will do no worse to us.  Even if the world does not listen, rejects our message, and kills us then God promises our resurrection!  Victory is assured.  Greater is the one who is in us than the one who is in the world.

How does it make you feel to know that victory is assured?  Why is this important to remember each day?

Second Thought:

Once more John makes the preposition “out of” (In the Greek: “ἐκ”).  It is time to talk about this preposition and why John uses it so frequently.  When John is saying that we are out of God, he is rooting our origin rather than our destination.  We are out of God.  We are rooted in God.  We are filled by His presence.  Yes, we long for the time that we will be with Him in permanence.  But the reality is that we are already out of Him.  He is our source.  Others may choose to be rooted in the world and have their source in the world.  But we are out of God.  We are rooted in Him.

What does it mean to you to be “out of” God?  How can you demonstrate in your life that God is your source?

Third Thought:

We are left with reality.  The truth is that people who do not want to hear from God will not listen to Christian teaching.  As I was thinking about this idea, I came across a quote that I would like to share from William Barclay in his commentary on this passage:

When we come to think of it, that is obvious. How can anyone who believes that the basis of life is competition even begin to understand an ethic whose keynote is service? How can someone whose aim is the advancement of the self, and who holds that the weakest must go to the wall, even begin to understand a teaching whose principle for living is love?” 

This quote really got me thinking.  What is the goal of my life?  Is it asserting myself and making my name great or is it making God’s name great?  If I am struggling daily to make my name better than the next person, how can I ever understand submission and service?  If I am always competing for my place in the world, how can I ever understand love?

Where do you fit in this line of thinking?  How much of your life is about you and your advancement?  What does this show about any of our ability to truly know love and truly understand submission when we live in a culture and condition such as we do?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 John 4:7-10

1 John 4:1-3

1 John 4:1-3

Beloved, do not believe every spirit but determine the genuineness of the spirits if they are out of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.  In this you all know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ while being in the flesh is out of God.  And every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not out of God.  And this one is the spirit of the antichrist, whom you all have heard that it comes and it is now already in the world.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

John deftly tells us to test the spirits.  In fact, he does more than this.  John commands us to test the spirits.  In other words, we should have a certain amount of skepticism when it comes to life and the people around us.  Plenty of people will appear to have wisdom.  Plenty of people will appear to have love.  Plenty of people can promise you a path to know God (or even a god) better.  Plenty of people will promise happiness, fulfillment, or a dream to invest in.  But from John’s perspective, there is only one God.  And there is only one way to God: Jesus Christ.   That is the fundamental truth underpinning Christianity.

Why is it important to understand that Christianity is about understanding that the only way to God is through Christ?  How does this understanding piggyback onto Jesus’ own teaching in John 14:6?

Second Thought:

Let’s look more deeply into this confession.  You see, to confess that Jesus came in the flesh and mean it implies that we also follow what Jesus teaches.  What Jesus teaches is that we take up our cross and follow Him.  In other words, to confess Jesus in the flesh is to abandon our own self-centered living and instead humbly submit to God.  We cannot truly believe God came to dwell among us without also truly submitting to Him.  Remember the double emphasis of faith: believe and obey.  When Christ came in the flesh He demonstrated belief and ultimate obedience.  We are to do the same.

Do you believe Jesus came in the flesh?  How does this play out in your life in obedient submission to Him?

Third Thought:

In these verses John speaks about the spirit of the antichrist.  Remember what we said back in John 2:18-22 when John last used the word antichrist.  Yes, the Bible speaks on the Antichrist, who is the final grand opponent of God who will lead humanity away from God.  But John speaks of antichrists – plural.  Everyone who denies Christ has a spirit antithetical to Christ.  Everyone who seeks to fulfill their own desires rather than seeking God’s will in humble obedience to Him has a spirit of an antichrist about them.  John wants us to understand that there are two fundamental positions to take with God.  We are either with Christ or against Christ.  We either submit to God or submit to ourselves.  We either have the Spirit of Christ within us or a spirit contrary to Christ.

How do you pursue the will of the Father?  How do you demonstrate the Spirit of Christ in your life?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 John 4:4-6

1 John 3:23-24

1 John 3:23-24

And this is His commandment: in order that we should believe by the name of His Son Jesus Christ and we should love one another – just as He gave a commandment to us.  And the one who keeps His commandments remains in Him and He in him.  And in this we know that He remains in us: out of the Spirit that He gave to us.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus once told His disciples that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.  Then He taught His disciples that the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:34-40)  This teaching of Jesus is clearly evident in the opening of this section of verses.  John tweaks it a bit to fit the context of His letter, but the point is the same.  Believe through Christ; love one another.  That sums up the whole of God’s law.  If we always followed those two things we would never break God’s word.  It was a powerful teaching at the core of Jesus’ ministry.  That’s why John repeats it so similarly here.

Do you love God at all times?  Do you love your neighbor?  What makes both of these commandments so hard to keep every day?  What makes both of these worth striving for every day?

Second Thought:

Look again at the two verbs that John says here.  Believe.  Love.  There are two dynamics to faith.  As Dietrich Bonheoffer says and I am prone to quoting, “Only those who believe obey and only those who obey believe.”  Faith involves both belief and an obedience response to God’s invitation to believe.  This fundamental understanding is also present here in John’s words: believe and love.  When we believe and love one another, we are fulfilling the basic definition of faith.  We are believing and responding to God’s gift of faith to us.

Are you surprised to find one more place in scripture that is based upon the understanding of the two sides of faith?  How good are you at having each of these fundamental aspects of faith in your life?

Third Thought:

Here we also have a fundamental teaching of Christianity.  How do we know that Christ remains in us?  We know because the Holy Spirit is with us.  Christ promised us His Spirit and those who are in Him have His Spirit.  It doesn’t need to be any more complicated than this.  There is no other proof needed.  If the Spirit is within you, you remain in Christ and He remains in you.

Is the Holy Spirit in you?  How do you know?  What does this mean to you?  How does this knowledge affect your outlook on the future?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 John 4:1-3

1 John 3:19-22

1 John 3:19-22

And in this we will know that we are out of the truth and we will be confident in our hearts before Him: that if our heart should judge us to be bad, God is greater than our heart and He knows everything.  Beloved, if our heart should not judge us to be bad we have confidence before God and we receive from Him whatever we should ask because we keep His commandments and we do the things that are pleasing in His sight.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

We need to remember the context of this passage.  John has been talking about obedient to God, submission to Him, and demonstrating that dynamic of life through our love for one another.  In this context John gives us a piece of advice.  If our heart condemns us, we should listen to it.  We know when are being disobedient.  We may not know it in the moment, but we know it.  God has placed His Spirit within us to speak into our hearts and convict us.  This is especially true when it come to loving the people of God around us.  We know when we should love and do not.  We need to listen to God and repent in those times.

Do you always listen to your heart and God speaking through it?  Why can it be difficult to experience conviction?

Second Thought:

On the other hand, if we do follow God’s commandments and are obedient, we should have confidence before God!  If we do what God asks of us, then we should celebrate!  Our hearts are good at convicting us when we do not obey, but it should be equally good at causing us to celebrate when we are obedient before God!  In fact, John goes even further to say that in those moments we do receive what we ask for because our heart and mind is in union with God.

Do you always listen to your heart when it speaks in joy and celebration at times of your obedience?  What does this feel like to you?  How do you know when you are obedient?

Third Thought:

Before we move to the verses for tomorrow, let’s go back and pick up a small area that I previously skipped.  Even when our heart convicts us, we know that God is bigger than our heart.  The reality is that we cannot be perfect.  God knows this.  That’s why He sent His Son.  So yes, we should listen to the conviction that comes through our heart as the Holy Spirit speaks.  But at the same time we should be careful to not let our heart be overburdened with our failure, either.  God is bigger than our failure.  He always will be.

Are you prone to beating yourself up more than you deserve over your failures?  Why is this important to keep in check?  what does it mean to you to know that God is bigger than your failure?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 John 3:23-24

1 John 3:16-18

1 John 3:16-18

In this we have known love: that one put down his life on our behalf.  We also ought to put down our life for our brothers’ sake.  And if anyone should have a livelihood of the world and he should see his brother while having a need and he should close off his heart from him, how does the love of God remain in him?  Little children, let us not love by word or by tongue but by works and by truth.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

As is typical of Jesus’ disciples, John goes back to the example that he saw in Christ.  Jesus gave up his life.  Granted, He is God.  He also knew that He would be resurrected.  But then again, do we also not know that we will be resurrected into life incorruptible?  Sure, we are not God and never make a case to be God.  But do we not believe that one day we will be raised into new life – a life where God is fully in control, our needs will be met, and sin will be done away with?  If we believe that with certainty, then why should we not be willing to put down our life as Jesus put His own life down?

Are you grateful for Jesus’ sacrifice?  Does that gratefulness turn into imitation?  How?

Second Thought:

I love how John ends this.  John tells us that we shouldn’t just love by word or tongue but in action.  In other words, even in Jesus’ day the saying is true: talk is cheap.  John is telling us – quite literally – to put our money where our mouth is.  Anyone can say that they love.  But we know true love when it is put on display.  We know love when we see it, not when we hear it.

Are you a lover in words or in action?  How do you reach this conclusion about yourself?

Third Thought:

In this passage John gives us a very plain example.  He says that if anyone has enough in this world to have a livelihood and sees a brother in need and does not help him, then how does the love of God remain in him?  God loved us when we were in desperate need and unable to fend for ourselves!  We should do that with others.  However, notice that John gives two conditions here.  First of all, as we have been talking all throughout the last few days, we are speaking about love directed towards brothers.  In other words, John is talking about actions from one believer to other believers.  Second, John says that the believer has enough for his own livelihood.  John is giving a pass to those who don’t have enough to survive – as well he should!  But for those of us who have enough to survive on, we should take notice.  We are supposed to support our brothers and sisters in the faith, not ignore their needs.

Do you support others in the faith?  How do you do so?  Why do you do so?  How does this benefit you as well as them?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 John 3:19-22

1 John 3:13-15

1 John 3:13-15

Do not marvel, brothers, if the world hates you all.  We have known that we have changed out of death into life because we love the brothers.  The ones who do not love remain in death.  Everyone who hates his brothers is a murderer and you all have known that every murderer does not have eternal life that remains in him.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

In the opening verse for this section we hear John tell his audience to not marvel when the world hates people who put their faith in God.  The word marvel in this instance means “to be surprised at finding out” or even “to not see a particular outcome coming.”  If we think about this, it really should make some sense.  In the Old Testament, the prophets were largely scorned and rejected – at best they were seen as odd eccentrics.  John the Baptizer was looked upon with skepticism and ultimately killed.  When Jesus came, the hatred for Him was so profound that the religious leaders turned the crowd upon Him and crucified Him.  John has also watched as many of Jesus’ own disciples have been martyred.  He knows the truth.  The world hates Jesus and those who humble themselves to God’s agenda.  It always has.  We are not to be caught off guard by this realization.

Knowing this, have you ever been caught off-guard by hatred coming from people you thought should love you in Christian brotherhood?  Why is it easy to be lured into this?

Second Thought:

John takes this thought one step further to remind us of a lesson we have been talking about for a few days now.  We know God is in us by our ability to love.  In fact, think about God’s love.  God loved us when we were still sinners.  When there was nothing to love about us, God loved us.  So how do we know that we are following Him?  When we find ourselves loving the unloveable, we are truly acting out of God and not acting out of our own human capability.  When we love in circumstances that we really have every reason to hate, we are demonstrating that we have been changed from death (flesh) to life (spiritual).

Have you been changed from death to life?  Where can you see evidence of this in your life?

Third Thought:

John carries the theme of murder from the example of Cain into his expanded point in these verses.  Cain murdered because of the selfishness that lived in his heart.  But this is not just a point that John has developed.  Surely this is a teaching that John heard at the feet of Jesus.  Read the words of the synoptic Gospels regarding Jesus’ teaching about anger in Matthew 5:21-22.  And there Jesus isn’t even talking about hatred, he’s just talking about anger!  There can be little doubt when comparing what John says here to what Jesus Himself says in Matthew that this is a teaching that John got from Jesus Himself.  The truth is that we all know that murder is bad.  John tells us that the person who hates is just as bad as a murderer.  Jesus tells us that someone who is angry is just as bad.  If we want eternal life, we must love as God loves rather than bearing the anger and hatred that is natural to our being.

How hard is your anger to control?  Can you control when you feel anger?  What about your anger and hatred can you control?  How does this struggle help us see how our relationship with God affects our life?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 John 3:16-18

1 John 3:11-12

1 John 3:11-12

Because this is the message that you all heard from the beginning: in order that we should love one another.  Not as Cain, who was out of the evil one and who slaughtered his brother.  And for what reason did he slaughter him?  Because his works were evil and the works of his brother were righteous.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

John places emphasis on the message that was heard from the beginning.  What is the root message of Jesus?  God so loved the world that He sent His only Son to die for us.  God loved.  God’s action is rooted in love.  If we are in God, we will love rather than hate.

Do you love or hate more?  When is it easier for you to love?  When is it easier for you to hate?

Second Thought:

Immediately after speaking about God’s character from the beginning, John speaks about Cain and the beginning of humankind.  John doesn’t just say that Cain is evil because he acts unlovingly towards his brother.  John actually says that Cain is out of the evil one.  But here is an interesting point that up to today I never connected with this passage.  Remember that in Genesis Cain isn’t presented as an atheist.  Cain brings a sacrifice to God.  When his sacrifice is rejected he is angry and takes it out on his brother.  This is the brilliance of John’s use of the example of Cain in this passage.  John is telling his audience that of course the world will hate us.  But the world often creeps in and masquerades as people of faith.  But when we see their hatred, we will know that they are like Cain.  When we see people – any people, even those within the church – acting in ways that are not love, we know that they are not out of God but rather that their actions come from the evil one.

Have you ever experienced hatred?  Have you ever experienced hatred by people who should have loved?  How do you overcome this and not retaliate in anger as Satan would desire us to do?

Third Thought:

What was the difference between Cain and Able?  The difference was submission.  It was obedience.  It was a faithful response to God.  Able listened to God and gave God what God desired.  On the other hand, Cain did what he thought was best.  Able’s submission is righteous; Cain’s selfish thought is not.  Cain hates Able because in Cain’s sacrifice he shows that he cannot be submitted as Able demonstrates in his sacrifice.  Cain hates Able because he is faithless when Able is faithful.  We need to be careful when dealing with people.  When people prove they are capable of submitting before God, then we will also know that they are capable of godly and brotherly love.  On the other hand, when we see people thinking selfishly and following their own agenda we should be careful.

Are you able to submit before God and love as He loves?  Does it surprise you to unfold John’s theology and find submission and humbleness at the core of his thoughts?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 John 3:13-15

1 John 3:9-10

1 John 3:9-10

Everyone who has being born out of God does not sin because His seed remains in him and he does not have the power to sin because he has been born of God.  In this it is evident who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil: everyone who does not practice righteousness is not out of God – also the one who does not love his brother.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

John gives us an unusual expression: “His seed remains in him.”  What exactly is God’s seed?  That is a very profound question.  I think it is best answered simply.  God’s seed is His Word.  Think about it.  The Word became flesh and dwelled among us in Jesus Christ.  When Christ was crucified and resurrected, He then sent His Spirit to be with us.  The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ – the living Word of God.  So what is the seed that keeps us from sinning?  Is it Christ?  Is it the Holy Spirit?  Yes, it is all of these things wrapped up neatly in the Word of God.  The closer we dwell to God’s Word and all the depth of meaning that it contains the more we will have God’s seed within us and the more that we will be prevented from sin.

Does the Word dwell in you?  Can you say that this is generally true in your life?  The closer you are to God’s Word are you also further from sin?

Second Thought:

Once more John drives home the point that he made yesterday.  Those who do righteousness are from God.  Those who do not do righteousness are from the devil.  This just makes logical sense.  When we are obedient and submitted before God in our thoughts, words, and deeds then we are clearly from Him!  When we do contrary to God’s will and act out of our own agenda then we certainly aren’t from God!

Where is it evident in your life that you are from God?  Where in your life is that distinction made less relevant?

Third Thought:

At the end of this section John transitions us from obedience to God to a very specific application of obedience to God: brotherly love.  We’ll spend a good deal of time on this topic in the next few days, so I won’t make a big deal of it here.  But see clearly that John is talking about brotherly love – that is, love of God’s children.  We are called to love all those who are in God.  When we do not love others who are in God we are not demonstrating God’s character nor are we demonstrating that we are from God.  The hatred of God’s people does not come from God.  Therefore, it must come from ourselves and even more so the devil.

Is it easy for you to love the people of God?  Are there genuine people of God that you have a difficult time loving?  Do you think God ever has a difficult time loving you?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 John 3:11-12

1 John 3:7-8

1 John 3:7-8

Little children, do not let yourselves be deceived.  The one who does righteousness is righteous – just as that one is righteous.  The one who does sin is out of the devil, because the devils sins from the beginning.  Into this the Son of God was being revealed: in order that He should destroy the works of the devil.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Yesterday we talked about what sin is and why it happens in our life.  Today we hear about where sin comes from.  Sin comes from the devil, who has been about sin since his very beginning.  Now, this does not free us from the burden of sin.  The devil may tempt us into sin, but it is we who follow.  We are guilty for accepting the temptation.  John is not absolving us of our guilt here.  Sin comes from the devil, but our hearts freely welcome it into our midst.

Have you ever tried to deflect your guilt onto someone or something else?  Why is this a fundamentally bad path to take regarding out sinfulness?

Second Thought:

John also then tells us how God deals with sin.  Jesus Christ came in order to destroy the work of the devil.  Jesus Christ came in order that our sinfulness should be done away with.  John doesn’t need to absolve us of our guilt by blaming the devil because Christ has already absolved us of our guilt on the cross.  We don’t need to deflect the blame.  What we need to do is embrace the guilt, humble ourselves before the judgment seat of God, and accept His forgiveness.  Owning up to our sin is a far better path than trying to put the blame on someone else because God is willing to forgive.

How does this passage further remind you of God’s gracious love?  Although taking responsibility for sin is the harder road, why is it more beneficial in the end?

Third Thought:

This brings us back to the opening verses of this section.  The one who does righteousness is righteous.  Because we are forgiven, we should be about the work of God.  Because we are freed from the guilt we bear, we should embrace God’s ways.  If we care about forgiveness, we should inherently care about casting off our selfish human agendas and embrace God and God’s desires for our life.

Do you embrace God’s will for your life?  How do you do this?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 John 3:9-10

1 John 3:4-6

1 John 3:4-6

Everyone who does sin also practices lawlessness.  And sin is lawlessness.  And you all have known that this one was being revealed in order that sins should be removed.  And sin is not in Him.  All the ones who remain in Him do not sin.  Everyone who sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

John tells us what sin is.  Sin is lawlessness.  Sin is caring more about my own desires and less about what God desires.  Sin is the pursuit of my own agenda rather than the pursuit of God’s ways.  There is no more simpler definition than that.  If I am pursuing my own desires rather than doing what God desires of me, then I am sinning.

Under this definition, how much of your life is in sin?  Do you ever wrestle with whether you life is actually what God desires of you?

Second Thought:

John then reminds us that Christ came to remove sin.  So when we choose sin, we are choosing to undo the work of Christ.  Christ came so sin could be removed from my life. So when I choose to sin, I am putting sin back into my life.  I am doing the very opposite of the thing that Christ came into the world to do in the first place!

How does it make you feel to realize that when you sin you are actively undoing the very work of Christ?  How does it demonstrate God’s grace to know that even in spite of this He still forgives?

Third Thought:

Finally, John tells us why we sin.  We sin because we fail to abide in Him.  We sin when we wander from God, God’s Word, and God’s ways.  We sin when we stray out of the presence of God.  When we are in the presence of God, sin is driven away from us.  But as human beings, we are so easily distracted.  We are so easily tempted out of the presence of God.  So God forgives and calls us back because we are not strong enough to remain in Him – even once we know of His great love for us.

What truth is revealed in your life by understanding that we sin when we stray from God’s presence?  What is John saying directly to you when he says that we sin when we fail to abide in Him?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 John 3:7-8

1 John 3:1-3

1 John 3:1-3

See what sort of love the Father has given to us: in order that we should be called the sons of God – and we are.  Because of this the world does not know us: that it did not know Him.  Beloved, now we are children of God and what we will be is not yet being revealed.  We have known that when it should be revealed we will be like Him because we will see Him just as He is.  And everyone who has this hope upon Him purifies himself, just as that one is pure.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

One of the most direct teachings that comes out of this section of verses is that we are the sons of God.  It’s not that we will be.  We are the sons of God now.  John makes this point twice in these three verses, once in the middle of verse 1 and once at the beginning of verse 2.  We are the sons of God now.  We do not need to wait to be called the sons of God.  Through Christ we can know what it is to be the son of God and we can know that promise in our current reality.  We have been grafted into His family now.

Do you know that you are the son (or daughter) of God?  How do you know?  How does this impact your life currently?

Second Thought:

John then talks about our relationship to the world.  The world does not know us.  Don’t get me wrong.  The world can see us, can interact with us, and can try to understand us who follow God.  But they do not know us.  They cannot know us truly because in order to know us they must know God as it is God’s Spirit that lives in us.  All of this being said, it should not surprise us, either.  The world did not know Jesus when He came.  Jesus was largely rejected.  He was largely ignored.  He was considered misguided.  Sure, a few people listed to Him but the majority of people shouted for His crucifixion.  If Jesus was treated that way by the world, we who have His Spirit within us should expect that the world won’t understand and know us, either.

How does it feel to know that the world will not know you if you follow God?  Is this reality worth it?  What makes it difficult to live in the world but not be known by it?

Third Thought:

John also gives us a great hope for the future.  We are the sons and daughters of God.  That is our current reality.  But when Christ returns, we shall be like Him!  We will cast off this sinful nature for good.  This leads us naturally into verse 3, which says that those who have this hope purify themselves.  John isn’t saying that we make ourselves clean and he especially isn’t saying that we save ourselves.  What John is saying is that we who have the hope of God are actively living in God’s ways.  We are looking to obey.  We are looking for ways to follow.  We are looking to submit to God and listen to His calling.  We purify ourselves in the present because we anticipate the time in the future when our nature will be like that of Christ.

How do you purify yourself?  How do you obey God?  How do you follow God humbly?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 John 3:4-6

1 John 2:28-29

1 John 2:28-29

And now, little children, remain in Him in order that when He should be revealed we should have boldness and we should not be made to feel shame from Him in His arrival.  If you all should have known that He is righteous, then you all that everyone who does righteousness has been born out of Him.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

As John closes this section of verses, he gives us a very simple piece of advice.  If you want to be with Christ, remain in Him.  If you don’t want to feel shame when He comes back, stay with Him.  I might add, if you want to walk with God, stay in relationship with God every day.  If you want to live according to God’s ways, the easiest way to accomplish this is to make them a part of your daily walk.  Remain in Christ.  Abide in Christ.  Don’t come and go from Christ as your human desire tosses you around.  Instead stay with Christ every day and let Him be your anchor and guide.

How do you remain in Christ?  How do you abide in Christ?  How does staying close to Christ help you keep from feeling shame at the thought of His return?

Second Thought:

Notice that here again an author of the Bible makes a connection between faith and practice.  If we know that Christ is righteous, then we should do righteous things.  Faith should transmit into practice.  We should practice what we preach.  But you will notice what John connects to being born out of Christ: those who do.  Faith should lead to action.  In fact, genuine action out of faith is the proof and evidence that we are that we are born out of Christ.  We do not act in order to be saved – that is works based salvation.  But we do righteousness because we have been saved and the faith within has transformed our being.

How good are you at putting your faith into practice?  Where are you easily faithful in your life?  Where does the world creep in and you get distracted from righteousness?

Third Thought:

Before we end, I want to talk more about the expression “born out of Him.”  There are many practical applications of these words.  However, I think the most meaningful for me is the perspective of belonging.  If I am born of God, then God is my Father.  He is my parent.  I am a part of His family.  I might not be perfect, but I have a place in Him.  When we talk about being born out of God, it is an inherent claim of lineage and belonging.

Why is it comforting to know that you can be born out of God?  Do you always feel born out of God?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 John 3:1-3

1 John 2:26-27

1 John 2:26-27

I wrote these things to you all regarding the ones who cause you all to wander off of the path.  And you all have an anointing that you all received from Him, it remains in you all and you all do not have a need in order that anyone should teach you all.  Rather, as His anointing teaches you all regarding all things – and it is true and it is not a lie – just as it teaches you all, you all remain in Him.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

As we continue these verses in 1 John, let’s talk a bit about this word “anointing” that John continues to use.  In the Hebrew scriptures, three types of people were anointed.  Prophets – people like Elijah, Elisha, and Isaiah – were anointed by the Lord.  Kings – people like Saul, David, and Solomon – were anointed by the Lord.  Priests – people like Aaron and his sons – were anointed.  In the history of the Hebrew people, only a chosen few were anointed.  Being anointed was fairly rare.  But here John is implying that an anointing is a benefit that all Christians share.  This makes sense when you think about it.  In Christ, we all are priests.  In Christ we are all given truth to bring to the world.  In Christ, we are all capable of ruling.  We are all anointed: prophets, priests, and kings to serve our God.

What does it mean to you that you are anointed?  How does this help you understand that you have a purpose in the kingdom of God?

Second Thought:

As we talk about the anointing, it is only natural for us to consider the work of the Holy Spirit.  If we listen closely to John’s words here, he gives us the distinct impression that his audience does not need to be taught.  In truth, they don’t!  The Holy Spirit teaches them - as it should be with all of us.  Sure, there are people through whom the Holy Spirit teaches.  But it is the Holy Spirit that teaches us.  It is the Holy Spirit that warms our heart.  It is the Holy Spirit that opens the door for us to be interested.  It is the Holy Spirit that takes what we hear and plants it within our being.  Yes, there are human teachers and keepers of the faith.  But their work is not what is important.  What is important is how the Holy Spirit works in each of us to work God’s will through whatever we should hear from others and meditate in our own devotion.

Have you ever considered that the Holy Spirit is truly your teacher?  What does that really mean to you?  How has the Holy Spirit spoken to you through the words of others?  How has the Holy Spirit spoken to you through your own devotion?

Third Thought:

As we end this passage and prepare for tomorrow’s reading, let’s look at the concluding words here.  John tells us that as we are taught, we remain in Him.  The word “remain” in this passages and the surrounding verses is the Greek word “μένω,” (meno) which is often translated as “abide.”  John tells us a simple truth. Abiding in Christ is a significant concept.  When we are tempted, remaining in Christ is what keeps us true.  When we doubt, remaining in Christ is what keeps us true.  When false teachers come along beside us, remaining in Christ is what keeps us true.  Remain in Christ and His Spirit is one of our primary foci of the Christian walk.

How do you remain – or abide – in Christ?  Do you notice a correlation between the times when you are to remain faithful and the times when you remain in Christ?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 John 2:28-29