Category Archives: 1 John

Propitiation

Posted on April 23, 2023 | Leave a comment

Propitiation: appeasement of God’s just wrath
God is love √
Love is from God √
Jesus is from God √
God has created the human heart with a natural
“pacemaker” that sets the rhythm of a person’s heartbeats.
When we begin to recognize it was God’s Love that sent Jesus
as His provision to turn away His just wrath against our sin,
and to make amends for our guilt or wrongdoing, our hearts begin
to experience the rhythm of love from God’s own heart abiding in us.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another
knowing with every beat His love is being perfected in us.

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Posted in 1 John, Light, New Testament, Sunday

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Confession

Posted on April 16, 2023 | Leave a comment

Confession is so much more than saying words. It’s our promise to God that we will not pretend to ourself or to Him that we’ve cleared sin from our life.  Our confession is His evidence of our trust that his faithful desire is to be true to Himself.  He will hear our promises and forgive and cleanse us from the unrighteousness of our human attempts to be committed to Him…if we walk in His Light and continue to confess our desire is to claim our shared life with him.

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Posted in 1 John, Light, New Testament, Sunday

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Dictionary Day

Posted on January 8, 2023 | Leave a comment

In: enclosed or surrounded by
Love: strong affection arising out of kinship or personal ties
Manifest: clear or obvious to the eye or mind.
World: the earth with its inhabitants and all things upon it.
Live: to exist
Through: able to move from one side to the other
Him: I=Jesus, Ch=Christ, Th=Theou (God’s), U=Uios (Son), S=Souter (Savior) ICHTHUS

Enclosed or surrounded by the strong affection of God, arising out of kinship or personal ties with Him, it becomes clear or obvious to the eye or mind that God sent Jesus to the earth with its inhabitants and all things upon it so we might exist knowing we are able to move from one side to the other of eternity because of Him.

 

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Posted in 1 John, Light, New Testament, Sunday

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Reality Check

Posted on October 24, 2021 | Leave a comment

Recap 1 John
1 John 2:18 antichrist is coming
1 John 2:22 This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.
1 John 4:3 spirit of the antichrist here already

Untruths from the antichrist a
The end of time is too far off to be concerned about now
The end of time is too close to care about tomorrow
Lawlessness and sin are a sign of the church’s failure
It’s too late to pray or work for revival
a gleaned from John Piper

Ideas to ponder:  
Is the “elect lady” a church?
Are “her children” the believers?
This love letter is a warning.

Now read all of 2 John 1 pondering the
Recap, the Untruths and the Ideas

1 The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth, and not only I but also all who know the truth,  2 because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us for ever: 3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love. 

4 I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children following the truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father. 5 And now I beg you, lady, not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.  6 And this is love, that we follow his commandments; this is the commandment, as you have heard from the beginning, that you follow love.  7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, men who will not acknowledge the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh; such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Look to yourselves, that you may not lose what you[we] have worked for, but may win a full reward. 9 Any one who goes ahead and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God; he who abides in the doctrine has both the Father and the Son. 10 If any one comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into the house or give him any greeting; 11 for he who greets him shares his wicked work. 

12 Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink, but I hope to come to see you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

13 The children of your elect sister greet you.  RSV

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Posted in 1 John, 2 John, New Testament, Sunday

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The Confidence of Being Heard

Posted on October 20, 2021 | Leave a comment

1 John 5
13 I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.
14 And this is the confidence which we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made
16 If any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that one is to pray for that.
17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin which is not mortal.
18 We know that any one born of God does not sin, but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.
19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of the evil one.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, to know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. RSV

13 You may know that you have eternal life
you who believe in the name of the Son of God.
14 He hears us.
if we ask anything according to his will
And this is the confidence which we have in him
15 We have obtained the requests made 
if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask

16 Ask, 
If any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal sin
God will give him life for those whose sin is not mortal
There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that one is to pray for that.
17 All wrongdoing is sin 
but there is sin which is not mortal

18 We know
any one born of God does not sin
He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him
19 We know that we are of God
the whole world is in the power of the evil one.
20 we know that the Son of God has come
and has given us understanding, to know him who is true;
we are in him who is true; his Son Jesus Christ
the true God and eternal life

21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols

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Posted in 1 John, New Testament, Wednesday

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The Structure of Life

Posted on October 17, 2021 | Leave a comment

1 John 5
5 Who is it that overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
6 This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood.
7 And the Spirit is the witness, because the Spirit is the truth.
8 There are three witnesses, the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree.
9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has borne witness to his Son.
10 He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. He who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne to his Son.
11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He who has the Son has life; he who has not the Son of God has not life.  RSV


5 He who believes that Jesus is the Son of God
overcomes the world
6 Jesus Christ
who came by water and blood
not with the water only

7 Because the Spirit is the truth 
the Spirit is the witness
8 The Spirit, the water, and the blood 
are three witnesses
and these three agree
9 the testimony of God is greater;
for this is the testimony of God
he has borne witness to his Son

10 He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself.
He who does not believe God has made him a liar;
because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne to his Son.
11 God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son
and this is the testimony,

12 He who has the Son has life

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Posted in 1 John, New Testament, Sunday

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The Poetry of Love

Posted on October 13, 2021 | Leave a comment

1 John 4
16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.
18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19 We love because he first loved us. NIV

God is love
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us
Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them
In this world we are like Jesus
This is how love is made complete among us
so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment

The one who fears is not made perfect in love
because fear has to do with punishment
But perfect love drives out fear
There is no fear in love
We love, because he first loved us.

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Posted in 1 John, New Testament, Wednesday

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Beloved Little Children

Posted on October 10, 2021 | Leave a comment

1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
3 and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God. This is the spirit of antichrist, of which you heard that it was coming, and now it is in the world already.
4 Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them; for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
5 They are of the world, therefore what they say is of the world, and the world listens to them.
6 We are of God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and he who is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. RSV


Do not believe every spirit
Test the spirits
Many false prophets have gone out into the world


Every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
Every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God.
This is the spirit of antichrist,
you heard that it was coming
now it is in the world already.

You are of God, and have overcome them
They are of the world, therefore what they say is of the world
the world listens to them. 

for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Whoever knows God listens to us,
he who is not of God does not listen to us.

 

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Posted in 1 John, New Testament, Sunday

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By This

Posted on October 6, 2021 | Leave a comment

1 John 3:21 Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 All who keep his commandments abide in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he has given us.

We have confidence before God
if our hearts do not condemn us
because we keep his commandments
and do what pleases Him.
All who keep His commandments abide in Him and He in them
and we receive from Him whatever we ask.
This is His commandment,
believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ
and love one another
by the Spirit He has given us.
By this we know that He abides in us.

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Posted in 1 John, New Testament, Wednesday

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Loving

Posted on October 3, 2021 | Leave a comment

I John 3
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
17 But if any one has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
18 Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth.
19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth, and reassure our hearts before him
20 whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.  RSV


He laid down his life for us.
By this we know love.
We ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
Loving in deed and in truth
reassures our hearts before Him,
we are of the truth.
God is greater than our hearts
whenever our hearts condemn us!

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Posted in 1 John, New Testament, Sunday

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