Hello Friends!
Let’s take a “10,000 foot flight” over this wonderfully edifying epistle…
The
Book of 1 John
The overall theme of 1 John is “a recall to the fundamentals of the faith” or “back to the basics of Christianity.” The Apostle John deals with certainties, not opinions or conjecture. He expresses the absolute character of Christianity in very simple terms that are clear and unmistakable, leaving no doubt as to the fundamental nature of those truths. A warm, conversational, loving tone occurs, like a father having a tender and intimate conversation with his children. I like that!
1 John is also pastoral, written from the heart of a pastor who has great concern for the people entrusted to him by the Lord. As a shepherd, John communicated to his flock some very basic but vitally essential principles reassuring them regarding the basics of the faith.
He desired them to have “joy” regarding the certainty of their faith rather than being upset by the false teaching and current defections of some who were professing to be Christians but were really false followers:
And
these things we write to you that your joy may be full – 1 John
1:4
John also refutes the defectors with sound doctrine, exhibiting no tolerance for those who pervert divine truth. He labels those departing from the truth as “false prophets”:
Beloved,
do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God;
because many false prophets have gone out into the world – 1 John
4:1
Then John refutes those who would seek to “deceive” us in any way:
These
things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you – 1 John
2:26
Little
children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous,
just as He is righteous – 1 John 3:7
And John warns us of “antichrists” to come:
Little
children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is
coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the
last hour – 1 John
2:18
John also pointedly identifies the ultimate source of all such defection from sound doctrine as “demonic”:
Beloved,
do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God;
because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the
Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the
flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has
come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and
is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome
them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are
of the world. Therefore they speak as
of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears
us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth
and the spirit of error – 1 John 4:1-6
The constant repetition of 3 sub-themes reinforces the overall theme regarding faithfulness to the basics of Christianity: joy (1:4), holiness (2:1) and assurance (5:13). By faithfulness to these basics, believers will experience these attributes continually in their lives and will also reveal true spirituality:
- Proper belief in Jesus Christ
- Produces obedience to His commands
- Results in love for God and fellow believers
And
this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus
Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. Now he who keeps His
commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides
in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us – 1 John
3:23-24
When these attributes operate in concert together, they result in joy, holiness and assurance. These attributes indeed constitute the evidence or “the litmus test” of a true Christian. (See my 6-part Daily Devotions series “Are You Truly Redeemed?” outlining the 10 “hallmarks” of a true Christian found in the book of 1 John)
Finally, we learn that John wrote this epistle as a “testimony” that we might “know that we have eternal life”:
And
this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in
His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does
not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of
the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of
the Son of God – 1 John 5:11-13
In fact, the word "know" is used 39 times in this letter to believers! By the way, that is a great approach to studying the book of 1 John during your own personal devotions... Just read all 39 of these "know" phrases in their proper context and you will have quite a study guide prepared for yourself!
Please read through this power-packed little book and immerse yourself in these excellent truths.
In closing:
Here’s a final thought from the Apostle Paul's sojourn in Berea outlined in the book of Acts. He preached there and the Bereans heard the Word of God and then searched the Scriptures to see if Paul was correct:
These were more fair-minded
than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness,
and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so – Act 17:11
This too is a great principle – Hear the Word of God preached & taught and study the Scriptures for yourself to see if the preacher/teacher is Biblically correct. – AMEN to that!
Brethren, I encourage each of us to apply this same principle to our own Christian Bible studies – let’s be “good Bereans” in our search for The Truth:
Sanctify them by Your truth.
Your word is truth – John 17:17
May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect
love, mercy and grace!
Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while
there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!
Blessings!
Shane <><