The First Letter of John

OUR MESSAGE: GOD IS LIGHT  Read 1 John 1:1-10

   We are writing to tell you of Jesus Christ, who was with the Father from all eternity, and whom we ourselves saw, heard and touched in our own lifetime. We do this for sheer joy, that you might share our fellowship with the Father and his Son.

   Our message — which is his message — is that God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. To know his fellowship is to walk in that light and to know the cleansing of the blood of Jesus. If we pretend that we have no sins, we make him a liar. But if we confess our sins, he forgives us and cleanses us.

TO KNOW CHRIST IS TO OBEY HIM  Read 2:1-11

   If we sin, Jesus Christ pleads our cause before the Father. He is the propitiation for our sins and, in fact, for those of the whole world.

   To know Christ is to obey him, and this obedience is the acid test. In one sense the gospel is as old as creation, but in another it is forever new. Yet no man walks in the light of Christ unless he loves his brother.

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THE SIGN OF THE ANTICHRIST  Read 2:12-25

   Children, fathers, young men — your strong faith is heartening. We know that he who does the will of God shall live forever. The world in its pride and lust is doomed to pass away, and I see antichrists appearing even now as a sign of the last hour. Who are the antichrists? They are the ones who deny that Jesus of Nazareth is God's Son, the Messiah. God makes it plain: no Son, no Father! But to have both is to have his promise of eternal life.

THE SPIRIT WILL TEACH YOU TRUTH  Read 2:26-29

   So much by way of warning. You do not need any man to teach you spiritual things, for the Holy Spirit himself will reveal truth to you out of his word. So stay in him, and be confident and ready as you look for the great day.

WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM  Read 3:1-10

   We know that our heavenly Father loves us, and if we cannot exactly discern what our future appearance will be, at least we know that we shall be like Jesus, and this is enough. We know that Jesus, who knew no sin, came to take away our sins and to loosen the clutch of the devil. Thus those who are born of God, and share the divine life, no longer practice sin but follow the paths of righteousness.

THE WAY LOVE PROVES ITSELF  Read 3:11-18

   Our love for our brethren is the visible evidence that we have passed from death unto life, and that Christ's love dwells in us. Following his example, we look after our brethren and, if need be, lay down our lives for them. In such practical demonstrations does love prove itself.

GOD IS GREATER THAN OUR GUILT  Read 3:19-24

   It is wonderful to realize that when our own hearts are full of guilt feelings, the God who knows all is greater even than our hearts, He answers our requests, and gives us freedom of access toward himself by sending his Spirit to dwell within us.

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TEST AND PROVE THE SPIRITS  Read 4:1-6

   Dear friends, don't bend with every spiritual breeze that blows. Test the spirits to see whether they are authentic. The test is a simple one: the spirit of truth confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh and the spirit of error denies it. And the Spirit of God, who is in you, is greater than all the pseudo-spirituality in the world.

NOT OUR LOVE, BUT HIS  Read 4:7-10

   Now for the heart of my message: beloved friends, let us love one another. Love is the brand by which God's sons and daughters are known. Not to love is not to know God, for God is love. He gave his only Son to bring us life. It is not our love for him but his for us, that caused him to send Jesus Christ as the propitiation for our sins.

PERFECT LOVE CASTS OUT FEAR  Read 4:11-21

   Through the saving love of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit, the eyes of faith see the invisible God. To confess him is to live in him, as he does in us. So God's love fills us and makes us absolutely fearless in the day of judgment. When love is fulfilled it always pitches out fear. Why, then, do we love him? And why do we love each other? Because he first loved us.

   Well, it follows that if a man hates his brother or sister next to him, he can hardly love the invisible God; and if he claims otherwise, he lies.

THE REWARD OF VICTORIOUS FAITH  Read 5:1-4

   Every child of God believes that Jesus is the Christ. This means that he loves the Lord and the Lord's people, and disciplines himself by God's word. A man with victorious faith will hardly allow the divine commands to become burdensome to him, since he is the only real "world conqueror" history knows.

THE TESTIMONY OF THE SPIRIT  Read 5:5-13

   The testimony of the Holy Spirit is that Jesus Christ came not just through the water [his human baptism] but also through

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the blood [his atoning sacrifice on the cross as God's Son]. Thus spirit, water and blood bear one witness to Jesus Christ.

   Every believer in Christ has the witness in himself through the indwelling Holy Spirit. And God has provided another witness to his Son — the gift of eternal life. For this life is in his Son, and to have the Son is to have such life; apart from him there is none. Now you understand why I was so eager to write you: that you might know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you have this life.

KNOWING THE WILL OF GOD  Read 5:14-15

   We have such freedom before God that we do not hesitate to pray that we might be in the center of his will, knowing that if we are, our requests will be heard and granted.

CHRIST GUARDS THE BELIEVER  Read 5:16-21

   Unless one's sin involves the extinction of life, it may be prayed for, repented of and forgiven. (In cases involving death, I do not say; let a man ask God for himself.) We know that Jesus Christ, the One begotten of God, guards the believer and keeps him from the grip of the evil one.

   Though this evil one seems to control everything, by his incarnation Jesus Christ has given us the key to life: an understanding of the truth as it is in himself. Take this; be satisfied with nothing less, and you will bypass the false images of this world.

   First John breathes an air of serenity such as no other book of the Bible possesses. It is evidently the ripe fruit of a venerable man of God who, as he approaches the river's edge, sees the great issues of life with monumental simplicity. Everything is either darkness or light to the apostle; there are no tempting, fleshy grays in which we can play hide-and-seek.

   "Don't talk to me about your love," says John in effect. "Let your love do the talking. Don't spray the universe with words describing what you have done for God; tell me what God has done for you." The effect is shattering. Either your Bible study group will find itself mumbling platitudes, or it will feel the convicting

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power of the Holy Spirit. This medicine either kills or cures. If a man can read the letter straight through and still maintain a posture of swaggering self-assurance, he is spiritually blind — a "self-made man who worships his creator" — or he needs a remedial course in reading comprehension.

   You can get into some warm theological discussions about such verses as 1:8, 2:2, 3:2, 3:9, 4:12, 5:6 and 5:16. I am not sure how fruitful they would prove to be. It is such a temptation to watch the planes taking off, yet never to fly; to argue over the contents of a prescription, yet never to take the medication. John, however, is not interested in the periphery. He attacks the central citadel of our motivation.

   There are controversial matters, and the writer deals with them directly and bluntly. He has no time left for hair-splitting. He knows there is little to be gained by negotiation or compromise. This world is not an environment to be adjusted to, but a condition to be overcome, and that by a greater power within.

   Let the Holy Spirit speak to you individually through these verses. Forget about John; forget everything except that here you are feeding upon the Word of life, the living Bread. If you do, the great organ tones of this letter will reverberate through you. Your soul will never be the same.

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