Throughout this letter, John repeats three tests designed to help his readers evaluate teachings and teachers, especially helping them evaluate some people who had left the church and were trying to draw the readers to follow them. He’s already mentioned the Moral (2:3-6) and Love (2:7-17) tests, and now he turns his attention to the…
Read MoreMonth: June 2023
Love God, Not the World
When my son played rec league baseball, his league named its teams after professional clubs. He played for the Rays, Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, and a few more. Each year, I bought the baseball cap of his team and wore it to his games. Of course, I’d wear those caps even when I wasn’t at…
Read MoreHow’s Your Love Life?
If you could pick one trait that should characterize a Christian, what would it be? If I asked you to write down one word that would define what a Christian is like, what would you write? As we study John’s first letter, remember that he’s dealing with a crisis of faith in his church. A…
Read MoreWe Have an Advocate
In the previous post, we saw that John summarized his message with the words, “God is light.” He also encouraged his readers to “walk in the light” or live with a desire for God instead of for darkness and sin. Walking in the light doesn’t mean moral perfection, and there will be times when Christians…
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